70 
THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. 
[FEs. 4, 
be either North, North-east, or North-west. The warm 
spring sun shining on the hives often induces the Bees to 
roam prematurely abroad in search of flowers, which are 
not to be found at that period of the year in sufficient 
numbers to provide them with sustenance. The conse- 
quence is, that the Bees are exhausted by their long flight 
in pursuit of food during the heat of the day, and are un- 
able to reach home before the frost sets in, Bees should 
never be destroyed by that cruel practice of smothering 
them with brimstone matches ; the dried “ Field puff,’’ as 
it is commonly called, answering the purpose of rendering 
the Bees harmless without killing them. light canvas 
dress might be made to tie round the neck and ancles, 
with a head-piece of the same material, with glass eyes; 
thus incased, a Bee-master might rob his hives after dark 
without fear of suffering for his rashness.—W. W. 
Rare Blackbird,—A rare specimen of this bird which 
was shot by Mr. Worthington, of Warton, near Lytham, 
may be seen in the shop of Mr. Sharples, of Preston. It 
js of a clear white colour, intermixed with spots of black, 
and I do not remember for a length of time having seen 
a bird of this species of so large a size.—Facile. 
Worm Casts on Lawns.—Observing at p- 37, the sug- 
gestion by Mr. Dawson for destroying Worms, it seemed 
so feasible, that I gave it a trial, and the result has been 
eminently successful. I applied a very weak solution of 
Corrosive Sublimate on a few square feet of my Lawn, 
and immediately afterwards the Worms began to rise to 
the surface in great numbers, while others endeavoured to. 
escape laterally towards the adjoining gravel walks. Their 
efforts continued for a quarter of an hour, ; and much lon- 
ger, though in diminished numbers ; the difficulty was to 
pick them up fast enough, so copious was the supply. It 
is evident that Worms cannot endure this penetrating 
poison, and that it may be made the means of effecting a 
wonderful imp t in the app of turf. Mr. 
Dawson’s cautions about its use ought, however, to be care- 
fully attended to.; Thad previously tried Quick Lime-water, 
which certainly drew the Worms up, but as compared with 
the Sublimate, only in the proportion of one to 20, or 
even less.—A. I. T. I beg to inform “ F. H. S.” p. 54, 
that I paid Mr. McDougal for instructing me how to des- 
troy Worms on my Grass with Lime Water.’ I have tried 
it three successive years, and have destroyed thousands ; 
but they are still as abundant as ever. About a month 
ago, I applied it in the usual way; and since this mild, 
damp weather, the Worm Casts have been as numerous 
A neighbouring Gardener assures me that 
but great care must be 
or it will destroy the 
Grass. 
were sowing seed.— Rusticus. 
salt.] 
Wells.—In 1828, a well was sunk to the depth of 40 ft., 
and a pump, for the use of the lodge that I now occupy, 
was placed over it. The workmen, in sinking to the 
above depth were greatly annoyed by the soil from the 
sides, which was of a gravelly nature, pouring in upon 
them ; and one wiseaere proposed that the well should be 
lined with hay. This was accordingly done to the extent 
of a load of that article; and the consequence is, that 
although the pump has been in constant use for 14 years, 
the water is as badas 7 years back. The pump brings up 
England, without having 
e course 
some papers 
ral society. 
the mentioned certificates relating to the said discovery. 
Mr. Bickes proposed to 
world, and in the first place to Germany, if a very small 
sum were paid to him from every cultivator throughout 
the whole Confederation without exception. This plan ap- 
peared to bring 1,000,000 florins. Nevertheless, 
such @ sum was not estimated too high when compared 
with the profits in view for all generations; but the great- 
est part of the Assembly were surprised at the old age of 
certificates dated from the Emperor’s own garden at 
Vienna, and some other places jn our nearest neighbour- 
hood, without having at any time before heard of these or 
similar wonderful results. The Assembly, therefore, con- 
sidering further, that every man in possession of the said 
secret might have very easily thousands of acres of the 
poorest land at five florins and upwards per acre ; con- 
sidering also, that it would seem more profitable for this 
man to buy poor land on purpose to convert it afterwards 
for his own account into a state of the promised fertility, 
equal to property valued at 300 to 500 florins per acre. 
Considering all these ci the Assembly took 
the resolution not to support the speculation before Mr. 
Bickes had made some fair trials. commission of some 
Horticultural, and Agricultural 
persons was therefore elected, and’ Mr. Bickes invited to 
prepare a variety of seeds and plants. The whole party 
November, 1841, when Mr. 
Bickes himself sowed a large but very poor sandy field 
with Wheat, prepared in his powerful liquor or mixture, 
and the adjoining field of quite the same condition, with 
Wheat not prepared. The plants all came up well as the 
weather continued beautiful ; last spring and later, accord- 
ing to the nature of things, a great variety of seeds, Cauli- 
flower-plants, Cabbages, Maize, flower-seeds amount- 
ing to more than 30 species, were tried under the eyes of 
the Commission and prepared by Mr. Bickes ; but neither 
in the course of growth, nor till the last period, one sin- 
gle fact was to be observed in praise of the system. The 
report of the Commission was read in two parts, indicating 
at length the judicial proceedings relative to all the Hor- 
ticultural and Agricultural trials. Why should now the 
results be or have been more favourable in other places ? 
Surely because fertility was excited by some different 
means. I have seen quite enough of the “ Discovery of 
the art of cultivating the ground without the aid of ma- 
nure,” that for my part I will not give sixpence for the 
secret, neither am 1 disposed to waste time in writing 
more on the subject—J. Rinz, jun., Nurseryman, Di- 
rector of the Frankfort H orticultural Society. 
PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 
BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. 
i ir. J. Irving, Esq., was 
dern, Esq., W.C. 
observations on the structure and habits of these 
ants. Specimens were exhibited, 
particles of hay in a decomposed state ; the water, indeed, 
is quite thick, and the stench from it is intolerabl As 
I know your Paper circulates amongst persons who are 
skilled in hydraulics, chemistry, and geology, may I solicit 
some information as to the most economical means IJ can 
adopt for purifying the water and making it fit for use.— 
Water. [We know of no remedy for this act of folly, 
except re-making the well; unless the decayed hay can 
‘be removed by some means.] 
Sweeps.—These young gentlemen, as you remark, are 
not gardeners 3 nevertheless, as the subject has been intro- 
duced, andas youmay be desirons of giving your correspond- 
There may be more 
such petty interference on the part of the Legislature mis- 
taken philanthropy, and that a family burnt out, or buried 
jn the ruins of a house, are of as much consideration as 
a casual accident to one of these young gentlemen, to 
which every calling is subject. J have known two or three 
instances this winter of chimneys that have cowls on them 
taking fire; and in my own case I have been obliged to 
send the sweep to the top of the chimney to cleanse the 
cowl from soot—an undertaking he considers far more dan- 
gerous than any he was subject to, when sweeping chimneys 
pefore the new law was made; and in proof of it, rather 
than return the way he goes up, he invariably comes down 
one of the chimneys. He argues, that the Act of Parlia- 
ment certainly does not permit any person under the age 
of 21 to go up a chimney, but that there is nothing to 
prevent any one from coming down. Your correspondent 
need not, therefore, trouble herself whether they sweep the 
chimney head foremost or feet foremost, as I presume her 
object may be attained in the way pointed ‘out, without any 
infringement of the law.—Sambo-Jambo. 
Cure for a Scald.—At p. 70 of vol. ii. green turf is 
recommended as acure for scalds. I have seen Broccoli 
leaves applied successfully to the same purpose. They 
soon relieved the pain, and {I have no doubt that other 
kinds of green leaves would produce a similar effect on 
scalds, if those of Broccoli could not at any time be ob- 
tained.— Facile. 
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE. 
Frankfort, Jan. 27, 1843: 
-—Having read at pp. 8 
and 35. of the Gardeners’ Chronicle your notice of Mr. 
Bickes’ * Discovery of the art of cultivating the ground 
without the aid of manure,” I wonder that the fame of 
son can be more deserving Oo! commemoration, by means 
lant of this genus, to the careful study of which he has long and 
jn the central Highlands, that I would have been impressed with 
i d been transported to Caledonia—had not the 
dense foliage of the Plantain, the Orange, and other trees fringing 
the coast, proved ini the tropics. From whatever 
quarter the island js approached, the aspect is singularly abrupt 
Next morning we went on shore. Aftera kind 
reception at the consul’s residence, I sallied forth into the town. 
Passing through the market, where were abundance of grapes, 
sought the public 
ning of the 27th to have @ glimpse of the interior, in com- 
pany with three shipmates. During the first part of the excursion, 
we traversed a region of terraced vineyards, which are arranged 
in a singularly beautiful manner, the Vines being carried in trelli- 
ses over the roads; and occasionally this refreshing canopy is 
un—and being arched overhead, 
dogs keep watch by night. The Arw 
attains a height of 20 feet, is cultivated extensively for Support- 
ing the Vines, and for a variety of other purposes. © soil in 
the vicinity of Funchal is exceedingly rich, consisting of dark 
jth the débris of volcanic rock, or of 
‘The latter produce the best vineyards ; and 
a bed of this description, with traces of iron ore, extending to the 
depth of 30 feet, yielded as fine produce as any that we passed in 
the island. 
tain was clothed with Vines and Figs, and where flocks of canaries 
ance, and various 
some petals, their roots being sometimes firmly secured in the 
crevices of the granite. 
example in the north. The vegetation was of a different character 
from anything I had seen. It was evident, 
of the rare flowers were not indigenous; but it was not easy to 
distinguish those that had been introduced, as the whole country 
at this elevation had the appearance of an ornamented garden. 
life and motion | amongst the herbage, of 
ascent, we rode along a sharp ridge leading to the Caldeira, or 
highest peak of the island, on which isa well-supplied ice-house. 
Caryophyllez. 
of ravines, where, after a few hours’ rain, the most formidable 
down the adjacent valley to the ocean. There 
amongst the wet rocks of a narrow cleft, through which we 
passed in crossing a watercourse ; of these specimens some were 
singular varieties. 
MISCEL 
Treatment of the Vine in the Ionian Islands.—The 
mode of cultivating the common Vine is much the same 
in all the islands, and’ appears to be well understood. 
The Vines are pruned in February and March ; about the , 
same time, or @ little later, the ground around them is dug 
with a hoe, and raised in heaps, which are levelled in May. 
In June the extremities of the young shoots are broken 
off, and the vintage cow ly begins in September; in 
Corfu, the 19th of September is fixed by custom for its 
commencement. The vineyards are not commonly ma~ 
nured, nor ate the Vines supported by stakes. The latter 
the proprietors cannot afford to use, the low value of the 
produce does not warrant the expense. The Vines are kept 
low, and are generally treated very much in the same man- 
ner as in France. In proportion to the poverty and poor- 
ness of the soil, the’ greater is the rigour with which the 
pruning-knife js used. In some rocky situations, as in 
the district of Erisso, in Cephalonia, where the Vine is 
planted in the crevices of the rocks, and the rock, it is said, 
is even hollowed out tovreceive it, only one or’ two'of last 
year’s branches are preserved, and of these the greater part 
js removed ,—only two or three eyes or buds being allowed 
to remain. This severity is exercised on principle, and 
from long experience of its beneficial effects. An intelli- 
gent Zantiote with whom I conversed on the subject, re- 
marked, that it is the property of the Vive to extend its 
branches much more rapidly than its roots; and in con- 
sequence, unless severe pruning is used, the branches 
will exceed in proportion the roots, and the plant will be 
weakly and unproductive 5 and he added, that as the fruit- 
bearing branches are strictly annuals, and derived from 
buds of the last year, older wood is merely an encum- 
brance. He had been in England, and he expressed sur- 
prise at the manner in which the Vine is commonly treated 
there, by being allowed to be overloaded with old wood ; he 
mentioned too the surprise and astonishment which he 
excited, by pruning his landlady’s Vine, in the neighbour- 
hood of London, according to the Zantiote’s rigorous 
method. The poor Vine, curtailed of its branches, was 
considered ruined. In the autumn, however, ample com- 
pensation was given in a vintage of unexampled abundance 
—the barren Vine was made fruitful. The cuttings of 
the Vine, and the early shoots which are broken off, are 
carefully collected. ‘The latter are given to the cattle ; 
and even the dry branches are similarly used. Ihave often 
seen a bundle of dry Vine-twigs thrown before a horse for 
a baiting, which the poor animal, not being able to get any- 
thing better, contrived to masticate. The Currant Vine 
js far less generally cultivated than the common Vine; itis 
chiefly confined to Zante, Cephalonia, and Ithaca. The 
attempts to extend its cultivation to the other islands have 
been partial, on a very limited scale, and attended with 
doubtful success. This, I believe, is not owing, as has 
been asserted, to any unfitness of soil in the other islands, 
for their soil is very analogous, but rather to some differ- 
ence of climate, especially about the time of ripening, 
gathering, and drying the fruit; consisting in greater lia- 
bility to rain, a heavy fall of which is ruinous to the crop, 
and which, in the Currant islands, during the period of the 
gathering, is considered as a great calamity. In confirm- 
ation, 1 may remark, that equally in Zante, Cephalonia, 
and Ithaca, the Currant Vine is planted in different soils 
and in different situations,—in grey marl and in red clay, 
in the plains and amongst the mountains, where nothing is 
common except the long, dry, season. A certain soil and 
situation, however, is considered most suitable for its cul- 
tivation; especially the calcareous marls, which are easily 
worked, have great depth, are easily penetrated by the 
roots, and are retentive of the moisture}; and low situations, 
where water can be easily introduced and irrigation effected. 
The marl of the plain of Zante contains a little sulphate 
of lime, and I have detected sulphate of lime in the Cur 
It is a question whether this cont- 
ound in a minute proportion may not be beneficial, an! 
whether the excellence of the soil may not in part depen 
on its presence. ‘The p i and the 
profit to the cultivator often great, i 
has been paid to the Currant plantations. 
mention the manner in which they are managed in Zantey 
where, perhaps, the Currant Vine has been brought to its 
greatest perfection. As abundance of water and irrig@” 
tion are essential to the fertility of the Currant Vine, mee” 
sures are taken to secure this ; and accordingly, the plant 
ations are surrounded by mounds of earth and ditches (the 
ground thrown up in making the latter forms the mounds)s 
