July 11, 1S72. ] 



JOUENAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



in due course, retain them, and they are folded circularly over 

 the young fruit, while they turn from white or pink to a 

 brown. " The caterpillar enters the little chamber formed by 

 the still united petals, and feeds in the interior of this choice 

 domicile; begins by eating the still imperfect stamens, then 

 devours the pistils, and lastly, the fruit itself, hollowing it out, 

 and leaving only the rind." The adult caterpillar either 

 descends to the earth or spins a slight cocoon in the cavity it 

 has formed. 



To abate apprehensions on the subject of the injuries thus 

 caused, it has been suggested with some force that the work 

 done by the caterpillar of the Green Pug is not so hurtful after 

 all, because in the large majority of instances the trees put 

 forth more flower-buds than can by any possibility be developed 

 into fruit. They need to be thinned-out, and this and other 

 species of insects may be viewed as Nature's instruments for 

 so doing. It is quite true that in various instances the abund- 

 ance or superabundance which Nature produces with no stint- 

 ing hand tends, seemingly, to defeat her design. In ways of 

 which we are little aware the balance of life is maintained 

 nevertheless, and each year as it passes gives renewed testi- 

 mony to the grand result. — J. R. S. C. 



FOE THE RESCUE OP BULLFINCHES. 

 In a kindly pleading for small birds that appeared in your 

 Journal some weeks since, you, or one of your correspondents, 

 professed to have " no plea to offer for the Bullfinch." May I 

 be allowed to say a few words to rescue my favourites from what 

 I cannot but think the undeserved bad character of doing all 

 mischief and no good ? I was grieved to see this character 

 stamped upon them some years ago in a letter, I think, to the 

 Times, and I eagerly but vainly looked to find a better one given 

 of them in Mr. Wood's charming book, " Our Garden Friends 

 and Foes." For by the time I read that some Bullfinches at 

 least do greedily eat many kinds of insects, I had kept these 

 birds for several years, and never dreamed of offering them 

 insects to eat ; but one day, about seven years since, I was pass- 

 ing a Bullfinch's cage with a small moth I had caught for the 

 gold fish, and, struck by the wistful expression in the poor bird's 

 eye, I offered it to him, and he seized it eagerly. From that 

 time I found that he would eat almost all kinds of small moths, 

 gnats, house flies, the green caterpillar that feeds on Mignonette, 

 and green Rose blight — these by beaksful at a time ; but the 

 greatest treat of all is a daddy-longlegs. I have had several 

 bullfinches since I made this discovery, and I have found them 

 aU eat insects more or less readily ; but the older the bird was 

 when caught the more eager he was for this kind of food, pro- 

 bably from having had more experience of it. — E. E. E. 



WORK FOR THE WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



Asparagus beds during this month can hardly have too much 

 manure water from the stable or farmyard tank. On light 

 dry soils salt may be applied with advantage ; but this should 

 not be used on strong, stiff ground, as it keeps it wet in winter, 

 and causes the roots to decay. Finish planting out the prin- 

 cipal crops of Broccoli and Winter Greens, and proceed with 

 planting out Celery as ground can be spared for it, using 

 plenty of manure, and keeping it liberally supplied with 

 water. A plot of ground may now be planted with any kind 

 of close-headed Cabbage for Coleworts. Continue to stick ad- 

 vancing crops of Peas and Scarlet Runners, topping one-half of 

 each crop of the former to prolong their season ; keep the 

 ground moist about those in a forward state, giving them a 

 thorough soaking occasionally with water, which will help to 

 prevent mildew. See to keeping up a supply of Salad, Spinach, 

 &c, and sow a good bed of Cabbage, for winter use. Keep the 

 growing crops clean by frequently hoeing between them when 

 the ground is dry. Cut Mint and other herbs sufficiently 

 advanced for drying. 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



Look over espalier Pear, Apple, and Cherry trees at least 

 once a- week, and pursue the system of stopping and shortening 

 the shoots. The removal of superfluous wood may also be 

 effected at this moment with advantage both to the tree and 

 fruit ; it is always advisable to afford the latter the advantage 

 of full exposure. Let the shoots of Peach, Apricot, and Plum 

 trees be laid-in at once to the wall. Complete as quickly as 

 possible the layering of Strawberries for forcing next season, 

 bearing in mind that one week now is worth two at the end of 

 the month, that strong well-matured plants are only to be 

 obtained by early layering and good after-culture, and that 

 no amount of care next spring will compensate for late, and, 



consequently, badly-rooted plants. The favourite sorts far 

 forcing are Keens' Seedling, Princess Alice Maude, and British 

 Queen ; but there are others well worthy of attention, as. 

 Ingram's Prince of Wales, which for productiveness and cer- 

 tainty of setting beats all I have seen. Trollope's Victoria is 

 a good bearer under heat, where very early fruit is required, 

 Cuthill's Black Prince and the scarlets should be grown. 



FT.OWER GARDEN. 



As the principal planting-out for the season is over (and the 

 late rains will be of much service in promoting a free start) r 

 the usual routine of pegging down plants intended to be kept 

 dwarf, tying others up, and keeping the surface of the beds 

 free from weeds until it is covered by the growing plants, will 

 comprise most of what is required for the next few weeks. In 

 the meantime some attention can now be paid to propagating- 

 various kinds of perennial plants of which a stock is required. 

 Pinks should now be propagated, for which see last week. 

 Cuttings may likewise be put in of Tea and China Roses, select- 

 ing wood of the present year when it becomes a little firm at 

 the base. Roots and bulbs of Anemones, Tulips, Crocuses, 

 Scillas, Fritillarias, &a., which have been out of the ground 

 for some time to dry, should be properly labelled and stored 

 till the autumn, when they will be required to fill up their re- 

 spective beds for spring flowering. Where a nursery or re- 

 serve garden exists for supplying the more common kinds of 

 plants, the propagation of various subjects can now be pro- 

 ceeded with. Keep the smaller and seedling plants free from 

 weeds, and lose no time in sowing perennial and biennial- 

 flower seeds for blooming next season. Quick and Privet 

 hedges should be closely cut-in with the shears. Let them 

 bend off a little towards the top, which will give them abetter 

 appearance ; but hedges of large-leaved plants, as Laurels, 

 Turkey and Lucombe Oaks, and Sweet Bay, must have the 

 young wood cut back with a knife, as the shears would destroy 

 the beauty of their leaves by cutting them. Shrubs grown to 

 embellish Italian and geometric flower gardens, terraces, &c. y 

 should now likewise be cut into the figure they are to assume ; 

 in many cases wire will be necessary to keep the branches in 

 their proper places at first, where afterwards the knife and the 

 shears will suffice to keep them in proper form. Portugal 

 Laurels, Cypress, Arbor Vitas, Tews, Bays, and tree Box, are 

 the plants most commonly employed for this purpose, and 

 when cut into architectural figures are fine accompaniments to 

 the above style of gardening. They should, however, be- 

 clipped, and two or three times during the season be cut-in to 

 preserve correctly the required outline. Carnations and 

 Picotees will now demand constant attention. The aphis or 

 green fly must be kept down, and we have never been able to 

 discover a more effectual preventive than Scotch snuff ap- 

 plied early in the morning when the dew is on, or after a 

 shower of rain, when these pests will be found congregated on 

 the under sides of the buds. The same application will also be 

 found a preservative against the small black shining insect 

 which intrudes just wit hin the points of the calyx and eats 

 away the colour from the petals. The best means of appli- 

 cation is to obtain a bottle of Indianrubber, which may be 

 obtained of any stationer, in the neck of which insert a small 

 tube — a piece of tobacco pipe will answer well — round which 

 some waxed twine must be tightly bound. This drives the 

 snuff with killin g effect on the enemy, and does not in any 

 way injure the bud : it will not be advisable to apply it after the 

 flower has at all expanded. Seedlings should be immediately 

 pricked out, shading them and watering when necessary till 

 they have taken fresh root. Pipings may be struck on gentle 

 bottom heat, shading from the direct rays of the sun. Fertilise 

 those Pinks intended for seed, taking especial care that both 

 parents are rose-leaved, with as many good qualities as possible. 

 Continue to put in pipings. Tulip seed may now be gathered ; 

 where the stem has become yellow between the capsules and the 

 roots the latter may be taken up. Attend to Dahlias, watering 

 them with weak liquid manure ; mulch round the roots, and in- 

 sert small sticks, to which the laterals may be tied when suffi- 

 ciently long. Entrap earwigs on every opportunity. As the 

 grass of Ranunculuses turns yellow take them up ; do not 

 wait till the whole collection is ready, or else those which have 

 arrived at maturity will again have begun to grow, which will 

 most likely cause their destruction. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



The beauty of most softwooded plants in the conservatory 

 may be considerably prolonged by the use of weak manure 

 water, which should be given as often as can be done con- 



