Stptember 28, 1871. ] JOUENAL OF HOKTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GAEDENBE. 



243 



is at times found attacking China Asters. In and near woods 

 the caterpillar of this moth is mostly found on the Golden 

 Bod, and it is often sought for by entomologists at Darenth 

 Wood in Kent, and West Wickham Wood in Surrey. Some 

 years ago several of these caterpillars were discovered and 

 brought to a friend of mine from a nursery at Norwood, the 

 proprietor being annoyed at the new blight which was assailing 

 his choice flowers. This caterpillar, which is elegantly marked 

 with longitudinal lines, feeds through August and September, 

 and, entering the earth, appears as a moth in June. Itis hardly 

 a species likely to become common enough to do injury. — 

 J. B. S. C. 



THE SULTAN PLUM. 

 This is a seedling raised by Messrs. Eivers from the Belle 

 de Septembre Plum in lS6t. It bids fair to be a valuable 

 culinary Plum, as it is large, and excellent when cooked. Its 



productiveness is scmethirg astonishing, as every stem is 

 covered with fruit, and it irms a compact and most fruitful 



pyramid. Its fruit is of a deep purple, shaded with bright red. 

 The tree sent to us was no more than 2 feet high, and two 

 years old. It had on it six Plums, each the size of a large 



Orleans, 6 inches in circumference, and, like it, its season is 

 August. Its dwarf, pyramidal habit enables it to be planted 

 in rows 6 feet apart, and 4. feet apart in the rows. 



EENDLE'S PLANT PKOTECTORS. 



I AM a perfect novice in gardening, live within four miles of 

 London, have a small garden, and have no instruction nor ad- 

 vice except from your columns. From your recommendation 

 I went in for ground vineries, and succeeded very well. 



A few months since you published a letter giving a decided 

 preference to Eendle's earthenware protectors over the older 

 sorts, and, wishing to increase my stock, I took the writer's 

 advice. I have been in trouble with my new frame ever since 

 I have had it. I fancy the brick sides with glass top only 

 cause the plants to draw. The wind blows the grooved bricks 

 down, and plays havoc with the glass. I follow suit in trying 

 to get at the plants. If I want to move my protector 1 find it 

 rather a tedious job, and my wife wo'n't help me — she always 

 takes one end of the wooden frames — and in fact I am bothered ; 

 but looking at the long string of testimonials, and large orders 

 after trial from noblemen's gardeners, I think my misfortune a 

 must be the result of my own ignorance and not understanding 

 directions for fixing. Imagine my surprise, then, on finding 

 that Jlr. Eivers (advertised as a special admirer of the bricks) 

 had to support his trial brick ground vinery with an unsightly 

 wooden frame " to keep it from blowing down ! " says his man. 

 X hesitate no longer, but write to ask you to get one of thosa 

 head gardeners who have hundreds of feet of the brick pro- 

 tectors {vide testimonials) to give me, and no doubt many 

 others, some instructions how he guards against the effects of 

 wind, &c. Of course, I do not suppose that a gardener plants 

 Yines under these frames. If the maker of the wooden framea 

 had called them Cauliflower, early Pea, or salad-protectors, or 

 Strawberry-forwarders he would have had his testimonials and 

 orders for hundreds of feet ; perhaps he has, though he has 

 not advertised them. Do, Messrs. Editors, give me and my 

 class — viz., ofSoe until 6 p.m., and garden 100 feet by 20 — a 

 small space in " Doings for the Week" to ourselves, and let the 

 writer — one of these great guns, of course — tell me in his first 

 article how to make my brick protector as handy and little 

 liable to damage as my wooden ground vineries. 



By the way, am I conceited or is it true that my Grapes ara 

 larger, my Eivers's ground vineries (Eivett's improved), bettei 

 made and better-looking than Mr. Eivers's own ? But, then, 

 his double-worked Marechal Niel Eoses in pots — have you 

 seen them '? A good many people have not, or not one would 

 be left at Sawbridgeworth. I am tired of writing, yon musS 

 be of reading ; so — Au eevoib. 



WORK FOR THE WEEK. 



KITCHEN GAKDEN. 



While the dry weather continues hoe every part of the gar- 

 den thoroughly, as the seeds that were ripened in summer 

 (where weeds were allowed to perfect seed and to shed them), 

 have now vegetated and may be destroyed effectually, which is 

 better than allowing them to stand over till spring among other 

 crops. When a kitchen garden is at this season well stocked 

 with autumn, winter, and spring crops, all neatly arranged and 



