THE VINE -APPLE. 



349 



Japan, growing about four feet in height, bearing 

 lax panicles of large golden flowers ; quite hardy, 

 and well worth gi'owing. 



But the Mng of the herbaceous Senecios is -S. 

 pulcher, known as Tyerman's Groundsel. It is a 

 native of Uruguay, and was originally discovered 

 by Tweedie nearly fifty years ago, at the foot of the 

 Sugarloaf Mountain, near Maldonado, in South 

 Brazil. It was introduced to English gardens by Mr. 

 J. Tj-erman, Tregony, Cornwall, who raised it from 

 seeds received from Buenos Ayres. It forms a valu- 

 able addition to our autumn flowers, and if plants 

 are lifted from the open ground just as they come 

 into bloom, placed in pots, and kept in an ordinary 

 green-house, they wiU flower freely. It is quite dis- 

 tinct from any other species. The leaves are fleshy, 

 and of a glossy dark green colour, the radical ones 

 measuring nine to ten inches iu length. Prom the 

 centre rise mmierous erect stems three feet in height, 

 terminating with branched cymes of brilliant purp^sh- 

 crimson flowers with a golden-yellow disc, of good 

 form and great substance, measuring at least three 

 inches in diameter. It is exceedingly vigorous in 

 growth, and perfectly hardy, and it is in aU. respects 

 a first-class border plant. 



THE PINE-APPLE. 



Bt Wn.LiAM Coleman, 



ISSECTS WHICH AFFECT THE PINE. 



White Scale (Coccus hromelice).-^-'Yins destruc- 

 tive insect spreads mth alarming rapidity over the 

 largest collections of plants -when it once finds its 

 way into the Pinerj-, and it is most difficult to 

 eradicate. It is a small, whitish-grey insect, and is 

 foimd firmly attached to the surface of the leaves, 

 where it feeds upon the juices, and very soon ruins 

 the plants. Many poisonous and expensive remedies 

 have been proposed for cleansing the plants ; but it 

 IS questionable if any of them can be applied with 

 satisfactory results. Therefore, to avoid the heavy 

 loss, inconvenience, and annoyance which follow in 

 its wake, the greatest care should be observed in the 

 introduction of fresh plants to a clean stock without 

 first placing them in quarantine sufficiently long to 

 allow the young to show themselves, and even then 

 to keep a sharp eye on them. The cheapest and best 

 way to deal with infested plants, and all that have 

 grown near them, is speedy coramittal to the flames, 

 root, soU, and stem, and to thoroughly cleanse with 

 caustic lime and burnt sulphur preliminary to a 

 new start with clean stock. Cultivators who have 

 tried once, rarely trj' a second time to cleanse a 

 (louse of plants — a pretty strong proof that the 



remedies some eulogise are not so satisfactory as one 

 could wish. The following recipes are strongly 

 recommended :— 2 lbs. sulphur, 2 lbs. soft-soap, \ lb. 

 tobacco, 2 oz. nux vomica, 1 oz. camphor dissolved 

 in spirits of turpentiae, boiled in 8 gallons of soft 

 water for one hour. When the liquid has fallen to 

 120° immerse each plant, roots andall, having pre- 

 viously shaken away aU the soil. After the plants 

 have drained and dried, re-pot and plimge in a clean, 

 fresh bed. 



The late Mr. TiUery, of "Welbeck, recommended 

 the following : — He says, " I mixed equal quantities 

 of the driest new soot and flom- of sulphur together, 

 syringed the plants with a fine syringe, and then 

 dusted them, above and below, with a common sulphur 

 puff. It was done in the dead time of the year, and 

 not syringed off for three weeks. The syringing 

 washed the mixture into the axils of the leaves and 

 to the roots, where it acted as a stimulant when the 

 plants began to grow in the spring. Out of several 

 houses of plants so treated, not one insect survived." 



A verj' dear friend once supplied the author of 

 these pages with a few plants " warranted clean." 

 They were placed with sixty-five successions, worth 

 as many pounds. White scale broke out. Tillery's 

 system was tried, and adhered to, to the letter ; but 

 the soot and sulphur burnt the roots instead of 

 feeding them, and ultimately every plant was con- 

 signed to the fire. 



Some Pine-growers have advocated placing the 

 plants in strong steam fi-om fermenting horse-Utter ; 

 others syringe with clean hot water at a temperature 

 of 120? to 130°; while others, again, say there is 

 nothing like paraffin, a wine-glassful to a gallon of 

 warm soft water, for syringing with. The latter 

 modem remedy is undoubtedly a most excellent one 

 if properly appUed, otherwise it will soon kill the 

 strongest plants. 



As paraffin does not mix well with water, it is 

 necessary for one person to keep the water and 

 parafELn in constant agitation with a syringe, while a 

 second, also with a syringe, applies it to the plants. 

 The Pines should be laid on their sides, to prevent 

 the paraffin from settling on the roots or resting in 

 the hearts, and in the course of half an hour they 

 should be well syringed with clean warm water 

 before they are re-plunged in a new bed. 



BroTjni Scale sometimes gets on Pines from 

 other plants ; but it is comparative!}' harmless, and is 

 easily destroyed by the first application of paraffin, 

 or water at a temperature of 130°. Before the 

 plants are di'essed for brown or white scale, it is a 

 good plan to loosen aU the insects that can he 

 conveniently reached with a hard, half- worn painter's 

 brush, to insure the destruction of the larvae. \\'Tien 



