390 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ May 15, 187S. 



Waltham Cross, were presented to the Queen and Princesses 

 by Mr. Paul's children (bouquets of Eoses as well). The 

 entrance to the school of cookery was decorated with Roses by 

 Messrs. George Paul A- Son, of Cheshunt. 



BELGIAN MOLE TRAP. 



On a visit we recently paid to the extensive nurseries of Mr. 

 Tan Houtte, at Ghent, wo saw a singular-looking implement 

 lying at the foot of a hedge, the use of which we could not 

 divine until we were informed by Mr. Van Houtte that it was 



Belgian Mole Trap. 



a mole trap. Our figure, for which we are indebted to Mr. 

 Van Houtte's courtesy, will convey a very correct represent- 

 ation of this curious contrivance. It consists of a block of 

 wood armed on its under surface with long iron spikes. This 

 block of wood is raised in a frame in which it is kept in place 

 by a groove on each side, into which the sides of the frame 

 are let in. A string fastened to a hook on the upper surfuce 

 of the block passes through a hole in one of the sides of the 

 frame to a piece of wood, which is set somewhat like that 

 used in setting a figure-4 mouse trap ; and the oblique notched 

 lever in which it is set communicates with another lever, the 

 end of which where it joins the notched levsr is let into the 

 mole's run, and when the animal passes where this is set it 

 pushes up the lower lever, which disengaging the piece of 

 wood in the notch the spiked block descends and immediately 



kills the animal. Though this is a formidable-looking in- 

 strument it is also a humane one, and causes death more in- 

 stantaneously than the other method of slow strangulatioa. 

 usually resorted to by the use of the wooden barrel traps. 



THE NEW ROSES AT SOUTH KENSINGTON 

 ON '2nd OF APRIL. 



I CEET.iiNLT did say that possibly the judgment of the Corc>- 

 mittee was as much to be relied on as that of " D.," and I 

 still think so ; but I do not think there was any " asperity." 

 " D." must know that there are men on the Committee who 

 also " live amongst Roses," as he expresses it, and grow them 

 by tens of thousands. If there were anything in " D.'s " 

 objection to the Committee's awards in the new Roses on the 

 score that only some of the members are well acquainted with 

 them, it would be impossible to escape the conclusion that the 

 certificates of the Committee are worthless in every case. 

 That is the logical inference from " D.'s " objection. 



" D." appeals to the future to justify his opinion. I need, 

 not point out that in doing this he goes quite beside the ques- 

 tion, which is, Were the specific Roses which " D." speaks of 

 as respectively certificated and passed-by by the Committee 

 deservedly so certificated and passed-by or not '? " D." pits 

 his opinion against that of the Committee, and evidently con- 

 siders his own opinion as most reliable. Your readers must 

 judge for themselves as to this. 



With regard to Etienne Levet, " R. D." confirms my state- 

 ment about the bloom submitted to the Committee, and even 

 " D." admits that it was slightly defective. I go further, and 

 I say vvithout hesitation that such a bloom would not have 

 counted at any exhibition in England with a judge who knew 

 his business. I may, I suppose, mthout being guilty of breach 

 of confidence, state that when this Rose was brought on the 

 table there was only one of the Committee who thought it 

 should be noticed, and that this gentleman afterwards admitted 

 that he thought he had been a little too fast, and that in pro- 

 posing a certificate he rather had in mind what he had seen 

 the Rose to be last autumn than the bloom shown. 



I am glad to find that Mr. Douglas has proved Lyonnais to 

 be so good. I found it equally good in the open ground last 

 autumn. 



As to President Thiers, I append an extract from a letter I 

 have just received from a friend. " Prijsident Thiers as it 

 bloomed here last autumn on started buds was sijlendid, some- 

 thiug in the style of Countess of Oxford, and as bright as 

 fire." As it bloomed equally well with me in the open last 

 autumn, I can confirm my friend's statement in every par- 

 ticular. — A Member of the Flobal Committee. 



[We think this controversy may now close. Each 'is en- 

 titled to his opinion, and they may amicably agree to differ. 

 —Eds.] 



REMOVING L.\RGE TREES. 



With reluctance, but from a sense of duty to myself and 

 the public, I feel bound to reply to an article which appeared 

 in your Journal on October "ilth, l.S7'2, on " Moving Large 

 Trees." I had heard of it, but yesterday was the first time I 

 had the opportunity of reading it. 



We all owe a debt of gratitude to my worthy friend Mr. 

 Pearson when he writes to the purpose on subjects with which 

 he is familiar, but when he professes to teach your readers 

 what he has never had any practical knowledge of, and what 

 he certainly does net understand, I with others feel that he 

 should have more consideration for the time of his friends. I 

 do not charge him with any intention to mislead the public, 

 but if they believe what he says he does, they are much misled. 

 As the gist of my friend's hypothetical article is contained in 

 the first paragraph, I need only deal with it. He says, " I 

 have long thought that moving large trees is a mistake, and 

 generally involves a waste of money. Where funds are forth- 

 coming it is easy enough to build houses, but timber trees are 

 tilings of the past as well as of the present, and ancestral 

 Oaks cannot be bought except as felled timber. Even ever- 

 green shrubs cannot be planted too small if the finest speci- 

 mens are desired in the future. In making a new garden, were 

 the same money expended in manuring and trenching the 

 soil as is spent in large shrubs over and above what small ones 

 would have cost, I believe that in five years the advantage 

 would be obvious to anyone. Most shrubs make great pro- 

 gress in five years ; large shrubs transplanted often take that 



