234 



JOUENAL OF HOETICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GAKDENEE. 



[ March SO, IS'l. 



and shops where fires are constantly kept up, and fragments of 

 food are to be picked up by day or night, does the cockroach 

 make itself basy, keeping as far as possible out of human ken, 

 and evidently also regarding the light of day with a particular 

 dislike. It is, perhaps, in Orchid houses that these insects do 

 most harm, artfnlly secreting themselves near the boiler or 

 under the pioes, also resorting to corners where flower pots are 

 piled up. Equally eatisfied, indeed, are they with the roots 

 and leaves of those plants as with the varied provender yielded 

 by the kitchen. Mcintosh suggests that plunging the plant is 

 an effectual way of " settling " the juveniles of the species, for 

 they have an aversion to much water, though by nature, like 

 the cricket, inclined to be thirsty, and their powers oE swim- 

 ming must be put down at a very low figure. Before Orchids 

 are packed abroad for exportation into this country, some of 

 the female coekroaehas take the precaution to visit them, leav- 

 ing a memento behind in the shape of certain eggs, which, 

 during the voyage, yield an abundant progeny, the result being 

 thit whole cases are opened and found to be almost wortliless 

 OQ arrival. 



I believe, however, that the cockroach does not confine its 

 attacks to hothouses. Like the cricket, it migrates occasionally 

 to the garden, when it can get there — for relaxation and change 

 of diet probably ! That cockroaches are not more frequently 

 seen in the little plots which we denominate " gardens " in the 

 viciaity of London, I attribute to the circumstance that bo 

 many of our kitchens are below the level of the ground, and 

 the cockroach is not at all nimble in ascending or descending 

 stairs. In certain suburbs of towns where the kitchens are 

 built on the more sensible plan, I have noticed cockroaches 

 about the gardens and squares in too great numbers to allow of 

 the supposition that they had been dropped from a baker's 

 barrow, or carried on the skirts of some female's dress. But 

 warmth is so congenial to them, that I do not think it at all 

 probable they will breed in the open air, and I have not seen 

 them roving thus in their preparatory stages. The annoyance 

 we experience from these insects is increased by the fact that 

 all the year round, as I have proved by personal observation, 

 they will come abroad, becoming rather inactive in very cold 

 weather. The pupje, as is usual in the Orthopterous order, 

 are to be known by rudimentary wings, but they are not 

 quiescent, and eat, drink, and flourish as much as the larvaj or 

 images. The former of these cast their skins five times ere 

 they have reached their full size. The female, as is now pretty 

 well known, deposits her eggs ia a curious case or pouch, out 

 of which the young larvae make their way by means of a solvent 

 fluid, which dissolves the coating. Some French observers 

 state, however, that they have noticed the parent cockroach 

 assisting the young to extricate themselves. I fancy the period 

 of emergence is about August — -at least ia September or October 

 I have noticed many little fellows of diminutive size hurrying 

 about, and now there are a number of larvas about half grown 

 mingling with the adult insects, which one always sees about 

 in greater or less number. No doubt they live some months 

 in the perfect state, and, indeed, it is possible the cockroaches 

 of one season live on until those of the next have passed 

 through their different stages. 



This is one of the insects exposed to continual experiment 

 on the part of man, and were it not for the numbers that are 

 annually slaughtered by poison or by traps, or the still more 

 simple method of crushing with the foot, no doubt they would 

 increase so as to become a considerable annoyance, even to the 

 gardener. Some of the plans for their destruction which 

 answer in the kitchen are less available in the Orchid house, 

 though the plan of entrapping them there by various recep- 

 tacles of some sweet fluid (one writer recommends beer, or 

 warm water with a little ginger or nutmeg — swindling them, in 

 fact, with a supposed glass of toddy), will answer in both, and 

 once precipitated into this compound, be it what it may, they are 

 not likely to get out again if the sides are perpendicular. Access 

 to the edge of the vessel must be given ; but, says one, not by 

 strips of paper, because cockroaches dislike the sound of their 

 own footsteps ! AU I know is that in a closet in my house oon- 

 taining loose paper, the rustling they make there at certain times 

 does not indicate mach alarm at noise of that sort. Amongst 

 the various poisons tried are the leaves of the Elder and Poppy, 

 plaster of Paris, red wafers, and tolerably efficacious phos- 

 phorus paste, and the " insecticide " powders, each having its 

 advocates. — J. E. S. C. 



ensuing anniversary dinner of this Society, and has named 

 Tuesday, the 20th Jane, for that purpose. 



TREE-KILLING SOLUTIONS. 



THr editorial remarks made at page 124, to the effect that 

 the cause, or at least the probable cause, of the death of six 

 Vines out of thirteen in a vinery arose from the solution with 

 which they were dressed being of too strong a nature, will 

 derive additional force from the following fact?. 



It was the custom of the gardener under whom I served 

 some years ago, to apply to his Vines and Peach trees a dress- 

 ing formed of water, sulphur, lime, soot, and tobacco liquor, 

 boiled together for some time, and then mixed with clay, in 

 quantity sufficient to render the whole cf the consistency of 

 paint. One year it was made stronger than usual, the early 

 vinery getting the first of it, then the late vinery, and the re- 

 mainder was used for the Peach trees. Now, as to the effects 

 produced, the Vines in the earliest house " started " without 

 causing the least uneasiness as to there being anything wrong, 

 owing, perhaps, to the wood being better matured when the 

 paint was applied, or to the latter being washed off with the 

 syringe before mischief was done. When the time came for 

 the Vines iu the second house to commence growing, affairs 

 looked anything but promising, for although the syringe was 

 used without stint, and everything that could be thought of 

 was done to induce them to start, a very large proportion of 

 the 'ouds remained as they were when painted. Matters were 

 still worse in the Peach house, which contained a Eoyal George 

 and a Noblesse Peach and one Nectarine ; this and the Eoyal 

 George came in for the worst of it. Excepting two or three 

 shoots, the upper halt of these two trees was completely 

 killed. The Noblesse escaped almost scathless. Very probably 

 the reason of the difference of the effects produced on those 

 trees growing side by side, was the Eoyal George producing 

 shoots of a grosser nature than the Noblesse did. As a proof 

 that the trees were all right otherwise, the Eoyal George com- 

 pletely filled up the trellis during the same season. It need 

 scarcely be added that the usual dressing was dispensed with 

 the nest season. Whether the trees are painted now or not I 

 cannot say. but it is very probable that the old proverb holds 

 good here, that " Once bit, twice shy." — E. P. B. 



Gabdekers' Eoyal Benevolent iNsiiTniioN. — His Serene 

 Highness, the Prince of Teck, has consented to preside at the 



THE PENALTIES OF RASH DEEP TRENCHING . 



That trenching is one of the most important of garden 

 operations is well known. No practice has afforded more 

 successful returns upon the outlay; no garden is properly ina- 

 naged where the practice is not adopted. It brings into aolion 

 the latent powers of the soil. Escellent and indispensable, 

 however, as the routine undoubtedly is, if indulged in to excess, 

 like many other good things, it will result in evil and not good. 

 But why pips a tune which every gardener knows by rote? 

 Well, not quite everyone, but those who do will be the first to 

 tolerate the refrain for the sake of those who are not prac- 

 tically acquainted with the penalties attached to trenching, 

 which is sometimes thoughtlessly or incorrectly carried out. 



Not long ago I saw a young gardener breaking up a piece of 

 pasture; it was for a Strawberry bed; he worked with a will, 

 nerved by the hopefal prospect of having his reward and 

 triumph — his hopes were vain. A foot of this soil was excellent, 

 the foot beneath was hungry and heavy. The good foot was 

 being put down to the bottom ; the bad foot was brought en 

 masse to the top. Instead of the soil being thus managed, if it 

 had been worked IS inches deep, o or 6 inches being dug over 

 at the bottom of the trench, with some sound manure added, 

 he would have had fine S;rawberrie3, with not much more than 

 half the labour he gave in producing failure and disappoint- 

 ment. This gardener was a reader of the Journal, and reckoned 

 he was improving on the advice there given. 



Another case more serious than the last. Three years ago 

 an amateur erected a large vinery. My advice was solicited as 

 to the border-making. The soil was good for about a foot deep. 

 Beneath this was a n.asty, heavy, hungry loam, approachirg to 

 clay. I advised this not be touched, but counselled the addition 

 of another foot or more of turfy loam, mixing it with the sur- 

 face foot of good soil, v;hich would have produced good Grapes. 

 " But why not trench 2 feet deep ? " quoth the amateur. I gave 

 the reason, and lent him some Journal evidence confirmatory. 

 He gave as his judgment that it was "gardener's fuss,'' on 

 which I left him to his own resources. The ground was turned 

 over, the good foot going to the bottom, with loads of Cabbage 



