64 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



larger selections of these in the " Garden Oracle," but those named above will be suffi- 

 cient for most of our readers, and in quality they cannot be beaten. 



Plants Destroyed Mysteriously. — " In a small suburban garden, much ex- 

 posed to smoke, all young fresh leaves are eateu away as fast as they grow. Thus 

 the new growth of Canterbury bells, and of most bedding plants, such as Calceo- 

 larias, were entirely destroyed, without being able to discover the cause. Can you 

 tell us what is the cause of this ? — A., Liverpool." [All town gardens are infested 

 with vermin to ten times the extent of gardens in the open country ; this is owing 

 to the numerous walls, hedges, fences, rockeries, etc., which afford harbour for them. 

 Probably A's. plants are destroyed by wood-lice. One safe method of dealing with 

 the garden will be to occasionally sprinkle fresh lime lightly on the plants and the 

 ground between them. Another plan will be to adopt a systematic method of trap- 

 ping the destroyers. Clean dry pieces of bark, just as removed from trees recently 

 felled, are good traps, as wood-lice soon collect beneath them, and can be destroyed 

 wholesale. Another good plan is to take a number of small flower-pots and open 

 holes for thern, and plunge them to the rim amongst the plants. Into these pots 

 throw a few slices of apple, or potato, or fresh leaves of lettuce, and cover the 

 baits with dry moss. Take up the pots every mornin<2; and turn out the contents 

 into a pail of boiling water, and put in fresh baits, and cover with moss as before. 

 If snails and slugs abound, a capital system of trapping is to provide some common 

 roof tiles, and with them to cover little heaps of fresh brewers' grains. Take up 

 the tiles every morning, and the snails and slugs will be found rioting in a most 

 happy manner in the treat provided for them. 



Chabcoal in Pots. — W. M. W. — It is a very good plan to use charcoal in 

 place of potsherds as drainage for pots, and you may use them again and again, any 

 number of times. It would be well, perhaps, to strew them on a clean pavement, 

 or wherever they can be fully exposed to the weather for a week or so after they 

 have been in use some time. Charcoal never becomes thoroughly corrupted, for it 

 has the property of decomposing the gases it absorbs. We cannot say which is best 

 for hedging, Baron Hugel, Harry Hieover, or Indispensable, because we are not 

 acquainted with the last named, and the other two are so different that one would 

 be best in one case, and vice versa. Baron Hugel has a very black zone and bright 

 scarlet flowers, with white eye ; Harry Hieover has green leaves, a wiry habit, and 

 orange-red flowers. 



Vine Disease. — J. A. C. Sarleston. — Yor grapes did reach us, and we remem- 

 ber them well. But did any letter accompany them ? We incline to think not. 

 But our remembrance of the case prompts us to suggest that your jSIuscat vines are 

 too cold at the root to do any good. We should regard all sulphur dustings, 

 and all other applications of nostrums to the leaves, or any other part of the upper 

 growth, as useless. Probably this is a good time to consider the state of the roots, 

 and if you will let us know what sort of border the vines are planted in, we may be 

 able to advise you advantageously. As an a priori judgment, we would say that if 

 the roots are in an outside border, it is but rarely you can have a crop of ripe gi'apes, 

 for Muscat of Alexandria requires as much heat as any grape grown. 



Camellia House.— J". R. C, Taunton. — The plan you propose will answer ad- 

 mirably. Caraelias do not want much heat, and at the time they are growing freely 

 the season is advancing to help them. You could see good collections at Messrs. A. 

 Henderson and Co., Edgware Road ; Messrs. Veitch and Son, Chelsea ; Mr. Fraser, 

 Lea Bridge Road ; Mr. B. S. Williams, Hollo way. 



Hakdy Hebbaceous Plants. — C. C. — The O'Shane's boast was a mere burst of 

 jocularity, and by no means inappropriate, in reply to a certain observation made by 

 Mr. Williams. It is true, however, that the O'J^hane (who has another name), has 

 had the management of one of the best collections of hardy plants ever formed in 

 this country, and has studied them with an earnestness and success scarcely to be 

 paralleled. He is now on the Continent, and we shall probably not hear from him 

 for some time to come. We think it well that the discussion between him and Mr. 

 WiUiams should now close, but we shall always be glad to hear from Mr. Williams, 

 and have much enjoyed his communications. 



*^* An Admirer of the Flokal Woeld will be glad if any of its readers can 

 introduce him to a copy of the Editor's work, "Rustic Adornments," fourteen 

 shilling edition. [The inquirer is Mr. J. S. Smith, of High Street, Huntingdon,] 



