272 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



Hardy Ferns.- M. S., Basingstoke: It is now quite safe to remove dead 

 fronds from hardy ferns, and also all the brown and decaying fronds from those 

 species which do not lose all their fronda^e during winter—such as the harts- 

 tongues. Plants may be divided now, though we prefer to wait until growth is a 

 little more advanced, provided the situation of the fernery is considerably shaded. 

 Where the soil has been washed away from the fern stocks add some new material, 

 such as good loam and leaf mould in equal quantities ; peat may be added but is 



not a necessity 



As this is the best fungicide for 



we have not the least 



Bouillie Bordelaise.— F. II., G 



such pests as potato and tomato diseases, rfr . 

 Objection to repeating the formula and method of manufacture for the benefit of a 

 new reader. There are several methods of making Bouillie Bordelaise or Bordeaux 

 mixture, but one of the simplest and most effective compositions is as follows : mix 

 four pounds of quicklime in a gallon or so of water and allow this to settle ; in 

 another vessel mix six pounds of sulphate of copper in four gallons of water, and 

 to this add the liquid from the lime solution ; mix the two liquids thoroughly, and 

 add sufficient water to make forty gallons of the mixture ; before application, give 

 the mixture another good mixing and apply it in the form of a very fine spray that 

 will settle on all parts of the trees or plants under treatment. 



The Small Magpie Moth. — C. A., Uxbridge : The slim caterpillars 

 sent are examples of the caterpillar of the small magpie moth {Phahtna halias). 

 Sometimes this proves as great a 

 pest as the Magpie Moth (Abraxus 

 p-ossjilariata), and we have already 

 seen specimens on red-currant 

 bushes ready to feed upon the 

 tender foliage. Hand-picking will 

 be the best method of getting 

 rid of the pest, and a sharp-eyed 

 lad can soon detect and destroy 

 the caterpillars as they lie close 

 to the stem. Dust soot and lime 

 upon and under the bushes. At 

 the end of May the caterpillars 

 that have escaped will be full 

 fed, when they will descend to 

 the ground and among the surface 

 nodules they will assume the 

 chrysalis state. This is the gar- 

 dener's opportunity, for if the 

 surface soil is removed to the 

 depth of an inch and a half and 

 burned or buried deeply (about 

 two feet) in some other part of 

 the garden, the pest will be got 

 rid of effectually. Replace the 

 soil with some good material such 

 as road -scrapings, old potting - 

 bench refuse, or rich garden soil. 



Nitrogenous Manure 



Small Magpie Moth, and Caterpillar. 



\ — R. B., Kent: The question you raise with 



reference to the rapidity with which nitrate of soda and sulphate of ammonia 

 becomes exhausted, is of considerable interest. As Sir ]. B. Lawes has pointed 

 out in discussing the valuation of unexhausted manures: When nitrate of 

 soda is used as manure, its nitrogen does not enter into fixed combinations within 

 the soil, but nitrate is dissolved in the soil- water, and unless taken up by vegetation, 

 much passes into the drains, or into the subsoil beyond the reach of the roots of 

 the crops. When salts of ammonia are used, part of the ammonia is temporarily 

 taken up by the soil, but it is, more or less rapidly (according to the character of 

 the soil and of the season), converted into nitrate, and is then subject to loss by 

 drainage as when nitrate of soda is used. The loss by drainage will, as a rule, be 

 the most when these manures are applied to grain crops, but materially less when 

 applied to root crops or to permanent grass, as these crops have a more extended 

 period of growth, tending to keep the soil-water nearer the surface, and to greater 

 utilisation of the nitrogen. When these artificial nitrogenous manures are used 

 lor gram pops, they leave some nitrogenous crop-residue (stubble and roots) ; the 

 more so the greater the amount of the increased produce due to the manure. When 

 used tor root crops, there will, as a rule, be much more of the supplied nitrogen 

 recovered m the crop than in the total produce of a grain crop. When applied to 

 permanent grass, there will also be much more of the supplied nitrogen recovered 

 in the increase of crop than when applied to a grain crop ; and there will at the 

 same time be more crop-residue in the case of permanent grass 



The Pear Midge.— H. P., Norwich: Little can be done to combat the 

 pear midge {Diplosu pytivora) after the flowers expand as the pest makes its way 

 to the centre of the flower a little previous to the buds opening. If your pears 

 have not yet opened their flowers spray them frequently, until expansion, with 

 the following mixture : Seven pounds of soft soap and ten pounds of quassia chips, 

 boiled together with a little water ; add a little Paris green, strain through a cloth 



i>- u £ n „ • U / e ™ th one hu ndred gallons of water. Use the mixture warm, 

 rick oft all infested fruits as they appear and burn them ; they can be detected by 



u swelhn £- In his description of the species, Schmidberger states 

 that the number of eggs these midges lay vary from one to sixty, which hatch in a 

 very short time if warm at four days from deposition; before the blossom is 

 expanded they descend to the core ; here they continue till the inside is exhausted, 

 fr.ftl g 1 enerall y leav f at a ™iny time, coming out on to the exterior of the young 

 he? Li crack \ or ^'tog out > froni whence they spring to the ground. Often 



of ihe rn^t ln Pear Until the fruit falls - The period of the full development 

 April '^^T^^^ya 8 January 9> and continues consecutively until 



April is, or even later. A call micW L„ B „„ _M, it. U™. w 



inserted 



ingl 



general colour is dark nrpv T^ t? 1 ° y P iercin g the P eta,s - The aduIt sect's 



aboutonenwcl th of anin^ b . kck ; avera S e l ' n g th > two-fifths millimetre (or 

 the body i num iv™ 1 *' u ovl P° SUor . when extended, longer than the rest of 

 caseTbL^^ millimetres ; head, thoL, legs, and wing. 



yellow ; surfaces polisTd, S^t^lS^ f*? ^ 



ENGAGEMENTS FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. 



*6.-Royal Horticultural^F 1 ^ 5 - 

 p.m. on * Fragrant Flo*mv J Committees meet at Twelve o'clock. Lecture 



Auricula aJpJS c ted Leaves," by Mr. F. W. Burbidge, F.L.S. 

 I with the R.H.S. ' ty Wl11 hold a "nual exhibition at the Drill Hall in 



Wnhouse PUnts, Pon^^pto, 



Obituary. 



Mons. AIMS Girard, who died a few days ago, was a great benefactor v 

 native country, for few men have done more than he to popularise sciemifi 

 agriculture in France. His chief researches were in connection with th? 

 provement of sugar beet and potato cultivation. He will be long remember T 

 his experiments in potato improvement and cultivation gave wonderful resuh 

 for he showed how the crop could be made to yield a third more than previouT' 

 that the percentage of starch could be raised considerably, and that for stnrL' 

 feeding the tubers could be rendered more valuable than before. Aime GirarH 

 was the first to conduct experiments in the prevention of potato disease" on 

 proper basis with Bouillie Bordelaise, a mixture now so popular as a fungicide* 1 

 and discovered by him in use in some outlying French vineyards. The French 

 nation has lost a great man, and agriculturists a friend, by the death of M 

 Girard in his sixty-eighth year. He was an untiring worker, and his best monu 

 ment will be the good work he accomplished, and it will keep his name before 

 generations to come. 



Mr. W. H. Cullingford, who has long been a warm supporter of associations 

 having for their object the encouragement of floriculture, died, we regret to 

 announce, at his residence at Tunbridge Wells a few days since, in his sixty- 

 eighth year. 



Mr. James Crute who, in conjunction with Mr. William Marshall and the 

 late Shirley Hibberd, founded the United Horticultural Provident and Benefit 

 Society, died, we regret to record, on the 14th inst. Mr. Crute was an ardent 

 amateur horticulturist, and devoted much attention to the improvement of 

 garden pots, but of late years he has, in consequence of advancing years, been 

 living in retirement at Bognor. 



MARKETS. 



Covent Garden, 



The general demand is brisk, and with fairly good supplies prices are maintained. 

 For new vegetables there is an increasing request, and these realise high rates. 

 Flowers are plentiful, and sell freely at moderate prices. 



Fruit.— Nova Scotian apples, 15s. to 25s. per barrel; Tasmanian, 12s. to i5s. 

 per case ; pineapples, 2s. to 5s. 6s. each ; bananas, 5s. to 10s. per bunch ; lemons, 

 6s. to 15s. per case ; English grapes, 3s. to 5s. ; Belgian, 2s. 6d. to 3s. 6d. per lb. ; 

 Valencia oranges, 9s. to 15s. per case ; Jaffa, 10s. to 12s. per box. 



Flowers. — Arums, 3s. to 4s.; carnations, is. to 3s.; eucharis, 4s. to 5s.; 

 gardenias, 2s. to 3s. ; Lilium Harrisi, 4s. to 6s. ; tea roses, 6d. to is. ; pink roses, 

 4s. to 8s. ; red roses, 3s. to 6s. ; cattleyas, 6s. to 9s. ; Odontoglossura crispum, 

 is. 6d. to 4s. ; tulips, 6d. to is. ; and tuberoses, is. to is. 6d. per dozen blooms ; 

 Adiantum cuneatum, 4s. to 8s. ; marguerites, 2s. to 4s. ; narciss, various, is. 6d. to 

 4s.; Roman hyacinths, 4s. to 63. ; daffodils, 2s. to 6s.; mignonette, 2s. to 4s. ; 

 pelargoniums (scarlet), 4s. to 9s.; wallflowers, 4s. to 6s.; primroses, 9d. to is.; and 

 violets, 9d. to 3s. 6d. per dozen bunches ; azaleas, 6d. to is. ; stephanotis, 4s. to 6s. ; 

 lily of the valley, 6d. to is. 6d. ; and pelargoniums, 6d. to is. per dozen sprays 

 bouvardias, 6d. to 8d. ; white lilac, 3s. to 6s. per bunch. 



Vegetables.— English tomatos, 9d. to is. per lb.; Canary, is. to is.9d. per 

 tray, 3s. 6d. to 4s. 6d. per case; mushrooms, 6s. to 8s. ; eschallots, as, per 12 lb.; 

 French asparagus, 2s. to 5s. ; Italian, is. 4d. to is. 9d. per bundle; spinach, 2s. to 

 2S. 6d. per bushel ; Fcrctd rhubarb, is. to is. 6d. ; natural. 2s. 6d. to 3s 6d. per 

 dozen bundles; mint 5s. to 6s. per dozen bunches ; endive, is. 8d. to 2-. 6d. ; lettuce, 

 9d. to is. 3d. ; cos, 2s. to 2s. 6d. ; cucumbers, 23. 6d. to 5s. 6d. ; caulillowers, is. 6d. 

 to 2s. 6d. per dozen ; Egyptian onions, 6s. 6d. to 75, 6d. per cvvt. ; English spring, 

 2s. 6d. to 3s. 6d. per dozen bunches; green peas, 4d. to 5d. per packet; French 

 beans 3s. to 3s. 6d. per basket; Canary new potatos, 10s. to 15s.; French, 2d. to 

 2'd. per lb. 



Borough Potato Market* 



Warmer weather has caused a decline in the demand for potatos, so with moderate 

 supplies prices are only just rraintained. 



Dunbars, 120s. to 130s. ; Scotch Magnums, 105s. to 115s. ; Hebrons, 100 >. to 

 110s. ; Snowdrops, 85s. to 100s. ; Bruce Maincrop, Sutton's Regents, Reading Oitnts, 

 and Saxons, 95s. per ton ; Belgians 4s. to 4s. 3d. per bag. New -Maltese rounds, 

 12s. per cwt. ; Jersey hothouse, 3|d. to 4d. per Id. 



Week 



Rainfall 



London 



Croydon 

 Brighton 

 Bristol 



Wolverhampton 

 Norwich 



Nottingham 

 Liverpool 



Huddersfield 

 Bradford .... 



Hull 



< l he ^ n rCadin * 0f the B ar^eter during the week at Greenwich wa! ^^' 00 ^ nC ^ , 

 of the Thermometer 40-3, the latter being 3 0 'i above the week's average in ^ 

 1 8.1-90. The direction of the wind wal variable, the horizontal movement of t* ^ 



* - ' years 1860-75. The dm*** * * inch . 



average 

 8 hours. 



CONTENTS 



• • • 



• •t 



• • • 



• • • 



A Morning Mixture 



Answers to Correspondents 

 Bomereas .. 



Cyclamen at God... WM *.«*.... 

 Engagements for the Ensuing Week 



Royal Gardeners* Orphan Fund 



Horticultural Club 

 Garden Ranunculuses ... 

 Humus in its Relation to Soil' Fertility 

 Landscape Gardening 

 Markets* 



Milk Preservation 

 Notes of the Week 



Plant Defence 



The Pleasing Pri 



. The Ghent Quinqu 

 Obituary ,„ 



• * • 



• • • 



• • • 



• • • 



■ • • 



t • • 



• • * 



• • • 



• •• 



• • « 



• • • 



1 • • 



PA GB 



258 



271 



266 

 271 

 272 



270 

 270 

 258 

 269 

 270 



272 

 260 



• • f 



• • 1 



• • • 



• • - 



••• 



• • • 



••• 



••• 



t • • 



276 



276 

 276 

 272 



Scarcity of Late Pears - ; 



Some Roses of 1897 F^u^tion 

 The Ghent Quinquennial Exhituu 



The Weather 

 Vegetables for Exhlbtion 



Work for the Week 



A • 



ft? 



... 



• •• 



; 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



A Group of Plant s illustrating the 

 A j£n Linden's Discover"* - p ^&+ 

 Azaleas and other Greenhouse 



Rare Palms 



Sodete 



(£,«og Ghent Qg*SS 

 . .u- W nter Garden, v _ 



quen 



nial 



• tt 



• • ■ 



