388 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



May 11, 1912. 



ANSWERS TO 



CORRESPONDENTS. 



Editorial Communications should he addressed to the 

 Editor of the Gardeners* Magazine, 148 and 149, 

 Aldersgate Street, E.C. 



Secretaries of horticultural eocieties are invited to 

 send early notification of forthcoming exhibitions 

 and meeting-fi, aiui are requesttxl to advise us con- 

 cerning changes of dates. 



The Editor will be glad to receive photographs of 

 gardens, plants, flowers, trees, fruits, etc., for 

 reproduction in the Gardeners' Magazine. He will 

 also be greatly obliged by correspondents sending 

 early intimation of interesting local events relating 

 to horticulture. In sending newspapers containing 

 matter to which they wish to draw attention cor- 

 respondents are requested tb diistinctly mark the 

 paragraph. 



PHOTOGRAPHS OF POWIS CA^^TLE 

 GAKDENS.— J. M., Durham.— Would you 

 hi' kind enough to inform me where I ean 

 ol)taiu piiotographs of Powis Castle Gardens? 



EFFECT 

 TULIP.S. 



veral views in tho.-^e tamous garden^ hav<? 

 appeared in thL* Gardeners' Magazine, and 

 as I was employed at Powis, I should very 

 much like to obtain photograplis to keep as 

 a matter of personal interest. — Mr. H. N. 

 King, 4, Avenue Road» Goldhawk Road, 

 London, '\V., has a series of pliotographs of 

 Powis Castle and gardens, and no doubt you 

 could obtain copies. 



OF RECENT WEATHER OX 

 A. A., Romtord: My Darwiu and 

 May-flowering tulips are in full bloom, and 

 about a fortnight before their usual time. 

 The stems are not so tall as usual, the flowers 

 are scarc-ely so large as in previous years, 

 and the leaver, as you will see by the en- 

 closed specimen, seem to have been slightly 

 bleached. Will the variable weather of this 

 i-pring have any ill-effect upon the biilbsr 

 In most gardens the Darwin and May-flower- 

 ing tulips have been i'orced into bloom early 

 ^by the brilliant sunshine of April, conse- 

 quently they are not so fine or long-stemmed 

 as usual ; the absence of warm rains also 

 militated against full size and height. The 

 bleaching of the leaves is due to frost and 

 cold winds, and is likely to prevent the for- 

 mation of full size and otherwise well- 

 develo{)ed bulbs. Hoe among the plants, 

 give a watering if necessary, and a light 

 nuilching of manure, so that the leaves and 

 stems may be kept green and useful to the 

 bulbs as long as possible. 



T R A N S P L A X T I X G BAMBOOS. — 

 X'. T. W., Chipping Xorton. — What is tlie 

 best time to transplant bamboos, and to 

 divide them it necessary? — May is by far 

 the best time of the year for bamboo plant- 

 ing, and the earlier in the month the w^ork 

 can be performed the better. The sites 

 should be well prepared and manured pre- 

 viouslv, and some short manure should be 

 ready to hand ior mulching- d lot tly after 

 planting. Unless the soil is mo si, as after 

 showery weather, it is very desirable to give 

 tlie clumps a good soaking the evening pre- 

 vious to lifting. Lift carefully, divide by 



of a strong knife, and replant with- 

 out allowing the roots to become dry from 

 exposure. Water in and syringe overhead 

 frequently if the weather remains dry and 

 bright. 



GHOST 

 E. B. C. 



MOTH CATERPILLAR. 

 Farnham. — I enclose a pinkisli 

 caterpillar, with a red-brown head and some 

 blackish dots on the upper part oi its body. 

 It seems to work underground, and do harm 

 to roots. Kindly tell mei what mo^ih it 

 belongs to, and how to get rid of it, — Tlie 

 specimen is a caterpillar of the Gliost Moth ; 

 the male moth silvery-white and grey; the 

 female yellow, with brownish markings, and 

 grey hind wings. The moths fly in June 

 and July. The courtship of this s-pecies has 

 been described by Chapman. The moths 

 fly in the gloaming. The male, ghost-like 

 and conspicuous by the silvery-white colour 

 in spite of the dusk, chooses a place and 

 hovers for a short time backwards and for- 

 wards, ** swaying like a pendulum over a 

 surface of about a yard " (Barrett) in order 

 to attract the female. Sometimes the male 

 is alone, sometimes there are several males 



in company. The female, non-fertilised, 

 flies towards a male and intentionally 

 touches or knocks up against the male, 

 which at once ceases its swaying and drops 

 to the ground, where pairing takes place. 

 Tlie fertilised female flies about over the 

 grass, discharging her eggs as she flies. 

 From the egg hatches the caterpillar, which 

 feeds from- July till the next April or May 

 at least, when pupation takes place. As with 

 the last species, the pupa leaves the cocoon 

 just before the emergence of the moth, and 

 by means of its spines wriggles to the sur- 

 face. The Board of Agriculture points out 

 that Vaporite has been used w^ith some suc- 

 cess against swiJt caterpillars, while in a 

 confined area where the caterpillars are at 

 work the use of bisulphide of carbon injected 

 into the soil would destroy them. Pieces of 

 potato tuber placed here and there some 

 inches below the surface of the soil, in 

 marked places, will serve as traps. The 

 working of the soil where the crop allows, 

 and the turning up of the caterpillars (or 

 in spring of the chrysalids) to the birds is 

 a useful measure, or the caterpillars can be 

 collected. In some cases, e.g., with daffodils, 

 should the pest be abundant, the bulbs 

 should be lifted and replanted. Birds and 

 moles devour the caterpillars, which are also 

 destroyed by two species of parasitic fungi, 

 viz., Cordyceps militar's and C. entomor- 

 rhiza. 



METEOROLOGICAL 



OBSERVATIONS 



TAKEN IN THE EOYAL HORTICULTURat 

 SOCIETY'S GAUDENS AT WISLEY, SURREY 



Height above Sea-level, 150 feet. 



Date. 



1912. 

 April 28 



TO 



May 4. 



Apr. 



* t 



•1 



May 



If 

 I* 



28— Snnday .... 



29— Monday .... 

 iiO— Tuesday.... 



1— Wedutsday 



2— Thnrsday ,. 



3— Friday 



4— Saturday... 



Means 



02 



TemPERATVRE of THg 



Air. 



br. m 

 10 12 



2 

 12 

 7 

 4 



3 



5t 



48 

 42 

 24 



(total) 

 41 SO 



At 9 



a.m. 



Dny 





Dry 



Wet 



Hi^^h- 





Bulb, 



Bulb. 



ett. 



e-t 



deg. 



deg. 



deg. 



dee. 



48 



43 



57 





46 



42 



52 





49 



41, 



b7 



•61 



53 



47 



64 



57 







5u 



67 



53 



bl 





51 



£0 



53 



50 



51 



47 



59 



41 



Date, 



1912, 

 AptciL 28 



TO 



May 4. 



t J 



XAME.S OF PLANTS. 



W. P. C, Eoelidale. — 1, Cymbidinm ebur- 

 neiim; 2, Lselio-cattlt'ya eiegans. 



M. E. F., Dartford. — 1, Echeveria 

 &ecnnd<a glanca ; 2. Asparagus Sprengeri. 



C. C, Matlock. — 1, Saxilraga hypno:des ; 

 2, S. decipiens ; 3, Iheris sempervirens ; 4^ 

 Berberis Darwin i. 



E. S., Beekenham. — Xot good specimens; 

 probably Dendrobium densiflorum. How are 

 the flowers produced!' 



H. S. D., Monmouth. — 1, Pvrus Rineo; 2, 

 Erysimum Perofskyanum ; 3, Cytisus prae- 

 cox; 4, Orobu.s vernus ; 5, Tulipa primulina. 



Apr. 28 

 29 



30 



May 1 



2 

 3 

 4 



>■ 



If 



-Sunday 



-Monday 



- Tuesday 



-"Wednesday.. 

 -Thursday.... 

 -Friday 



- Saturday .... 



Means 



(total) 

 0-08 



Temperature of 





. the Soil 





AT 9 A.M. 













At 



At 



At 



« <i 



1 ft. 



2 ft. 



4 tt. 



0 * 



deepi 



deep. 



deep. 





deg. 



dejr. 







51 



51 



50 



31 



52 



5( 



50 





50 



51 



60 





51 



51 



50 





54 



51 



50 







52 



50 



33 



51 



52 



50 



ID 



52 



51 



50 



29 



CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



DICKSOXS. CHESTER.— A usi'ful. -weil-arrangtd 

 list of bccklino- plants, annua-ks dahlias, etc. 



BEES, LE\1., LIVERPOOL.— A compr^hen&he catfl. 



logue for the time of year, ranging- from betMin? 

 plants, dnhliars, and ehry^antheniuni.-;. to tools, fer- 

 tilise r.s, and garden clogs and glove-. 



Always 

 to do is 

 and note 



pay their way ami make up their cost, time and time over again. What they claim 

 always achieved — liciice they are used by experts everywhere. Try them this yt ar, 

 results. You will be delighted, for thev never fail to do i^ood work. 



"CARMONA" FERTILIZERS ARE INDISPENSABLE. 



Here you have the finest fertilizer which science can offer. It imparts full vitahty to your 

 pianfs and trees. Makes tliem strong and vigorcus, gives them productive power, and tliis 

 is what you want. 



Robinson's cater for all fertilization needs, and make up many varieties. Wliatever you 

 want in this direction they can supplv. 



Sweet Pea Culture is so popular that Uiey draw special attention to their " Carincna " 

 Sweet Pea Fertilizer. This should be used by all growers and exJiibitors 



Carmona" Fertilizers are sold in all quantities. Note bulks and prices:— 

 icwt.. 2C/-; icwt., 12/8; 28lb., 7/6; ulb., 4/6; 7lb., 2/6; 1/- and 6c!. Tins. 



Of all Seedsmen and A gents, or write direct. 



. THE SHOW OF THE YEAR. £350 IN CASH PRIZES. 



Robinson's are liolding a grand shr.w on August jStli and ^oth, this rear, at the Botanica' 



Gardens, Edgbaston, Birmingham, and all purchasers of "Carmona" Fertilizers are ofterea 



free entry, for each packet contains an entn^ "fee" coupon. £350 will be given away m 

 cash prizes, and also many Championship Medals wUl be awarded. This Show is open to 

 you. The Show Schedules are now ready, and will be stnt free on application. 



INSECT ABOMINATIONS. 



These are detested by every gardener, for thev ruin one's best tfforts Half-hearted measures 

 are no good. Don t play wjth insects, but get rid of them. You can exterminate thfTji 

 ?1LLL-L'1^.'YL enough to use the finest Insecticide on the market, CLIFT'S P^^", " 



plants freedom from insects, it makes for success. 



6/3 per gall.; 5 g^tlls., 5/6 per galL; 



INSECTICIDE. Give your 

 and prices as follows : — 



40 galls., 4/8 per gall.; 20 galls., 6/- per gall.; 10 gall 



I gall., 6/-; \ gall., 3/6; i pint, 1/-. 



Of all Seedsmen and A gents, or zvrite direct, 



OTHER USEFUL GAROENAUTIES. 



Note these, for you may want them. " Eradiweed " guaranteed cent per ctnt. 

 Weed Killer. Sure and C( rtain. " Velvas " Lawn Sand— ju--l the sand needed. 

 Robinson's send on all detaiK. lists, etc., free of charge, and also include as 

 a gift two v.aluable earde iiin-<4 books, which you will appreciate. ( i) Robin- 

 son's " Guaranteed Garde nalities Booklet," 'and i 2) Robinson's '* Garden 

 Enemies " Booklet. These arc brimming over with serviceable gardening hints 

 and advice. Address vour p.c. or letter to : — 



ROBINSON BROS., LTD.. WEST BROMWICH, STAFFS. 



