154 THE GARDENER. [April 



As regards insects, Eriostemons are not exempt from them. Green- 

 fly, thrips, and brown and white scale will attack these plants. The two 

 first are not difficult to keep in subjection, as strong fumes of tobacco 

 kills them ; and as the plants are not easily injured by tobacco- 

 fumes, the latter can be made strong enough to vanquish the enemy. 

 The scale is not so easily got rid of if it once gets thoroughly estab- 

 lished on large plants. With the aid of parafHn-oil, however, mixed 

 with water, in the proportion of a wine-glassful of the former to a 

 gallon of the latter, scale can be prevented from injuriously affecting 

 the plants. The best time to apply paraffin-oil as an insecticide to 

 all plants is when they are in the least active state of growth. If I 

 am not mistaken, it was the editor of this journal who first brought 

 paraf!in-oil as an insecticide under public notice, and since then I have 

 been using it as such, I find, however, that much caution is required 

 in applying it to all plants, and especially to soft-wooded subjects, when 

 in a growing condition. 



According to Mr Dewar's remarks on paraffin-oil as an insecticide, 

 in the February issue of the ' Gardener,' he has had much success with 

 it as a destroyer of mealy-bug, and I have found it of great service in 

 the same direction ; but I cannot say that our " plants of Ixoras, 

 Grotons, Gardenias, Hoyas, and others, have been thoroughly divested 

 of the enemy by this means." And I am of opinion, that nothing short 

 of " utter destruction of the plants " would entirely rid large plants of 

 Gardenias and Ixoras of mealy-bug, when it has got thoroughly 

 established on the plants. T. Hammond. 



ANNUALS. 



There is one feature of present-day flower-gardening which we are not 

 so thankful for as we ought to be, and that is, that there is no necessity 

 for any one to attempt to follow the style of his neighbour, as he was 

 obliged to do a dozen or twenty years ago, at the risk of being set 

 down as altogether behind the times if he failed to do so. Now- 

 adays, any one who has a liking for strong colours can satiate his 

 appetite for these ; or, if bedding in greys and greens is his penchant, 

 he can satisfy his mental liking for these. He can go in for beds of 

 Cannas, Castor-oil plants, Wigandias, and other sub-tropical subjects ; 

 or he may more cheaply get fine-foliage effect by planting Rhubarb 

 and Globe Artichokes. He may pin his gardening creed to Daff'odils 

 and "fair Lilies," or he may broaden the borders of his likings by 

 taking in one and all of these ; and even then he may with some ad- 

 vantage add to the number of his styles of flower-gardening by adding 

 the very easiest of flowers to cultivate — Annuals — without in any de- 

 gree violating public taste. Now and again we come across a bed or two 

 of common hardy Annuals in conjunction with other flowering plants j 



