102 
THE GARDENERS’ 
CHRONICLE. 
[Frx. 18, 
doubt, haye heard, that the best method of administering 
flea-powder, is to take that saltatory insect by the neck 
before he awakes in a morning, and cram the said pow- 
der down his throat. In like manner, before my Red 
Spiders awake, I catch them all, and put them in the 
stocks, and keep them there until they promise to reform ; 
jn other words, I have a thin starch made from potato 
flour; and before it has become so cold and stiff as to 
lose its fluidity, I syringe the trees with it by means of the 
garden engine. The force with which it is driven against 
the tree and the wall effectually covers all the leaves, both 
onthe upper and under sides; and every Red Spider is 
thus firmly secured. It is true, the trees look rather un- 
sightly for a while ; and it is also true, that this starch 
does not destroy the eggs; and that it is, therefore, de- 
sirable to repeat it; but all the Spiders are killed, the 
eaves become fresh and green, and the tree begins to 
grow and thrive again. The same plan may be recom- 
mended for the Muscle Scale on wall-trees, if applied 
after the insects have hatched, or before the females have 
deposited their eggs.—T. G. 4 
Dahlias.—In your last report of the proceedings of the 
Floricultural Society one or two errors have occurred, 
which I should wish to see corrected: In p. 86, col. ¢., 
line 53, for ‘‘stumpy” read “ bumpy ;” in the same 
column, line 78, for ‘‘ working from flat bases” read ‘‘a 
flat base ;’’ and in p. 87, col. é., line from the top 22, for 
6 his Windsor Rival ’’ read “ Windsor Rival.’ But the 
more important error is the omission of the word, “ Dis- 
qualifications,’’ by which two sentences, having origin- 
ally no connexion, are joined together ; and the ‘ defects 
in size” are stated to be, ‘‘ being below the average, Or 80 
large as to be coarse ; showing a yellow disk, or a hard 
and scaly centre, cross eye, &c.” |! whereas the word “ dis- 
qualifications ’’ should have followed the word ‘ coarse,’” 
and the sentence should have been—‘‘ Disqualifications : 
showing a yellow disk or a hard and scaly centre, cross 
eye, petals damaged in any manner, blooms dead and decay- 
ing.” It willbe seen that I have treated the defect of 
what is technically termed a “ cross eye’ asa positive dis- 
qualification. I know that such has not hitherto been the 
practice ; but, in my opinion, the fault is so glaring, and 
so obviously arises from inherent malformation, that it 
should cause any bloom or any collection of blooms in 
which it occurs to be altogether rejected. The other 
grounds of disqualification have long since been recog- 
nised, but none of them have, consistently, been practically 
enforced. The only stipulation generally made in offering 
prizes is, that they shall be awarded to the best ; and the 
propriety of withholding them under any other cireum- 
stances than those of fraud and deception, bad as the best 
may be, is very questionable; but so long asa different 
practice is pursued with regard to other flowers, and more 
stringent rules are absolutely enforced against the Carna- 
tion, Picotee, &c., I see no reason why the Dahlia, which 
produces blooms in greater abundance, should not be 
treated in a similar manner. With this view I have 
brought the question before the Society ; and although in 
this as perhaps in other things I may be inerror, I have 
no doubt the subject altogether will be properly dealt with, 
and my object answered. The ruling desire of those who 
have been entrusted with the affairs of the Society is to act 
fairly and impartially towardsall, whether members or other- 
wise; and Lregret to see that they do not meet with a 
corresponding return on the part of some who appeal to 
them ; the decisions of the censors (upon seedlings) being 
often sadly perverted to suit private purposes. An in- 
stance has recently occurred in the case of the Dablia, 
called ‘‘ Mrs. James Richardson,’ which is represented 
by the owner to have been selected by the Society as one 
of the best six of the season; whereas no such province 
is assumed by the Society, nor has anything been done to 
justify the assertion. The flower was submitted for in- 
spection upon two occasions during last year, on the first 
of which it was in a first-rate state, and classed accord- 
ingly ; but on the next occasion it was not so good, and 
decided to be only second-rate. I am aware that only 
six Dahlias were placed during last year in the first class; 
but many of these did not uniformly support that charac- 
ter, and might not, therefore, have been preferred on the 
whole to one or two others that had consistently proved 
themselves to be excellent second-class flowers, and not 
liable to such sudden or frequent fluctuations. Allusion 
to this subject gives me an opportunity of adverting to 
the system pursued by the Society, and of explaining the 
differences which sometimes appear to exist in their deci- 
sions, by describing a flower to be first-rate at one time 
and only second-rate at another. This, I will admit, is 
an apparent, but not an actual, inconsistency, so long as 
the decisions are in conformity to the existing fact, the 
only ground upon which they are ever given. From 
change of seasons and other circumstances, there is 
scarcely even an old variety, however good, which is uni- 
formly first-rate: it is, therefore, unreasonable to sup- 
pose that a seedling will not be liable to the same varia- 
tions ; and it would be worse to expect the Society not to 
See or not to tell the fact, The present plan has been 
adopted in order to encourage frequent exhibition, and 
that parties might ultimately, by a comparison of the 
judgments given upon the various occasions, be enabled 
to form their own conclusions. Any other system could 
only be effected by reserving the decisions until the end of 
ji the season, and thereby keeping parties, in the mean 
time, in ignorance of what they are most anxious to know 
at as early a period as possible.—7. C. Wildman. 
Striking Cuttings.—A friend of mine contrived a plan 
for affording the cutting-pot a sufficient supply of moisture 
without making it too wet, which I think only requires 
to be known that it may be generally adopted. 
uttings upon which it was first tried were those of Nérium 
e 
® 
splendens, and not a single one failed: with others it has 
been equally satisfactory. The method is, to plunge a 
large 60-pot, made water-tight at the bottom, in the centre 
of the larger pot in which the cuttings are to be placed. 
By keeping the smaller pot always filled with water, the 
cuttings will be duly supplied through its pores.— William 
Proctor, Gardener, Tarbat House, Rosshire. [There is 
nothing new in this; it has been practised for many 
years, and is extremely useful in striking plants which 
are fond of moisture. ] 
To destroy Earwigs and Woodlice.—\ beg to inform 
you of a simple plan which I have successfully adopted 
for years to destroy earwigs and woodlice, viz., some 
joints of withered Hemlock or Bean stems placed under 
walls or about their haunts through April and May. These 
must be examined daily; and if gardeners would give 
themselves this trouble, they would soon rid themselves 
of these vermin.—Cestus. 
Camellias.—At p. 56, Mr. Beaton advises Camellia 
growers to place those plants which have no flower-buds 
in the forcing-house, to induce an early formation of them 
for next season, and says he believes that “if the pots 
were plunged up to their rims ina tank of warm water 
during the short time they are making their growth, it 
would not hurt them.” As this plan might be adopted 
by some on the negative recommendation of Mr. B,,1 
beg to offer an opinion on the probable result of such an 
experiment. I think that after such treatment the newly- 
formed fibres would be so situated, that they could 
neither grow, nor be extricated from it without sustain- 
ing great injury; that is, they would be firmly fixed in a 
hardened clod of earth. Nor do I think that anything 
would be gained by forcing them so early as this. I might 
base this opinion on Mr. B.’s own excellent observations 
at p. 39, where, in speaking of forcing in winter, and the 
little difficulty attending it, where the object is to enlarge 
the plant without reference to flowers or fruit, he says, 
“But having no control over light, which is the most 
important agentin the growth of plants, we must so apply 
heat and moisture as to accord with the quantity of solar 
ligkt which our dull winters afford.” But my own opinion 
is deduced from experience, and I have for several years 
had Camellias in bloom by the end of October, which did 
not make their annual growth till April, (and that fre- 
quently in a Greenhouse) at which time if I can command 
a temperature from 55° to 65° with a slight shading, I 
have no doubt of success. I always allow them to remain 
in the house till the buds are well formed, and the young 
wood changed to a brown colour, which is seldom before 
the end of June. They are then placed in a partially 
shaded situation out of doors, for about eight weeks. 
Plants so treated enjoy the concurring aid of all the agents 
essential to vegetation, at a time when they are most 
needed; and with increased light and heat acting on the 
healthy organs of respiration and digestion, go on storing 
up highly elaborated sap to expend in the expansion of 
flowers, as soon as impulse is given to them after their 
periodical rest. Whereas, in those which are forced now, 
and are removed to a cold frame afterwards, vegetation is 
for a long time suspended, and as it sometimes happens, 
is resumed in the summer in the formation of fresh shoots. 
—W. Sherwood, Gardener to J. R. Mills, Esq. Stam- 
Jord Hill. 
Yellow Rose.—In answer to ‘‘ Philo-rosea,’’ at p. 73, 
Mr. Proctor informs us that the plant referred to by him, 
at p. 54, not only produced last season above four dozen 
perfect flowers, but that it has bloomed profusely for 
several seasons. In addition to those last year exhibited 
at the meeting of the Caledonian Society, four flowers 
were also transmitted to the Northern Horticultural Society 
at Inverness. 
Amaryllis Belladonna.—Some of your correspondents 
still maintain that it is difficult to flower this beautiful 
bulb, which to me appears rather strange. Last autumn 
I obtained nearly 300 spikes of flowers without any diffi- 
culty. Many persons saw them at the time ; and if your 
correspondents will pay me a visit next September, they 
will be able to judge for themselves. They are planted as 
closely as possible to a south wall, in a good sandy loam. 
Possibly the failure of other persons may be occasioned by 
a wet soil, or by having taken up the bulbs to divide 
them, or by having destroyed the leaves in winter or 
spring. It is a bad practice to part them, unless they 
are very crowded. I had some in pots, but they bloomed 
weak compared with those in the open ground. If the 
borders are wet, I recommend large holes to be dug to 
receive plenty of drainage, and to be filled up with good 
turfy loam and sand. The bulbs should then be dug up, 
without being disturbed more than possible 5 and if 
planted in a warm situation, I am certain there will be no 
complaint of their failure.—Caleb Diplock, Botanical 
Gardens, Twickenham. % 
Vines.—The following casualty, the cure of which it may 
be useful to some persons to know, happened to my Vines 
to-day (Feb.15). I left them about 1 p.m. in good order, 
but on returning about an hour afterwards I was surprised 
to find the young shoots drooping, as if they had been 
detached from the parent plant. I was for some time at a 
loss to know what could be the cause; and the Vines 
being planted outside, I went to see whether the covering 
upon the border was all right. I found that the birds 
had scratched part of it away, and I at once attributed my 
mishap to the frost having penetrated to the roots. I got 
a quantity of fermenting leaves, and some water about milk 
warm ; the latter I poured over the stems, and then covered 
them up with theleaves; I afterwards syringed the foliage 
all over, and in about 20 minutes the Vines were as healthy 
and strong as ever. Had this taken place during the night, 
they must all have perished.—D. 
1. C. 
The Fastolff Raspberry.—In the late Numbers of the 
Chronicle the Fastolff Raspberry is advertised, and highly 
spoken of. I should be obliged if any correspondent who 
has tried these plants at a distance from the sea could 
inform me if they succeed well, as I have been told that 
sea-sand and burnt sea-weed have a wonderful effect on 
the size and flavour of the Raspberry; and if this is 
true, it may account for the superiority of the Raspberries 
in the Great Yarmouth Nursery ; which possibly would 
degenerate if removed from thence, or from near the 
Ssea.—d. . 
Melon Sceds.—For the information of Alpha, at p. 57, 
I beg to state my conviction, that little or no care is re- 
quired for the conservation of the germinating power in 
Melon-seeds ; the only condition appearing necessary is, 
that the seed when laid by should be capable of producing 
healthy plants. The following facts in support of the 
above are worthy of being recorded. Some 20 years ago 
or more, the late W. Morehead, Esq., of Hertfordshire, 
rummaging one day in an old bureau, discovered a packet 
addressed to his grandfather 70 years back, which con- 
tained Melon-seeds forwarded by a friend of the grand~- 
father’s from one of our West India Islands, accompanied 
with a high recommendation in their favour. The seeds 
were immediately placed in the hands of his gardener, 
who in’ the ordinary mode of cultivation succeeded in 
raising from them a fine-flavoured variety. The only 
other instance with which I will trouble you is furnished 
by another late neighbour of mine, who similarly found 
in his bureau a packet of Melon-seeds sent him by a 
friend 25 years previously. They had lain in his bureau, 
and had been overlooked during that period ; from this 
seed, however, good fruit was also produced, under the 
ordinary skill of the gardener—J. K. S. [In all these 
cases due care to preserve vitality had obviously been taken 
without the parties concerned being aware of it. ] 
Prejudices.—‘ Our prejudices, how many they are, 
and how idle !’’—Indeed they are; and I intend this line 
of your correspondent’s (p. 69) to serve as my text in a 
few short communications to your readers—I hope they 
will be taken in the spirit in which they are written. Few 
things disappoint me more than, in looking over a private 
grower’s collection of Pelargoniums, Calceolarias, Roses, 
&c., to find them numbered and not named. If you ask 
the reason, ten to one but you are told that it is done to 
prevent portions of them from being stolen, which would 
most likely be the case if gardeners or other visitors saw 
the names. You are obliged to keep asking what is the 
number of this and that, till you are as tired of inquiring 
as your friend is of answering—that is, if he has his book, 
which is not often the case. Now what is this but a 
prejudice? All my plants are marked on good-sized 
labels, and on both sides ; and it gives me pleasure to say 
that I have never yet lost even a leaf. If it had been 
otherwise, I would rather put up with the trifling incon- 
venience than deprive my visitors of the pleasure of 
knowing at a glance the names of the different varieties. 
Edward Beck, Isleworth. 
Asparagus.—In your observations, at p. 435, vol. ii., 
upon Asparagus grown in bottles at Nice, and the failure 
of this method when tried in England last year, you attri- 
bute the success to the greater warmth of climate and 
more rapid vegetation in the South of France. I put 
some Asparagus roots into my Melon pit in November, 
and had the thermometer at 80°; they soon sprung up, 
and I put a glass soda-water bottle (which is free from the 
bottom projection inside) over each of two of the heads. 
They grew into the bottles, turned round well in them, 
and began to sprout, although, of course, not strongly. is 
have been obliged to cut them lately, as I want the pit for 
Melons. The Asparagus was very hard and stringy when 
boiled. I failed to give them air, the heat was not regu- 
lar, and in other respects they were not managed well; 
but it appears to me that a skilful Gardener might suc- 
ceed much better—perhaps completely. I hope we shall 
hear of the bottle plan being tried with success in the en- 
suing spring ; probably in a full south situation, under a 
wall, with a glass, and having a lining of warm litter 
around. At'p. 471, correspondent, signing himself ‘‘J. 
A. P.,”’ speaks of an Irish method of growing Asparagus 
in tin tubes; and he signified his intention to give some 
further light upon the subject, but he does not appear to 
ave done so.—sS. C. 7 
Onion Maggots,—Several questions have been asked 
respecting the Onion maggot, which for many years de- 
stroyed the greater part of my Onions until I adopted the 
following plan : sow the seeds about the beginning of 
March, and when the plants are about 5 or 6 inches high 
I strew a little soil over the bed, and with a large iron 
roller I roll the beds until they appear to be as hard as the 
garden walks. After this, the Onions grow up strong; 
and I never lose one either by rolling them or from the 
evidence in their favour, and neatness is in favour of the 
direct application. If hoeing, raking, and wheeling away 
