Eetrospective Criticism. 235 



to them, by observing that " half the vegetables great folks eat, the poor man 

 would not pick up in the road." In fact, half oui* tastes are acquired. — Selim. 

 Feb. 5. 18.37. 



Destroying the Tlirips, ^c. — It appears, by the statement of Mr. C. Puller 

 (Vol. XII. p. 352.), that my receipt for destroying the thrips is not applicable 

 where there is fire-heat ; though I beg to assure him that my cucumber plants 

 in the frame did very well after its application : but I sprinkled them with clean 

 water next morning, and kept them shaded all day. The following recipe, re- 

 commended by the worthy president of the Horticultural Society, J. A. Knight, 

 Esq., for the destruction of both thrips and red spider, and which he has practised 

 for some time, will, I think, be more applicable for Mr. C. Puller's stove 

 cucumbers ; and, as I have not seen it stated in your pages, I take the liberty 

 of sending it to Mr. C. Puller, by way of compensation for his loss. Mr. 

 Knight knocked the small tube off the end of his old apparatus used for 

 smoking the stoves, &c., and had small holes made in the end, which rendered 

 it something like Curtis's lime-duster, figured in Vol. I. p. 4] 5. A small 

 quantity of the flour of sulphur was put into this, now to be called the sulphur 

 tube, along with a few pieces of feathers (cut off the ends of the strongest 

 quills). This being done, the sulphur tube was put on a pair of bellows, and 

 held under the leaves of vines, peaches, melons, cucumbers, &c. ; and, by the 

 operator giving very gentle puffs, the rigidity of the feathers kept tossing the 

 sulphur about in such a manner as only to allow it to come out in very small 

 quantities, which deposits itself under and over every leaf in the house or 

 frame, and bids defiance to every species of insect : the house or frame to be 

 kept rather warmer than usual, and the plants not to be sprinkled afterwards. 

 The above may be of great service to us in frame culture ; but I think there is 

 nothing that will beat the old plan in vineries where there are whitewashed 

 flues ; which is that of adding a handful of the flour of sulphur to the whitewash, 

 and brushing it on the flues before the leaves come out. — Agi-onome's Nephew. 

 Feb. 13. 1837, 



Sir Henry Steuarfs Mode of transplanting Trees, and relative Subjects. — 

 Between twenty and thirty years ago, I was engaged at school in learning that 

 part of arithmetic called Profit and Loss ; and for several years I have been 

 engaged in planting for Profit and Loss ; for the young trees which I have 

 planted I term Profit, and the large ones Loss. This aping of Sir Henry 

 Steuart's plan I detest; but, though I said all I could to point out its defects 

 to my employer, it was of no avail, he having read that part of the Planter's 

 Guide which states that, " where gentlemen are led by their gardeners, it is 

 the blind leading the blind." Strange as it may appear to Sir Henrj' Steuart, 

 it is a fact, that those who have been led by him have had reason to repent j 

 and are not so blind, but they can now see very clearly that their newly 

 planted large trees look like stricken deer, and their large transplanting 

 machines like lumber, I did not lay down the pruning-knife, and take up the 

 pen, merely to write the above truth, but another, of a different nature. Having 

 seen Mr. R. Glendinning's list of trees in Vol. XII. p. 315., which he recom- 

 mends for planting an approach, it struck me how easy it was to write out a 

 list of names of trees, and recommend it in print, but how diificult it is to get 

 gentlemen to take any notice of it, particularly any of those gentlemen who 

 have read the Planter'' s Guide. During the last three years, I have planted, 

 and am now completing, an approach about a mile long ; the ground verv 

 much undulated, and a variety of soil. I recommended a long list of hardy 

 trees, such as /i^cer monspessulanum, JVegMwc^o/raxinifolium, different species 

 of -(E'sculus, the ash, different species of American oaks, &c. To form back 

 and side scenes near the mansion, or, rather, to improve them, there being no 

 evergreen trees in the immediate neighbourhood, but plenty of oak and beech, 

 I recommended Cedrus Libani, Pinus Cembra, vi^bies Douglas?/, &c., of that 

 delightful family, grouped in such a manner as I thought would connect the 

 new planting with the old, as well as to soften the winter's cold. All I could 

 say was of no avail whatever, my employer having read the Planter's Guide / 



