THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 19] 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
To Trae Woopiice.—A Very Old Subscriber.—One of the best traps for 
woodlice is a flower-pot loosely filled with dry hay or moss. Five and six inch pots 
are the most suitable, because of the greater convenience of handling. They should 
be clean, and after they have been lightly filled with hay or moss, it matters not 
which, take them to where the woodlice abound, and place in convenient positions, 
The pots may be turned upside down, with a small piece of crock or wood placed 
under one side to raise it sufficiently for the insects to pass readily underneath, or 
they may be laid upon their sides. It is of little consequence whether the pots are 
inverted or laid upon their sides, for the woodlice will find their way to them all the 
same; but when the pots lay upon their side there is a risk of the material with 
which they are filled being wetted when the plants are syringed and watered. The 
woodlice will during the daytime congregate in the material, and they may then be 
destroyed in a very simple manner. In proceeding to destroy them, have a pail or 
other vessel containing hot water, and then take the pot in one hand, and whilst 
holding it over the hot water withdraw the material with the other hand, and shake 
the woodlice into the water, and so make an end of them. The hay or moss can 
then be replaced and the pots be returned to their old position, or placed in a new 
one, as may seem best. ‘The exumination of the pots must be repeated every day 
until the structure is pretty well cleared of the pests. It is important to fill the 
pots with material in a perfectly dry state. It is sometimes possible to destroy 
large numbers by pouring boiling water into crevices in which they have taken up 
their abode ; but of course boiling water must not be employed where there is an 
chance of its reaching the roots of trees or plants of any kind, A considerable 
amount of perseverance is necessary when a garden is badly infested. 
Mr. Evans is informed that the Waltonian case is not manufactured now, and 
that the propagating case made by Messrs. Barr and Sugden, of 12, King Street, 
Covent Garden, has taken its place. 
Ratsinc PETUNIAS, ETC., FROM SEEDS.—W. H. 7.—Petunias, as a rule, seed 
very freely, especially when ir pots, and all that is necessary to obtain a supply of 
seed from them is to examine the plants occasionally and gather the seed-pods that 
are at the time just ready to burst. Some care is needful in gathering the seeds, 
because if they are gathered before they attain maturity they will not germinate 
satisfactorily, and on the other hand, if left too long, the pods will burst and the 
seed will be lost. Verbenas do not seed so freely as the petunias, and it is neces- 
sary to gather the pods separately as fast as the seed commences to ripen, for if the 
gathering is deferred until the upper flowers are faded, the seeds in the lower pods will 
drop out. Fuchsias produce their seed in large berry-like pods, which must be 
allowed to remain upon the plants until they have become quite ripe, as indicated 
by their changing to a blackish colour and becoming quite soft. They may be left 
until they drop from the plant. When the pods are gathered, crush them between 
the finger and the thumb, and with the aid of a little clean water wash the pulp 
from the seeds and lay them upon a sheet of paper to dry before storing. The seeds 
of geraniums are very distinct from those of the other flowers, for when ripe they 
are furnished with a feathery appendage about an inch in length. It is not difii- 
cult to determine when they are fit for gathering, for as they ripen they become 
artly detached, and commence to curl upwards. When arriving at this stage the 
seeds should be gathered, because if allowed to remain long afterwards there is a 
great risk of their being blown away and lost. As you are desirous of obtaining as 
large a supply of seed as possible, the plants should remain in pots, and have a light 
position in an airy greenhouse. In a position of this kind all the plants here mentioned, 
with the exception of the fuchsia, will usually seed freely without the flowers being 
fertilized by hand. But the best results usually follow artificial fertilization, and in 
your case we would recommend its adoption. This consists simply in the applica- 
tion of the pollen from the same or other flowers to the pistil. In the flowers of the 
fuchsia and pelargoniums, for example, you will observe a cluster of slender thread- 
like bodies, one of which is stouter and of greater length than the others. The 
longest of these is the pistil, and the others are the stamens. The latter bear at the 
terminal points small clusters of powdery particles, technically designated pollen, 
and this, with the aid of a small camel’s-hair pencil, must be applied to the end of 
June. 
