DECEMBISR. 



181 



and other places. Remove sour uncongenial soil from about their roots, when 

 this may be suspected as unfavourable. To be brief, pure air, pure water, and 

 pure soil are the requisite remedies. Apply these and you will give trees the 

 vigour to enable them to resist the attacks of insects without having recourse 

 to the dangerous plan of decortication. 



Phi. 



SMOOTH CAYENNE PINE. 



Having read with considerable interest the correspondence between 

 " M. S." and Mr. D. Thomson about the Smooth Cayenne Pine Apple, and 

 having grown two varieties of the Smooth Cayenne, I am convinced both are 

 right in giving a true description of the variety they each cultivate. Several 

 years ago, wishing to get a stock of this Pine, I procured two lots from 

 different growers ; one of the lots produces a large well-flavoured fruit, but 

 having a tendency to decay soon, frequently the pips at the base decaying 

 before those near the crown are ripe, and occasionally getting rotten in the 

 heart; indeed, just answering to the description " M. S." gives of the variety 

 he cultivates. The other lot have turned out quite a distinct sort from the 

 above ; they produce large, highly-flavoured, long-keeping fruit. This sort 

 I believe to be the true Smooth Cayenne. As one instance of its keeping 

 qualities, we cut several fruit in March this spring, kept them eleven days, 

 and then gave them a sea voyage to London. The answer received from 

 my employer was, The Pines were good and arrived in fine condition. I con- 

 sider it a matter of some importance that no wrong impression should go 

 abroad as to the many excellent qualities possessed by the true Smooth 

 Cayenne. 



I had the pleasure a few days ago of looking over the collection at Archer- 

 field, and saw a great number of extremely well-grown Smooth Cayennes, the 

 fruit in various stages of growth, giving promise of a good supply of excellent 

 fruit for the winter of this fine Pine. I had pointed out to me two good fruit 

 of the same kind standing in a cool house that had been ripe for five weeks, 

 and, to all appearance, would stand as loug, if required. 



Fordell, Fife. Robekt Fotjlis. 



THE GOOSEBERRY CATERPILLAR. 



The Gooseberry caterpillar I kept at defiance this year. I first discovered 

 their ravages on the 9th of May by observing a few leaves riddled like little 

 pin holes. I took out my pocket lens and examined many leaves, when I 

 found them covered underneath, on the main veins, with the eggs and young 

 larvse just hatched, and they had made these little holes. On some leaves 

 might be counted from twelve to forty or even fifty eggs or young larvas. 

 Well, then, after this I never passed either Gooseberry or Currant bush but what 

 my eye was upon it. Yes, and underneath it, and all round it too, sometimes for 

 a few minutes and sometimes for an hour or two, just as my time was required. 

 I soon discovered that one stitch in time saved nine, by picking off these early 

 riddled leaves whilst they were altogether before they "grew strong and had 

 spread over the bush to many leaves. I, also, soon found it was of no use to 

 set other persons to look after these marauders. I tried to make my own son 

 do this for me ; but, " No," he said, " it was a nasty job, and to like it he 



