August G, 1874. ] 



JOUENAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



121 



injured, often leading to the death of the plant. Before pottinf; 

 plants well wash the pots — no matter whether they are new or 

 old — with warm water and soap. Wash them both inside and 

 out, using a scrubbiug-brush. Afterwards repotting is simple. 

 A tap of the hand at the bottom of the pot will cause plant 

 and soil to leave the pot as easily and cleanly as a good cook 

 can torn out the evidence of her skill from a well-buttered 

 -dish. 



The second drawback to successful cultivation to which I 

 would call attention is the prevalence of painted pots. This 

 is a great mistake. All window pots should be porous, and 

 by daubmg them thickly over with paint, the outer air is kept 

 from the roots. In place of this let the outside of the pots bo 

 well scrubbed with soap and warm water at least twice or thrice 

 a-year. Attention to these two simple recommendations will 

 result in great satisfaction to many who are now perplexed as 

 to the reason why their window plants are not eijual to those 

 they see elsewhere. — Beta. 



THE DEFICIENT RAINFALL OF THE PRESENT 

 SEASON. 

 The drought of the present season being remarkable, a few 

 observations on the subject will nut be out of place. The follow- 

 ing table shows the rainfall in inches and hundredth parts for 

 the first seven months of the driest of the last twenty years, 

 as well as that of the November and December preceding each. 

 I have thought it advisable to add the latter two months, as 

 the copious rainfall which is usual in these doubtless exercises 

 considerable influence on the supply of water for domestic 

 purposes in the following summer ; for instance, the effect of 

 the limited rainfall of last November and December is seen in 

 the lack of water in some of our springs. I have coupled in 

 this table the rainfall of one wet period by way of contrast. 



KilNFJXL AT LINTON PAKE, KENT, FOB A PERIOD OF NINE 

 MONTHS. 



From the above it will be seen that the rainfall of the past 

 nine months, November and December of last year, and the 

 first seven of the present, is less than that for any like period 

 during the last twenty years; while for the past seven months 

 of the present year alone upwards of IJ inch more fell than 

 in 1S70, and a little more than in 1858. But I find, if we go 

 back another month and include October as well as November 

 and December in each period, we shall still make the present 

 season a dry one, slightly more so than either of the two 

 periods first mentioned in the table, and considerably more so 

 than the same time in 1869-70. 



The current opinion, therefore, that we are passing through 

 a dry period is well founded, yet I think there have been sum- 

 mers in which vegetation seemed in greater distress. In 

 general I believe corn is good, and the straw of a full average 

 length. The hay crop has certainly been light, and the 

 pastures at the present time present a burnt-up appearance, 

 yet not worse than they have often done, and not so bad as 

 at the same time in 1868, when, in addition to the turf, many 

 timber trees showed symptoms of distress, and in some places 

 •even healthy long-established trees died. I have certainly not 

 met with anything of this kind the present season, but we 

 may have it yet, for at the time I write (August 1st) there are 

 no immediate signs of rain, and of late we have been often 

 tantalised by prospects of it which have never been realised ; 

 BO that we have given up regarding a close sultry atmosphere, or 

 a cloudv sky and falling barometer, as the indication of coming 

 rain. Very hot days have given place to moderately warm 

 ones without any downfall ; and we have in a manner become 



so accustomed to dry weather, that were it not for the want 

 of water we might almost think that vegetation was getting 

 inured to it, and rain could be dispensed with. The prolonged 

 drought, however, will tell its tale in the absence or deficiency 

 of after-crops. I may sum-up the results of my observa- 

 tions on the season by saying that I give the good condition 

 in which the ground was during the spring all the credit for 

 what is good in the appearance of the crops at the present 

 time, and will lay all the blame of what is bad on the atmo- 

 sphere. At another time I will endeavour to explain this, if 

 it requires any explanation ; and I will here merely add that I 

 fear more for the next two months than deplore the present, 

 for certainly there has been more than one season in which 

 vegetation was in greater distress than it is now, but I fear the 

 water-supply for domestic use was never lower. — J. Roeson. 



DESTROYING WASPS. 



I SEE in your paper some observations on taking the nests 

 of wasps. With me the process is very simple and cheap, 

 and in plentiful years I have taken three or four nests in aa 

 evening. 



In the first place get a small (iuantity of gas tar, mark the 

 holes in the day, aud when the wasps are all comfortably 

 housed for the night pour in a moderate quantity of tar, then 

 stop the hole with a wisp of straw previously dipped in the 

 tar, and you will see no more of them. In one case the nest 

 was in some loose peat soil with many holes preventing the 

 tar being poured in. I took a sheet of brown paper well 

 covered with short fibrous matter mixed with tar, and pegged 

 it down, covering the whole of the holes, when no wasps 

 escaped in the morning. My gardeners objected to the risk, 

 therefore I nndertook the business, and I believe entirely 

 removed their fears in the simplicity of the proceeding. — 

 Jonah S. Wells. 



" B." asks (page 2S) if anyone knows of a better plan than 

 his. I find the best and easiest plan is to go with a lantern 

 when dark, and light a squib about inches long, put a piece 

 of clay in the hole, and in less than five minutes the nest eaa 

 be dug out. — C. Pcrbott. 



Having seen in No. 695 the modes of treatment adopted 

 for the destruction of wasps by your two correspondents, 

 " H. W. S. C." aud " O. Orpet," allow me to state the mode of 

 treatment I have adopted when troubled with these pests in a 

 former situation, and which, I think, is very simple, and I 

 know to be very effectual. In the first place we used to take 

 a walk round at midday in the vicinity of the garden and 

 adjoining park to find out the nests, and then in the evening, 

 when most of the wasps were at home after their day's mis- 

 chief, we took with us a bottle of Scott's wasp-destroyer, 

 some wadding or wool, and a small stick, first well moistening 

 the wadding with the mixture (only a small piece of wadding 

 is required), and then inserted it into the holes. In the morn- 

 ing, to satisfy ourselves, we have gone round and dug the nesta 

 out, and in not a single instance have I found a live wasp. 

 The same remedy has also proved most effectual in vineries 

 during the day. On going round the bunches of Grapes, and 

 where the wasps had begun to eat the berries, we dropped a 

 little of the mixture from a pointed stick into them. They 

 devour it greedily for about a minute, then reel and tumble on 

 the floor dead. I can say I have swept them up by hundreds. 

 The wasps will, after a day or two, be, to use the words of the 

 gardener under whom I was then serving, completely driven 

 out of the houses, as the mixture smells rather strongly on a 

 hot day, although it is not in any way disagreeable. — F. H. 

 I'boud, Putteridije Park Gardens. 



FORMING A GARDEN ON PEATY SOIL. 

 I Air about to convert into a garden about two acres of old 

 grass land. It is principally peat, from 5 to 7 feet deep. I 

 purpose first to plough it, and, after it is dry enough, to burn 

 it, and spread the ashes on the top, ploughing it again before 

 winter, during which it will remain untouched. 



If you or any of your correspondents know of a better plan 

 than this I should feel obhged by being made acquainted with 

 it. — K. Keed. 



[I should hardly think it advisable to burn all the soil and 

 I herbage the plough turns up, assuming it to be ploughed the 



