162 



THE FLOEAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



wooden stakes, tliey simply rest on the 

 ground. Tliis reply was written imme- 

 diately after your letter arrived, and un- 

 fortunately mislaid. AVe owe you a 

 thousand apologies for the delay. It is 

 our custom to be punctual, and we 

 deeply regret any failing therein. 



Diseased Vines. — W.B., Castle Lodge. — 

 Your vines are suffering from defective 

 root action, the cause of disease in nine- 

 tenths of the cases of vine failure sub- 

 mitted to us. You do not say how tliey 

 are planted, and therefore it is impossilile 

 to advise you minutely. They are either 

 in a damp border, or a border excessively 

 fat with undecomposed manure, or 

 where tliej- have not a sufficient amount 

 of sun-heat. 



Planting after Tulips. — A. B. S. — Why 

 grieve that you cnnnot plant your beds 

 till the middle of June? All you need 

 do is to get the plants shifted into 48- 

 sized pots, and plunged out of doors after 

 the middle of May till wanted. Then 

 you can turn them out without any 

 check, and in full bloom. So in autumn 

 you need not take up your plants till the 

 end of October, and you have then good 

 time to plant the tulips. We should 



', certainly prefer to plunge the plants in 

 pots to using boxes : we once tried the 

 box system, and was very soon sick of 

 it, and, therefore, we cannot advise you 

 to get into that trouble. Suppose you 

 were to have some kind of cheap frame- 

 work for inclosing those beds, and then 

 fill them with potted plants for the sum- 

 mer, on the system described at page 127 

 of last number. That system proves to 

 be about a hundred times more grand 

 than any system of bedding, and it has 

 but one defect, and that is, that it uses 

 an enormous quantity of plants, but 

 that is an advantage to us, for we grow 

 a vast many more ornamental subjects 

 than we can ever display properly. But 

 you have only to give your bedders ano- 

 ther fortnight's growing, and you and 

 they will be the better for it in tlie end. 



Caterpillars and other Pests. — IF. B. P. 

 — There will be no injury by the splash- 

 ing of soap or chloride of lime solution 

 on the soil. If any effect is produced it 

 will be to the benefit of the plants, but 

 we doubt if you will get rid of cater- 

 pillars by any method except hand- 

 picking. The best remedy fur red spider 

 is pure water alone, or the fumes of sul- 

 phur. Red spider never attacks plants 

 that are growing vigorously, and that 

 h.ave plenty of water; in fact, moisture is 

 certain death to this pest. Soda will, if 

 strong, spoil the foliage ; if weak, not I 



harm the vermin ; stick to plain water 

 or tobiicco-water, and you will do well. 

 We find Louis XIV. a first-rate rose now, 

 though it has hitherto been shy. But 

 our plants are getting old, and show a 

 free habit. The same with Eugene 

 Appert, it is this season blooming su- 

 perbly with us, though hitherto shy. 

 We really cannot say if those you name 

 will do with you. We should expect 

 much of them. We find Cardinal Pa- 

 trizzi grow and fiower as freely as any 

 rose we have. 



Cucumber Failure. — W. Hill. — The vines 

 that bore so well, and then produced 

 distorted fruit, and got full of fly, were 

 probably exhausted through being in a 

 poor soil, or wanting water. When 

 cucumbers play these pranks it is usually 

 best to destroy them. Touch up the bed 

 and plant again, but you might have 

 cured yours by using good linings to the 

 bed, slightly pruning back the vines, 

 and giving them frequent sj'ringings 

 with soft water and manure-water at the 

 root. The leaves were scorched in fumi- 

 gating by the tobacco taking fire. We 

 cannot say what lias caused the violet to 

 sport, for there is much mystery about 

 the cause of sporting, but we can advise 

 you to keep it and increase it if you can. 

 Fuchsias for pyramids should be topped 

 at tlie height you wish the pyramid to 

 be, and all side-branches should be 

 pinched in frequently. Fumigating 

 should be done at night when the house 

 is dry, and the plants syringed well next 

 morning. Ask fewer questions next 

 time you write. 



Various. — Subscriber. — Inquire at the sta- 

 tioner's about India-rubber bands. — lt~ 

 S. Hopkins. — We suppose your Narcissus 

 are in a worn-out soil, and want di- 

 viding, the soil manured and the bulbs 

 planted further apait than they are now. 

 J. A. — We do not know how many kinds 

 of hepaticas and double primulas there 

 are. We have "several shades of all the 

 colours you name. The only way to get 

 at tliem is to look out for them in bloom 

 at nurseries, and there and then make 

 sure of them by purchase. — CoinmeUna. 

 — The leaves of the lime are covered 

 with fungi. These Avill all disappear, and 

 you will probably never see it again. 

 But should another outbreak occur, let 

 us know, and we will consider what had 

 best be done ; at present we think yon 

 have no reason to be alarmed. — Miss 

 Price. — The seed of the heartsease was 

 all distributed immediately after the 

 notice appeared. It cannot be obtained 

 of the trade. 



