JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 449 
soap is a pood remedy, but the insects are not easy to reach when closely en¬ 
veloped in the curled leaves. 
Greenhouse Plants ( Kiltie ■).—As a rule plants thrive much better during 
summer on a slate or other stage covered with cocoa-nut fibre refuse than on 
open latticework. If the fibre is kept moist in hot weather it is of great advan¬ 
tage to all the plants you name. During winter it may be necessary to place 
the Pelargoniums and Coleuses on inverted pots, and the fibre should not be so 
moist at that time as in summer. 
Camellias and Azaleas ( Old Subscriber). —The temperature of a vinery 
is precisely suitable at this period of the year for the plants after they have 
ceased flowering, and the shade of the Vines is beneficial to them. They should 
be syringed regularly twice a day, and the atmosphere be kept in a genial con¬ 
dition. Your views on the management of the plants are quite right; heat, 
moisture, and moderate shade are essential for promoting healthy growth. 
Gishurstine (TV. T.). —As you will see from an advertisement in the front 
page of this Journal this useful compound can be had from most seedsmen and 
oilmen. Those who do not have it in stock will doubtless procure it for you if 
you request them to do so. 
Striking Double Wallflowers (A/. E. H.). —Cuttings of young shoots 
inserted now in sand under a bellglass and placed in a heated frame or propa¬ 
gating house strike as readily as Fuchsias and Verbenas do that are treated in 
the same manner. If the Wallflowers have to be struck under handlights, or 
even in a shaded border, short stubby side shoots a little hard at the base and 
slipped, not cut, off the stems emit roots more readily than the more tender 
shoots do. Suitable slips can generally be had from the middle of June to the 
middle of July, according to the condition of the plants and the position where 
they are grown. 
Cucumbers Unhealthy (Mrs, Finch). —We fear from your description 
that the young Cucumbers are attacked by the disease, and if so, it is almost if 
not quite impossible to rid them of it and render the plants healthy. AA'e could 
better have answered your inquiry had you sent us a portion of the unhealthy 
plants. You do not state the temperature in which your plants are grown, nor 
the general treatment which they receive, so that it is impossible to state 
whether you are right or wrong on those points. The plants, however, we think 
are in too rich soil and cannot elaborate the abundant sap with which they are 
supplied. 
Woodlice (II. IIosHns). —You may entrap many of them by placing a cold 
boiled potato in a flower pot and covering it with moss. If the woodlice are 
numerous they w’ill be attracted by the bait and can then be destroyed. If 
several pots are employed and regularly examined every morning you may soon 
reduce the troublesome and destructive pest. AVe do not know what yon mean 
by your question on variegated Carnations, for the flowers of nearly all of them 
are variegated or parti-coloured. Do you mean that the foliage is variegated ? 
The Sawfly (Alpha). —The name Sawfly is applied to several distinct 
species of insects that possess a saw-like apparatus, with which they puncture 
the surface of the vegetables selected as a nidus for the eggs. Deferring to the 
Turnip and Gooseberry fly the Rev. J. G. AVood thus describes this peculiarity— 
“If the reader will catch either of the above-named insects, and will look at 
the under side of the abdomen, he will perceive a longitudinal notched ridge 
extending to the end of the body ; then let him take a fine needle, insert its 
point under this ridge and raise it, when he will find by the aid of a magnifying 
glass that he has brought to view the singular double saw from which the 
insect derives its name, and which rests between two horny plates acting as 
a sheath. The shape of the saw varies much in different species, but they all 
agree in having a delicate blade, with obliquely-cut teeth, and a thickened back, 
which enables them to play freely in the groove which directs their progress.” 
It may be further added that these saws are side by side, and work alternately, 
while some species have a secretion which accompanies the egg, and secures it 
in the place prepared for it. 
Literary Hash (G. R.). —AVe have read the two articles to which you 
direct our attention, and there appears ground for supposing that the one that 
last appeared is, as you say, a “hash up" from a communication of your own 
that appeared in another paper. AA'e fear there is much that passes as original 
now-a-days which is mere “ hash,” but veiled with more or less ingenuity by the 
cookers of articles for the public. Editors are occasionally imposed on in this 
respect, and they ought never to admit further communications from a writer 
who has been found guilty of these disreputable pilfering practices. You had 
better point out the circumstance to the two editors, who will be obliged to you 
for directing their attention to what must have escaped their notice. 
Carpet Beds (Inquirer). —As you do not ask for any precise information 
we fail to see how we can assist you. Many designs have been published in the 
back numbers of the Journal, and two in recent numbers that are suitable for 
your beds ; if the latter are too intricate you can have back numbers, price 3 ?d. 
each, containing simpler diagrams. The mode of planting is usually governed 
to a great extent by the plants at disposal. If you send Is. 2d. to the publisher 
and ask him to send you Nos. 703, 704,705, and 706 you will find seven plans, any of 
which are suitable for your oblong beds, and some of them arc very easy to 
plant. From these you can select the designs that are best adapted to your 
purpose. Some designs for round beds appear in the present issue, and we can 
send you back numbers with other diagrams for round beds at the price above 
quoted if you need them. This reply will a 1 so suffice for “ AV. C.” 
Beetle on Asparagus (IF. II. if.). —Your plants are attacked wdth the 
Asparagus beetle, Crioceris asparagi. Miss Ormerod, in one of her reports on 
injurious insects, states that in her garden near Islew’orth she stopped what 
was becoming a destructive attack by syringing the plants wdth w T arm water, 
just bearable to the hand : this sent off the larva?, or loosened them so as to 
fall to a shake; and throwdng soot liberally through the damp shoots to the 
ground destroyed the fallen grubs. This treatment repeated once or twice 
in the course of the season completely saved the plants, and the soot gave a 
luxuriant and healthy growth. 
Strawberries not Flowering (Saxo7’ing). —If the runners that were 
planted early last year were taken from a fruitful stock in all probability the 
plants will produce flowers next year, and we should certainly give them a trial; 
but if they were taken from barren plants we should have doubts of the new 
plantation proving satisfactory. AVe have known plants similar to yours that 
eventually became productive. Remove the runners as they appear, and keep 
the ground free from weeds so that the sun and air have access to the crowns, 
and the plants will assume a fruitful character. AA r e have known young Straw¬ 
berry plants barren the first year solely through having been planted too deep, 
and we have also known the fruitfulness of plantations impaired by the over¬ 
crowding of the crowns, or what should have been crowns, by growth and 
weeds. 
Planting Tea Roses (J. B.). —In all probability the best plan you can 
adopt will be to plant out the Roses, and they will probably do well in your 
rather strong soil, especially if you can place a handful or two of lighter soil 
round the roots to give them a start. A very sunny position should not be 
chosen, shade from the mid-day sun being beneficial to Tea Roses, but it must 
not be the shade of overhanging trees. The plants usually grow well in a 
border on the north side of a wall during the summer. If the position is sunny 
the surface of the soil should be mulched with manure, and the growths must 
be kept free from insects and mildew. If you will send us your name and 
address we will write to the gardener to whom you refer on the question you 
have submitted ; 3'ou can also at the same time send the price of the volumes in 
case we may have an inquiry for them. 
Layering Carnations (Idem). — Layering may be done as soon as the 
growths are long enough to be tongued and pegged down without breaking, 
their points at the same time pointing upwards. Layers are usually ready 
when the plants are flowering, and the short tender shoots are not suitable. 
AVhen a shoot is selected for layering all the leaves should be removed from the 
base to where the tongue is to be made, which is usually 4 or 5 inches from the 
terminal point. There are two methods of making the tongue. 1, AVith a very 
thin and sharp knife commence cutting on the under side of a shoot, drawing 
the knife upwards through the joint above as if splitting the stem ; 2, pushing 
a very small and sharp penknife quite through the stem above the joint where 
the tongue is needed, the edge of the knife being downwards, then swiftly draw 
the knife down and out on the under side, and a tongue is the result. These 
tongues must be kept open and pegged into sandy soil, which must be kept 
constantly moist. You had better practise on a few growths of common varie¬ 
ties at first, and a few of these you will probably either cut or break off, and 
thus you will learn how to apply the knife and use your fingers and pegs in the 
operation. 
Peach Leaves Scorched (T. S.). —The immediate cause of the injury to 
the foliage is scorching, bur there may possibly be a more remote cause that has 
led to the evil. If you carefully examine the injured leaves, which at the first 
glance appear as if they had been eaten by an insect, you will find first a dark 
discoloration, then a shrinkage of those parts where the tissue has been ruptured, 
and which eventually separates from the healthy portions of the leaves, and 
thus form holes and fissures. If the roots of the tree were healthy and active 
and could obtain the requisite moisture for the support of the growth, the 
evaporation would not have been so disproportionate with the supply of sap, 
and the withering would not have occurred provided there was no fault in tho 
glass that led to scorching. As a remedy we should first shade the tree, either 
by sprinkling limewash on the glass or covering with tiffanj', and syringe 
judiciously to keep the foliage fresh, then examine the roots and rectify any mis¬ 
take that you may find there. The border may be too dry at the bottom, or the 
soil not sufficiently fertile, needing liquid manure, or the roots may have come 
in contact with something that has injured them. Examine also the stock of 
the tree, which may not be healthy, or the sap vessels may be too contracted. 
By some cause or other the supply of sap is insufficient, the sun extracting the 
moisture from the foliage faster than it is supplied by the roots. A close ex¬ 
amination founded on these suggestions will probably lead to the discovery' of 
the real cause of injury, and a remedy will possibly be dictated by the circum¬ 
stances of the case. 
Seedling Calceolaria and Tropaeolum (F. Squire). —Two leaves of a 
Tropfeolum are totally insufficient for anyone to form an estimate on either the 
merits of the plant or any special features that it is supposed to possess. A 
spray with flowers ought to have been sent. There are some varieties of Tro- 
pa?olum of slender growth, but the size of the foliage depends to a very great 
extent on the soil and position where the plants are grown ; for instance, those 
grown in pots nearly always have smaller foliage than others of the same variety 
that are grown in the rich soil of an open border. The Calceolaria flowers were 
completely withered, the result of packing them in dry cotton wool instead of 
damp moss and soft green leaves of any sort, Spinach being good for this pur¬ 
pose. Although we have repeatedly referred to the unsuitability of dry wadding 
or cotton vool fur placing round flowers, we received more flowers packed in 
that substance than any other, and nearly all that are of a fragile nature are 
destroyed. Your Calceolaria we can perceive has the upper lip more developed 
than usual, and the flower is of good colour and densely spotted, but whether it 
is of good form or not it is impossible to tell from the shrivelled examples before 
us. AVe have occasionally seen flowers having the upper lip as large as the 
lower, but yours is not so, and we do not think it is particularly novel. 
Syringing Vines (J. T. .S'.).—AVe could name several gardeners who grow 
excellent Grapes without syringing the Vines, and others who grow them 
equally well yet use the syringe daily. AVe have grown Grapes for a number 
of years without syringing, and the crops were such as satisfied us and other 
competent judges who saw them, both as growing on the Vines and as honoured 
at exhibitions. AVhen the Vines are quite free from insects, and the atmo¬ 
sphere of the house is well managed, and especially if care is exercised in the 
simple matter of sweeping floors and stages in the house so as not to raise one 
particle of dust, we do not consider that syringing as a system is necessary; 
but we have found the advantage of giving the A’ines a few thorough washings 
during the season by directing the syringe between the bunches, and applying 
the water with some force to tiie foliage, and also with a greater force to the 
glass above it, so as to fall down in a volume and wash the upper surfaces of the 
leaves. This we have always found beneficial; but the work needs to bo done 
with care, as a clumsy workman might wash half the bloom from the Grapes, 
while a competent one would not remove a particle. Some water, too, is quite 
unfit for syringing purposes, and leaves a sediment on the leaves that is in¬ 
jurious. Again, s®me water that is safe is improperly applied ; we mean that 
one man might use it with impunity to the Vines, while another would impair 
the value of the fruit. AVe know of some good gardeners who object to syste¬ 
matic sj'ringing, but who reside in districts where the soil is light and sandy, 
and there feel obliged to syringe in consequence of the great prevalence of red 
spider; in other districts the same gardeners would not syringe the Vines. 
AATthout knowing the condition of your Vines and the general treatment to 
which they are subjected, and not being acquainted with the nature of the soil 
and climatal condition of your district, we are not in a position to decide tho 
point you submit; but this we will say, that if the Vines were ours and quite 
clean, and red spider does not usually abound on the Kidney Beans in tho 
garden during the summer, we should try and grow good Grapes without 
syringing regularly, and should expect to succeed in our object. 
Stopping Melons (C. C., Donegal ).—AVe do not know what you mean by 
the “ crown. The term is not employed either in the article to which you refer 
nor in the manual you quote. There is a slight difference in the two articles, 
but no contradiction, and both are quite sound. There is more than one road to 
London, and travellers by steadily pursuing the road they choose, if it is a 
