504 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



[July 27, 



will be somewhat loosened, and the Moss thrown out ; 1 

 then sweep with a stiff broom, or scrape with'a draw-hoe, 

 and clean it up afterwards. If the frost is too slight the 

 Moss will be but partially removed, and if too severe, too 

 much of the surface will be loosened ; but when a proper 

 opportunity occurs, millions of plants may be destroyed 

 in a short time, and the walks look much refreshed af- 

 terwards. — Peter Mackenzie, 



Gravel Walks.— The following is an excellent plan to 

 ■make (or turn over these in dry weather) :— If of a sandy 

 or gravelly nature, strew a little clay or marl upon the 

 walk. When turned over, take away the large stones 

 and place them at the bottom of the soil. Immediately 

 after you level your walk, apply your iron roller steadily, 

 and let a labourer follow the roller, pouring upon it water 

 regularly as it passes over the ground ; in 24 hours after, 

 if the weather is dry, it will be as solid as a stone floor. 

 The writer has had ocular demonstration of the fact in 

 20 instances, in the late dry weather. — W. 11. Hanwood, 



Liverpool. 



Conservatory Climbers and Fixed Roofs. — In pur- 

 suance of the advice given by Mr. Beaton, I had the 

 only sliding sash of my conservatory fixed with screws ; 

 and in the hot air thus confined, several of the climbers 

 nave certainly flowered far move freely than before. 

 Bignonia Cherere is now splendidly in bloom, as arelpo- 

 mcea Learii and Mam'evilla suaveolens, which promises 

 to bear a succession of its fine flowers through the au- 

 tumn. Bignonia jasminoides is also |»roducing its blos- 

 soms of almost peerless beauty in large masses ; but 

 several other plants do not seem to like the heat. I have 

 several fine specimens of Kennedvas, Zichyas, and Har- 

 denbergias, which, afrer reaching the top of the pilasters 

 between the windows, are carried along the arches form- 

 ing the support of the climbers ; in this situation the 

 leaves and branches have be j n quite burnt, and the same 

 effect, though in a less degree, has been produced on 

 Bignonia grandiflora, which, for the sake of its flowers, 

 I still retain in the house, though, doubtless, perfectly 

 hardy in this county. Will any one recommend me a 

 few more climbers that will bear the temperature pro- 

 duced by the fixed roof, either to be planted in the 

 border, or to be inarched on those now growing ? Va- 

 rious fine Bignonias and Ipomceas I conceive might be 

 introduced, and there are possibly some things that 

 would unite with Mandevilla. I have lately added 

 Bndgesia spicata, Brachysema villosum, and Beaumontia 

 grandiflora ; but the latter seems a slow-growing plnnt, 

 and, I fear, will be some years old before it blooms. 

 The Brachysema I understand is a fine thing, and will of 

 •course not attain the height of its stronger-growing com- 

 panions. — A Devonian. 



Longevity of a Paony. — A. plant of the double 

 crimson Pa;ony is growing at a cottage-door, at Great 

 Chesterford, in Essex, whit h is known to have occupied 

 that identical spot 100 years. The grandfather and 

 grandmother of the woman who now lives there were 

 both born about 120 years ago, and could not remember 

 tbe time when it was not there. It is not a very large 

 plant, sending up 16 staiks. That it lives by the per- 

 manency of the original tubers, and not by the formation 

 of new ones, may be inferred from the identity and 

 minuteness of the spot of ground, which it occupies 

 without spreading. Is it ascertained that herbaceous 

 perennials are of shorter life than the Oak or Chesnut ? 

 — A. H. 



Stipa pennata. — It is not generally known that the 

 seed of the Stipa pennata produces a flour very much 

 like that of Rice ; and, I have no doubt, on poor sandy 

 soils, would produce a bread Corn, where scarcely any- 

 thing else would grow. — Anon. 



Tall Stock. — I have a stock which measures the great 

 length of 2 feet 11 1 inches from the top of the bloom to 

 the last seed-vessel ; the stem was cut as close to the 

 seed-vessel as possible.— Merle. 



Village Horticultural Societies. — Your remarks on the 

 necessity of showing in classes are perfectly true ; but, 

 except in the three classes of Gentlemen, Nurserymen, 

 and Cottagers, I do not see any sufficiently broad dis- 

 tinction to make further classification practically useful. 

 The Squire, with his head gardener, hot-houses, &c, 

 will no doubt carry off many of the prizes, but the 

 amateur will very often beat him with his Florist Flowers, 

 Pelargoniums, Fuchsias, and those requiring only green- 

 bouse, or frame ; and the Tradesman will generally 

 beat both with his Auriculas, Tulips, Pinks, or Pansies. 

 I have taken the trouble to analyse the number of prizes 

 gained at our last Exhibition, where subscribers all show 

 against each other; and I have subdivided them into 

 four classes : — 



1. Gentlemen, with head gardener, hothouses, and every 

 advantage. 



2. Amateurs, with one gardener to assist them— mostly a com- 

 mon labourer. 



3. Tradesmen, working their own gardens. 



4. Market gardeners, who employ men under them. 



Eight of the first class contributed 121 articles for exhibition, 

 and obtained 32 prizes, (or about 1 in 4.) 



Ten of the second class contributed 69 articles for exhibition, 

 and obtained 14 prizes, (or about l in 5.) 



Twelve of the third class contributed 36 articles for exhibition 

 and obtained 13 prizes, (or about 1 in 3 ) * 



Three of the fourth class contributed 22 articles for exhibition 

 and obtained 7 prizes, (or about l in 3.) ' 



You will see by the above that the disproportion is not 

 Tery great between the Amateur and the Gentleman, 

 and that the Tradesman obtained a greater proportion 

 than either. In the Cottager's Class, 53 Cottagers con- 

 tributed 137 articles, for which 32 prizes were distributed 

 among 24 of them. This was in a country village, the 

 population of which does not exceed 1200, but the 



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this instance the number of prizes which each exhibitor 



gained should not be lost sight of. 



The Gentlemen obtained 4 prizes each. 

 Amateurs „ 1 



Tradesmen „ 1 



Market Gardeners 



This seems to give the Gentlemen a great preponderance.] 



Spot on the Pelargonium I imagine that this arises 



from the effects of Green-fly. I, however, do not 

 mean to assert that Green-fly alone produces the 

 spot ; but this, in combination with other circumstances, 

 causes it. One of these is the want of paying attention 

 to regularity of watering : when water is injudiciously 

 or sparingly supplied, the result is a sickly and half-dead 

 plant, full of spot and Green-fly. The Pelargonium 

 requires to be regularly supplied with water when in a 

 growing state ; if the leaves are allowed to droop time 

 after time, the cause will soon be shown by its effects. 

 Immediately afterwards there appears upon the leaves a 

 sort of sticky substance not unlike sugar, when dissolved 

 and rubbed upon anything, which is injurious to the plant. 

 In order to grow Pelargoniums to perfection, they should 

 have a house wholly for themselves, which should be 

 shaded with canvass, so as to exclude the mid-day sun. 

 Air should be freely admitted, and the plants syringed 

 every other night, when not in flower, with clean water ; 

 they should never be too much crowded together, but 

 should be kept a good piece apart, so that air may cir- 

 culate freely among them. By paying proper attention 

 to these things there is no fear of the spot ever making 

 its appearance. Particular attention should, however, be 

 paid to having a free and open drainage, so that water 

 may not stagnate about the roots. These rules I 

 have seen practised with success in large establishments 

 where hundreds of Pelargoniumswere grown.— Caledonia. 

 Bees— If (p. 405) " An Old Correspondent" had 

 aroused his Bees by rapping on the under hive, instead 

 of leaving them to ascend into the upper one of their 

 own accord during night, most probably they would have 

 done so, and thus prevented the others descending into 

 the lower hive. In uniting Bees from established hives, 

 a little smoke from the fungus Magus (?) is very useful; it 

 makes them quite white, so that they may be handled 

 like Peas. I question if " C. V exhumed Bees were 

 "better off than his unnatural swarm" that attacked 

 them ; if otherwise, they would have kept them off. The 

 plan adopted to save the " persecuted Bees" might be 

 right ; but attacked hives are in general too weak to be 

 of much use, and frequently the pillage is too far gone 

 before it is observed. Removing the Bees beyond the 

 flight of the invaders may be right ; but others might get 

 scent and carry off the spoil. If the treasure be an 

 object, the bes-t way is to smoke the Bees from the 

 besieged hive and take it. *' C." imagines that some of 

 his Bees were " idle" because they attacked their weak 

 neighbours, but their good store speaks other things ; 

 the additional room, if the season admit, enables them to 

 lay up more honey. I may mention that Bees are very 

 fond of the Salvia nemorosa, or Wood Sage. Those 

 who cultivate flowers for Bees ought to grow this plant 

 in abundance. — J. Wight on. 



Ants. — The best way I know of destroying an ant's 

 nest is by Elder-leaf tea. Boil the leaves in water, and 

 if the tea will injure the roots of any plants, the mixture 

 will be found quite efficacious when cold. I have lately 

 destroyed several nests this way. Elder-tea destroys the 

 Aphis on fruit-trees, and most likely many other insects. 

 — C. A. A. Lloyd. 



Ants.— In Notices to Correspondents (p. 464) it is 

 said, " We know of no effectual remedy for these trouble- 

 some little pests. " Please take Cobbett's " English Gar- 

 dener," and read paragraph 299. — Paddy. 



Rats. — Observing communications in the Chronicle 

 lately, relating to destroying rats, it appears to me 

 the great desiderata in these matters are simplicity and 

 easy application. I therefore make no apology for 

 stating what I have experienced to be most effectual, and 

 combining the two above-named properties : — For the 

 destruction of rats — An ounce of white arsenic mixed 

 up with 3 ounces of lard, spread on slices of bread, 

 which cut in pieces longer than broad (say about 

 3 inches by 1 for the convenience of putting into the 

 holes). In every rat-hole put a piece of bread and lard, 

 taking care to put it well down the hole, so that dogs or 

 poultry cannot reach it. By this means I have killed 

 thousands of rats, and those not killed desert the pre- 

 mises for at least six months. — F. G. C, Aston Hall, 

 Hawarden. 



Swans. — A correspondent, " M., Deptford," at p. 390, 

 makes some remarks on what I had said respecting 

 swans.— " Without being pinioned, how are they to be 

 kept, especially in small ponds? " He classes the opera- 

 tion Of pinioning with that of " docking, horses, dogs, 

 &c." I hope he does not imagine that I am an advocate 

 forjcruelty to animals, when it can be avoided. There 

 are, I suspect, many operations performed on animals 

 for useful and legitimate purposes, that are more cruel 

 than the practice of pinioning swans. " M. M observes that 

 swans can be kept without this, because they *' have 

 strong local attachment." But he does not say how he 

 contrived to overcome this local attachment in the "pair 

 of swans, which he procured in their second year unmu- 

 tilated." It would have been expected that upon the 

 principle of local attachment, they would have returned 

 to their former home. Be that as it may, I am persuaded 

 that pinioning is the most effectual expedient for keeping 

 swans at home, especially on small ponds ; and their 

 beauty on the water is very little impaired by it. Where 

 swans are kept on large streams, and belong to different 



fusion than the plan in common practice. M M.'* speaks 

 of dogs attacking swans that have been pinioned. It 

 must be a powerful dog indeed that would attack a swan 

 in the water. But, on the other hand, if swans could 

 fly, they would be far more likely to fall a prey to the 

 fowler. An instance of this occurred to my own know- 

 ledge, a few years ago, near the river Wensum. A 

 swan, which had chanced to escape pinioning, took flight 

 in the winter, and was shot. The person who shof it 

 affirmed that he took it for a wild swan ; which was cer- 

 tainly a very natural mistake. I fear the like would be 

 of frequent occurrence, if swans had liberty to UBe their 

 wings. They have a great dislike to any other fowls 

 being in their wat?rs — even to those of their own species. 

 But it must be borne in mind that they are not grega- 

 rious, that is, the tame sort ; for the wild swans visit us 

 in flocks from the northern regions in wincer. I cannot 

 believe, with • M." that swans kill toads, through jealousy, 

 at the breeding season ; such jealousy is to me quite 

 incomprehensible. — J. Wighton. 



Bmgmansia parviftora. — Some of our horticultural 

 friends may, perhaps, be glad to be told, through the 

 medium of the Gardeners 1 Chronicle, that the plant 

 known in our stoves as Brugmansia parviflora, or B. 

 floribunda, is a very different genus from Brugmansia, 

 and one that no botanist seems to be acquainted with, 

 since the days of Ruiz and Pavon. It is strange that it 

 should have escaped the notice of cultivators that it is 

 the Juanulloa parasitica of Ruiz and Pavon's Flora 

 Peruviana, vol. ii. p. 47, tab. 185. It is a " parasite," or 

 more properly an epiphyte, " on the branches of trees, 

 near Pozuzo, and San Antonio de Playa grande in 

 Peru."— W. J. Hooker, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 

 Covering for Frames.— Having seen many statements 

 in the Chronicle respecting the advantages derived from 

 waterproof calico for greenhouses, &c, I beg to offer the 

 following remarks, being an eye-witness to the results. 

 Having a Vine situated against a brick wall, and being 

 anxious, if possible, to ripen the fruit, I determined on 

 erecting a shed over it, in every respect similar to a 

 greenhouse, the dimensions of which are 13 feet long, 

 9 feet high, and 8 feet wide, with a fall of nearly 4 feet, 

 and covering it with calico prepared with oil, wax, and 

 acetate of lead. The sashes are moveable, so that I can at 

 any time regulate the temperature. In many respects I 

 consider this preferable to glass. In the first place the 

 condensation at the top of the house at night is so much, 

 that the Vine always has a sufficient degree of moisture ; 

 2dly, the light is more agreeable, and the heat is retained 

 much longer ; and, lordly, when the foliage is rather 

 scanty it so shades the fruit, that on the warmest day 

 there is not the least danger of its being injured. 

 This building I had only erected on June 3, just as the 

 Vine commenced blossoming, and having another Vine 

 exposed entirely, I have been able to remark the differ- 

 ence. The Vine inclosed has gained so much on the 

 other, that persons who have seen it consider the thing 

 almost impossible, the Grapes at the present time being 

 nearly as forward as those which have been inclosed 

 under glass all the winter, whilst those uncovered, against 

 the same wall, have only just commenced swelling. One 

 thing I would recommend to those who are disposed to 

 give it a trial, is, to avoid its coming in contact with the 

 leaves, as they are almost certain of being scorched ; I 

 mention this, because I have seen complaints made of 

 the foliage being blistered. In using it for protecting 

 fruit trees I would advise that instead of having it placed 

 within 3 inches of the tree at the top, and 12 inches at 

 the bottom, to have it erected at double that distance 

 from the tree.—/. A. Spargo. Tolness, Devon. 



Whitney's Composition.— "So sooner does a man like 

 Mr. Whitney invent and bring forward to public notice 

 an article to benefit or assist those who wish to cultivate 

 a taste for Floriculture, than we all find fault with it, and 

 try to make a similar article a little cheaper. Many 

 thanks, however, are due to Mr. W . for starting the 

 plan. So great is the difference in price between a frame 

 glazed and one covered with varnished linen, .that 

 had the inventor stated the price of varnish at double 

 what he did, most persons would have been .contented. 

 I have tried Whitney's Composition, and also the mixture 

 of oil, resin, and dryers, which I find equally -good LI 

 fear that many will be disappointed in its general ap 

 pearance after the first winter ; the excrement from 

 birds, dust, and small pieces from the Larch, &c , have 

 already made my roof look unsightly. I*o?d cautton 

 those commencing, to use linen instead of calico, and to 

 strain it remarkably tight. I have been obliged tn take 

 the linen off 12 lights, after being ^.ice varnished, an- 

 as I thought, finished, onaccountof its being too ioose^ 

 whilst in my propagating pit I might fancy myself on 

 board ship, with the sails flapping above me ^ 

 frames are 6 feet long and 3 wide, with two diiwion 

 in the length and one across; I should, hnwejej 

 prefer three if I covered more frames--- t>. £ ^ 

 Another correspondent writes as follows .— seei g . 

 many complaints in 



Cottagers of all the neighbouring villages are allowed to 



■compete. — A Village Secretary. [We think that in proprietors, to allow them to fly must lead to worse con- 



: writes as w«»7 • z.,. it ~>, 

 the Chronicle about Whitney « 



Composition not going so far as is s tated ^P- e 

 aider it but justice to mention the following facts 



Having had nine lights of a pit to cover «u ■ a 



square, I procured two pint bottles of « he "\ ^ ,; ht9 

 from Mr. Whitney himself, which gave the nm el g 

 two coats nicely. The cloth was glaz ed ea to* « 

 per yard. About six weeks ago, I had a »P«» ro ?£ c &, 

 erected, having 14 lights ; each l.gb J^'^g U „en, 

 long, and 4 feet 2 inches wide ; the cloth was st ■ K 

 at id. per yard. For this, I bought two quart ^ 

 (from one of Mr. Whitney's »gen's), but i 

 each of the bottles wanted »t least one-fonrm 



full ; consequently it did not go so far as the 





