430 
THE GARDENERS' 
CHRONICLE. 
[June 27, 
Hedgehogs —(See p. 389).—Dr. Herbert has come to 
the rescue of the unfortunate hedgehog. My opinion is 
that the hedgehog is more useful to man than other- 
wise; however, last summer, hearing the ery of a 
leveret in our wilderness, I was induced to ascertain 
what was the matter, and, to my surprise, a hedgehog 
had got it inhis mouth. What hewas going to do with 
it Lam unable to say. I thought to kill and eat it, 
therefore I put my foot on him and stopped him, and 
returned the leveret to its companion, that was seated 
hard by. On going the next morning both were re- 
moved; I suppose by their mother, to some quieter 
retreat.—W. Brown, Merevale-—lI perceive that Dr. 
Herbert denies, * without hesitation," the truth of the 
statement concerning a'hedgehog eating a rabbit. J 
know nothing about the case in question, further than 
seeing it in the newspapers 5 but I will give some in- 
stanees which have come under my own observation, 
and which, I imagine, will fully prove the hedgehog to 
be carnivorous. Two yearsago my father's gamekeeper 
caught one in a trap set for vermin.and baited with 
rabbit ; about a month afterwards he caught another in 
the same manner. One evening last summer, whilst 
walking through a cover, I eame upon one lying in a 
pheasant’s nest, with the shells of the eggs lying scat- 
tered around. Iconveyed him carefully home, and had 
him put into a box, dud different sorts of vegetables, 
boiled and raw, a plate of porridge or stix-about, and 
milk, a pheasant’s egg, and.a dead rabbit put in beside 
im. On examining next morning, I found nothing 
had been touched ; in the evening, still nothing touched ; 
but on the second morning the egg was eaten, and the 
greater part of the rabbit; the milk, &e., having been 
quite neglected. I may here mention that, when’a boy, 
1 have kept hedgehogs at different times upon porridge 
and milk, of which they seemed very fond. Lastly, 
about two months ago, whilst the keeper was employed 
trapping rabbits, he caught three within a period of ten 
days, in the traps set in. the mouths of the holes, I 
will add one other case which happened to an intimate 
friend. He had a leveret which he amused himself 
with as a pet, and which he kept ina small wooden 
house erected for it. One day he caught a hedgehog, 
rather undersized, which he took home, and believing 
itto be granivorous, put it in beside the leveret. Next 
morning, whilst feeding them, he observed a long deep 
scratch on the leveret’s side, which he imagined had 
been done by.a nail ; but he looked in vain for any ob- 
truding point. The following morning the leveret was 
eaten up, nothing but skin and bones remaining. Still, 
he would not believe the hedgehog to be the culprit, 
but tried to imagine that rats or some other vermin had 
been the murderers. "Thatsame day he caught another 
hedgehog, considerably larger than the first, which he 
č Nai s; die 
put at least two feet deep ; this, I am convinced, is the 
only way of p ing any q which are 
likely to arise from this season, Where this cannot be 
effected, however, the only way is to change the soil 
entirely, and to substitute fresh from another part of 
the garden ; I have seen three inches of the top soil of 
an Onion bed, as well as soil from the Potato ground, 
used with good effect, the ground having been enriched 
by manure. But I should not advise soil from the Po- 
tato ground to be used, as there is a disease in some 
Tulips similar to that affecting the Potato crop ; all 
soil ought to be well exposed to the sun and air, and 
should be very frequently turned over; the greatest 
losses have arisen in collections where soil of the pre- 
vious year has been employed, thus showing the neces- 
sity of changing it every year. Iam now, however, 
giving advice that I do not strictly follow ; I am only 
enabled to change the soil of three beds 18 yards long, 
the other three are upwards of four feet deep, and I 
remove the earth from three to four feet in length, and 
the width of the bed, trenching it and bringing fresh 
soil to the top. If the bed is intended for breeders, T 
manure it, and turn it over twice or three times, and 
sow it over with Turnips, but if for broken varieties, I 
keep turning it over until planting time. This plan I 
have followed: some. years.—John Slater, Florist, Cheet- 
ham Hill, near Manchester. 
The Potato Crop.—An article by Mr. Barnes, of 
Bicton, appeared at p. 396, in which it is stated that 
nearly all the Potatoes in our county (Devon) are 
“almost to a certainty ” consigned to destruction, It 
seems that Mr. B. has lately detected the presence of 
disease in some field or other. Now I, too, have been 
in the fields, and have examined the plants as narrowly 
as Mr. B. could have done, but cannot find anything 
like the “ detestable enemy "so bitterly complained of ; 
I have also heard the opinion of many people on the 
subject, all of whom “fully concur " with me, that at 
sent there is nothing the matter with the general 
erop. Mr. Barnes is, however, singularly unfortunate 
in his predietions, for last spring he stated that in no 
instance would diseased tubers produce a healthy crop, 
and large quantities of decayed Potatoes were, in con- 
sequence of this announcement, thrown away, and by 
many who could ill afford the loss, while those who 
would not be humbugged, but chose to use their own 
brains,were rewarded with excellent erops.— W. Major, 
Powderham Castle. [We have inserted this letter, for 
the sake of the supposed fact which it includes ; but 
we have omitted much which was, by no means, credit- 
able to the writer.] 
The Nulthalch.— Your correspondent “ Anon" has 
correctly noticed my mistake in regard to the nuthatch 
only having two toes before instead of three. y some 
El 
put in beside it. ext morning he d 
smaller one had killed and eaten the greater part of the 
larger. If the Dean has any doubts as to the veracity 
of the latter statement, I will be glad to give him the 
name and address of the gentleman alluded to, when he 
may communicate with him himself. —Z. B. D. 
Manna on the Elm.—A few days since information 
was given me that the flat top of a stone wall at 
Fotheringhay was covered with little globular trans- 
parent bodies resembling boiled sago. On inspecting 
the production in situ it was at once apparent that it 
had fallen from a row of broad-leaved Elms which over- 
hung the wall, some globules of a similar character, or 
a more diffused gummy substance, still adhering to 
many of the leaves. It is supposed that the fall of the 
bodies took place about the 7th of June, and probably 
in the course of that day, which appears to have been, 
aremarkably hot day everywhere. I inclose a portion 
of the ‘substance, which appears from its mere obvious 
characters to be manna. The globules have contracted 
considerably since they were first collected. Manna 
has occasionally been gathered in hot summers in 
England, from the common Ash, and it is probable that 
many trees are capable of producing it; the common 
Larch, a species of Tamarix and Hedysarum, a Euca- 
lyptus, &e., are recorded as: yielding manna. - Honey- 
dew, whether exuding from the leaves, or produced by 
aphides, appears to be very similar, if not identical, 
—M. J. B 
What Measures shall I take with my Tulips 2— 
This is an important question with Tulip growers, and 
I bave no doubt that it has often suggested itself to 
the amateur during the present disastrous season. The 
oldest grower does not ber one so unf; ble, 
and we have some growers in our neighbourhood 50 
years old; many collections are reduced to one half, 
and how to manage the remaining portion is the subject 
of this article, There are buta few who have been 
fortunate, although I am óne of the number, hav- 
ing had only 12 roots which died down in the best beds 
containing 199 rows ; my greatest loss has been in seed- 
lings. The subject has occupied my attention daily, 
lest disaster should fall to my lot next season, and after 
much consideration I am convinced that the greater 
the change of soil the better would be the chance of 
success. Since last April I have been busy preparing 
for next planting season. Some will say, how is this to 
be done? I am not in a neighbourhood where soil may 
be obtained. Money in most instances will, however, 
purchase it, and what is 20s. or 40s. to secure your 
roots? The plan I propose tg put into execution is as 
follows :— Being so fortunate as to have five different 
qualities of rotten Grassy turf, I intend to put under 
them three inches deep of soil such as I have never 
used before for growing Tulips, to mix the other four 
together to cover with, and the soilat the top I shall 
ia 
ble means (for I had a specimen before me 
when I wrote) I fell into that error. When I mentioned 
that the nuthatch cracked nuts, I did not mean, nor 
indeed did my words intimate, that it made mechanical 
use of its bill for that purpose, or that it broke the nut- 
shell by compression. y observation was, that “it 
makes a tapping noise, while striking forcibly with its 
beak upon anut placed in the cleft of a branch.” 
Any casual observer in winter or spring must have 
heard and seen the bird thus employed without think- 
ing with “ Anon” that it was engaged upon any Hercu- 
lean task beyond its strength, As to the other error 
which * Anon" accuses me of ‘having fallen into, 
another correspondent bears me outin what I have stated 
viz. that the nuthatch’s nest is made of the smooth bark 
of the Seoteh fir. The fact does not, however, require 
any corroboration, for the nest is now in my possession. 
Therefore I agree with * Anon," that the study of 
Nature is better than “ ten thousand books,” and recom- 
mend him to carry out the precept. My information 
respecting the nuthatch not being found in Cornwall 
was taken from the * Museum of Animated Nature," 
and I am indebted to “ S,” for his information to the 
contrary. 
visit of this bird to their gardens because it might pilfer 
their nutbushes, I may observe that I have known the 
little bird to frequent the gardens under my care about 
18 years, and never found him a mischievous visitor. 
Since the above was written I find other corrrespond- 
ents state that the nuthatch cracks nuts for the sake 
of their kernels, still my own opinion is, that 
it does so for the sake of the larvee or pupa of 
weevils or beetles in the nuts. Be this as it may, and 
since itis not plentiful nor gregarious, what lover of 
nature would grudge a handful of nuts to a bird that 
does not alight on the ground to pick up seeds nor 
injure the fruit, but whose food is chiefly insects. 
While my pen is in my hand I see a nuthatch descend- 
ing a Plum-tree looking into the chinks of the bark for 
insects which might have escaped the sight of its little 
neighbour, the gray-creeper (Certhia familiaris) while 
ascending.—J. Wighton. 
Rats.—A correspondent a week or two back com- 
plained of a trick of a rascally rat-catcher, and asked 
how to punish him. I answer, employ another man to 
destroy the rats, telling him as well as the first that you 
will never send for them a second time.—C. D 
good mode of destroying rats and mice is to cut old 
corks in slices:as thin as wafers, and to fry them in the 
frying-pan after it has been used for frying any meat, 
but not burnt; place them about where the vermin 
appear, and all will be destroyed, for they eat them 
voraciously.— Anon. 
Roses; Hedge-budding. — Mr. Thomson (p. 302) 
appeared to doubt my ability to produce flower-buds, 
in the short space of 35 or 40 days, after the buds had 
As both he and “Anon” are afraid of a |JU* 
been inserted. After his last communication on the 
subject had, however, been published, I took an early 
opportunity of inserting some buds, and the result has 
proved my former statement to be correct. The stocks. 
upon which I budded this year were removed from the 
hedges in October last, when they ought to have been 
planted in their situation for budding, but from un- 
avoidable circumstances this was deferred until the end 
of February ; on May the 20th I selected six of the best 
plants, and budded them with the varieties—Bouquet 
de Flore, Devoniensis, and Paul Joseph. Three of the 
plants produced flower-buds by June 18th (being the 
30th day from budding) out of the six budded, and there 
is only one that will not show a flower-bud within40 days, 
fully proving my former statement to have been no exage- 
geration ; and if anybody doubts it, all I have to say is, 
come and see. I again assert that I find my plants 
well established within a year by the method I pursue. 
In the autumn of. 1844 I took up from the hedges 
nearly 300 Briers : about 100 of the best were budded 
in the early part of June, 1845 ; very few of the buds 
missed, and during the summer and autumn a large 
portion of them made good plants, many of them flower- 
ing. In November 76 of them were transplanted on 
the lawn, and:each plant has produced from three to 
70 flower-buds. The plants are not large, but they are 
sufficiently established to be objects of greatbeauty. Now, 
instead of the fine display of Roses on my lawn I have 
had this season} according to Mr. Thomson's system 
they would still have been gracing the hedge-rows, Mr. 
Thomson says that his system gains two important 
points, a luxuriant start, and a steady vigorous growth 5- 
but these points are also gained by my-system. Plants 
of Victor Hugo, budded last June, made shoots during 
the summer and autumn 4 feet 7 inches in length, 
besides being once headed down ; and this is surely lux- 
urianceenough. By my system the most important point, 
that of securing good roots from the beginning, is ob- 
tained. Mr. Thomson seems to think the method re- 
commended by Mr. Rivers, to cut the tap-root of his 
Briers, and form a trench to be filled up with manure, 
would suit his purpose ; but I think he would do better 
to take up the plants while he is about the job (if 
at the proper season), and to plant them without any 
manure. If the soil is well adapted to the growth 
of the Rose, he may expect to have shoots fit for bud- 
ding by June. Mr. T. says that my plan is hazardous, 
but has not explained why. Also that I was singular 
in finding shoots from plants taken up in October fit 
for budding in June ; but he never can have tried the 
system, otherwise he must have found shoots strong 
enough for that purpose. My opinion is that the earlier 
in the season budding is performed the sooner will a 
union take place. I therefore prefer May or June (of 
course all seasons are not alike), and if the shoots are 
pulpy they must be tenderly handled. In regard to 
morning or night being the best time for budding, that 
isa mere whim, The principal points are the state of 
the stocks and the buds to be inserted, together with 
the efficient performance of the operation. The Roses 
which I have budded this year were done at mid-day, 
and they are doing well. As regards Mr. Rivers’s sys- 
tem of docking and pruning I will say nothing ; it is 
sufficient that the Wild Brier docked and cut soon 
makes a good stock, which is all that is wanted— Robert 
Cassilles, Ewen Kemble, Wilts. 
one of the exhibitors of 
m 
straightforward. way, à 
been s: i 
next week will 
In the meanwhile, we are bound to declare that 
Societies. 
ROYAL SOUTH LONDON FLORICULTURAL 
SOCIE 
June 24,—This the third show of the season WaS 
held in the Surrey Zoological Garden. The day was all 
that could have been wished. The exhibition was, n 
ever, inferior to the last, both in regard to the quality ani 
quantity of the subjects produced, The best collection 
of MiscEtLANEOUS Prants was shown by Mr. Bruce» 
who sent among others the pretty ZEschynanthus para- 
siticus formerly described ; a lovely Epiphyllum specio- 
sum ; the blue-flowered Ruellia ciliata ; Aphelexis hu- 
milis, 24 feet in height, and as much through 5 Melia 
