THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



fine t arte tie- oftbc Apple unsuitable and unprofitable a» 

 orchard Applet. From these facts, may we not safely 

 conclude, that the decay of the Golden Pip] in our 

 rhards proceeds from other causes rather than from 

 the variety being in the laat stage of decay ?— James Fai- 



cwter, Cheam. 



Th4 lorn-tit.— U we succeeded, as " Dodman (p. 



den enemy," became it eats one or two choice Feart, 

 which were left M protected by a gaoie big, or some 

 other iiraple contrivance, I fear W9 would be clearing 

 a way for whole legions of real enemies, that would not 

 only destroy a little fruit, but the tree itself I for, wha^ 

 bird works with more assiduity in the destruction of 

 iosecta and lartre of every description, and at all sea- 

 sons, than the torn-tit ? (inly watch him peeping into 

 every crutice, and multiply the thousands of destructive 

 insects which he in one day destroys by the thousands 

 they would have generated to ravage our gardens during 

 the next season ! and I think it will make " Dodman," 

 or any other lover of b rds and gardens, think twice be- 

 fore they killed one torn-tit ; and lead him to preserve 

 the tit-mouse ss one of his best friends. Pond as I am 

 of birds, I can say little in defence of the buliinch, 

 kaowing something of his operations upon Plum, Cherry, 

 ind Gooseberry frees ; but viewing, as I do, nature as a 



?;rent cha in which the most minute creatures form a 

 ink, the destruction of one family woul I cause a confu- 

 sion, all hating a special duty to perform ; mil, I doubt 

 nor, that assigned to the bulfinch is a most important 

 one. Should " Dodman " not consider the soul-enliven- 

 ing music of the blackbird in our grotes, sufficient to 

 repay him for tl ■••[- ;; a . y uestroy, then must the 



rural walks of bis neighbourhood lose their greatest 

 charm, the sweetest and most delightful of nature's har- 

 mony. — A l.ovtr of Jit The Ariaries, Cheltenham. 



The Hlue Tom- tit. — Your correspondent " Dodman " 

 may tery easily rid himself of the presence of this de- 

 * live ratager among the fruit gardens, by a little 

 "adiuYe. lie will require about three double trap-cages, 

 turbos' are to.-, hv bird-fanciers aad wire-workers. In 

 the lower part of "eacti J^«» place a Blue Tit as a call- 

 bird, and bait the Opper part WiCi bruised hemp-seed, 

 and a morsel of suet, or a meal-worm, piii2£? down on 

 the moteable perch, which is supported by the elasticity 

 of the spring-wire which forms part of the machinery of 

 the cage. In less than a week, nearly every depredator 

 ui»y be secured. — William Kiddy New Boa I, Ilam- 

 mersmith. 



( ring for Frames. — Seeing several complaints in 

 the Chronicle about Whitney's composition for covering 

 frames rotting the cotton, I beg to mention that i 

 glased s e covers of hot-beds here this spring, with a 

 composition of my own, which I found to answer the 

 purpose quite well, and to admit light nearly equal to 

 glass. After having stretched the cotton (very open 

 coarse cotton) on the frames by means of small sprigs 

 or tacks, I put on the composition with a soft clean 

 painter's brush, giving two coats, one as soon as 

 the other was dry. The mixture consists of $ of 

 linseed oil boiled a little, ^ spirit of turpentine put in 

 and stirred well, and a little white rosin ground and 

 boiled in the oil. I should suppose a little bees'-wax 

 might also be i f service ; the worst of this composition 

 is, that dust sometimes attaches itself on the outside of 

 the covers or sashes when they are damp; however, a rub 

 with a wet sponge cleans this off; the cotton is quite 

 sound as yet, and does not admit one drop of water. — 

 A. W. Muiryfold. 



Dry- Hot in Timber. — No recipe for the prevention 

 and cure of dry-rot having as yet appeared in the Chro- 

 nicle, although a request for communications on this 

 subject was made some months ago, I beg to refer to Sir 

 Samuel Bentham's " Naval Papers," No. 6, p. 18, where 

 he states — u I have known the impregnation of wood 

 with sulphate of iron used as a preservative against and 

 cure for dry-rot, as in the instance of the Negro-house 

 mentioned in my Minute of the 13th Sept. last ; and 

 which impregnation I have understood to b#very effica- 

 cious in that and some other instances." The timber of 

 that Negro-house (in Jamaica) had been so prepared at 

 the recommendation of Dr. George Fordyce; and i 

 myself, about half a century ago, under the instructions 

 of that gentleman, applied a solution of sulphate of iron 

 to the frame of a window where dry-rot was making 

 rapid progress, but which was effectually stopped by 

 this application. He directed me to scoop out as much 

 of the already-decayed wood as could be done without 

 materially disfiguring the outer casing of paint ; then to 

 make a saturated solution—a pint at a time—of sulphate 

 of iron in boiling water, and immediately to inject it 

 with some httle force into every part of the frame 

 infected. After this, dry-rot made no farther progress 

 in the frame, or neighbouring wood-work. I may men- 

 tion too, that a large Oak beam, in a cellar at Wands- 

 worth, was attacked by dry-rot, which was prevented 

 from spreading by the same means.— M. S. 



Acorus Calamus (or Sweet-flag).— This highly fra- 

 grant plant may be cultivated in abundance on rivers 

 ponds or lakes. I have it growing in the river Lark' 

 which bounds the Botanic Garden in this ancient town • 

 and although swans, ducks, and a variety of water-fowl' 

 frequent the stream, not a leaf is injured, while other 

 aquatics are totally destroyed. I am informed that 

 ducks will feed on the Nymphaeas, but that swans reject 



I. r/, Can anvbod y confirm this ?_iV. S. n Buru 

 at. Edmunds. * 



Cucumber Frames.— I understand that there is a 

 large ironmonger in the country who grows Melons and 

 Cucumbers to perfection, by building a common brick- 



pit, with a false iron bottom, supporting the earth for 

 the plants. Underneath this bottom he throws in, 

 through a trap-door, the dung fresh from the stable, 

 keeping up what heat he pleases. He scrapes out the 

 spent dung from another trap-door. Is not this an ex- 

 cellent plan to keep the dung out of sight in ordinary 

 frames J and will it not preserve the strength more per- 

 fectly from its being guarded from the weather P— North- 

 wood. [No doubt. A similar plan has often been 



adopted.] 



Wilmot's new Black Hamburgh Grape.— I hope 

 that I shall not be thought presuming in doubting both 

 your [not ours] and Mr. Meams's opinion, that the 

 Grapes lately exhibited at one of the Horticultural So- 

 ciety's meetings as Wilmot's new Black Hamburgh, 

 and described to be all indented as if beaten with 

 t hammer, has any peculiarity different from well- 

 grown Grapes of the common variety. Between 10 and 

 12 years ago, I paid a visit to the garden of a distin- 

 guished florist and Grape-grower at Norwich, and was 

 much struck at seeing all his Black Hamburghs exactly 

 resembling the description you gave of Wilmot's. In- 

 deed I have often remarked a black Hamburgh under 

 my own care, which was inarched on a stronger-growing 

 Vine than itself (the Black Portugal I believe) produce 

 fruit of the same description, while the parent Vine had 

 its fruit perfectly round.— J. M. [Wilmot's is not 

 Black Hamburgh, as we long since stated in a Leading 



Article.] 



Gathering J'ears.—l quite agree with the paragraph 

 (p. 766), relative to "the moving of Peach-trees ;" and in 

 reply to the question asked by u Dodman," whether by 

 the gathering of Pears afc the time when the leaves 

 change colour, the quality of the fruit be not impaired, I 

 would say, that so far as I have had experience of their 

 culture— and 1 have been a Pear-grower for the last 25 

 years, having 40 trees of different kinds trained against 

 walls, some of which extend more than 40 fret — I have 



und it best to gather the fruit by the 10th or 12th of 

 October. Perhaps in this cold and almost northern 



»unty, that time may be best for any aspect, either south, 

 east, or west, to gather them, and quite late enough, the 

 fruit then generally leaving the branch easily. I think 

 the fruit can hardly acquire any additional valuable flavour 

 from hanging on the trees longer, and the leaves at that 

 time are almost a full green colour. — Francis Darby, 

 Colebrook Dale, Shropshire. 



Mealy-Bug.— Heremtui's lotion destroys the Mealy- 

 bug without injuring the foliage, if speedily washed off; 

 but it is dear to buy, and dear to use. 1st. Because the 

 contents of a 5s. bottle costs but 6(7., and will do but a 

 few plants. 2d. Each insect or little coterie has to be 

 touched with a camel-hair brush dipped in the lotion, 

 and its use cannot be safely trusted to a boy. I think a 

 boy at Is. a day would, in two days, with a sponge and 

 soap and water, destroy more bugs than a man in one 

 day, at 5s. a day, with a 5s. bottle of lotion. Is. 6tf. a 

 bottle for what is now charged 5s. would be ample, uu- 

 less sent by post.— Flora. 



Mignonette. — Possibly it may not be known to some, 

 that Mignonette preserved in a house during winter, and 

 turned out into the open ground in spring, will flower as 

 freely as fresh plants, and at least a month earlier. I 

 had, in boxes and pots, a few plants which flowered in 

 the autumn of 1843, in a window having a northern 

 aspect ; they were turned outlast spring, and are now in 

 good condition.— Paddy. [Mignonette in its warm na- 

 tive country is a perennial, or rather an under shrub.] 



Destroying Wasps and Bees. — In reply to Professor 

 Henslow's queries respecting destroying wasps' nests, I 

 beg to state that I lately dug out two nests about a week 

 after they had a dose of turpentine, and found death and 

 corruption begun in both. In a former Paper I advised 

 the nests to be dug out and destroyed, but now I think, 

 with Professor Henslow, that that operation may be dis- 

 pensed with, provided the entrances to the nest are well 

 closed, to keep in the fumes from the spirit. There is 

 little doubt but that bees might be destroyed with tur- 

 pentine, as mentioned by Professor Henslow, but not so 

 quickly as by sulphur ; waving the popular notion of 

 pain or cruelty by the latter, still, where sudden death is 

 intended, it is the best. By the former, the bees would 

 meet a lingering death, and many would struggle and die 

 in the cells, and must be picked out. The smell from 

 both is bad, but perhaps that from turpentine lasts the 

 longest. Smoke from sulphur is blamed for discolouring 

 the cells ; but the small quantity used can hardly affect 

 them : they are rendered dark by the heat and traffic of 

 the bees. Lately I observed such honeycombs in the 

 shops in London, and was a little surprised to see so 

 many bees squeezed amongst them, which showed the 

 operation of killing the bees had been badly performed.— 

 J. Wiyhton. 



Calceolarias — About this time of the year, what a 

 miserable appearance do the generality of old plants pos- 

 sess, particularly if compared with the luxuriant foliage of 

 seedlings! I therefore hope that the following remarks 

 upon the treatment of. Calceolarias after the blooming 

 season may be acceptable to the cultivator of this 

 favourite flower. If the old plants are to be saved, they 

 must not be allowed to exhaust themselves by blooming 

 too long ; as soon as the flowers are past their best, they 

 should be cut off a few inches above the leaves, and the 

 plants should be at once placed in a shady situation 

 where the soil in the pots must not be allowed to become 

 soddened. They should be examined occasionally and 

 carefully, to see that ants are not establishing themselves 

 in the pots, and for the purpose of removing all decayed 

 leaves. Here they should remain until frost or snow 

 | makes it desirable to remove them into frames or into i 



rNor . so, 



the greenhouse, where they should^ : — 



sparingly and with judgment, for if the .oil T!^ * 

 dened the plants will soon damp off. jfiLtfF*'* 

 the year they will begin to move, and tten L h' *!*** 

 break them up and to plant all the & ^ lU ** 

 small pots. These should be placed in * a «»> 

 heat, and care must be taken to keen th, . / botl * 

 soil in the pots clear of Moss. Th ll^V* *• 

 begin to grow, and in a short time witlf tK ? ■"■* 



SRflSnn thrxr will l M as~*- r_. . WUh th e Sjf> 



season they will indicate, from their inc easin, - 



pots into which they require to be moved , 8 -^ *• 

 commend any one who possesses very faronrif * 



keep a small plant of each, and no[ to a! * £ * 

 flower if he wishes to keep the bloom on hi. In £l* 

 to the last, or to obtain seed from them WhuT^ 

 the subject, I may mention my regret at th/ • ***■ 

 prizes offered by the Horticultural Society for .22* 

 of this favourite flower— for a dozen mW. ; iS" - * 

 first prize is 3/. 10s. I quite eiSuhfe^- *• 

 pear under this frigid treatment. No longer a J^H 9 ' 

 raiser of Calceolarias myself, I see with reeretU-Ta* 

 old varieties of blotches and selfs giving way to i^.S 

 letters of the alphabet. The latter are verVv/ffi 

 varieties, but if grown to the exclusion of the former kk 

 to be regretted.— Veritas. u u 



Gardeners' Benevolent Institution.-?^ Institute 

 is objected to by some persons on the ground t hat 1u 

 benefits are mostly restricted to the vicinity of LondiT 

 The objectors say that a candidate living i n a re ^l 

 part of the country, however deserving he m.y be baa 

 almost as much chance of becoming a pope a* a'peo 

 sioner ; and, that there is some real or supposed difficult? 

 in the way, is proved by the fact that application for 

 votes are very rarely received from destitute garJenm is 

 the provinces. I have now before me letters from three 

 applicants, all residing within a few miles of Londoa, 

 and I cannot at present call to mind more than two 

 former candidates from a distant part of the country- 

 one from Torquay, and the other from Carlisle; the last 

 of whom has been twice in a minority. I mention this 

 fact in order to draw to it the attention of the minage.-i 

 of the Institution, as I have reason to believe that the 

 impression I allude to prevents some gardeners from 

 supporting this useful Institution.—./. B. JVhitiny. 



Walnuts. — I beg to call the attention of the public to 

 the advantages of planting these ornamental and produc- 

 tive trees, the wood being very valuable. With regard 

 to culture, sow the nuts in beds, which should be kept 

 free from weeds, and at the end of three years plant 

 finally 160 trees to the acre. Walnuts will gro* in the 

 poorest soil, and mixed with forest trees form good bel ? i, 

 &c. In the 10th year they will begin to bear, and tak- 

 ing the average produce per tree at only 1 bushel, the 

 value of which is 10s., they will give 80/. per son IB far 

 the acre ; deduct Qd. per bushel for picking, and 2/. a-jeir 

 rent for the land, and it will leave 54/. of clear profit. 

 The expense of planting, first cost of seed, and every ex- 

 pense included, will-be about 20/. }.er acre— Juglans. 



Miscellaneous.— Mr. Chorlton observes, in reference 

 to the destruction of small birds, that the Tom-tit, 

 although much persecuted by gardeners, seldom does 

 much mischief in a garden. On the contrary, he states 

 that it effectually cleared his Pear-trees from brown 

 scale without at all injuring the buds. He furtocr 

 remarks that blackbirds and thrushes are exceedingly 

 useful for destroying insects ; he says that he in ."«» 

 to small birds, which he considers to be of great service 



in a garden. ^ 



Sbottetfes. 



LINNEAN SOCIETY. . 



Tuesday, Kov. 19th.— Robert Brown, Esq, '"' 

 chair. A collection of dried plants was presented M»n«» 

 Mr. Joseph Janson. This collection was formed in 

 Diemen's Land by Messrs. Milligan, Gunn, and t m , 



and presented by J. E. Bicheno, f° rfflerl ?rX_en'. 

 the Society, and now Colonial Secretary at \ an Uea> 

 Land.-A Report was presented by Mr. Aaron , Pn* 

 the Timber-trees of Norfolk Island, w*?""/""""^ 

 20 specimens of woods. Some of these bad a ne ^ 

 appearance, and were evidently well adapted ^ ru^ 

 various purposes to which wood is «PP"' a - t j, e i,|,nd 

 specimen of the Iguana tuberculata,(Cuv.;,nu 

 of Grenada, in the West Indies, was pre *ented oy 

 Alcard, F.L.S.-A collection of 300 *Pf .^"Lpe* 

 plants, from the Tyrol, were presented oy ^ 



nandean Society of InnsprUck.— A faper ^^ 



Mr. Griffiths, on the Development ot i m 



in a species of Osyris, in wh.ch he found ^ ^ 

 that of Santalum album, there was no c w 



in the sac of the embryo i Qde P en ° e „ °the Develop 

 tube. A second Paper was also read 1 on , ^ 



ment of the Ovulum in two fPf? lM °.' * , to be cod- 

 elongation of the sac is remarkable, and se e ^ 



fined S to those plants which .U*eto «£ ,, rf £ 

 of the free central placenta. »« posteriorly. {• 

 sac, in this instance, takes P 1 ^ °^ ic P u iarend of* 

 this genus also, a protrusion of the ran Uan w* 



embfyo, independent of the process , o £ o( *£ 



place' The observations made on *° Wsi<in of* 

 plants were not such as to lead to the ' ^ „f .. 



penetration of the V^^'^^Lr^ 1 '- 1- 

 influence being exerted by tb>s «g ^ [ ioDlB ,n g*« 



Ralph exhibited a new spec.es ° ^ nd inh .b,u«.* 



Bruchus, from Bombay, which was 



m 1 a w* fr 



.Thiw 



«* 



seed of a leguminousplant____^ 



COUNTRY «f,r Vfl ,5.-^ 



Morningside Practical Gardeners^oc.ty^ ^ 



the last meeting for the reason. ^ e / DoW nie, I* 

 follows -.-Chrysanthemums, h *r. 



