172 MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. 



half a pound of camphor in a pint of spirits of wine ; the result will be an im- 

 palpable powder, to which add one pound of Scotch snuff, one ditto pepper, one 

 ditto sulphur, and keep in a bottle (carefully stopped). This mixture should be 

 dusted over the infected parts, and repeated whenever or wherever the enemy 

 shows itself. If persisted in for some time, the mixture rarely fails to effect a 

 perfect cure ; and it has the further good property of acting as a most deadly 

 poison to cockroaches, &c, which have quite disappeared in the collection at 

 Knjpersley since this mixture came into frequent use. Besides the above 

 annoyances, the red spider and the brown scale are frequently injurious, but 

 never except in cases of gross neglect. 



" 4th. Give the plants a season of rest. 



" Without a seasun of rest most plants will not flower at all, and others do so 

 very imperfectly. It is easily accomplished in a variety of ways, either by 

 moving the plants from the warmer to the cooler end of the house; or by 

 diminishing the quantity of water, or by placing them in a cooler house. Even 

 exposure in a hot, dry atmosphere, although it scorches their leaves, not unfre- 

 quently throws them into vigorous flower. Plants from the East Indies, and 

 from other climates, where the extremes of drought and wet are not felt so se- 

 verely as in Brazil or Hindustan, require a season of rest proportionably short, 

 and of a less decided character. 



" 5th. Attend to the condition of the air. 



" In winter G0° to 65° is a wholesome temperature for most of the species ; in 

 the summer it may rise to 70° or 75°, or even higher if derived from the heat of 

 the sun. Where there are two houses, the warmer one should not be lower than 

 70° even in winter ; hut, fortunately, there are comparatively few kinds that 

 insist upon so hot a berth. The air should always be soft, and nearly saturated 

 with moisture. The latter should, however, be prevented from dripping upon the 

 plants as it condenses ; and this is easily effected by fixing a small copper-pipe, 

 or piece of channelled wood, under each rafter and sash-bar, to catch and carry 

 off the water. 



" 6th. Do not over-water. 



" This a beginner is very apt to do, and a grievous fault it is. When plants do 

 not shrivel or flag, it is a sign that they are content with the humidity that the 

 atmosphere of the house supplies. When watering is necessary, it should not 

 be done indiscriminately, but according to the wants of particular plants. It is 

 also of great importance to use rain-water only, which may be collected for the 

 purpose in a tank, as shown in the plan of Mr. Rucker's house, and which 

 should not be applied of a temperature below 60°. Syringing in moderation 

 may be had recourse to in hot weather. Some of the Sobralias, together with 

 Bromheadia palustris, grow more vigorously if their pots are set in saucers of 

 water during the summer months. 



" To the foregoing rules the following advice may be added : — ' Do not aim at 

 having too large a collection, but rather strive to grow a few good kinds in the 

 best style.' With moderate care and in a moderate-sized house, the whole of 

 the plants enumerated in the subjoined ' Century,' will thiive apace and bloom 

 freely; and he whom such a brilliant assemblage fails to satisfy must beau 

 ardent collector indeed." 



Gentiana acaums. — Last year attention was called in the Cabinet to this 

 beautiful blue flowering spring ornament, and it was recommended as an edging 

 for walks. I procured a quantity at 3c/. each, and planted the walks of a small 

 flower garden with it, and ever since the middle of March, it has been in profuse 

 bloom. My soil is a sandy loam, in which "it thrives well. As a successor to 

 the Gentian when out of bloom, I had a quantity of what the Conductor of 

 the Cabinet advised as one for the edging of a flower-bed in summer, viz., 

 Lobellia erinus grandiflora, and I planted a row of it close behind the Gentian, 

 and now, (May 18th,) it is spreading among the same, and coming into bloom, 

 and with its lovely blue and white spotted flowers, I doubt not, will be a pretty 

 ornament to the autumn. 



Cirencester. Lucy. 



