76 THE GARDENER. [Feb. 



the forjiier enemy puts in an appeanince, the best plan is to thoroughly 

 scrub the stem and branches with a good hard brush, using at the same 

 time tepid water and soft soap. If this be done once or twice, and 

 the branches afterwards painted with a mixture of soft soap and tobacco- 

 water, using soil, soot, or any other suchlike material, to give it consist- 

 ency, the chances are that you will have effectually destroyed the col- 

 ony. The presence of red-spider is a sure proof that the tree has been, 

 or is, too dry at the root. The best preventive is to keep the trees 

 always well watered, especially in very dry weather, giving them a 

 good syringing two or three times a-week ; and if this be attended to, 

 there is little to fear from the attacks of red-spider. Should it, how- 

 ever, have established itself upon the tree, flour of sulphur should 

 either be used in the water for syringing, or shaken over the branches 

 with a sulphurator. James M'Millan. 



{To he continued.) 



HINTS FOR AMATEURS.— FEBRUARY. 



In the fruit-garden all arrears should be brought forward, and as soon 

 as possible all nailing, pruning, mulching, clearing off moss from bark, 

 dressing the wood with Gishurst compound, &c., to keep dow^n insects, 

 cuttings of bushes, such as Currants and Gooseberries, finished, so that 

 cropping and other important work may not be interrupted. Peaches 

 and Nectarines are often left from the walls by some leading cultivat- 

 ors as long as can be done without danger from destroying the flower- 

 buds. An old friend we lived near, in the east of England, never 

 pruned before March, and only tied up the shoots as the flowers were 

 beginning to open. He could boast of never having a failure for 

 more than twenty years. When the bearing-wood is thinned, enough 

 should be left to carry plenty of fruit, but so that the leaves will have 

 plenty of space to develop themselves. Disbudding can be done 

 freely, to give room, but it is not necessary to give so much labour for 

 no purpose ; crowding of wood is seldom attended with success, as its 

 ripening is very much prevented. If roots of Peaches and Nectarines 

 are extending beyond healthy soil, and an addition of it cannot be 

 given, it is better to shorten back these robust growers, and give a 

 limited space, feeding from the surface. In front of the roots, stones 

 and loam may be rammed thoroughly firm, and the best results will 

 follow ; fibre will cling and grow round the stones till it becomes matted. 

 This practised to a late Peach-house here, 100 feet long, has been very 

 satisfactory. Figs on back wall of same structure, treated in same way, 

 have been kept in very fruitful condition for years, and no amount of 



