1844.] 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



685 



unavoidable, surely inaccuracy of colours— if inaccuracy 



j t De there is far greater excuse for. In relation to 



Mr. Paul's " Observations on the Cultivation of Roses 

 in Pots," where, at p. 28, Niphetos is described as snowy 

 white, and at p. 31 lemon ; I find in the first instance it 

 is described as a forced Rose, and as such it is actually 

 white. If " Philalethes" looks to the work in question, 

 D. 28 a few lines lower down, he will find this sentence : 

 w The colours of Roses are much altered by forcing, coming 

 much* paler, especially if a great degree of heat be main- 

 tained." This to me accounts for the seeming incon- 

 gruity ; for Niphetos has a lemon appearance when bloom- 

 ing naturally. The omission of Lamarque in Mr. Rivers's 

 list of 20 Noisettes, was more probably owing to its ten- 

 derness than an oversight. I consider that every allow- 

 ance ought to be made in favour of Rose Catalogues, which 

 are circulated gratis, and which, it must be admitted, are 

 of great service to all lovers of Roses. — Philo Justitia. 



Toads .—About four years ago I brought from Jersey 

 a large toad, which I keep in a small frame. It is very 

 fond of insects, and one day this summer one of my 

 servants gave it about 50 of the small brown beetles 

 which are to be found on the Yellow Briar. It rarely, 

 if ever, strikes at an object with its tongue, unless it be 

 moving and seems to project its tongue about an inch or 

 inch and a half. A few days since, seeing some wasps 

 eating some fruit lying on the ground, I fetched the toad 

 and placed him near them. He soon caught sight of them, 

 and ate several, and they seemed not to have the power 

 of stinging him. The largest insect I ever saw him eat 

 was a cockchaffer. ^Toads seem particularly fond of 

 woodlice, and I have induced a small English toad to 

 eat a white butterfly : in this case it had to make use 

 of its claws to push the wings into its mouth. I have 

 noticed this small toad keep its mouth open for some 

 time after having eaten some wasps, and almost thought 

 that they had contrived to sting him, but he soon was 

 able to eat another wasp, and afterwards appeared none 



the worse.— T. O'Reilly. 



Strawberries, §c. — Mr. Bree says, (p. G21) "that a 



three-year-old Strawberry-bed will produce more fruit 



than a two-year-old bed. I have tried the experiment 



upon two beds : from <he three-year-old bed I cut off all 



the leaves ; but be it understood I did not destroy any of 



that year's runners, for I consider that they are of more 



value than the old stools, many of which, when raking off 



the leaves, I destroy, in order to give the runners a better 



chance. When the leaves were cleared away the bed was 



well manured ; and from this bed I obtained as many 



Strawberries as I gathered from the one-year-old bed, 



from which I only cut off the runners, and which was, at 



the same time, also well manured. The reason I assign 



for having as much fruit from the four-year-old bed as 



from that which was only two years old, is my leting 



that year's runners remain. The beds were dressed late 



in the autumn. From experience I can say that the 



Strawberry cannot be cultivated with advantage more 



than three years on the same piece of ground ; I have 



always found that the one and two-year-old beds produce 



by far the best Strawberries. This is not my opinion 



only, but it is also that of some of the best cultivators of 



this valuable fruit. With regard to the application of 



salt to Asparagus, the Editor says " to put it on after the 



haulm is cut, is to pickle, and not to manure." Surely 



Mr. Bree does not imagine that I remove the soil down to 



the crown of the roots in spring before I apply the 



salt. If so, he is mistaken ; it is put on the surface 



° ftne . beds, and without injury to the young shoot.— 



yillagius. [I n order to put an end to the discussion 



about the age at which Strawberry-beds cease to be 



productive, it is as well to say at once that that depends 



entirely on the soil. We could point to beds of the Old 



*™ e Strawberry in Hertfordshire, which, when 20 years 



01 j>, bore as well as when 2 years old.] //. A. JVocd, 



Mat/old Hall, says, "I quite agree with the statement 

 made by Mr. Bree (page 621), viz., ■ that cutting off the 

 waves of Strawberries is an unscientific system.' It 

 deprives the plants of their respiratory organs. If science 

 f correct, in the economy of Nature* leaves have a pecu- 

 • lar fun ction to perform, viz., elaboration of the sap. It 

 ex tted that the embryo fruit-buds are formed at the 

 pense of the elaborated sap ; if so, should we not 

 N C . 0Ura S e as much as possible this beautiful process of 

 . !! re ' a . nd reasonably consider that the more elaborated 



to h k IS ' the better : the question then is, How is this 

 foli? 0btamed ? Theory would answer, by retaining the 



is Srh ^^ If the leaves are mowed off after lhe fruit 

 the 1 1 1? ' a conside rable portion of time elapses before 



reriirf t WlU have rene wed their foliage ; during this 



is most • C ° nSlder that the plants are losing time ' Which 

 awavh i m P 0rtant > as many bright suns will have passed 



time if 6 elaborat 'on is again in active operation. The 

 | case f 0st "} a y perchance sometimes be regained in the 

 cloudv ^ antl cloudless autumn ; but in a wet and 

 On the 638 ! 00 ' a Tery different result must be expected, 

 embrace n' hand ' by retaiain & the f* oiia 3 e entire, we 

 offer tt i tIle au "vantages that summer and autumn 

 would n /k leaves were of important service. Nature 

 th em awa besto *ed them ; it is inconsistent to take 



Mature i**' ^ at - tbe saDQe time P resume to be assisting 

 °f* seveM ? er f ectin S her works. Plants are composed 

 to per for lnct P arts » each part having its own office 

 ar *d form m ' theSe parts c °-°perate with each other, 



reign. What is the result ? Death, or a severe injur) 

 ensues ; and why ? because the lungs are diseased, and 

 this checks the system. How much greater, then, must 

 the check be if we remove the lungs of the plants entirely! 

 "J. H." very lately (page 638), after stating that he 

 mowed the leaves off every other bed, says—' During 

 this season there was no difference between the crop on 

 the,, beds that had not been touched, and that on those 

 which had had the leaves mowed off.' This plainly shows 

 that with a favourable season such as last autumn was, 

 there was no advantage gained by mowing off the leaves; 

 and, I attribute their being equal to those beds that were 

 not touched, entirely to the favourableness of the season. 

 Having thus a chance to make up for lost time, I may 

 add that there are great odds against mowing off leaves : 

 ray practice is not to cut them off." 



Strawberries.— From having followed the plan of 

 never cutting the leaves from the Strawberry plants, and 

 only slightly forking the beds, without injury to the 

 roots of the plants, and giving a good coating of com- 

 post manure to the beds, before the winter sets in with 

 its severity, my beds at this moment exhibit luxuriant 

 blossoms, and supply my table with three or four dif- 

 ferent kinds of Strawberries, and may do so for another 

 fortnight, provided this fine warm autumnal weather should 

 last so long. — B.D. Greys. 



Packing Seeds for India. — As inquiries are occasion- 

 ally made respecting the best mode of packing and 

 sending seeds to India, perhaps the following statement 

 may be of use in showing with how little care seeds may 

 be transported from one country to the other, without 

 injury to their vegetative powers, provided they be pre- 

 viously in a fit condition, i. e. jn a ripened and well 

 dried state before despatching them :— Leaving India 

 unexpectedly in the spring of 1840, I happened to have 

 some seeds, which had been gathered chiefly in the 

 month of November of the preceding year, without the 

 remotest thought or intention of sending them to 

 England, and they were put up in paper packets, in- 

 closed in a paper wrapper, and kept in a common tra- 

 velling box with other articles of personal use. As I 

 came home by the overland route, some things not con- 

 venient for carriage were left to be forwarded by a 

 sailing vessel, and amongst them the box with the seeds 

 in it. The boxes, I suppose, were placed in the hold of 

 the vessel with the rest of the cargo. The ship arrived 

 in England in November, but I did not get them till 

 February 1841. Most of the seeds were given away; but 

 having a small portion of some of them left, I sowed 

 three kinds in pots both last year and this, giving them 

 no further artificial aid than the protection of glass, with 

 a southern exposure. Those of last year vegetated and 

 grew freely ; this year one sort germinated and just came 

 to the surface and died off; the other two have grown 

 freely. Thus, notwithstanding it is now approaching five 

 years since these seeds were gathered, and no particular 

 care has been taken of them at any time, being kept in 

 the paper packets they were originally put into, and the 

 box that contained them must have been six months in 

 the close hold of a ship, they have hitherto retained their 

 vegetative powers little impaired. I attribute this partly 

 to their being perfectly ripened, which indeed they could 

 scarcely have failed of being, in the driest season of the 

 Indian climate ; but also and more particularly to their 

 being well dried by the slow and sustained action of a 

 very dry atmosphere during the six months they were in 

 India, i. e. from November to May, the driest portion of 

 the year. Hence I deduce as a practical corollary, that 

 if seeds intended for India were kept for some time after 

 ripening in a stove-heated room, the atmosphere of which 

 must necessarily be in an arid state, it would be of little 

 consequence how they are packed and sent to India. — 



J. II. II. 



Salt for Fruit-trees. — I have, on a lawn, a large 

 handsome Bigarreau Cherry-tree, which blossomed and 

 fruited, and then dropped. I cut from the turf a trian- 

 gular six-inch trench round it, G feet from its trunk, 

 half filled it with salt, and put the turf on again. I have 

 had noble crops ever since (seven years), but it makes 



little or no wood. — Anon. 



Destruction of Small Birds. — I have observed from 

 time to time in the Chronicle, remarks on the relative 

 merits and demerits of those generally-despised birds— 

 house-sparrows. I would mention that in some parts of 

 the country it is still usual to set a price upon their j 



the nesr, and brought up under a canary in fine voice, 

 they have been known not only to equal, but even to 

 surpass their masters in brilliancy of execution. I am 

 well versed in these matters, having made them the 

 subject of deep study for many years. In conclusion I 

 would add, that I number the sparrows among my good 

 friends. — William Kidd, New Road, Hammersmith, 



It is not difficult for individuals to decide upon 



which species of bird or animal they may wish to be ex- 

 tirpated ; this, however, cannot be taken as a rule to 

 guide others, either in the protection or destruction of the 

 feathered tribe. As an amateur gardener, I must con- 

 fess I am rather inclined to the Weterton doctrine of 

 allowing all birds to exist undisturbed; but I have no 

 doubt my neighbour, the market-gardener, differs in 

 opinion with me, and justly so, he having to gain his 

 livelihood by his exertions. I have to preserve my 

 health and gratify my senses by the same occupation. I 

 would willingly give the best half of the fruit of my 

 garden to our songsters, in return for their cheerful 

 notes, and I would not even deny a small share to the 

 impudent sparrow, considering the number of insects and 

 grubs he exterminates during the year. Yet I can 

 scarcely expect the poor man to do the same, when 

 the produce of his patch of ground has to be con- 

 verted into bread. The result of my labour is 

 luxury — his necessary food. The mischief occasioned 

 by hard-billed birds, viz. sparrows, finches, &c, &c, is 

 great where they are permitted to increase without inter- 

 ference ; and, on the other hand, their extinction would 

 be attended with serious consequences. We kill every 

 description of hawk which comes within our reach ; we 

 must therefore take upon ourselves their natural occupa- 

 tion, and endeavour to keep the smaller fry in order, by 

 limiting their numbers without sweeping them from the 

 face of the earth. The middle course is recommended 

 — so difficult to practise, prejudice rising up on one side, 

 and enthusiasm on the other. When the Wheat is ripe, 

 a foray made by a large flock of sparrows is a serious 

 matter to the farmer, and a j ersoo who has not witnessed 

 their voracity would not credit the quantity they can in 

 a short time swallow, leaving mrtny hundreds of stalks 

 without a grain in their heads. Although it is an incon- 

 trovertible fact that, in masses, sparrows, &c. are decided 

 enemies, yet, in smaller baeds they are useful allies. 

 The soft-billed birds, those living principally on insects 

 (sometimes plundering a little fruit), and vi .ng our 

 gardens in spring and autumn, are birds of passage, 

 coming to this country for the breeding season, and leav- 

 ing us again as the winter approaches. These little 

 strangers should be left to the chances of travel, which 

 will sufficiently thin their ranks without the assistance 

 of powder and shot; and even were they more numerous 

 than they are, I look upon them as indefatigable labour- 

 ers in the vineyard, well earning fifty-fold more than they 

 eat. I believe the fruit is often knocked off when in 

 search of the maggot, and not for the purpose of being 

 devoured. Under the above class come fly-catchers, 

 warblers, &c. Sec. I have left the rook till the last. He 

 is in the field what the sp irrow, &c, are in the garden 

 — an admirable aid in agriculture, but a sly rascal, and 

 requiring to be well looked after, and not permitted to 

 have exactly his own opinion on the subject of the 

 increase of his family, manner of feeding, &c. Do not 

 exclude him from a moderate share of the good things, in 

 lieu of work done ; but, as in the case of the sparrow, he 

 must be under control. The rook's appetite is most 

 accommodating, and not easily satisfied as to quantity ; 

 nothing comes amiss to him v\hen hungry, and he can- 

 not be said to be exempt from the charge of wanton 

 mischief. However, under all circumstances, Corvus 

 Frugilegus is a good fellow when under discipline, 

 but leave him to his own inventions, and he is a sad 

 scamp, having no sort of regard for private property. — 



Falcon. An Old SubscriUr writes, " I do not think 



that those who object to shooting birds can have been 

 so much annoyed as I have been. My Strawberries, 

 Peas, Cherries, Currants, Gooseberries, Teaches, and 

 now Grapes, have been this year most voraciously attacked 

 by them, and nets have no terrors for them. They are 

 now, by some means I cannot account for, devouring a 

 late crop of Peas most carefully netted. I was once " 

 friend to birds, but now I do not know what to say." 



Canaries. I have some valuable Canary birds, 30 or 



40 in number, but I am so troubled with mice, that I 



a 



t* 



M 



"vation nf Xuv P rac »ce ot gardening ; for in the cul- 

 di «concertp,f l -r i/ ruit8 or ve g etaDl es, we certainly feel 

 Witness tk ! . folia S e is in an unhealthy state. 



ine attack of insects if they are permitted to 



market-gardeners, that they are doing themselves a se- 

 rious injury, for the quantity of insects and small vermin 

 that these birds consume is positively incalculable. They 

 are to the farmer in the fields, and to the gardener in the 

 orchards, precisely what the scavangers are to the streets 

 of London in sloppy weather. It becomes, there- 

 fore, a consideration of £ s. d. as to their preservation 

 or destruction. My own observation, though I am no 



farmer, is in favour of the former ; for I confess myself . . ..-._„ or 



a debtor to the numerous sparrows domesticated in my . those who have propagated Gloxmias Acb.menes or 

 neighbourhood for many essential services rendered, indce d any Gesneraceo us plant by me nsofn leaves 

 During the spring they cleared my Gooseberry and Cur- or to those who may have ^^^lll^J T ^ m 



vantage from using this for Asparagus, applied in No- 

 vember. My beds, which were worn out, are rapidly 

 improving. I adopted the old-fashioned custom last 

 year of sowing seeds in the old bed, when I sowed on 

 the salt ; the plants came up vigorously. I have dressed 

 once with salt this summer, and I propose using no 

 more this year ; but I intend to apply good rotten vege- 

 table manure instead. — An Old Subscriber. 



Morphology. — It may not have occurred either to 



will doubtless smile, when I tell them further, that 

 .sparrows are, when properly taught, admirable song- 

 ! birds ! Taken when callow (this is indispensable;, from 



quence of its being the farther removed from what might 

 seem to be an exception to the general rule. It may be 



remarked, too, that several of the Achimenes, and A. 



