146 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Unfortunate speculations, " booms," and individual losses will doubtless 

 occur. Irrigation and tillage are, however, transforming not only the 

 appearance of the country but the character of the soil itself. — G. F. S.-E. 



Spenser, The Flowers Of. By H. N. Ellacombe {Gard. Chron., 

 No. 1,121, p. 393, June 30, 1908, and subsequent Nos.).— In this paper 

 Canon Ellacombe gives an alphabetical list with interesting comments 

 upon the flowers mentioned by the poet Spenser. The writer says : " The 

 account of the flowers does not profess to be a positive or scientific account, 

 and the papers are rather an annotated index, or perhaps a concordance. 

 I have quoted, but as shortly as possible, his allusion to each plant, and 

 added short notes on those of them which seemed to require it." — G. S. S. 



Spraying" Mixture. By Dr. Contant (Jour. Soc. Nat. Hort. Fr., 

 p. 122 ; February 1909). — The author describes the process of manufacture 

 of a spray fluid which he has found very effective, with the warning that, 

 as it produces poisonous fumes during its preparation, it must be made 

 out of doors. Once it is on the trees, however, a short exposure to the 

 action of the air makes it quite innocuous to all but insect pests. A 

 cauldron capable of holding 36 litres is raised on three bricks, 2 litres of 

 water are put in it, and a fire is lighted underneath. When the water 

 boils, 1\ kilos, of quick-lime are put into the cauldron to slake. Water is 

 then added little by little until the kettle is half full, and next 1\ kilos, of 

 flowers of sulphur are sifted in through a sieve, the mixture being stirred 

 all the while to prevent its getting lumpy. When the sulphur is well 

 mixed the whole is left to boil for about half an hour, and finally enough 

 water is added to fill the cauldron. 



If there are many tree to dress, the mixture may be well stirred up 

 and applied with a brush to trunk and branches during the winter, not 

 later than the end of January, as it would burn the buds later. 



The mixture may also be left standing for six hours, when a yellow 

 deposit, having a slight excess of lime, will have settled at the bottom, 

 leaving a clear orange-coloured liquid above. This may be drawn off with 

 a syringe into some vessel which may be corked up, as it spoils if exposed 

 to the air. 



What Dr. Contant calls the "pure mixture" or the deposit should be 

 applied in the same way as already described, first scraping the lumps made 

 by scale, to allow the poison to have its full effect. The clear liquor, on 

 the other hand, may be used for spraying during spring and summer. 

 When the leaves are young one part of liquor to ten parts of water is 

 strong enough, later one in six parts may be used. For peaches, vines, 

 roses, and beans, however, the weaker solution is always safer. 



For slugs among strawberries or salads, make holes from 15 to 

 20 centimetres deep among the plants, pour in a glassful of the mixture, 

 and fill in the hole. — M. L. H. 



Statice arborescens. By H. Correvon (Le Jardin, vol. xxii. 

 No. 514, p. 212 ; July 20, 1908 ; 2 figs.).— This curious type is indigenous 

 to the Canaries, as already described by M. Correvon in La Nature, 

 April 7, 1906. The Gardeners' Chronicle, December 17, 1904, also has 



