66 



JOURNAL OF HORTICUIiTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[Jnly 24,1873. 



but there are few plots of it now to be met with iu a state of 

 nature. Past generations as well as the present hare had 

 their eyes open in selecting the most productive laud, aud a 

 large proportion of this was enclosed at an early period of this 

 country's occupation. 



Decomposed sandstone supports most of the important 

 timber trees we hare, and that to a larger size than other soils, 

 when the circumstances are equal ; and in gardening it seems 

 to hold a medium position between soils containing a large 

 amount of calcareous matter and the peaty ones previously 

 alluded to, in such a way that most of the plants of these 

 extremes will thrive, and that well too, on the stratum that 

 was once a sandstone. Witness the excellent beds of Rhodo- 

 dendrons and other plants of a like kind met with on soils 

 differing in outward appearance widely from peat, while at the 

 same time the Yew, Juniper, and other plants usually met with 

 on chalky or limestone boUs are also equally thriving ; and I 

 have a strong impression the best Grapes, as a general rule, 

 are obtained from soils of this character, notwithstanding all 

 that has been said about lime rubbish and the other hundred- 

 and-one substances used as components of the Vine border. 

 On this head, however, perhaps someone else will give us an 

 opinion. I am certainly of opinion that most kinds of vege- 

 tables like it well — Celery, Lettuce, the Strawberry, Potatoes, 

 and most other crops, unless it be Cabbages and Onions, which 

 I imagine prefer the calcareous soil previously aUuded to. 

 Of course there are differences in the character of soils of the 

 kind now spoken of. Some I have met with much more 

 open than others, these evidently suffer more from dry summers 

 than others do ; others, again, merging fast into the stiff loam, 

 or even clay. To this class perhaps the application of lime 

 might be of service. But judgment is required here, and I am 

 not sure, as stated in the early part of this article, that we do 

 not often act improperly in some of our mixtures. 



We now come to that class of soil which is far more abused 

 than it deserves to be, " a stiff loamy soil." Somehow this 

 SOU is more found fault with than it deserves to be, owing 

 to more labour being required iu its cultivation and its un- 

 pleasantness in wet weather, but it is not an ungrateful soil, and 

 possibly gives a better pcr-centage for the value of the manure 

 put upon it than any other, as anything applied is not easily 

 washed out of it by rains. As a soil adapted for tillage, it is 

 one that usually withstands hot dry weather better than most 

 others, and supports vegetation in such times with less flag- 

 ging than wo often see in other soils. There ai-e numerous 

 breadths of stiff soils scattered all over the kingdom. The 

 London and Wealden clays are proverbial, while other districts 

 have their tracts of stiff heavy land. It is not always in the 

 valleys where it is to be found. On the contrary, it seems to 

 prevail most in gently undulating countries, leaving the steep 

 hills and level plains for other kinds of soil, although now 

 and then it is met with there also, but that is the exception 

 and not the rule. The general character of such land, how- 

 ever, does not unfit it for cultivation. On the contrary, the 

 gentle incline and other inequalities favour draining ; and 

 the use of the plough, as well as that of vehicles, is not im- 

 peded by steep hills, while it also possesses other advantages 

 that may be spoken of hereafter. — J. Robson. 



TOADS IN THE GARDEN. 



Man-t persons have a loathing of this really interesting, but 

 certainly not handsome, Bufo, the result of superstition or 

 want of education. It is time we learned that they cannot 

 bite any more than a snake, and if they could, that bite would 

 • be equally harmless. We suppose the fiction that they carry 

 a jewel in their head is no longer believed, Shakespeare to the 

 contrary notwithstanding; yet the latter is more true than 

 the former — indeed it is half true. They cany two ; theii 

 eyes, at least, are as bright as any jewels that ever sparkled in 

 a diadem. They are the most innocent of creatui-es that ever 

 ate indiscriminately anything that had life that they could 

 swallow that came within reach. They are worth more per head 

 to the horticulturist than chickens, even allowing that chickens 

 did not scratch ; and to put our readers thoroughly La good 

 humour with these insect-devourers, we reproduce the follow- 

 ing story by Dr. Harris : — He supposed the odour of the 

 squash bug (Coreus tristis) would protect it from the toad ; 

 and to test the matter he offered one to a grave-looking Dufo, 

 under a Cabbage. He seized it eagerly, but spit it out instantly, 

 reared up on his hind legs and put his front feet on top of his 

 head for an instant as if in pain, aud then disappeared across 



the garden in a series of the greatest leaps a toad ever made. 

 Perhaps the bug bit the biter. Not satisfied with this Dr. 

 Harris hunted up another toad, which lived under the piazza, 

 and always sunned himself in one place in the grass, and 

 offered him a squash bug, which he took aud swallowed, wink- 

 ing iu a very satisfied manner. Twenty other fine bugs followed 

 the first iu a few moments, with no difficulty or hesitation iu 

 the taking or swallowing, though from the wriggling and con- 

 tortions, it appeai'ed their comers did not set well within. 

 The stock of bugs then being exhausted, a colony of smooth 

 black larvae was found iu a White Birch, each about three- 

 quarters of an inch long, and over one hundred of these were 

 fed to the waiting toad. Touching one of them with the end 

 of a straw it would coil around it, aud then when shaken be- 

 fore him he would seize and swallow it, at first eagerly, but 

 with diminished zest as the number increased, until it became 

 necessary to rub the worm against his lips for some time before 

 ho could decide about it. He would then take it and sit with 

 his lips ajar for a short time, gathering strength and resolu- 

 tion, and then swallow by a desperate effort. There is no tell- 

 ing what the number or result would have been as the dinner 

 bell rang as the 101st disappeared, aud by the close cf the 

 meal he had retired to his hole, nor did he appear for four 

 days in his sunning place. It is to be hoped that he slept well, 

 but there might have been nightmares. — [Jft'stern Rural.) 



GERMAN INSECTICIDE. 

 In No. Gl-0 of The Jouks.vl of Horticulture, (fee., page 13, 

 you write : — " We should be obUged by particulars of a solu- 

 tion that wiU destroy aphis and not djscolour the woodwork, 

 &c." I take the liberty to recommend to you the new insecti- 

 cidum, sold by Peter Smith it Co., at Hamburgh, Hopfenmarkt, 

 No. 27. The bottle containing more than 1 lb. (German), 

 costs 2.S. 6d. retail. I use it in washing and brushing all the 

 vinery — viz., the woodwork, the glass, the walls, the stems of 

 the Vines, both for cleaning these and destroying insects, dis- 

 solving thirty grains of the iusecticidum in one litre of hot water. 

 As soon as a part of the house is brushed I give a good syring- 

 ing with clean v/ater. Without iuj uring the most tender foliage. 

 I use it to destroy all insects infesting plants, inoludiug grubs, 

 dissolving twenty grains (as much as the volumen of a walnut) 

 iu one litre of hot water. — E. K., a German Header. 



THE HABIT OF THE E.^TA (Metkosideros eobust.\). 



By T. Kiek, F.L.S. 



[Eead before tlxe Auckland Institute.] 



The occurrence of several climbing species of Metrosideros 

 in New Zealand, coupled, perhaps, with the native application 

 of the name " Rata" to the majority of species both scandent 

 and erect, has led to a singular error in connection v.-ilh the 

 form now under consideration, affording a marked instance of 

 the readiness with which erroneous statements relative to 

 natural phenomena are accepted and repeated, although the 

 exercise of a small amount of observation would suffice to 

 detect the fallacy. 



Few persons can have travelled amongst settlers in a forest 

 district in the north without having then- attention attracted 

 by distorted giant liatas, and hearing the commonly-received 

 oi>inion that these immense trees were originally weak climbing 

 plants, the stems of which increased in bulk until tliey killed 

 the fostering tree which had supported them, and ultimately 

 united to form a solid trunk, perhaps some 60 or 70 feet in 

 length, and with the branches, perchance, attaining a total 

 height of 100 feet. The frequent repetition of these state- 

 ments has led to the eiTor being reproduced by many super- 

 ficial writers on New Zealand, although in the original " Flora 

 Novae-Zelandis," published twenty years ago, the plant is 

 correctly described as never climbing. I copy, almost at 

 random, the following extract respecting the Rata, from Wake- 

 field's " Handbook for New Zealand :" — " Rata (Metrosideros 

 robusta). There are several varieties of this tree ; one grows 

 at first as a parasite, creeping in numerous stem-like ropes up 

 the trunks of the other forest trees, gradually enclosing them 

 till they perish, and then uniting to form a noble tree taller 

 than that which it has destroyed, with an enormous trunk, 

 but hollow within.'' It is, however, noteworthy that this 

 opinion is not expressed by Dr. Hochstetter and the writers of 

 other standard works on New Zealand, who simply speak of 

 the Rata as a large tree with showy blossoms. Tho general 

 resemblance which the foliage and inflorescence of one of the 



