July 4, 1878. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 1 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
Average , y E 
ae ae JULY 4—10, 1878, Temperature near | ;SU2 Sun | Moon | Moon | Moon's etsrenl lia 
Month Week ‘London. Rises. Sets. Rises. ets Age. Sant ear 
‘ Day. |Night.)Mean.| h. m.| h. m.| bh. m.| he. m.! Days. | m. s. 
4 | TH | Oxford and Ludlow Rose Shows. 75.8 | 50.6 | 63.2 | 3 51 | 8 17) 8 43} 10 19 4 4 6 | 185 
5 | Tunbridge Wells Horticultural Society. | 77.4 | 50.1 | 642 | 3 52] 8 16)10 8) 10 33 5 4 17 | 186 
6 Ss Southgate Show. 76.2 | 51.3 |.636 | 3 53] 8 16/11 3 10 47 6 4 27 | 187 
7 | SUN |} 3SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. | 73.7 | 51.4 | 62.6 | 3 4 8 15 0a58]11 3 » 4 37 | 188 
1 8] M 74,1 | 50.0 621 | 3 55 | 8 14 2 24 |: 17, 22 8 4 46 | 189 
9 | Tu | Diss Horticultural Society. | 74.0 | 49.6 | 618 | 3 56) 8 13] 3 50/11 48 9 4 55 | 190 
10 WwW Royal Horticultural Society’s Great Show at Preston. | 74.7 | 50.5 | 62.6 | 3 57 8 13 5 12) morn 10 5 4] 191 
[ Royal Botanic Society’s Show. | t | 
From observations taken near London during forty-three years, the average day temperature of the week is 75.1°; and its night temperature 
50.5°. 
VINE INSECTS. 
OME kinds of insects attack the Vine at all 
times of the year, but there are others which 
only prey on it during the season it is in 
leaf. It is the latter class, which includes 
thrips and red spider, that are generally 
most injurious; but unless where there are 
some deficiencies in the requirements of the 
Vine or its management the workings of these 
and other insects may be confined to a very 
"| short season, if they cannot be prevented from appear- 
ing altogether. 
It is generally about the end of June when the 
weather begins to get excessively hot and during the three 
following months that insects increase and do the most 
damage to the Vine. It is a matter next to impossible 
to keep Vines entirely free from some insect or other 
throughout the whole season, and it is but just to say 
that it is by no means always an indication of bad manage- 
ment when one sees a few insects on Vines; yet what 
every Vine-grower tries to do is first to keep his Vines 
entirely free from insects, and next to prevent them from 
spreading and increasing to any serious extent when they 
do appear. ; i 
To give alittle assistance on the last-named undertaking 
these notes are written. No person need feel alarmed at 
seeing one or two leaves in their vinery assuming a slightly 
fiery colour through red spider, or one here and_ there 
becoming grey with thrips, as this occurs in nine vineries 
out of every ten; but this is the point—do not let them 
spread further, or much further, because when they get on 
to every leaf there is no chance of preventing them from 
doing serious injury. Where there are only two or three 
of the leaves affected now, more will be every day attacked 
in the hot summer weather, so no one can fail to see the 
necessity of beginning to check the pests at once if they 
haye not done so already. 
Red spider is the first to which attention should be paid. 
To amateurs who do not know much about what this 
insect is I may say it is very small, so small indeed that a 
dozen or two of them on the back of a Vine leaf can hardly 
be seen with the eye, but when there is a crowd of them 
they are observable running about; but as good a way as 
any of detecting their presence is by the colour of the leaf. 
When fresh green leaves become rusty in colour red spider 
is almost sure to be the cause of it, unless in exceptional 
instances, and one of the best things to do as soon as these 
red leaves are observed is to sponge them all over with 
water mixed with a quantity of Gishurst compound. I do 
not think it is necessary to say what quantity of this 
valuable compound should be mixed to the gallon of water. 
We never weigh or measure it, but always apply it in larger 
or smaller quantities according to the number of insects to 
be killed. When the insects are numerous it should be 
made very strong. This sponging may be repeated either 
on the same leaves or others if they are attacked. In bad 
eases the Vines may be syringed with the mixture alto- 
gether, but this must not be done after the fruit has com- 
No. 1 —VOL. XXXV., NEW SERIES. 
menced cclouring, or the berries will become discoloured, 
and perhaps tainted in flavour. After colouring has begun, 
and when it is not safe to syringe, if the spider is still 
spreading, a quantity of sulphur should be mixed up in 
water and then put on the hot-water pipes like paint. The 
fumes emitted from this when the pipes are hot will greatly 
check the spider and not injure the Vines. This treatment 
applies to moderate cases. When the leaves are much 
devoured by spider all the ventilators of the house must 
be shut close the first evening after the sulphur has been 
put on the pipes, the fire set agoing until the tempera- 
ture of the house is up to 85°, when it may be allowed 
to decline to the usual heat. When the heat is raised so 
high the fumes are very strong, and if it does not kill all 
the insects in one night none of them will survive a second 
dose. 
Thrips may be checked by sponging at the same time as 
that is done for spider; but while the latter generally 
appears on the old leaves first, the former always select 
the young leaves and tender points of the shoots, conse- 
quently they are not so easily sponged off. Fumigating 
with tobacco paper, however, is certain death to them, and 
this is much the surest way of dealing with them. When 
the thrips are plentiful the fumigating should be done two 
or three nights in succession ; this, however, while it will 
kill the insects, will not destroy eggs, consequently the 
fumigation must be: repeated in about ten days: if this 
plan is persistently followed the pest may be abolished. 
The smoke should be so thick in the house that objects 
cannot be distinguished 3 yards off. When thrips are young 
they are quite white, when old black in colour, and at all 
times they are long aud sharp. They eat holes in the 
leaves and the points out of the young shoots, which is a 
hindrance to the progress of the Vine. 
Green fly sometimes appears on the points of young 
Vine shoots, but I never saw them do much harm to them. 
However, I have no doubt they would do harm if very 
numerous, but they are easily disposed of in the same way 
as the thrips. 
Mealy bug is the most filthy Vine pest, and although it 
seldom checks the growth of the Vine it spreads over the 
fruit and amongst the berries, which makes them unsightly 
and often unuseable. Little can be done to remedy this in 
summer when the Vines are in leaf further than brushing 
off any which may be seen about the leaves or rods; but 
in winter the loose bark cannot be too carefully cleaned 
from the rods and about the spurs, and afterwards scour 
the Vines thoroughly with water heated to 105°; but as 
we may probably have something to say on this matter 
when the time comes to see to it, it may be left for the 
present, and as something of more importance just now I 
may say that keeping the Vines in a free-growing healthy 
state will do more towards keeping them clear of insects 
than all other remedies put together, and above everything 
let them have liberal supplies of water at the root in the 
hot weather which appears now to be setting in. 
Never mind although the fruit is black, water the same 
as if it were green, and give plenty of air on fine days, 
which will both prevent the flayour from declining or the 
NO, 1653.—VOL. LX. OLD SERIES, 
eee) ane ae aA eee oe Onna seme D nett eS 
