274 JOUENAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



I venture to say the results would be superior to those which would 

 follow the efforts of the novice if left entirely to his own devices to deal 

 with a similar bed. — E. T. C. 



Roses, Pruning" Neglected. By P. (Garden, Xo. 1798, p. 245 ; 

 May 6 J 1906). — There are practically four divisions into which neglected 

 roses can be di"^-ided, namely : ((7) dwarfs or bushes ; (h) pillar roses ; 

 (c) standard roses ; and [d) ramblers and climbers. 



Taking the bushes first, I would ad^ise that all shoots or growths 

 more than one year old be cut quite down to the ground. The remaining 

 growths would probably be one or two that are soft and pithy, and 

 perhaps one that is well ripened and that was produced early last season. 

 Cut down the pithy shoots, i.e. those having more j)ith than sohd wood, 

 and leave the hard gro\\i;h or growths from six inches -to nine inches long. 

 The plants, if healthy, will throw up quite a number of new shoots, which 

 should be well thinned, preserving only three or fom- of the best, which 

 are allowed to grow unchecked until autumn. 



In the case of Tea, Monthly, and Polyantha or Fairy roses, these may 

 be cut down to the ground, and would be all the better for it. — E. T. C. 



Rose Rust (Le Jardin, vol. xx. No. 453, p. 13; January 5, 1906). — 

 The bitter juice secreted by the wild lettuce {Lactuca virosa) is said to be 

 an excellent remedy if rubbed on the diseased parts, the leaves having 

 been crushed in the fingers. The treatment should be repeated for several 

 days. The plant may also be sprayed with an emulsion of the juice and 

 water, or the mixture can be applied to the parts affected with a brush. 



F. A. TT. 



Samshu (a Chinese Spirit) from Sorghum vulgare. By 



E. H. WHson {Gard. Chwn. So. 1005, p. 194 ; March 31, 1906).— The 

 author says : — " This industry is largely carried on in North China and 

 Manchuria, and in a lesser degree all over China." The process of manu- 

 facture is then described. The ferment is made by mixing together 

 three parts of barley to one of peas, grinding them together, and then 

 adding enough water to bring the mass to the consistency of putty, 

 which is then pressed into brick-shaped moulds. The bricks are then 

 piled up in a room to a height of four or five feet, with spaces for the 

 free passage of air. Fungoid growth soon a^Dpears and gradually per- 

 meates the whole mass. The culture is completed in about forty days. 

 When properly dried and stored these ferment-bricks retain their active 

 properties for four or five years. — G. S. S. 



San Jose Scale, Comparative Experiments with Various 

 Insecticides for the. By S. A. Forbes (U.S.A. Exp. Stn. Illinois, 

 Bali. 107; April 1906). — A considerable number of insecticides were 

 tested, and the cheapest and most efficient was found to be the lime-and- 

 sulphur spray dissolved by boiling together ; the next was the lime- sulphur 

 salt-wash so frequently referred to in these abstracts. — F. J. C. 



Scale, Cottony Grass (Enopeltis festuccB Fonse). By Edith M. 

 Patch (U.S.A. Edp. Stn. Elaine, Ann. Rep. 1905, pp. 169-180; 



