74 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEK. 



[ Jnly 25, 1866. 



Vines when they enter the house to be from the flue. Were 

 we in your ease, we would let the flue alone, but we would have 

 a dozen of evaporating-pans, zinc or earthenware, placed on 

 the flue, and these we would keep filled with water, and a 

 handful of sulphur in each, renewinR it now and then, until 

 the Grapes approached matm-ity, when little fire heat was 

 necessaiy. We would have more faith in this than merely 

 lowering the flues a foot. That, however, would secure a more 

 uniform heat to the Vines. On a flue within 2 inches of the 

 Vine stems we placed a sheet of zinc, separated from the flue 

 by half an inch, and coated the upper part of the zinc with 

 sulphur. This divided the heat better, and the zinc was never 

 too hot for the sulphur fimnes. We have then no olijection to 

 the sinliiug of the flue, but we would try the evaporating-pans.] 



MEN AND MANURE REQUIRED FOR A GARDEN. 



Do you consider the winter dung of eight horses, from No- 

 vember to April, sulficient for a kitchen garden of an acre, two 

 Melon lights, a hotbed for cuttings, and two lights for Potatoes ? 



Also, how many men would he required for a garden of same 

 extent— a vinerj' 35 by 16 feet, a small Heath-house 16 by 

 10 feet, a conservatoiy 40 by 18 feet, two terrace gardens 90 by 

 30 feet, kept with bedding plants ? The garden has no wali. 

 — H. B. 



~[We consider the dung amply sufficient, but most likely 

 care will be needed to prevent the later-made dimg from 

 fermenting, in order that it may come in when required for 

 linings after April. Placing it thin will secure that object, and 

 then it may be placed together to heat when required. Instead 

 of five we do a score or two of lights with half the quantity, 

 but, then, much care and economy of material are required. 



Roughly we should estimate your place requires about 

 thi'ee men ; but that will much depend on the way your terraces 

 are kept or planted. As there are no waUs there will not be 

 much to do in winter. We have a great dislike to take men on 

 for the summer ; but there are cases in which men can obtain 

 regular work in winter and can turn out in simimer, and they 

 just suit many gardens where there is less to do in winter. We 

 have kno^vn places about your size tiilily done by two men, 

 and we have laiown four and five employed, and plenty to do. 

 It so much depends on the plants grov.Ti and the finish of the 

 keeping. For instance : in a ten-ace garden we know a border 

 of Cerastium has been passable for some three years, and but 

 little touched, but it has no artistic finish in comparison with 

 another border planted every season, and nipped and clipped 

 some half a dozen times duiing the summer.] 



BEOMUS SCHRCEDERI, alias ANTHISTIRLV 



SPECIES. 

 As I have had some experience with this species of Grass, 

 permit me to occupy a small portion of your columns in giving 

 it. In .January, 1864, I was in New South Wales, and had the 

 pleasure of meeting with a large landed proprietor Uviug near 

 Sydney, who is not only an extensive cultivator, but has much 

 of the energy of the " old coimtiy " in his experiments. He has 

 cultivated this Grass extensively for several years, and has found 

 it in his hot and diy neighbom-hood a most valuable forage Grass, 

 cutting heavj- crops twice a-year. I saw one enclosure cropped 

 with it, and was much struck with its vigorous growth. On 

 making inquiries about it, I fojind its popular name at Sydney 

 was " Califomian Prairie Grass." I happened to meet with 

 an old Califomian digger who assured me that it was very 

 common on the hOls of Cohfoi-nia, and was not injm-ed by the 

 severest frosts. A botanist friend at Sydney said that it was 

 a species of Anthistiria (\^'ildenow), and recognised as such by 

 Leichardt. I did not hear of it in Queensland or at Melbourne. 

 My English experience of it has gone thus far — I retui-ned 

 from Australia in the autumn of 1864, and brought with me a 

 quantity of seed, which I sowed in October, the plants came iip 

 in November, and although so young and tender, they stood 

 through the rather severe winter of 1864-5 well. I had early 

 in the present summer a good crop of its Oat-like seed, anil 

 after cutting it when thoroughly ripe, the roots have put forth 

 a promising crop of forage. I have read the advertisements of 

 the *' Bromus " (which I believe to be the same as my Anthis- 

 tiria), at Is. a-packet with some amusement, for I could have 

 reaped a tolerable harvest of shillings had I not thought it 

 more prudent to _see how it suits oiir climate before offeiing it 



for sale. I may add, that in New South Wales it seemed to 

 give abunilant forage, for the cro]is I saw were, as far as my 

 memory serves me, 2 feet high, and very succulent. The pro« 

 prietor above mentioned is a large dairy farmer, makes much 

 cheese, ajid finds this Grass very nutritious for his stock. It 

 seems to be much earlier than Italian Eye Grass, and may 

 prove a very valuable addition to our early-spring fodder. 



I almost fear those people who disbelieve the Cambridge- 

 shire transformation of Oats into Barley wiU smile when I 

 state the fact, that some roots of this Oiit-Grass, the flower- 

 stems of which I cut off to observe the effect on the forage, if 

 thus treated have thrown up ears of Barley — odd, but true, for 

 the roots were taken up, washed, and found intact, not being 

 wedded to a stem of Barley, which I at first suspected. As to 

 its perennial character, I can testify as to the variety I possess 

 being so in New South Wales, foi- I saw one enclosure which 

 had been laid down with it five years. The crop was abundant. 

 From this scource my seeds were gathered. — John Eivers, 

 Sawlritlffiru'ortli. 



Your corres]iondent doubts the hardiness of this forage plant. 

 A gentleman who imported it from South America to Australia 

 some yeaj-s since, lately informed me that its being hardy was 

 to him one of its greatest recommendations ; and added, as the 

 result of his experience, that spring sowing cUd not prove its 

 utility, but that he had been in the habit of sowing in the 

 autumn for winter food for stock, and, notwithstanding the 

 cold at that season, it proved perfectly hardy — indeed, of rapid 

 growth ; and coming into use when there is no other green 

 food attainable, he considers it one of his most valuable plants 

 for winter forage. — C. H. S. 



THRITS ON PEACH TREE LEAVES- 

 PRESERVING FINE NET. 



Be so good as to inform me in your next Number what causes 

 the Peach and Nectarine leaves which I now enclose to look so 

 silvery. The leaves are not at all curled, and the trees are 

 healthy in other respects. They are growing in an orchard- 

 house, and are regularly sjTinged. I have noticed on the leaves 

 many insects such as I now enclose. Do they injure the trees ? 

 If so, what is the best way to get rid of them ? 



Can you inform me the best way to treat Nottingham cotton 

 net, not stiffened, one-sixth-of-au-inch mesh, so as to preserve 

 it from the effects of the weather ? What process does net go 

 through that is tanned ? — E. 



[The insects on your Peach trees are the thrips, but not the 

 worst kind to eradicate. Two tolerable smokings with tobacco 

 and a good sjiinging would most likely vanquish them. These 

 little insects give the silvery appearance to the leaves, increased 

 a httle by water resting on them when the sun is powerful. 

 If you dislike smoking, wash the leaves with quassia water of 

 the strength frequently mentioned, or with gum or glue water 

 sufficiently strong, and yet weak — just enough that when you 

 dip the finger and thumb in it there will be felt the least 

 stickiness as you pull them asunder when the liquid is cool. 

 For this pm-])Ose glue or gum water fastens and kills the insects, 

 and a good s^Tiuging in a day or two removes them all, We 

 have heard people complaining about insects, and submitting 

 to gieat annoyance, when a small painter's brush and a little 

 gum or glue water would have enabled them to go over every 

 leaf of the i)lant. The same principle is illustrated every day in 

 a garden, such as when a man plods and treads backwards and 

 forwards for a fork or a hoe, when, if he had vised the natural 

 tools with which Providence had gifted him, he might have 

 done all the work and saved much shoe-leather. A gentleman 

 told us the other day, that if a job required three tools to do it 

 nicely in his place, it required three joumies to the tool-house. 

 .Just so with insects. A brush and the fingers used in time 

 might dispense altogether with a number of apjihcations. A 

 vast improvement would be effected if it were once estabUshed 

 as a cardinal truth, that if once insects obtain the mastery it 

 is lost laboiu-, lost time, and lost money to attempt to clear 

 them away. The best remedy is burning the whole lot. We 

 think a little tobacco or a httle gimi water will make our cor- 

 respondent's trees all right. 



We are very doubtful of the success of any means of render- 

 ing Nottingham netting more enduring. Tanning it would 

 be attained by placing it in a tanpit like netting. Steeping in 

 oil with a httle sugar of lead is advocated by some persons ; 



