758 



THE PRACTICAL GARDENER. 



plants in the liquor, where they remain for twenty-four hours ; 

 they are, when taken out, laid with their tops downwards to 

 dry, and are repotted in the usual manner. It does not very 

 clearly appear, what share either the tobacco used by Miller, 

 or the sulphur used by Muirhead, has in the desti'uction of 

 these insects, or whether the water alone, without mixture of 

 any kind, would not answer the same end; the rubbing* off' the 

 insects, which the water loosens from the leaves, appears the 

 principal part in the cure. Without stopping to solve this 

 question, Muirhead certainly cleared his pine-plants of insects 

 in a short time, by no other means ; and of this fact we had 

 ocular demonstration. Muirhead is one of the best cultivators 

 of pines in Scotland, and his general good culture and assi- 

 duity may be the real cause of his pines being healthy and 

 clear, more than any virtue in his sulphurated water. 



Speechly recommends the following receipt, which he long 

 used with success in the Welbeck Gardens : ** Take one pound 

 of quicksilver, put it into a glazed vessel, pour upon it one gal- 

 ion of boiling water, which let stand till it gets cold ; then pour 

 off the water for use. Repeat this on the same quicksilver (for 

 it will retain its power) till a sufficient number of gallons are 

 provided to fill a vessel intended for the purpose : one in the 

 form of a trough, that will hold eight or ten gallons, is the 

 most convenient, especially for the large-sized plants. To 

 every gallon of this mercurial water, add six ounces of soft 

 green soap, dissolved in a portion of the prepared water ; let 

 the mixture stand till it becomes about milk-warm, which is 

 the degree of warmth to which it must be kept during the 

 time of dipping ; which operation is performed in the follow- 

 ing manner : — Before the plants be taken out of the pots, I 

 would," he says, advise the brushing oft' a few of the scaly 

 insects, as in a common dressing, especially towards the bottom 

 of the leaves, where they will sometimes be so numerous, as 

 in appearance to lie one upon another ; in which case, the 

 mixture might be prevented from penetrating to the bottom in- 

 sects. The leaves of the larger-sized plants should be tied toge- 

 ther, as they will be more manageable in this form than with 

 their leaves loose, and less liable to be damaged. The plants 

 should then be taken out of the pots, and divested of their 



