June 39, 1876, ) 



JOUBNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENE2. 



500 



poured where required. As a suggestiou, I ask if tar can ba 

 mixed with oil ; and if eo, if that would preserve it from 

 evaporating? If a composition can be made prescrvirig tar io 

 a moist state, I am satisfiod that snails will cot cross it. If I 

 was troubled the same as "P.M.," and the wall had a flat 

 top, I BbouKl walk along the top about once a-week and pour a 

 row of tar from the spout of an old water-can, and should rest 

 satisfied that my fruit would be safe from the attacks of snails 

 from that direction. — A Voekshibe Gakdenek. 



Eeppectixo the passage of snails over the top of the wall 

 and destroying "P. M.'s" Nectarines, I think I can offer a 

 remedy both simple and effectual. Place IJlb. of resin and 

 lib. by weight of sweet oil in a pipkin, and simmer over a 

 fire until the rtsia is quite melted. A train of this placed 

 along the top of the wall would, I think, be an impassable 

 barrier to the snails. The great advantage of this compcsi- 

 tion is that it never diice. If " P. M." tries this remedy and 

 it succeeds in its purpose, it might be of benefit to others if 

 ho would kindly state the fact in the columns of the .Toumiil. 

 -F. K. H. S. 



A srEisKLiXG of common salt on (he top of the wall will 

 fffectually prevent theEO vermin, and probably some at the 

 ground edge of the v.all would also prevent their ascent. A 

 sprinkling of salt early in the snail season will probably last 

 for the year. Some years ago I could not rear a Tiger Lily 

 flower. The snails first ate the leaves, then the buds, and 

 often the stalk. Seeing the effect of salt on snails I made a 

 slight cordon round the Lily stem. No slug nor snail has 

 faced this. I have had my Lily flowers every year since, and 

 this year there is such promise of them that I think the salt 

 does good, certainly does not harm them. — T. S., Exeter, 



With reference to "P. M.'s" difficulty (page 1S7), I pje- 

 fume from the expression " my garden wall," and from the 

 neighbour refusing to remove the Ivy, that it ia a party wall, 

 and that " P. M." haa command of his own side and no more. 

 Of the top the parlies h.i,ve joint use, and a lecined Judge 

 observed that either party might amuse himself with walking 

 on it, though he had never known of an instance. Now to 

 apply this to " P. M." Catching all the snails is impossible, 

 and the trees must be protected by a band of something which 

 the snails will not cross. A solution of a disagreeable salt, 

 such Bs common salt, alum, or corrosive sublimate, applied to 

 the bricks either on the top or the upper part of the wall, 

 would be effective ; but unfortunately every salt which is 

 soluble in water is soluble also in rain, and such a protection 

 would require perpetual renewal. If it were not for the expense 

 a ribbon of copper and zinc soldered together might deter by 

 galvanic action ; but perhaps a 6-inch band of oil paint sprinkled 

 while wet with ccarse sand, or better with pounded glass, 

 might stand the weather and protect the trees.— G. S. 



Ir " P. M." will fasten a zinc trough closely along the top 

 of his side of the wall and keep full of water during the season 

 of growth he will eS'ectually keep the snailB at bay. — E. L. 



PEACH BLISTEE. 



" Peevention is better than curing " stands good in all 

 things, including the blistering of the foliage of trees. I do 

 not know a more pitiful eight than a Peach tree badly affected 

 with blister. When once the leaf is affected it never recovers, 

 and it only remains for us to pluck it off. Yes, the very life 

 of the trees must be plucked off. The blistered leaves are 

 generally the first leaves of early spring. These leaves have 

 an important office to perform, but they are blistered. To 

 leave them as they are they become an eyesore and a capital 

 nursery ground for insects ; and these little fellows know all 

 about it and speedily avail themselves of (to them) the pleasant 

 places provided. 



What is the cause of blisteiing ? la the question often asked. 

 For many years I have considered it may with certainty be 

 placed to the inclement spring, extremes of heat and cold. 

 Is it surprising when we think of it ? We have a wall 1 to 

 12. feet high facing due south, the sun blazing out upon the 

 young foliage. We find the temperature to run up to 80' or 90' 

 in a few hours, and at night the glass will register h to 10' of 

 frost. Can we wonder at blistering of the new-born leaf? 

 Would not our hardy Oak, if its young tender foliage were 

 exposed to these extremes, be also blistered ? Not only do we 



have the burning days and freezing nights, but there are the 

 cutting winds and the chiUing storm, one and all antagonistic 

 to the well-being of tender foli.ige. Is the Peach tree subject 

 to these extremes in its home? The answer must bo in the 

 negative, and we must conclude that chilling cold ia the cause 

 of blistering. 



The remedy is protection. We must screen the trees against 

 extreme cold. Under glass we have little or no blistering of 

 the foliage, but, on the other hand, trees which are fully 

 exposed to the tender mercies of our springs are badly 

 blistered. If we slightly protect trees on an open wall for the 

 night only we have blistering, and yet, again, if we screen the 

 trees just whilst in bloom night and day, and remove the 

 screens altogether when we think the fruit is " set," disregard- 

 ing the state of weather and whether the foliage is well able to 

 take care of itself, blistering will follow. This I have had de- 

 monstrated in a neighbour's garden this spring. 



When to take away screens of any kind depends so much on 

 the season end situation that no rule can be laid down, but 

 " never leave off a clout before May is in and cut," is a pretty 

 safe rule to act upon. Shelter should be removed by degrees. 

 If four thicknesses of heriing-net has been on, take off one at a 

 time, leaving the last two for a considerable time after the 

 others, and if close to the wall and interfering with the foliage, 

 prop the netting off for a foot or two, and it can remain there 

 until the weather is genial. Canvas or tiffany covers are too 

 heavy for day work ; in that case I would have old nets hanging 

 some distance from the trees night and day, and allowed to 

 hang a considerable time after the heavier screens have been 

 removed. Old netting is so cheap that no one ought to be 

 without plenty of it. 



I have carefully protected the trees in my charge for the last 

 two springe, and though it would be difficult to find trees 

 moro blistered than those always have been before, I have had 

 no blistering since I adopted the above plan. I repeat that 

 blister is caused by the leaf being chilled, and the remedy is 

 protection. 



When the cause is so clear and the cure so certain, practical 

 men can only smile at the advocacy of applying " nostrums " 

 to the wood in winter to prevent tender foliage being injured 

 by cold in spiing. The curl is distinct from the blister, being 

 undoubtedly caused by insects, but neither curl or blister need 

 be allowed where time and means are provided for preventing 

 them. — John Tavloe, Ilardwicke Grange. 



CATEEPILLAES STEIPPINQ LIMB TREES. 



Wbitikg to US concerning a plague of caterpillars at Somer- 

 leyton near Lowestoft, a correspondent states as follows — " At 

 this place there is a very fine avenue of Lime trees ; and this 

 year, as was also the case last, they are literally swarming with 

 caterpillars, so much so that some of the trees are now as 

 bare of foliage as they were in midwinter, with the caterpillars 

 dangling from them in threads like spiders' webs. They are 

 also attacking the Elm and the Ash to a limited extent. I 

 may say there are abundance of birds of all sorts on the place, 

 so that the cause cannot be attributed to the destruction of 

 species that prey on insects." Upon examination we find that 

 the caterpillars are those of one of our most injurious insects, 

 known as the Winter Moth fCheimatobia brumata). The lato 

 Edward Newman, who devoted much attention to its life 

 history, from personal observation ascertained that some are 

 destroyed by bullfinches and titmice. These and other birds do 

 not suffice to keep the species in check; and although some- 

 thing may be done in the way of killing the caterpillar and 

 chrysalis — in the latter case of course by digging round the 

 trees in the autumn after the season of pupation has com- 

 menced — he places more reliance on a winter campaign against 

 the moth, a sticky composition being applied to the trees which 

 prevents the females from going up to deposit their eggs. 

 The best mixture is equal parts of Stockholm tar and cart- 

 grease, which, applied to the trees in November or December, 

 has been proved to be harmlets, though if it were put on in 

 April or May the case woald be diiiferent. Mr. Newman re- 

 commends, however, that the bark be slit the next summer. 

 His plan is this ; Watch, by examining the trunks of the trees 

 with a lantern during the months named, for the emergence 

 of the moths ; then, says he, " should they be numerous — and 

 sometimes they are as thick as bees — destroy by hand all 

 within reach, and the following day daub the trees with a ring 

 of this composition, taking care to leave no side shoots or 

 contact with the branches of other trees for the ascent of the 



