l76 



JOUENAL OF HOETICULTUKE AND COTTAGE QABDENEK. 



( March 8, 1877. 



element, which has been the great object of our work." Mr. 

 Wilson farther remarks — " Some would say the Society has 

 still the South Kensington encumbrance ; but if they were 

 asked only for a guinea it is not they who would pay for this, 

 they would get horticultural consideration for their guinea, 

 while the £i 4s. and £2 2s. subscribers would pay for the 

 South Kensington Gardens." Exactly. A more cogent argu- 

 ment could not be advanced in favour of gainea subscribers 

 joining the Society as at present constituted, and Mr. Wilson 

 can no longer (except on the matter of voting) object to their 

 joining from this time henceforth. 



I now revert to the question of voting. As a plea for the 

 " approval of silence " given by Mr. Wilson and all the lead- 

 ing horticulturists to the policy of the Council (at the general 

 meeting of the 13th nit.), your correspondent states that 

 guinea membership was not mentioned in the report. That 

 may be true, but it is equally true that the subject was pro- 

 minently brought before the meeting and discussed, Lord 

 Alfred Churchill clearly enunciating the policy of the Council, 

 and to that policy, and at that proper time for doing so, not 

 one dissentient voice was heard. A discusfion on a point 

 considered by anyone to be vital could surely not be deemed 

 " needless ;" but in reality voting is generally esteemed as 

 practically inapplicable to the great bulk of country subscribers ; 

 and although the term " voting" possesses an alluring sound, 

 it is to those who would refuse paying a fine (travelling ex- 

 penses) of, it may be, much more than an extra guinea to 

 exercise it, only an alluring sound. 



In conclusion I ask that as the Council is trusted aa horti- 

 culturists desirous of doing the best for the Society and pro- 

 moting the work it was established to foster, the guineas may 

 come in, and I am not without hope that a horticulturist so 

 earnest as Mr. Wilson will yet perceive that that is preferable 

 to trusting to any casual " chapter of accidents." — A Guinea 

 Man. 



[As the plans of the Council aro settled for the ensuing 

 year, and as guinea members are now being admitted, we can- 

 not occupy valuable space in the further discussion of a subject 

 which can be of no practical benefit, and which has hitherto 

 been productive of such feeble yet mischievous results.— Eds.] 



PICUS PARCELLI FBUITING. 



1 HAVE a plant of Fious Patcelli bearing a fruit. The Fig is 

 precisely the same form as an ordinary Fig, but much smaller. 

 I do not know if it will increase in size; it is now about as 

 large as a blackbird's egg, beautifully variegated. Is its fruit- 

 ing uncommon ?— Jovenile. 



[This is the first time that we know of this Fig fruiting in 

 England. As there are many to whom this beautiful varie- 

 gated-leaved plant is not known we will add a few relative par- 

 ticulars. It is named after its discoverer, Mr. Parcell, plant 

 collector for Messrs. Baptist & Son, Sydney. Messrs. Veitch 

 and Sons were awarded lor it a first-class certificate by the 

 Eoyal Horticultural and lloyal Botanic Societies iu 1871. Its 

 leaves are dark green profusely blotched with white.] 



RED-LEADING SEEDS. 



"D., Deal," says that notwithstanding having well red- 

 leaded hia Peas tho mice have been at them. I wish to ask 

 him if he prepared the seed iu the manner I described, or did 

 be fall into the same mistake which Jlr. Fisli laboured under 

 when he rtcommonded the seed to be damped with water 

 instead of linseed oil ? or are tho Kentieh mice of another 

 species to thoeo of a more northern climate? " !>., Deal," 

 does not state to what extent he has suffered, nor how many 

 Peas he found stored up iu his Auricula pit as a reserve for a 

 future meal. I quite believe him iu saying that he found some 

 carried away. I myself, in the first or secmd year after dis- 

 covery, on lookiug over the rows of Pea? found five holes made 

 by mice, and the following day the enme number of Peosimdei 

 a draining tile. What "D., Deal," ha? advanced does not 

 prove the dressing of the seeds to ke a failure, or that I am a 

 deceiver. Such authorities as Mr. McEwen (see " Florist and 

 Pomologist," 1875, p. 7) and Mv. Fish (sec Journal of Uorii- 

 culture, 1870, p. S'.lti), with hundreds of practical horticulturists 

 sustain me. 



For the benefit of your subscribers I will just describe the 

 proper way to prepare the seeds. Having a suitable vessel, 

 say a tin can, large enough, shake the seeds round, adding by 



degrees as much Unseed oil as will give a slight coating whilst 

 shaking, then add aa much dry red lead as will make the seeds 

 appear as it painted, and by well shaking in twenty-four hours 

 they will be fit to handle. One teaepoonful of oil is sufficient 

 for a quart of Peas, and for other seeds in proportion. I have 

 found it necessary in the case of wrinkled Peas and Beans to 

 use a larger quantity of oil, and allow it to drain off through a 

 fine sieve. Seeds thus properly prepared I am certain, after 

 the experience of more than twenty years, will be perfectly 

 safe from the ravages of both rats, mice, and birds.— Joseph 

 Bukoess, Knutsford. 



PRUNING ROSES. 

 EvEKBoDV is asking. How about pruning in this extra- 

 ordinary season? I have been hoping to have seen remaika 

 on the subject. Yon have many high authorities amongst 

 your correspondents ; but as private letters have been addressed 

 to mo, I will venture to express my opinion, in the hope of 

 inducing others. It is this, that, taking one season with 

 another, the first week in March for the south and sonth-east 

 is as good a time aa can be selected ; and for Tea Eoses at 

 least a month later. Perhaps pruning may be desirable a week 

 or two sooner on budded stocks which are to be out back very 

 close, and a week later will be desirable in cases where March 

 "comes in" really "like a lion." Certainly, the difficulty this 

 year with some excitable Manettia is to find a single bud any- 

 where to out back to as dormant. — A. C, Brockham. 



AURICULAS. 



I AM sorry to see that our brother of Deal is among the 

 afflicted with woolly aphis upon bis Auricula roots ; but when 

 he speaks of having been utterly ignorant of its existence on 

 this plant till recent notices of it iu this Journal I am afraid 

 he does not see the "Florist and Pomologist," in which so 

 far back as last October I did what I could to put all growers 

 on their guard against this secret foe. I spoke of it as " a 

 terrible thing, infesting the roots, permeating the soil, starting 

 apparently from centres of decayed vegetable matter iu tho 

 compost, destroying the fine white fibres of the plant, and 

 causing it to have a languid, dull, set look, very noticeable 

 and distressing." 



This intimation would, I thought, at least give each grower 

 uneasiness enough to lead him to examine his own collection 

 thoroughly to see that all was safe. Attention in the begiunirg 

 of Ootobtr would have made all the difference, for the plants 

 in thf ir autumnal growth would have rooted again before long. 



The only counsel I have for my friend now is, that late as it 

 looks, and forwarder as Auriculas mu?t be in Kent than in 

 North Yorkshire, I should still prefer ridding them of the pest 

 to allowing them mieerably to struggle through the bloom with 

 this wretched insect preying on their vitals. The plants can 

 only bo even more and more distressed by leaving them in 

 their present case. 



Either they should be turned out of tho pota and have their 

 stems and roots well washed in soft soap and water, or at least 

 the soil should have a good watcrirg with that solution. I 

 should prefer the former method, but should not now wash 

 the foliage. It is so advanced that a Smiling Beauty or Glory 

 would be quite ruined in appearance; and with " D., Deal" 

 all the blooming foliage will be now developed, and all the 

 rich meal would be lost by a leaf-bath. 



Auricula fibres are in high activity now ; and if they could 

 even yet be sot healthily to work in sweet new compost, I feel 

 sure, from intimacy with these plant?, the nature of which I 

 have striven to understand, that to give them this chance is 

 the best treatment " D., Deal," can afford them. That iB 

 what I should do, and I should have the new compost com- 

 fortably moist, so much so as both to work freely and yet sup- 

 port the plints without wnter for a week or more. I should 

 keep tlieui clo?o for that lime to encourage them to draw root, 

 whicli Auriculas will always sooner do in an open soil than in 

 one clogged and wet with water. When they showed signs of 

 go ug along again I should j^ive thtm air as u&ual, but they 

 must be watched, and not allowed to become drawn. Ihope, 

 then, my friend will take hnart nprain. It is no good doing 

 notbing ; therefore " why these weeps V" If he will tackle the 

 enemy boldly and handle his ailing plants with such-like 

 unremitting care as gentle Bob Cratchit had for poor Tiny Tim 

 I can foresee that his nursing also will be rewarded and hiB 

 affected plants recover, though they cannot of course recover 



