April SO, 1835. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
359 
of potting materials, pots, &c., which Mr. Garnet proposes to further 
utilise for the cultivation of Mushrooms during summer. In the Mush¬ 
room house are two beds—one nearly exhausted, the other carrying a 
heavy crop ; also a bed filled with a quantity of excellent Seakale. An 
excellent arrangement for filling the Mushroom beds consists of a series 
of trap-doors some 15 inches square in the floor of the potting shed uuder- 
neath the benches, which open directly into the beds below, and by 
which means the manure is thus passed down with the least possible 
trouble. 
In the forcing houses and pits are quantities of French Beans in 
8-inch pots, very strong and carrying heavy crops ; also fine early Melons 
about 18 inches high, strong and short-jointed. A good collection of 
decorative and table plants are grown, amongst which I noticed a speci¬ 
men 3 feet in diameter of the valuable Jasminum gracillimum, also a 
well-flowered specimen of Meyenia erecta. The kitchen gardens and 
fruit trees are in excellent order, indicating the admirable management 
which prevails.—W. K. W. 
THE SIZE OF CHRYSANTHEMUMS FOR EXHIBITION 
AND DECORATION. 
A paper upon the Chrysanthemum for exhibition and decorative pur¬ 
poses, read by Mr. W. Iggulden at a meeting in Yeovil early in the present 
year, is now being issued in pamphlet form, and will unquestionably prove 
useful to a large number of readers. The cultural instructions are plain 
and practical, and full lists of varieties are given, including selections by 
Messrs. Molyneux, Orchard, Herrin, and Mease, which are by no means the 
least valuable part of the work. 
Referring to the size of Chrysanthemum blooms Mr. Iggulden gives the 
following interesting particulars :— 
“ To enable would-be prizewinners properly to estimate the value of their 
blooms I have compiled a few measurements of some of the best blooms 
that have been exhibited by Mr. Molyneux and other successful exhibitors. 
It will, I trust, meet a want felt by a great many exhibitors who have not 
yet seen any of the very best exhibits of Chrysanthemum blooms. These 
measurements were taken, it must be remembered, from perfect examples, 
cupped up for exhibition, and consequently those who may think they have 
larger blooms on the plants must not too readily flatter themselves that 
they can win the premier prizes ‘in good company.’ Size alone will not 
carry the awards, and every bloom must be full, even, and fresh. Any 
amateur or novice, however, who may grow blooms to near the dimensions 
I shall give will have good reason to congratulate himself, and may safely 
venture to compete for prizes at local shows. In most cases I can give 
only the diameter of the blooms, but where a second figure is added it is to 
signify the depth. 
“ Incurved .—Golden Queen of England, 7J inches ; Queen of England 
7 inches by 3 inches; Empress of India, 6 inches by 3 inches ; Princess 
of Wales, 6 inches by 3 inches; John Salter, Prince Alfred, Mrs. Heale, 
Jardin des Plantes, Lord Wolseley, Bronze Jardin des Plantes each 6 inches ; 
Golden Empress of India, Alfred Salter, Princess Imperial (Lord Alcester), 
each 5 inches by 3 inches ; Jean d’Arc, 5 inches by 3J inches ; Hero of Stoke 
Newington, Prince of Wales, Nil Desperandum, Beauty, White Venus, 
Princess Teck, Refulgens, Emily Dale, Venus, each 5 inches; Baron Beust, 
Princess Bea;rice, Empress Eugenie, Mr. Bunn, White Beverley, Cherub, 
Lady Carey, Mrs. G. Rundle, Mrs. Dixon, Mr. G. Glenny, Barbara, St. 
Patrick, each 4£ inches. 
“ Japanese. —Madame C. Audiguier, 8J inches by 6 inches ; Meg Merrilies, 
9 inches ; Comte de Germiny, 8^ inches ; Baron de Prailly, Oracle, Mons. 
Astorg, Fair Maid of Guernsey, Thunberg, The Daimio, Golden Dragon, 
Boule d’Or, each 8 inches ; Val d’Andorre, Mons. Tarin, Fanny Boucharlat, 
Criterion, Cry Kang, each 7 inches ; Lady Selborne, Agrements de la Nature, 
each 6^ inches; Marguerite Marrouche, 6 inches by 4J inches ; Elaine, 
6 inches by 4 inches ; The Cossack, 6| inches ; Peter the Great, Grandi- 
florum, J. DMaux, (F. A. Davis), Mons. Burnet, Japonaise, Duchess of 
Albany, Triomphe de la Rue du Chatelet, Mons. Ardene, Mrs. Mahood, 
Flamme du Punch, Soleil de Levant, Hiver Fleur, Mdlle. Mouiise, Mons. 
Dblaux, Mons. Desbrieux, each 6 inches. 
“ Reflexed .—King of Crimsons, 6 inches by 4 inches; Golden Christine, 
6 inches by 4 inches; Mrs. Forsythe, Peach Christine, each 5 inches by 
3 inches ; Cloth of Gold, Dr. Sharpe, Sir E. Landseer, Phidias, Emperor of 
China, Felicity, each 5 inches; Cullingfordii, Pink Christine, 4 b inches ; 
Chevalier Domage, Ariadne, and George Stevens, each 4J inches. 
“ Japanese Anemone .—Fabias de Maderanaz, Mdlle. Cabrol, each 8 inches ; 
Madame Clos, 6i inches; Sceur Dorothde Souille, 6 inches. 
“ Large Anemone-flowered. —Acquisition, 6 inches ; Fleur de Marie, 
Empress, Lady Margaret, Mrs. Pethers, each 5 inches ; Georges Sand, 
Madame Goderau, Gluck, King of Anemones, and Queen Margaret, each 
4£ inches. 
“ I have no measurements of Pompons. In my humble opinion these 
ought to be shown in bunches as grown—that is to say, without being dis¬ 
budded. In bunches they are pretty and attractive, but singly they are 
most insignificant.” 
The pamphlet can be had from this offi.ee for 9£d., post free. 
GARDENIAS AT LONGLEAT. 
Gardenias are remarkably well grown at Longleat, and probably it 
would be a difficult matter to find an equal number of fine plants else¬ 
where in this country. They form the back line in the central bed of a 
rather large three-quarter span-roofed plant stove, each plant receiving 
plenty of room, and all being of about the same size—measuring on an 
average from 5 feet to 6 feet in diameter, and from 4 feet to 5 feet in 
height. At the present time they are at their best, hundreds of blooms of 
good shape and size expanding daily, and during the season thousands of 
blooms will be cut. Mr. Pratt, however, does not cut all with a piece of 
growth attached, or this would materially diminish the supply both now 
and later on, but the majority are gathered with the short footstalk only 
attached, and they have to be “ mounted ” if required for bouquets. 
These plants have for some time been rooting in small pits formed with 
loose bricks. They are still in 11-inch or 12-inch pots, but these are 
broken in places so as to admit of the roots finding their way into the 
soil in which the pots are plunged. This plan is found to answer better 
than permanently planting, as in the case of these large plants (for they 
have been giants for several years) it proved a dangerous experiment to 
turn them out of the pots. No matter how well they might have been 
planted, it would have been impossible to keep the old ball properly 
moistened without saturating the surrounding soil, thereby rendering this 
unfit for the rather delicate or fastidious Gardenia roots. At Longleat 
the loam is rather heavy, but they appear to use it freely for Gardenias, 
and not much besides good leaf soil and sand. In our case the loam is 
also heavy, much too heavy in fact, and the Gardenias will not root 
into it. 
The square pits formed with loose bricks above alluded to are to be 
recommended for many plants beside Gardenias, notably strong roof 
plants of Allamandas, Bougainvilleas, Clerodendrons, Stephanotises, as 
well as Bananas, Tree Ferns, Palms, and other strong-growing plants. 
They are very easily constructed, and though only one brick thick, it is 
surprising how firm and steady their own weight keeps them. Then they 
can be pulled to pieces for the purpose of giving the plants a shift, the 
pit in this case being enlarged according to the requirements of the plant. 
Or again, much of the exhausted soil, or it may be sour unoccupied soil, 
can easily be removed, the walls rebuilt, and roots replaced in suitable 
fresh compost. In every case the work can be done easily, and without 
incurring a risk of injury to a valuable plant. Then if there is any doubt 
as to the amount of water a plant requires a few bricks can be taken off 
and returned after the soil has been examined. It is surprising what an 
amount of root-room a small pit—say three bricks square and five or six 
bricks deep, will afford, and the plants I find do well in them.— 
W. Iggulden. 
INJURIOUS INSECTS. 
The eighth Report of Observations of Injurious Insects, by Miss Eleanor 
A. Ormerod, has just been issued (London : Simpkin, Marshall, & Co.), and 
in the 120 pages devoted to the subject a large amount of useful and practical 
information with regard to the most troublesome insects in gardens and 
farms. Some pests were especially abundant during 1884, and some long 
reports concerning their devastations and the preventive measures adopted 
are furnished, concerning which a few extracts may be given. 
Daddy Longlegs (Tipula oleracea).—This was one of the most destruc¬ 
tive of all, and referring to it Miss Ormerod remarks :—“ 1884 has been 
marked by severe attack of grubs of the daddy longlegs. The large number 
of the flies which had been noticeable in many localities in the previous 
autumn gave sign of what was to be expected, and the steady course in 
which the attack came on is worth notice, as this is one of the kinds of 
attack in which (unless measures are taken to obviate it) the presence of 
the injurious insect may be pretty surely foretold. 
“ With such of our crop insects as hybernate—that is, pass the winter in 
a torpid condition—a mild or variable winter may be rather a means of 
destroying them than otherwise, for the warmth brings them out from 
their shelters, as we see with Turnip fly on a sunny day in late winter, and 
many are taken by birds or nipped by the return of night frosts before they 
can shelter again ; but it is different with those that live (and feed, weather 
permitting) below the surface. 
“The mild weather keeps both the plant and ground in a condition 
which suits them, and though we cannot say that the cold kills them, as the 
daddy longlegs grubs will stand being frozen without hurt, still for the time 
being frost ‘ firms ’ the surface as effectually as the roller, and with such 
grubs as go down deep in frost, and do not come up again directly it is gone 
from the surface, the crop gets a little respite. 
“Last winter (1883-84) it will be seen from the observations that the 
grubs were advanced enough in growth to sweep off autumn-sown Wheat 
iu December, and they continued actively at work through the winter ; 
damage continued to be reported through the season, until in autumn 
specimens of chrysalids sent in showed that the autumn flight of the daddy 
longlegs flies was soon coming to set up attack for 1885. 
“ As usual some of the worst attack was on crops after broken-up Grass 
or Clover; it was also reported from the peaty soil of the Lincolnshire 
Carrs, and from low-lying land near a river, about 3 feet above the water 
level. The grubs were found in injurious numbers in rotting turf, also 
sheltered beneath turfs and under clods, which gives a hint where to search 
for them in hand-picking, besides directly amongst the crop. 
“ Amongst direct remedies noted hand-picking was found serviceable, 
likewise hoeing, which was noticed to cut through many of the grubs ; but 
rolling did not answer with any certainty. Amongst the applications to 
help the crop over attack, nitrate of soda appears to have answered much 
the best, and the careful experiments of Mr. Ralph Lowe show that this 
chemical has an immediately injurious effect on the grub, besides having 
the good fertilising effect on the crop which we are aware of. The non¬ 
effect of other chemicals, and the amount of weight bearable by the grub, 
shown by Mr. Lowe’s experiment, are also serviceable practically.” 
The experiments mentioned were as follows:—“On the 1st of June 
Mr. Ralph Lowe, writing from Sleaford, Lincolnshire, reported that the 
enormous numbers of daddy longlegs observed in 1883 were producing the 
result to be expected. The larva had for some months made havoc with 
Wheat and Barley ; at the date of writing many fields of Beans were suffer¬ 
ing from its ravages ; and in gardens the Scarlet Runners and Peas had 
been injured. Details of attack are given on a field atEwerby ‘ A 16-acre 
piece of Clover had been manured with farmyard manure, half with manure 
made in 1882, laid on in March (1883) ; the field was mowed for fodder, and 
the eddish eaten with sheep. The other half of the field was then manured 
with fresh-made manure, ploughed once, and drilled with Barley. Patches 
came up irregularly, and these patches became larger, and soon were quite 
