Jane 27, 1865. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTIOULTUEE AND OOTTAOE GARDENER. 



4^ 



Dksteotino Crickets {A Regular Suhso'iber). — A few months since Mr. 

 Pish wrote aa follows:— "A friend of ours has suffered this season greatly 

 from crickets. They have pretty well cleared off the youngs elioota of his 

 Vines; and in some gardens they are bocoralng a perfect peat. Crickets on 

 the hearth, Indeed ! it -would be well if *hey stayed there. Much as they 

 like heat, keeping a honae cold, or even exposed, will not send them away 

 if there are other places to which they can betake themselves and he warm. 

 We have noticed two modes successful for keeping thera down, if not wholly 

 extirpating them. The first is cutting bread into thin slicep, spreading a 

 ittle butter on one piece, powdering it with arsenic, putting the two slicea 

 together, and then breaking thena into pieces, and placing these in the driest 

 and warmest places. We have been nssured that, when examined by alight 

 at night, not only would the crickets be seen eating the baits, but the lively 

 and active ones would also be seen, cannibal fashion, attacking and eating the 

 Bickly and the dying. The other mode was sinking a bell-glass level with 

 the earth, <fec.. of the bed, and filling the glass nearly half full with treacle 

 and water. Whenever the cricket got amongst the treacle he was done for. 

 We also noticed an improvement on this— A small straw, that went nearly 

 half across the width of the glass, was fastened by a pebble close to the 

 outside. It was then bent repeatedly over the rim of the glass, so as to 

 form a sort of flexible hinge. A little treacle was stuck on the end of the 

 stem. When Mr. Cricket marches along to get at it, his weight brings 

 down the straw, and he is precipitated into the liquid, the straw rising again 

 ready for another adventurer." 



Clipping old Box Edgings (JU. ff.).— Old Box edgings cannot be clipped 

 at a better time than now, as, though you cut them well in, they will soon 

 be green, and 'will look well all the winter. We have seen Box cut in 

 September that did not recover all the winter. We have seen it cut in 

 April, and so damaged by frost as to be unsightly all the seasou. Cut now 

 by all means. 



Book (Ji. B.). — Brown's " Forester," published by Messrs. Blackwood. 



Name of Vine (A. R-),~lt is the Ciotat. or Parsley-leaved. It is really 

 a variety of the Royal Muscadine, from which it differs chiefly by having 

 its leaves deeply divided into numerous lobes. 



Kegulating Ill-shaped Rhododendrons (A. IT.).— The most suitable 

 period at which to cut in Rhododendrons is at, or a little before, the time 

 when they commence their annual growth. It may be done when the 

 flowers fade; but it is now too late to cut them in so as to have the prospect 

 of a good growth this year, or, if growth were made, the shoots, through not 

 being ripened, would be liable to injury from frost and wind. If the shrubs 

 have a number of shoots at their baae, they may now be cut down to these, 

 though It would be better to defer doing so until the flowering season 

 another year. 



Rose Cuttings ik Water [A, i).).— Though we have not tried this mode 

 of propagation, we should, were we going to do bo, use soft water. We 

 would not change the water, but drop in a few pieces of charcoal, keeping 

 the water filled in as it evaporated ; and finally we would pot the cuttings 

 as soon as a callosity was formed. A window to the south, and without 

 shade, would be the best place. Rosea strike so freely from cuttings, inserted 

 n a cold frame from July to October, as to render striking in water recom- 

 mendable, even if practicable, for its novelty only. 



Perennials from Seed— Carnation Seed Sowing {Inquirer). —At the 

 back of the border we would have Hollyhocks, and a whole row of them 

 3 feet apart ; and in the next row, 3 feet in front, Campanula pyramidalis. 

 Delphinium formosum and Hendersoni, and Tritoma uvaria; in the next 

 row, Pyrethtum in varieties, Potentillas, Lythrum roseum superbnm, 

 Lychnis chalcedonica, and Digitalis glosini£eflora, interspersed with Gladiolus 

 gandavensisj 4th row, 2 feet from the last, the others being 3 feet distant, 

 Pentstemon, Sweet William, Campanula erandiflora. Antirrhinum, Colum- 

 bine, Armeria fonnosa, French Honeysuckle, Statice einuata. Rocket, Wall- 

 flower, and Polemoninm cceruleura ; 5th row, Pinka, Hieracium Lawsoni, 

 Lychnis fulgens, Armeria formosa, Aquilegia Skinneri, Campanula Vidalll, 

 Platycodon grandifiorum, Lychnis Haageana, and Papaver orientale j 

 6th row, Dodecatheon gigantea, Lychnis fulgens, OEnothera macrocarpa, 

 Campanula In variety. Anemone coronaria varieties, Agroatemma coronaria, 

 Adonis autumnalis, and Linum flavum; the last and front row, Statics 

 Armeria, Wahlenbergia grandiflora, CEnothera taraxacifolia, Iberis saxatilis, 

 Gentiana acaulis, Dianthus deltoides, Saponaria ocymoides, Polyanthus, 

 Primula cortusoides, Scutellaria macrantha, Statice Fortuni, Arctotis 

 reptans, and Aurlculu. This Is not exactly the arrangement and plants we 

 *v**^^ follow ourselves ; but you confine us to those procurable from seed, 

 otherwlge we should have named plants which, we ihink, would answer 

 better, and be as cheap, or cheaper, in the long run ; besides, you will only 

 want a plant or two of each kind. Now is a good time to sow them. Car- 

 nation and PIcotee seed, sown now, will stand the winter in a sheltered 

 border, and the plants will be likely to bloom next year. 

 „ 9^=N Gage Trees Overloaded (ff. i,, Oxon).—A9 the fruit hangs 



"•^^ ropes of Onions," pick off two-thirds of them; the tree will not 

 JJ?° oe -'weakened, and those left will be finer than if the crop were not 

 thmned. We know of Greengage trees which were overloaded fifteen years 

 smce, and which have never borne again until this year. 



Constructing and Arranging a Fernery (Irish Subscriber) .—It would 

 be a pity to make the house 8 feet wide when you can have it 10 feet. We 

 would have it 12 feet wide if we had space, but certainly 10 feet. Sashes 

 1 foot high in front are unnecessary ; they add to the expense, and are no 

 gain, but waste of room, for you can carry the rockwork higher without 

 the front sashes. For so narrow a house we would have a path 3 feet wide 

 along the centre, and rockwork on one or both sides— certainly at the back 

 — carrying it to within about 3 feet from the glass roof; and in front the 

 same kind of rockery only lower, and reaching to 1 foot 6 inches from the 

 glass. Then, if the doorway was at one end, we would have rockwork at 

 the other. This arrangement might interfere with year proposed mode of 

 heating the contemplated fernery from the greenhouse; but as the heat 

 entering by the three openings would not be sufficient for such Ferns as 

 Davallia canariensis, there is nothing to hinder the rockwork being carried 

 all round, except at the doorway, wherever it be, and having the pathway 

 in the centre ; only you must grow the better kinds of the hardy Ferns, 

 which are equally handsome with those requiring greenhouse or stove pro- 

 tection. We have no doubt walls of turf inside would answer, and the 

 spores of Ferns vegetate in them rapidly ; but we think only the commoner 

 kinds of Ferns would do this; for the majority of Ferns delight in rock 

 rather than rich decaying vegetable matter. With the wails of turf you, 

 might have rockwork in the centre, with a pathway all round. This 

 arrangement would, undoubtedly, look, well, only you could have Ferns 

 growing out of the turf wall ; and yet we are puzzled to know what becomes 

 of the turf wall when the whole is reduced to mould. We suppose the 

 wall is not built perpendicular, or we should think the turf would leave the 

 outer wall, but placed tier above tier, sloping upwards. We have, in the 

 absence of large rockstones, had them placed in the form of a stage, forming 

 steps of turf, and planting the Ferns on the shelves, whicli appeared as bo 

 many terraces of " living green " after the Ferns were grown up. It is. we 

 presume, something of this kind that you propose, by having which your 

 openings for heat from the greenhonse will be free ; but they will not 

 answer, or give suflacient heat, for half-hardy Ferns. 



Roses (TVro).— Your No. 1, is one of the old unnamed Provence Roses, 

 but not the Cabbage Provence. No. 2, is Great Western. The leaves of 

 yonr Rose trees show that the soil requires to be manured, well watered, 

 and the surface mulched. 



Concrete Walks (Amateur).— They wear well and bear sweeping. 

 Weeds will not grow well on them, but more than on the asphalt. Th^ 

 chalk and gravel should be moderately small, put them in dry, and water 

 afterwards. Roll both before and after watering. 



Cabbage Plants Dying (Subscriber, Wigton).—\ye have no doubt that 

 the grubs which eat the stems of your Cabbage plants underground, are the 

 larvffi of the Daddy Longlegs (Tipula). The best course to pursue is to 

 have the ground carefully examined by gently spudding it up with a knife 

 round each plant. The grubs will be found close lo the stem, A large bed 

 may be thus gone over in a few hours, and every grub destroyed. 



Primula farinosa. — I have been up into the Craven districts collecting 

 wild flowers, and having collected more roots of Primula farino^a (Bird's- 

 eye Primrose), than I need, I offer the surplus to your readers. If any 

 lover of alpine plants, particularly those who live in situations where 

 Primula farinosa is not to be had, will send an addressed envelope, or box, 

 with six stamps attached to pay the postage, to Mr. Robt. Smith, Dewabury, 

 Yorkshire, I will send them a few plants.— R. S. 



Names of Insects {Mrs. C.).— The grubs which destroy your Cauliflower 

 plants ate not wireworms. They are the larvae of a two-winged fly (very 

 like the house fly), belonging to the genus Anthomyia. The young plants 

 affected ought to be carefully drawn out without disturbing the larva and 

 burnt. The Rose leaves have been gnawed by the caterpillars of one of the 

 Tortricideous Moths. As they have been quite smashed in the post, it is 

 impossible to determine the species. The injured and roUed-up leaves 

 should be collected carefully and burnt. 



Name of Rose [S. /.).— The purple climbing Rose is the Old Boursault, 



Names of Plants (4. ^.).— 1, Hypoxis Rooperi (?) ; 2, Ancbuaa italica 

 3 and 4, unnameable; 5, Scilla peruviana ; 6, Briza maxima. ( A Toun^ 

 Oardener).—ly Alyssum saxatile; 2, Nepeta cEBsia; 3, Asplenium vivi- 

 parum ; 4, Amaryllis striata. (4 5w&scWfier).—Niphobolus lingua. (C. B, 

 Powc^i}.— Helipterum eximium. ( W. Foster iVeui^on}.— Diervilla japonica. 

 (A Journeyman Oardener^ Crief).—l, Finns mugho ; 2, Abies morinda; 

 3, Cryptomeria japonica; 4, Pemettya mucronata ; 5, Senecio sp.; 6,Garrya 

 elliptica ; 7, Menziesia polifolia ; 8, Helianthemum crocenm ; 9, Alyssum 

 saxatile; 10, Valeriana saxatilis; U, Phlox setacea; 12,Antennaria planta- 

 ginifolia; 13, Veronica agrestis ; 14, Myoaotisaylvatica; 15, Saxifraga hyp- 

 noides; 16, Prunella grandiflora ; 17, Orobus tuberosus. (G.).— Your Ferns 

 were not numbered. They are Goniopteris pennigera and Cystopteris fragilis. 

 (Ignoramus).— I, Asplenium adiantum-ulgrum; 2, Nephrodiura moUe; 

 3, Lastrea spinnlosa ; 4, Cystopteris fragilis ; 5 and 6, Polyatichum angn- 

 lare; 7, Lastrea FUix-mas paleacea. (A. ^.).—l, Erica Baueri; 2, Erica 

 pjramidalis; 3, Agapanthua umbellatus minor variegatus. {J. S.). — 

 1, Castanea vulgaris; 3, Pyrus pinnatifida. (/. ff.).— Sempervivum tor- 

 tnosum. {A. S. ^.).— Nepeta Musslnii. (Without Name or Initials).-^ 

 1, Polemonium ccoruleum ; 2, Geranium sanguineum ; 3, Saxifraga ajugsefolia. 



METEOROLOG-ICAL OBSEEYATIONS in the Suburbs of London for tlie Week ending June 24tli. 



Date. 



Snn. 18 

 Mod. ]g 

 Tucs. 20 

 Wed. 21 

 Thnrs. 22 

 Friday 23 

 Sat 2i 



Mean 



Max. 



30.327 

 30.315 

 30.308 

 30.295 

 30.293 

 30.181 

 30.142 



30.266 



Min. 



30.261 

 30.280 

 30.275 

 30.274 

 30.125 

 30.064 

 30.078 



30.194 



THERMOMETEH. 



Air. 



59 

 68 

 80 

 89 

 84 

 89 

 76 



77.85 



47 

 32 

 SO 

 39 

 40 

 53 

 44 



1 ft. deep. 



63 

 62 

 62 

 62 

 63 

 62i 



62.57 



2 ft. deep. 



61^ 



61 



60 



60J 



60| 



61 



62 





Rain 



■Wind. 



m 





inches. 



N.E. 



.00 



N.E. 



.0 



N.E. 



.00 



S. 



.00 



N.E. 



.00 



S.W. 



.00 



N.W. 



.00 





0.00 



Geheeal Reuabes. 



Uniformly overcast and rather cold ; overcast at nisht. 

 Densely overcaet; fine with hot sun ; at frcezini? at night. 

 Very fine; hot and dry ; below freezing at night. 

 Very fine ; cloudless, with excessively hot sun, and dry air. 

 Dry haze • hot and dry ; fine at night, [air ; cloudy at night. 

 Very fine- very hot, with bright sun, and excessively dry 

 Very fine dry air, with gentle breeze ; cloudy at night. 



