1S6 



JOUENAL OF HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENEK. 



[ March 6. 1888. 



Stain on the Iniit. We once had the cliarge of a Peach wall 

 that, after a inoet Irving spring, bconme a moving mass in 

 Way, every shoot bavinf! its full colony of insects. The trees 

 were freely disbudded, or rather dis-shootcd, the fingers being 

 drawn through the shoots left, to crush the iuscct.s. All the 

 shoots removed were collected in apronfuls, and tlien were 

 malleted or bruised, and thrown into a banel, and about a 

 dozen gallons of water, near the boiling-point, poured over 

 them. There would be fully a couple of bushels of the shoots 

 when roughly bruised. After standing covered up with sacks 

 and mats for a couple of hours the liquor was poured off, 

 and water added to make forty p.illous. which were used to 

 thoroughly engine the wall and trees about four o'clock in 

 the afternoon. The liquid was used at a temperature of 

 12U'. Next morning the trees were washed witli clean water. 

 In the afternoon the tea-process was rejicateil, and another 

 washing of clear water next morning, and scarcely an insect 

 afterwards appeared during the season. AVe have never found 

 the wash so thoroughly eflicacious as that one time, though we 

 have often found it useful. This is only one of the many 

 singularities about all insects. AVliat will destroy them to all 

 appearance at one time will scarcely injure them^ at another. 

 ^Vo mention this circumstance because we frequently omit to 

 use what we have close beside us, and which in many cases 

 might be as ellectual for our purpose as the tobacco and washes 

 which must be purchased. 



_ Two matters we deem of importance in Peach-houses and 

 vineries, figeries, Ac, where trees are in a growing state in 

 this very changeable weather. The .'irst is, to keep the tem- 

 peratme as low as to be safe when the weather is very dull, or 

 when the frost is very severe. This rule may hold good unless 

 when Vines aie in bloom, but even then 5' lower will be better 

 than a scorching heat in the pipes or flue. For instance, if 

 the general temperature of a Peach-house was 55° at night, we 

 wonld sooner see the thermometer down to 50°, or even 45°, 

 than up to GO", on such a night as that of Wednesdav. This 

 will save aUke exhausting the energies of the plant, and making 

 too great a demand on the coal heaj). In dull days the rise 

 iu temperature should take place chieiiy during the day, when 

 there is most light, as was recently alluded to. Hence the im- 

 portance of a httle covering on the glass where it can be ap- 

 plied, or double roofs of clear glass with confined air between 

 them, as then the heating medium requires to be less hot in 

 severe weather, and it is always an advantage to be able to ieep 

 np the requisite temperature without greatly increasing the 

 heat in pipes or flues. 



Having had a great deal to do with pipes badly placed, and 

 with a gieat deficiency of piping surface, we uniformly advise 

 all who consiUt us on heating houses, not to be too economical 

 in the quantity of piping, as that is only one outlay, whilst if 

 there is a deficiency of piping there will be a constant extra 

 outlay for fuel, so much of the heat going up the chimney, and 

 the heat from the few pipes so very hot, is always unhealthy 

 for .plants, and just in proportion to their tenderness. AVe 

 have seen the leaves of Ferns shrivelled up in a temperature 

 of from (i()° to (55° iu winter, whilst in a similar temperature, 

 and with merely a glass division between them, the same kinds 

 of Ferns were as healthy as could be. There was no difference 

 except this, in one division there were two pipes, in the other 

 four. About five years ago a gentleman had two low houses, 

 each separately heated, in which he wished to maintain an 

 average temperature of fiO' iu winter. Five four-inch pipes 

 were recommended for eacli. In a fit of economy, three pipes 

 were placed in one house, and he wrote lately to say that the 

 extra expense for fuel woidd have paid for the additional piping 

 twenty times over, and he would have had a milder and more 

 healthy heat. 



The second point vei-j- apt to be overlooked, especially by 

 beginners, is to guard against a strong heat in the lieating 

 medium and a powerful bright sun ever meeting together, and 

 especially in frosty weather. As alluded to above, a fire may 

 be put on in a dull raorm'ng, whether frosty or not, to raise the 

 temperature iu unison with the greater though dull light ; but 

 if the morning is frosty and promises to be bright, then the 

 fires should be banked np or allowed to go out, as provided a 

 little air at the top is given early, it will be safer to allow the 

 honse to rise 10" or 20° with sun heat, instead of giving much 

 cold air, which one would be obliged to do, or shade the house 

 if there was a strong heat in pipe or flue, and a bright sun 

 telling on the atmosphere of the house at the same time. 



SyrinriUu]. — Thanks to ilr. Iteid (page 1031 for so far corro- 

 borating what is said (page 109), ot insects being carried from 



place to place en the clothes of workmen, and especially for the 

 homethnietsat the constant use of the syringe. The pipes ore 

 so placed in our I'each-house that without the syringe we could 

 not keep the trees clean, and perhaps the same remark would 

 ajiply to Peaches under glass, and even out of doors they are 

 refreshed by means of a good wa-shing after a worm day. We 

 used, in the case of Vines, to think that in early forcing a 

 S]iriukliug frequently with the syringe was necessary to soften 

 the buds. We question very much if a damp atmosphere wonld 

 not do this better. For some time we have sj-ringed late Vines 

 little or none at any time, and never after they were fairly 

 broken, except sometimes to give one good washing with clear 

 water just after the fruit was set, to clear away all the remains 

 of the bloom. The leaves never looked as if a syringing would 

 do them much good. One reason, besides the saving of labour, 

 in our case, was the next to impoasibiUty of obtaining water 

 clear enough for the purpose. Sprinkling the paths and floors 

 seemed to give quite enough of atmospheric moisture, eepeci- 

 ally to late vineries. All these matters are worth discussing. 

 Then there is no reason why a man should not hold his own 

 opinions, and yet be large-minded enough to believe that 

 another man may have what seem to him as good reasons for 

 holding opinions quite different. There may be many roads to 

 the same place, and every man may use that which ho likes 

 best, without Jinding fault with his neighbour. The world 

 would be better everj' way if there were less of the infallible 

 amongst us. 



Slokelwlfb-. — A number of inquiries have come to ns, as to 

 keeping water out of stokeholes, or getting rid of it when 

 there, no doubt owing to the great quantity of rain. WTiere a 

 stokehole must be rather deep, and unprotected by a shed, and 

 the water rises nearly to the surface in general seasons, the 

 bottoms and walls of the stokehole will have to be laid as 

 carefully in cement, to keep water out, as if the intention had 

 been to keep water in. Much, also, may be done by taking the 

 .smfaee water that falls a good way from the neighbourhood of 

 the stokehole. We used to ce very much annoyed by one stoke- 

 hole in a pit-and-frame ground. A deep dumb well had been 

 made to keep the place dry, but though iO or more feet in 

 depth, it soon became filled after a heavy rain, at least to the 

 height of the bottom of the stokeholo, and then there was a 

 vast amount of work in emptying the well iu order to drain 

 the stokehole drj-. We took aU the siu-face water past the well 

 into cesspools, and thence by pipes to a pond at a distance, 

 made to receive it. This winter we have been troubled with 

 water in a stokehole with a flap over it, not far from the front 

 of a vinery-border, the drainage of which also goes into a 

 dumb well. We could hardly think that the well could be full ; 

 we suspected surface water, and so arranged the fall of the 

 ground that all the surface water would tend to a point the 

 farthest possible from the stokehole. Still, after a heavy rain, 

 we would have a foot or two of water in the stokehole. We 

 think we have now found out the cause. A few yards from 

 the stokehole there is a small cemented cesspool covered with 

 a slate and then with gravel, in which meet the pipes that 

 convey the water from several roofs before it is taken away by 

 another pipe to a large outside tank. When that tank is nearly 

 fidl of water, the water stands within a little of the top of the 

 pipes in the cesspool. Two or three small cracks were found 

 in the cesspool, and from these the water had slowly oozed 

 until it found its v.ay to the stokehole. Since the cesspool has 

 been fresh cemented we have had no more water to speak 

 of. Now, these may give hints to those troubled with water, 

 and even rising above the furnace-bars. The best security 

 against such moisture is having a drain from the bottom of 

 the stokehole ; but where that would be very expensive or next 

 to impracticable, much maybe done by taking away the surface 

 water and cementing the walls of tlie stokehole. In ground 

 where water will not stand there need be httle difficulty. 

 Or.XAMENT.M. nEp.vnTirENT. 



Cleared the centre of the walks from snow, and lightened 

 some of the shrubs rather heavily loaded. The last snow-fall, 

 though lasting but a short time, did a good deal of injurv- in 

 this respect. In mild weather planting shrubs and IJoses 

 might be proceeded with. Dug up some beds and borders for 

 flowering bedding plants, loosening the soil well at bottom, and 

 mixing a little of it with surface soil, leaving it in ridges, and 

 when frosty scattering some rotten hotbed manure over the 

 ridges to become well sweetened, as the object is the reverse of 

 raising a heavy Turnip crop, in which case the sooner the 

 mtinnre is buried out of sight the better. 



Placed drv burnt earth and rubbish round Hollyhock stools 



