3°8 



THE BOOK OF GARDENING. 



flowering. Granted that this is an objection ; yet it is one which 

 may readily be overcome by providing "carpet plants," as they 

 are termed, which not only take off the naked appearance 

 presented, but act as a protection to the bulbs, and 

 prevent the flowers of the latter from being spoilt by rain 

 splashes. In the rock garden this method of locating some 

 of the choicer denizens, such as the pretty Iris species, 

 which of late years have come to the front, has found great 

 favour. Excellent for the purpose are such carpet plants as Silent 

 pendula, the Mossy Saxifrages, the neat-growing evergreen Candy- 

 tuft (Iberis correcefolid), the quick-growing, sweet-scented Thymes 

 {Thymus Serpyllum and T. Chamadrys lanuginosus), and others. 



Pests, &c. — Hardy bulbs and tubers enjoy comparative immu- 

 nity from insect and other pests, though of late years two or 

 three fungoid diseases which' are difficult to combat have put in 

 an appearance. The worst is what is known as the Lily disease 

 (Polyactis cana), which attacks several of the most popular 

 species, grown alike for garden purposes and for market, but 

 chiefly the pure white Lilium candidum (Madonna Lily). The 



cultivator must therefore be careful 

 to purchase his bulbs from a trust- 

 worthy source, and not to be led 

 away by low prices. The grower is 

 first made aware of the presence of 

 the fungus by the foliage becoming 

 spotted with rust, which in time 

 spreads, until the expanded flowers 

 and unopened buds are also attacked. 

 The latter are quite disfigured by 

 patches of brown. It is of little use 

 trusting to Nature to repair the 

 mischief, for frosts have not the 

 slightest effect upon the sclerotia 

 which carry on the cycle of life in 

 the succeeding season. It is very 

 important to take precautionary 

 measures directly the disease is noted, 

 as the spores are readily transmitted 

 by insect and other agencies, and a large area is quickly infected. 

 Moreover, it is thought that a similar, if not actually the same, 

 fungoid disease attacks the Tulip. All the dead foliage, flowers, 

 &c, of plants known to be infected should be very carefully 

 removed and burnt. Resting bulbs might be kept for a time in 

 powdered sulphur, and very weak solutions of the Bordeaux 

 Mixture might be sprayed on the plants as soon as the disease 

 manifests itself. 



Fig. 183. — Narcissus Fly 

 in its Various Stages. 



