March 80, 1876. ) 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENfiR. 



251 



from the same triple bud, helps the growth of the frnit con- 

 siderably, and is I think generally stopped too short. I let it 

 grow G or 7 inches before stopping, and then strip off three or 

 four of its lower leaves so as to admit light to the fruit, leav- 

 ing six or more leaves above to keep up the circulation. The 

 lower leaves of this shoot generally shade the fruit, and if the 

 shoot is stopped short one is afraid to pull off a leaf, for there 

 aro none to spare. I am convinced that Peaches are all the 

 betttr if they have direct Ught during all their growth ; it is 

 not enough to expose them to the light when they are half 

 grown or more, the colouring matter is formed, to a great 

 extent, earliett ^n this. 



Whoa the trees have made vigorous growth with their 

 leaves of a dark green colour and a large size, but not earlier, 

 the knife may be used freely to cut out branches which have 

 failed to fruit or which are not wanted, thereby giving more 

 room for training the young growths. 



The fruit should be thinned immediately it commences 

 swelling, when it can easily be seen which takes the lead, pull- 

 ing off unflinchingly all the backward fruits, for those which 

 aro forwardest now will be the first to commence stoning, and 

 the trees' seed-producing power may be exhausted before the 

 later fruits commence to harden. During the stoning process 

 there is nothing, as far as I am aware, in the outward appear- 

 ance of the fruits to show which are the forwardest, for in a 

 week after stoniug has commenced the backward fruits will 

 be as large as the forwardest, and no difference will bo observed 

 till the backward fruits commence to shrivel or drop, and the 

 forwardest commence their second swelling. 



One of the greatest difficulties with forcing houses this 

 sea?oa has been to keep the atmosphere sufficiently moist. The 

 wind at times was blowing a hurricane and the sun shining 

 brightly. If no air was given the temperature would rise very 

 high, and if air was admitted the atmosphere would speedily 

 become parched. Of the two the high temperature does the 

 least harm generally. I am not afraid of a little solar heat. 

 My houses were kept as close as poEsible for days during rough 

 bright weather, and damped frequently with warm water ; even 

 hot water was at times used for paths and walls. — W. Tavlok. 



EOSE INSECTS. 



I iHonGHT I could rouse the spirit of enthusiasm about 

 RoEes, but will henceforth consider myself as cool as a Cucum- 

 ber in comparison to the Rev. J. B. M. Oamm. It is pleasant, 

 however, to find my pet Manetti stock taking so good a lead. 



My object in writing is, however, to put Mr. Camm right on 

 one point. He says, " The Rose grub hides itself in the stock 

 just where the knife mark is, and comes out with the spring 

 to leave a nasty little greasy grub in the young leaf," &a. 

 This is a mistake. The grub he evidently alludes to is the grub 

 of the Rose Saw-fly, and is no relation even of the little 

 wretches, " the worm i' the bud " that eat out the young buds, 

 which are the larvre of several species of Lepidopterous insects, 

 and belong to the Tortrices, and are in the imago or perfect 

 state very pretty little moths, which may be known by their 

 blaekish-brown and white colour. — W. Farren. 



[There are two Tortrices which are enemies of the Rose, 

 and are described by Mr. Westwood as follows : — 



" Abgyeotoza Bergman xiaka. — This pretty little moth mea- 

 sures about half an inch in expanse, the fore wings and front 

 of the body being of a rich golden yellow clouded with orange, 

 with four purplish brown bars, the two middle ones running 

 obliquely across the wing, and all being ornamented with 

 silvery scales, a patch of which exists also in the yellow ground 

 near the middle of the wing. The fringe is pale yellow, the 

 hind wings are blackish brown. 



" The caterpillar is produced from eggs deposited in the 

 previous summer by the parent moths, and commences its 

 attacks on the leaves as soon as they appear by attaching two 

 or more togetlier back to back with fine sUken threads before 

 they are expanded, giving the packet somewhat the appearance 

 of a fan folded up. Here it is provided with an ample supply 

 of food, and the outer leaves in their effort to grow are forced 

 out of their natural position and become distorted and un- 

 sightly, the holes bitten by the insect increasing in size ac- 

 cording to the growth of the leaf. In like manner they delight 

 to fasten one or more leaves upon the surface of a bud whilst 

 very young, which serves them for a defence, beneath which 

 they devour part of the petals of the flower as well as the leaf. 



" The caterpillar is of fleshy substance, and a dark flesh 

 colour with a black shining bead, and two black patches on 



the first segment of the body. The second and third segments 

 are fpotted with brown. It has six short black-jointed legs 

 attached in pairs to the first three segments after the head ; 

 the fourth and fifth segments are simple, but the sixth and 

 three following segments, as well as the last segment of the 

 body, are furnished with a pair of short, fleshy, false legs (or 

 pro-legs) of a dark flesh colour. When disturbed this cater- 

 pillar drops itself down from its retreat, taking the precaution, 

 however, to spin a thin wtb from its mouth, by which it is 

 able, after the danger is passed, to remount to its former 

 abode. When fall grown it fastens the leaves together with 

 silk threads, lining the inner space with BUk, within which it 

 throws off its caterpillar skin and assumes the chrysalis state, 

 generally about the end of June. The chrysalis is of a shining 

 reddish-brown colour, with transverse rows of short spines or 

 hooks directed backwards. 



" The only methods for the extirpation of these insects is 

 by sharply pinching those Rose buds or leaves which are evi- 

 dently attacked by the larvfo in early spring. This will not 

 only destroy the insect, but will enable the plant to throw out 

 fresh leaves. If allowed to arrive at maturity the perfect 

 moths ought to be destroyed as soon as they make their ap- 

 pearance, before they have time to deposit their eggs, for 

 which purpose a small gauze hand-net at the end of a stick 

 may be employed, the moths coming abroad on the wing 

 almost as soon as the sun has set. 



" Spilonota aquana. — This species of Bell Moth measures 

 rather more than three-quarters of an inch in the expansion 

 of its fore wings, which are ashy white, with leaden or slaty- 

 coloured clouds, and with a broad somewhat triangular brown 

 patch at the base, angulated at its extremity, and with a small 

 tooth-like pitchy or black spot towards the posterior or anal 

 extremity of the wing; the apical margin, especially towards 

 the tip of the wings, is pitchy red or brownith, mixed with 

 leaden scales, and the fore margin is marked with numerous 

 fhort, oblique, pitchy, alternate lines and small triangular 

 spots. The moth appears in .Tune in gardens and woods, its 

 caterpillar fastens together the leaves of the Rose, and forms a 

 silken web between them, in which it becomes a chrysalis."] 



DESTKOYING RED SPIDER. 



An experienced gardener states that " the mode of killing 

 red spider with sulphur on the shovel, as described at page 218, 

 is a sure cure. While I was at Ghatsworth we used to place 

 firebricks on a hot plate till they were very hot, then take 

 them to the vineries, before they were taken in trying them 

 with a pinch of sulphur dropped on each. If the sulphur 

 only melted like treacle they were safe, but if a small blue 

 flame was emitted they had to cool further before admitting 

 them into the house. The plan is certain death to the spider, 

 but it has to be very carefully applied." 



Mr. Douglas on page 240 states that Cucumbers "will 

 not endure sulphur fumes sufficiently strong to destroy red 

 spider ;" but " G. W. Y." has stated that he has destroyed 

 the pest with sulphur fumes. I wish to state that I have 

 many times assisted " G. W. Y." in destroying red spider, and 

 that we have most completely destroyed it by the mode de- 

 scribed, and without injuring the foUage of either Vines, 

 Cucumbers, or Melons. But the operaiion must be very care- 

 fully performed, and the editorial note was opportune, lest an 

 useful practice might be abused. I never hesitate to adopt 

 the plan, but I woirld not permit the sulphur fumes to be dis- 

 tributed by any other hands than my own.— A Noelejian's 

 Gardener. 



LOCAL NAMES OF APPLES. 



The Apple named by " W. 'Vf., Staiuton-in-Clevcland," as 

 Robin Knaggs is also known in that locality as Knaggs's Pippin, 

 and is worthy of the praise bestowed upon it, and far more. It 

 is a capital kind for bringing down the scale in the market. It 

 is known in another locality in the county of Durham as Nanny 

 Jackson. Some years ago I sent specimens of Robin Knaggs 

 from the neighbourhood of Stainton-in-Cleveland to Dr. Hogg, 

 and he informed me through the Journal that they were 

 Striped Beefing, and he says a good deal for it in the new 

 edition of the " Fruit Manual," on page 141. 



As Copmanthorpe Crab is mentioned I may state that I 

 know a locality where it is known as Robin Buck, and is held 

 in high estimation. When a boy I remember on the 2ord of 



