JUNE 23, 1897.] 



Garden and Forest. 



249 



attention. Mr. A. Blanc is entitled, I believe, to the credit of 

 introducing this plant in the United States. 

 Elizabeth, N.J. J. N. G. 



Correspondence. 



Fir-tree Oil as an Insecticide. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest: 



Sir, — The following notes upon the use of Fir-tree oil against 

 certain insects not readily amenable to inseclicides, may in- 

 terest some of your readers. For the past two years hardy 

 Roses in this neighborhood have suffered severely trom the 

 attacks of at least three insects: first, a species of aphis, or 

 plant-louse, which swarms upon the tender new growth and 

 upon the flower-buds ; secondly, the larvae of one or more 

 species of moths belonging to the genus Caccecia, which 

 damage the foliage and flower-buds ; and lastly the leaf- 

 hopper, a small, white, winged insect which lives upon the 

 under surface of the leaves, sucks the juices, and thereby 

 causes irregular white spots upon the upper surface of the 

 leaves. 



The damp weather and frequent rains of May induced a 

 rapid growth of succulent tissue, and early in the month the 

 aphides appeared upon Roses in enormous numbers. At- 

 tempts were made to eradicate the pest by crushing, but the 

 survival of two or three individuals was sufficient to infest the 

 plants completely in a day or two. About the middle of May 

 the worms began to appear, one kind, of the "inch-worm" 

 type, from half to three-quarters of an inch in length, and at- 

 tacking the leaves principally ; the other a trifle larger, grass- 

 green, with a black head, and usually found neatly ensconced 

 in a rolled-up leaf, whence it emerges and attacks the flower- 

 buds, gnawing out the inside completely. Upon being dis- 

 turbed, this larva becomes extremely active, writhing about on 

 the palm of the hand or wriggling quickly from the leaf and 

 dropping to the ground, Last year I dusted the Roses thor- 

 oughly with hellebore, naturally with no effect upon the 

 aphides, but, to my surprise, with very little effect upon the 

 worms. This year I have tried spraying the plants with two 

 insecticides, both separate and combined, with entirely satis- 

 factory results — at least in the case of one of them. Upon a 

 large Queen of the Prairie Rose I used a decoction of tobacco 

 made by steeping one pound of tobacco waste in two gallons 

 of hot water. This was used while still warm, and was applied 

 by means of a small force-pump attached to a pail and pro- 

 vided with a Vermorel nozzle. Upon this plant the aphides 

 alone were present, but in very great numbers. The first 

 treatment resulted in the death of about fifty per cent, of the 

 insects, and it was repeated a week later. These two treat- 

 ments, however, have not proved sufficient or wholly sat- 

 isfactory. 



To two gallons of the tobacco decoction, made as described 

 above, I then added a quarter of a pint of Fir-tree oil, and with 

 this I sprayed six large plants of Polyantha Roses. These 

 plants were covered with buds, had produced an abundance 

 of tender shoots, and were badly infested with aphis and with 

 the green larvae mentioned above. A careful examination of 

 the plants on the day following the treatment showed that fully 

 ninety per cent, of the aphides had succumbed, while upon 

 the six plants only two or three living larvas were found, the 

 liquid having penetrated the folded leaves and killed the larvas 

 within the fold. A spray consisting of a quarter of a pint of 

 Fir-tree oil in two gallons of clear water produced a like bene- 

 ficial effect upon six other Polyantha Roses, and in neither 

 case did the application result in any damage to the most ten- 

 der tissues. This experience confirmed what I had previously 

 known regarding the value of Fir-tree oil as an insecticide. 

 A spray or wash made of half a pint of the oil in two gallons 

 of water completely destroys the scale insect so detrimental 

 to Orange-trees grown in the house or under glass. A single 

 treatment causes the scales to become brown and dry, so that, 

 if desired, they may be gently wiped from the plant. Against 

 woolly aphis upon plants in the greenhouse, Fir-tree oil has 

 proved invaluable. This substance is expensive (seventy-five 

 cents a pint at retail), but a little goes a long way, and the odor, 

 by no means unpleasant even in the house, is soon dissipated. 



I am aware that a suds made of whale-oil soap, or even of 

 common soap, has often been pronounced " as good as any- 

 thing" against aphides, but for general utility, thorough effec- 

 tiveness, ease of application and cleanliness, I know of 

 nothing which equals Fir-tree oil. It is to be hoped that an 

 increased demand will lower the price of this substance, so 

 that its value may become more generally appreciated. 



New Haven, Ct. W. C. Sturgis. 



Pokeweed as a Vegetable. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — Mr. Chamberlin's list of wild plants which are used as 

 "greens" in the various parts of the country (see page 239) 

 might be considerably extended. It seems rather remarkable, 

 however, to a resident of this city that Pokeweed, Phytolacca 

 decandra, should have been omitted, especially since Milk- 

 weed is mentioned as a substitute tor Asparagus. The 

 young shoots of the Pokeweed are not at all uncommon in 

 our markets and on our sidewalk stands, and when cooked 

 like Asparagus they are very tender and have a flavor that is 

 highly relished by many people who flatter themselves that 

 their palates are not uneducated. 



Philadelphia. Pa. J. R. 



Exhibitions. 

 Flower Show in New York City Hall. 



THE New York Gardeners' Society, by permission of the 

 - 1 Mayor and Aldermen of the city, held a flower show on 

 Saturday last in the Aldermen's Chamber of the City Hall. The 

 society consists mainly of private gardeners, and they certainly 

 brought together one of the most interesting and varied exhi- 

 bitions of flowers ever seen in this city. The Roses, of course, 

 were in great abundance at this season, and standard varieties 

 of all classes were shown in first-rate form. Among the newer 

 ones were Bardon Job in the collection of Hicks Arnold, a 

 large semi-double cup-shaped flower ot a singularly rich crim- 

 son color, and Mr. W. A. Manda's hybrids between Rosa Wich- 

 uraiana, and certain Tea Roses like Perle des Jardins and 

 Madame Hoste. These flowers have the true Tea fragrance 

 and the plants have evergreen leaves. Mr. Manda alsosliowed 

 hybrids between Rosa Wichuraiana and the Hybrid Perpetuals. 

 There were fine cut flowers of Odontoglossums and Cattleyas, 

 and a magnificent plant of Cattleya guttata. The Japanese Hem- 

 erocallis aurantiaca was shown in first-rate form, and its rich 

 color and large size make it a welcome addition to this beau- 

 tiful genus. A new snow-white Carnation of fine form 

 and fragrance, and on long stout stems and called Greater 

 New York, was much admired. In the collection of Mr. John 

 Lewis Childs a vase of the spikes of Lilium tenuifolium and 

 another of the rare L Parryi were exhibited, but to specify all 

 the good flowers seen would be to give a catalogue of every- 

 thing in bloom at this season. A tew belated German Irises 

 and a few early Japanese Irises were mingled with a great 

 abundance of Spanish Irises now at their best, Gaillardias, 

 named Pyrethrums, a Coreopsis, which by crossing or selec- 

 tion is distinct enough to deserve the name of Harvest Moon, 

 Delphiniums of every shade of blue, masses of Heuchera san- 

 guinea, upright Clematises, ThermopsisCaroliniana, beautiful 

 strains of Aquilegia, Centranthus, the best new Sweet Peas, 

 Sjabiosa Caucasica, new Pasonies, single and double, with 

 Canterbury Bells. Sweet Williams, Foxgloves, Centaureas and 

 many other old-fashioned flowers. Besides these there was a 

 good collection of fruit and vegetables. The exhibition was 

 a credit to the gardeners of this vicinity on account of its 

 quality, and they deserve the thanks which the Mayor gave 

 them in a graceful speech, not only for making a free display 

 at this busy season, but because they gave all the flowers to 

 poor children, the inmates ot city hospitals and others who 

 have few opportunities to enjoy beauty of this sort. 



The principal prizes were taken by G. Reilly, gardener of 

 William Brown ; A. Herrington.gardenerot H. McK. Twombly ; 

 Richard Sherry, gardener ot George W. Bramhall ; F. Mongold, 

 gardener of Miss Helen Gould; A. Taaffe, gardener of Miss 

 Mathieson ; A. Grierson, gardener of HicUs Arnold ; William 

 Anderson, gardener of J. M. Constable; A. J. Wengerten, 

 gardener ot Cornelius N. Bliss; William Scott, gardener of 

 Mrs. T. Eastman ; A. L. Marshall, gardener of J. B. Dutcher ; 

 A. L. Brill, gardener of Miss Monalian ; Robert Marks, gar- 

 dener of Mrs. De La Vergne ; W. Barthclome, gardener of 

 W. B. Isham ; O. E. Owens, gardener of M. Crawtord ; James 

 Kirby, gardener of Mrs. S. D. Ripley ; John G. Aitkins, gar- 

 dener ot M. R. Cook ; W. H. Harvey, gardener of Obert Parks ; 

 Job Ash, girdener of Miss E. J. Clark ; F. R. Poirkovsky, gar- 

 dener of Mrs. Reynal. 



Notes. 



The destruction of the forests which has been going on 

 about the diamond mines near Kimberley, South Africa, is 

 believed by Dr. William Crookes to have seriously modified 

 the climate. The country within a radius of a hundred miles 

 has been stripped of wood to supply timber for the mines. 



