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JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



wheat ; sprinkle the solution over the seed and shovel it over until the 

 surface of each grain is moistened. Shovel the grain in a heap, and 

 cover with canvas or wet sacks. At the end of two hours uncover and 

 spread the grain to dry. The floor and sacks should be sterilised with 

 formalin solution before beginning operations. — M. C. C. 



Cabbage Maggot. By F. L. Washburn ( U.S.A. Exp. Stn. Minnesota, 

 Ann. Bep. 1907 ; 22 figs.). — This pest (Phorbia brassicae) does con- 

 siderable damage to cabbages, turnips, radishes, and other Cruciferae, 

 particularly on light land, by the larvae making their way into the stalk 

 and feeding upwards in the interior. Exposed fields cleanly cultivated 

 suffered less than those sheltered, and where cabbage stalks, &c., were 

 allowed to remain unburied. A large number of natural enemies are 

 described and a mite (Trombidium scabrum) is said to be particularly 

 useful in destroying the eggs which the fly lays at the base of the cabbage 

 stalk. The method of placing a paper collar round the base of the stem 

 to prevent the laying of eggs has been abandoned at this station and 

 experiments with other methods of prevention are in progress. Good 

 results were, it is stated, obtained by immersing the roots at the time of 

 setting in hellebore and water, and also by the use of bran and glue and 

 sawdust and glue placed on the earth round the base of the young plant. 

 Carbolic emulsion made by dissolving 1 lb. hard soap in 1 gal. of boiling 

 water to which is added 1 pint of crude carbolic acid, the whole being 

 churned with a syringe until thoroughly emulsified, was used on infected 

 plants with very variable results. For use the emulsion was diluted to 

 from 15 to 35 times its bulk with water. Maggots lived from 140 min. 

 to 220 min. immersed in the solution (1 part to 30 of water) and eggs 

 hatched after 30 seconds' immersion. — F. J. C. 



Calcium Cyanamide, The Manurial Value of. By Dr. R. Otto 



(Gartcnflora, January 1908). — An account of experiments carried out with 

 lettuce and kohlrabi to investigate the respective manurial values of 

 calcium cyanamide and nitrate of soda. The cyanamide, which is not so 

 readily washed out of the soil as the nitrate of soda, gave in both cases 

 more satisfactory results. The lettuces, manured with nitrate, formed 

 loose hearts, while in the case of the kohlrabi the leaf-growth was 

 abundant at the expense of the roots. — W. B. D. 



Campanula mirabilis, etc. By B. Othmer (Die Gartenw. No. 38, 

 p. 444; June 20, 190H). — C. mirabilis is a low-growing bushy biennial, 

 with ovate, rosette-forming leaves and a much-branched short stem with 

 largo lilac or pale blue flowers. A fine plant for the rockery or pot 

 culture. It is a native of Abchasia, and was discovered in 1895. C. Wald- 

 steiniana, a rare but old plant, is only a few inches in height, with 

 close-growing, wiry stems, small glaucous leaves, and pale blue flowers 

 in .July and August. G. barbata and C. barbata alba are biennials 

 with green hairy leaves, large bell-shaped blue or white hairy flowers 

 in June and July. — G. R. 



Canker Worm, The Spring. By A. L. Quaintance (U.S.A. Dep. 

 Agr. Bur. of Entom., Hull. (>N, Pt. II. ; July 1907 ; 2 plates).— This insect 



