GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



417 



V lue of Lime in the garden has been frequently referred to in these 

 The va f„ r ntimose of sweetening soils that in consequence 



more 



pages, 

 of the 



less sour, an 



particularly for the purpose of sweetening soils 

 1 application of stable and farmyard manures 1 

 d for checking the development of fungi injurious to vegetation. 



In 



atomizer is, m the opinion of Professor Smith, almost perfect. Soap-suds have 

 an advantage over more watery mixtures, because they adhere better. The insect 

 surface that will shed a droplet of water will retain and become covered by one 

 of soap-suds-hence a tobacco soap is better than a tobacco tea, though neither is 



T S °ca liberal applications of lime to the soil have been found useful in check- equal to a tobacco smoke or tobacco vapour 

 Zl* bacterial disease of the tomato, which annually inflicts heavy losses in the The Diamond Jub ( 



incr the bacterial disease T . 



r ted States, and occasionally does considerable damage to crops grown under 

 lasVto this country. The investigations that have been made fully justify the 

 fiews of those who regard calcareous matter as an essential part of the compost 

 for indoor crops of tomatos. 



English-grown Pineapples are now so sparingly represented at public 



xhibitions that the splendid fruits of The Queen exhibited by Mr. M. Gleeson, 

 of the Warren House gardens, Stanmore, at the Royal Horticultural Society's 

 meeting on Tuesday came as a pleasant surprise. Nine fruits of an average weight 

 of five and a-half pounds were staged, and they were distinguished by their finish 

 and perfect maturation as well as for their weight. In admiring these excellent 

 examples it was impossible to restrain a feeling of regret that public taste had so 

 far become perverted as to prefer Smooth Cayenne of foreign production to the 

 richly-flavoured Queen of home growth. It is no unusual occurrence to be told 

 that the St. Michael's pines are equal to the best grown in England ; but almost 



The Queens Diamond Jubilee Cup for Roses.-Last year Her 



Majesty the Queen presented a handsome challenge cup to the Windsor Rose 

 Society, in whose affairs she takes much personal interest, to be offered for com- 

 petition in the class considered most suitable by the executive. In view of its 

 intrinsic value, and the exalted position of the donor, the committee offered the 

 cup as the premier award in the class for forty-eight blooms, and imposed the 

 condition that it should be won twice before becom- 

 ing the property of the exhibitor. At the society's 

 exhibition in 1897, the competition for the challenge 

 cup was very severe, as becomes its importance, and 

 in the result, Mr. B. R. Cant, of Colchester, was 

 the winner, staging a magnificent collection. At 

 the exhibition for the current year, held on June 25, 

 there was again a brisk contest, and Mr. B. R. Cant 

 was again the winner, and is therefore now able to 



invariably those who make these assertions have not tasted a home-grown Smooth assign the cup a permanent position amongst his 



Cayenne, which, by the way, is decidedly inferior to fruit of The Queen when many other rose trophies. The blooms staged were 

 ripened during the summer season. 



Potato Sets.— A recent bulletine of the Louisiana Station gives some and high finish, and the varieties of which the col- 



distinguished by their large size, extreme freshness, 



interesting reports from the horticultural department, regarding the growth and 

 culture of various vegetables and fruits. With regard to potatos, it is stated 

 that formerly only Eastern potatos were used for seed in the South, but now it is 

 found that the southern second-crop potato is really superior as seed. One trouble 

 in the past has been the difficulty of securing a stand with the second crop, as the 

 dry weather in August prevented an early growth. The following plan has been 

 found to obviate this difficulty : After the first crop of potatos has been thoroughly 

 dried in the shade, they are taken the day before planting and placed in a tub of 

 water, where they remain over night. Then they are cut into pieces and per- 

 mitted to fall back into the water ; removed directly out of this water and planted 

 in a deep furrow, covered heavily with well pulverised earth. After planting they 

 are carefully watched ; as soon as they sprout the excess of earth is removed, 

 either with a board or with a hoe. 



lection consisted were A. K. Williams, Susanna 

 M. Rodocanachi, Medea, Annie Laxton, Ulrich 

 Brunner, Madame Cusin, Duchessede Vallombrosa, 

 Violette Bauyer, Madame Hoste, Duke of Edin- 

 burgh, Anna Olivier, Jean Ducher, General Jac- 

 queminot, Catherine Mermet, Cleopatra, Gustave Piganeau, Ethel Brownlow, 

 Golden Gate, Helen Keller, Marechal Niel, Marie van Houtte, Jean Soupert, 

 Princess of Wales, The Bride, La France, Souvenir d'Elise Vardon, Niphetos, 

 Le Havre, Souvenir de S. A. Prince, White Lady, M adame Delville, Souvenir 

 d'un Ami, Caroline Testout, Madame Gabriel Luizet, Duchess of Albany, Magna 

 Charta, Kaiserin Augusta Victoria, Marguerite Boudet, Lady Mary Fitzwilliam, 

 Marie Baumann, Mrs. W.J.Grant, Marquise de Castellane, Viscountess Folke- 

 Handled in this way it is said that many stone, Mrs. John Laing, Dupuy Jamain, Mrs. Sharman Crawford, Marquise 

 making a // eat i su ^f ss with second-growth potatos, and not only Litta, and Prince Arthur. We give herewith an illustration of the handsome cup, 



and congratulate Mr. Cant on his success in winning it. 



Vanilla Culture in Seychelles has undergone considerable extension of 



{lowing their own seed for the following spring, but supplying a profitable local 

 lemand. 



Messrs. Lindens' Establishment at Moortebecke was visited by 



His Majesty, the King of the Belgians, on Thursday, June 23, and under th. 

 pndance of Mr. Lucien Linden, he devoted nearly five hours to the infection of 

 he many objects of interest. His Majesty was especially interested in the large 

 Elections of cattleyas and odontoglossums, and more especially in the many fine 

 *m that were then in bloom. In walking through the several houses, the King 

 vmce,l the warm interest he takes in matters of horticulture, which forms such an 



years 



Mr. II 



Cockham Stewart, the Adm ini strator, states in his annual report that the vanilla 

 crop of last year was the largest that has ever been grown in Seychelles— 



b. This large output of vanilla has given a fresh impetus to its cultiva- 

 tion and a very large quantity has been planted during the past year. When the 



000 



case 



JDortant indnst™ 5n r a i„- T u, * ucrs 01 n orucmture, which forms such an vanilla land will no doubt be taken up which at present are uncultivated, owing to 

 1 I , y m ™S mm > .^d expressed his appreciation of the admirable the difficult of transnnrr. In one district alone, the Mar* *„* Cnrh,™ tw a „ 



rrangement and perfect condition of the several departments. On leaving, his 

 J sty heart.ly congratulated M. Lucien Linden on the establishment he has 



to^^odt^ CffiCient a manner ' ° bSerVing r C ' CSt Un establi -ment 

 Application of Insecticides. -In the course of an exhaustive paper on 



Z t « elfiven ' f^T"" inSeCtiddeS > and »P«*1 attention to 



rS£r; ° * C ,3tter u when a PP lied in the form of an invisible 

 ™. eren , CC t0 thlS matter the author ^ys that to understand just how 



the difficulty of transport. In one district alone, the Mare aux Cochons, there are 

 about five thousand acres of virgin soil well suited to vanilla. The cultivation of 

 vanilla only dates back to about t\* enty years ago, and is only now beginning to be 

 thoroughly understood. The Mexican system of allowing the vines to grow under 

 trees nearly wild is almost universally adopted at present, and is described as a 

 decided improvement on the old system of training the vine on artificial supports. 

 Most of the land in Seychelles is in the hands of private owners, and it is difficult 

 to estimate its cost. It has been stated that landowners are reluctant to part with 

 their land, but Mr. Stewart does not apprehend much difficulty on this score 

 provided that purchasers are prepared to pay ready money. There is some land 

 belonging to the Government well adapted for vanilla cultivation which can be 



_ _ — ■ _ . _ _ _ 



mode of breathing. Insects have no closed system leased for periods varying from nine to twenty-one years. Seychelles is unfortu- 



~ nately almost a terra incognita, and the Administrator is of the opinion that if 



000 



tact poison* • / " ldL LU understand just How 



« poisons work on insects we must consider for an instant their general 



cTcuEr 1 ^^ theiF m ° de ° f breathing ' lDS ^ C 

 more or less d* *d r? ,& ' fi Q d in higher animals. There is only one long caieiy aimusi a icrru t/*tvgn*n* 3 «w*v» « umi mn uawi is ui mc upimuu mat u 



the head cavit m % 1^° chamb . ers and tfcis acts ^ a P u mp, forcing the blood the scores of young Englishmen who leave the mother country year after year for 

 uscles and viscera' n 'T ** makCS ^ W * y throu g h the bod y among the other lands knew olit, they would give the preference to an English colony which 



e lunc^ r ? ^ ^ ltS Way back int0 the Pump. Neither do insects offers advantages not to be met with elsewhere for the investment of small capital, 



einttras irm^^r? * * ^ ^ * - essentially the 

 - carriedin SetuI ? n * m ° dl f cation in st ™ture has occured, and the 

 're the blood " * ***** the ^ These tubes go everywhere 



• An insect brLhL I * °^ ^ ^ ° f the ^dy-never on the 

 be as maTv L twem ' ' kngth ° f each side > there 



t poisons ^ac hr } K OP u mngS * aUh ° Ugh ^re are usually less. Ordinarily 

 ft bodied s If;! 81 : thCSe SpiradeS °' breathin e Pores, though sometimes" 



would be !LZ t Ta CaUStlC \ ^ greenhouse > h ^ever, these 

 material, it 1 !? ( ° the P !ants as to the insects, hence the 



This lead s 



"V:: Zd^r;o M t insects havethe bodies ^besc;;;:^ 



1 ' " ' m ™ Y ° n SUrfaCe ' S " that they shed water 



ak ° the spiral, or T *L 10n * C °" Se Spray simpl y ro,ls off without effect. 

 or bristles which serveT t!^ are furnishe <* with protecting screens of 



P0 ^! P °_ int tha ! m -t be considered, and whose neglect 



eatery cW^_ . SGrVe to kee P out foreign material. 



A large drop of water 



ir», , . unless as an insecticide. XU& th* _.• ^ _ 



lu *, and 



the result «tti "J™ insectlclde ' Use ^e same mixture with an 

 > to the insect bel? 1 ^ qUltC different ' The min «te globules adhere 

 een the protecting * "I DOt heaVy en ° Ugh l ° ro11 off ' they penetrate 

 , The refore, when ^ " ** ^ ^ ^ witil th * in-breath- 

 f 1,e d. it should be m • ° ° r any ° ther water y 



mixture is to be 

 ~ " F 11 on m ^ fine a spray as can be secured. 



plants 



Florida Pineapples.— The crop of pineapples in Florida, although below 

 the average, is better than was at one time expected, and is estimated at between 

 150,000 and 160,000 crates. The fruits are of good quality, and the prices have 

 increased sufficiently to compensate for the deficiency in numbers. The fruits are 

 smaller from the Florida Keys, is smaller and not so richly flavoured as that from 

 the Indian River districts, and the market for the latter is being materially 

 inspired by the shippers marking their Keys fruit Indian River. 



Flora of Simla. — Since his retirement from active service, Colonel Sir 

 Henry Collett has devoted much of his time to preparing at Kew a Flora of Simla 

 and the adjacent district. Simla itself is situated at an elevation of about 7,000 

 feet, and the area included gives a range of altitudes from 3 ,000 feet in the valleys 

 to 10,000 feet, the summit of Huttoo, hence the vegetation is highly diversified. 

 Including ferns and a few other vascular cryptogams, the total number of species 

 is estimated at about 1,500. The work, which is well advanced, is to be illus- 

 trated by 200 figures in the text, all uniformly half natural size, reduced from 

 drawings, by Miss M. Smith, of natural size. Sir Henry has, we learn from the 

 Kew Bulletin, presented the first portion of the original drawings to Kew. 



Esparto Grass to the extent of 8,416 tons was "exported from Carthagena 

 in 1897. This is the grass so largely used for making high-class paper, and it is 

 pleasing to note that the whole export came to Great Britain. The 1897 ship- 

 ments were 1,245 tons in excess of those of 1896. Aguilas exported 21,950 tons of 



scale 



For cleaning esparto to Great Britain, but the 1897 crop was 10,000 tons below that of 1896, 



mm • . . . 4» • . 1 . 1 x xl • 



an 



season 



