1871.] AUTUMN AND WINTER PLANTS. 509 



very troublesome : trapping is the only plan for tliem. Of insect enemies there 

 are very few, and consequently the crops seldom suffer from their attacks. The 

 larvae of St Mark's fly (Tipiila ]\Iarci) sometimes attack the flower-stalks, cut- 

 ting them over by the ground. To destroy it, search for their haunts, which 

 are indicated by the presence of fine earth, and have them destroyed by re- 

 moving the soil and having it burned. There are other two enemies mentioned 

 by Mr Thompson in his 'Gardener's Assistant' — viz., Hepialus lupulinus and 

 Otiorhynchus tenebricosus ; but as it is so rare that they ever attack the Straw- 

 berry to any great extent, it is unnecessary to do more than name them. 



James M'Millan, 

 {To he contiiiued.) 



NOTES ON AUTUMN AND WINTER 

 FLOWERING PLANTS. 



{Continued from page 453.) 

 SOLANUM CAPSICASTRUM. 



This is a common but very useful plant for autumn decoration. Its 

 dark-green foliage, and shining red fruit or berries, render it a very 

 effective plant. When properly treated it grows rapidly, making 

 goodly-sized plants in one season from seed. Seed sown in March in a 

 brisk bottom-heat soon vegetates, and as soon as the young seedlings 

 develop two rough leaves, prick them into pans about 3 inches apart, 

 using rich fibry loam, with about equal proportions of leaf-mould and 

 a little sand. Place them in a close moist atmosphere, with a temper- 

 ature of 65°, and syringe them freely. Here they will grow rapidly, 

 and as soon as they grow to touch each other, pot them off into various 

 sizes of pots likely to be most serviceable for various purposes when 

 well berried. By putting a single plant into a 5-inch pot, and three 

 into a 6-inch pot, they make nice dwarf bushes loaded with berries 

 all winter. When large plants are required, shift on single plants as 

 the smaller pots get filled with roots, fix a stake to each leading shoot, 

 and pinch the lateral growths. In this way fine pyramidal hand- 

 some plants, equal in shape to any Fuchsia, can be obtained. Grown 

 as standards they look extremely well, and to grow them as such 

 they require to be manipulated the same as recommended for tree 

 Mignonette. 



Solanums delight in good rich compost, and, after the pots are filled 

 ■with roots, frequent watering with manure-water. When it is desir- 

 able to have large plants the first season from seed, keep them in a 

 temperature of 70° close to the glass all the season, which, with a good 

 supply of moisture, will make large specimens loaded with berries. 

 But we find those grown in 6-inch pots the most useful, as they 



