186 



THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



otliors. Wo are best acquainted with 

 Slianks's, Green's, and Samuelson's. We 

 used Samuelson's for five years, and were 

 always pleased with it, and the machine 

 is now doing duty on a cricket field, and 

 after seven years' use is as good as ever. 

 We use now one of Slianks's 16-inch 

 machines, which is remarkably easy to 

 wo rk,and so admirably made that it is 

 scarcely possible for it to get out of re- 

 pair, and also one of Green's little Silens 

 Mcssors, which is useful for verges and 

 fancy work. A child could use the last- 

 named, and it would pay the proprietor 

 of the smallest town plot to have one to 

 keep his grass in better order than is 

 possible with the scythe. In fact, the 

 scythe itself ought to be abolished. 



Vermin in Fern Cases. — Lady D. N. — 

 The specimens sent appear to have been 

 eaten by slugs or snuils, probably intro- 

 duced ill the soil or with the ferns when 

 the case was planted. We have fre- 

 quently had sucli things happen, but have 

 always found it an easy matter to trap 

 the vermin. We Lave placed scraps of 

 fresh lettuce leaf under pieces of tile, and 

 have sometimes used buttered cabbage 

 leaves, which they are very foud of. 

 Perhaps by seaiching the case at night 

 you may catch the marauders at supper. 

 But there is a very pretty wiiy of exter- 

 minating snails and slugs in fern cases, 

 and that is to put in a [ijw glow-worms. 

 They light up the ferns at night with 

 quite a fairy-like illumination, and they 

 hunt snails and sings as cats hunt mice. 



Planting under Trees. —^..B. — Any of 

 the Saxifrages will do well under trees. 

 The safest place for them is a slope in a 

 peaty soil, where the air is humid, but 

 where they will not be subjected to 

 stagnant wet in winter time. Peri- 

 winkles are quite at home under trees, 

 but Sedums require open sunny positions. 

 The specimens sent are pedatifida, mus- 

 coides, and Sternbergii. The second of 

 these three is a beauty. As you are 

 fund of these things yoii should secure S. 

 pyramidalis, which is a most elegant 

 plant when in bloom, and makes a nice 

 epecimen in a five-inch pot. The Sednm 

 next month. London Pride is Saxifraga 

 ixmbrosa ; white Arabis and Aubrietia 

 are cruciferous plants, and quite distinct 

 from the Saxifrages, as you will see by 

 dissecting flowers and seed-pods. By clay 

 for the foundation of rockeries, we mean 

 any kind of stifi^ tenacious soil. The 

 height of the rockery averages five feet, 

 but runs down in some places to ten, and 

 in others rises to seven or eight, and is 

 then broken into ledges. To kill weeds 



on walks sprinkle dri/ salt in dry weather, 

 and take care none touches grass or box- 

 edging. 

 Various. — A. B. — Your supposed fern is 

 Spirea ulmaria. — Sithsciiber. — The yel- 

 low fiower is Limnanthes Douglasi ; the 

 purple is the variegated Ajuga reptans, 

 a charming thing for a rockery. — 

 A. B. S. — Any old chest or box will 

 make a fumigating case, if fitted with a 

 lid nearly or quite air-tight ; or if that 

 cannot be done, cover it with a wet 

 cloth or mat when in use. Put the 

 plants in it, and use a Brown's fumiga- 

 tor, inserting the end of the delivery 

 ])ipe in a hole made for the purpose, and 

 then puff away. If you burn the to- 

 bacco in the box you will kill the plants. 

 Try another plan, have a vessel full of 

 water heated to 150'. Take a plant in 

 your hand as if you were going to turn 

 it out of the pot, that is with the fingers 

 on the soil, turn it upside down and dip 

 it in the hot water, and work it up and 

 down a few seconds, then lay it down on 

 its side to drain in a shady warm place ; 

 when dry it Avill probably be free of fly, 

 and keep so for a long time, as the heat 

 kills the insects andtlieir eggs, and does 

 not hurt the plant. Try this first with 

 things of sm.ill value. — C. J. R. — It is 

 very difficult to get up the Feather grass 

 from seed. You may get a plant in a 

 pot at a very low price, and this, if 

 planted out, may be increased by remov- 

 ing small tufts with roots attached, and 

 potting them in small pots, in sandy 

 loam. Tliat is the way we have always 

 managed it, and our stock is sometimes 

 large, as we use it occasionally for fur- 

 nishing. Atriplex hortensis rubra is an 

 annual of which seed may be had very 

 cheap. It is best sown in the open 

 ground or in pots in April. It should 

 never have artificial heat. — A. M. — You 

 can obtain one of Pickard's, which are 

 the best, at from two to eight guineas. 

 If you want one made to pattern, apply 

 to Messrs. Treggon, Jewin Street, Lon- 

 don. Any rose will grow on a good 

 loamy soil, so you can select according 

 to your taste. To tell the whole story 

 of fern sports will, we hope, be our 

 business some day, but we could not say 

 a word about it hero. It is a great sub- 

 ject. — S. C. 31. — We should .advise you 

 to have the variegated laurel inarched 

 upon common laurel. Grafts and buds 

 would probably fail. The first step will 

 be to plant common laurel near it, or get 

 a quantity of laurels in pots to inarch 

 upon. — S. B. — " Profitable Gardening " 

 is the book for you. 



