JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
328 
[ April 20, 1882. 
from the commencement of the complaint. They speedily become 
flaccid, turn black, and the skin is filled with a sour fluid, contact 
with which causes the malady in healthy worms. This “ flacherie ” 
has been justly attributed “ to undue moisture in the atmosphere, 
to food too succulent or given when very damp, or to defective 
aeration of the breeding cages. Mr. Farm has suggested that one 
precaution against this might be found in exposing, at certain 
times, jars of quicklime where the silkworms are being reared. 
But by far the worst disease that the silkworm has suffered 
from in confinement is the one which has been called the gettine, 
though now more commonly known as the pebrine. Our limited 
rearing of silkworms in these islands has, however, not been as 
yet affected by a pest which has been so destructive in Italy and 
France, especially in the latter country. The districts of the 
Cevennes, indeed, had their leading industry well-nigh ruined by 
the spread of this disease, which spared no “ magnaneries ” or 
silkworm establishments, but appeared to be most fatal in the 
larger ones. A notable feature of it was the worms of every age 
show those spots that are characteristic of the pebrine. Nor did the 
assiduous removal of all the infected tend to check the malady. 
It had not been much observed until 1853, from which date until 
about ten years since the annual loss of silk was enormous, but 
France is happily able now to prosecute the rearing of silkworms 
under favourable circumstances. We are much indebted to M. 
Pasteur for those researches into the history of disease germs, 
which have, in this special instance, done good service, and for 
which, and others, the Copley medal was awarded to him by the 
Royal Society. Pebrine, he has shown, is, like muscardine, due to 
a vegetable growth. It is contagious under some circumstances, 
and also hereditary. A curious fact is, that the disease is trans¬ 
mitted only through the female moths, the male insects do not 
convey the germs. By degrees the worn-out races of Europe 
have been replaced by a fresh progeny, hatched from the eggs of 
moths bred in China, Egypt, Australia, and other lands. This is 
important, but not all that is necessary ; for the health of silk¬ 
worms, more especially in any place where large numbers are 
kept, must be attended to, as in the avoidance of other maladies. 
There is little evidence to support the theory that the leaves of 
the cultivated Mulberry have more tendency to cause pebrine 
than those taken from the species growing wild. 
We pass from this to notice briefly the subject of Mulberry 
cultivation, a preliminary to any extensive attempts in the direc¬ 
tion of silkworm rearing ; for, as we have remarked, Lettuce is 
only a suitable food while the worms are quite young, and even 
then the Mulberry is much to be preferred. Morus alba and 
M. multicaulis have the repute of being the best species. The 
leaf of the latter has a resemblance to that of the Lettuce, since 
it is large and watery, produced also in abundance by the tree ; 
but though it may do very well at first, the White Mulberry, as 
containing much more of the silk-forming substance, is a far better 
food for worms which are getting large. At the Cape the Black 
Mulberry (M. nigra), has been planted and grows luxuriantly. In 
Europe this species is not a favourite owing to the slow progress 
it makes. The favourite Italian variety, M. Moretti, has had its 
advocates, and the vigorous M. alpina. Amongst recent intro¬ 
ductions is the large-leaved M. japonica, brought from Japan. 
In that country they have a method of their own of obtaining 
young Mulberries by means of suckers. A tree of some size is 
selected for the purpose and cut down at 6 or 8 inches from the 
ground. All shoots from the trunk beiDg removed, the tree will 
then throw out suckers from the roots, perhaps to the number of 
fifty or more, which are removed and planted separately. It is 
also propagated by cuttings or by layering, and grown from seed. 
In England, however, an abundant supply of young trees is easily 
obtainable from the south of France. The Mulberry will succeed 
almost in any situation, though it prefers an open position with 
gravelly soil. Until it has attained the age of three years the 
leaves should not be plucked for feeding silkworms, and at all 
times leaves or twigs should be removed carefully, not torn off so 
as to cause bleeding.—J. It. S. C. 
(To be continued.) 
The French Vintage—The Phylloxera— The returns which 
were published some time since relative to the French vintage last 
year bring into striking relief the mischief which has been done by 
the phylloxera. The total acreage of vineyards had fallen last year to 
5,200,000 acres, this being a decrease of 250,000 acres from 1880, and 
of 370,000 acres from 1874 ; and as the ravages of the insect extended 
to 2,500,000 acres of the vineyards still under cultivation, it is evident 
that in another twelvemonth the returns will be still more dis¬ 
couraging unless some unlooked-for remedy is discovered in the 
meantime. Three or four departments seem to have suffered more 
severely last year than ever before, for in the Charente the acreage 
planted in Vines fell from 230,000 acres in 1880 to 42,000, while the 
department of the Charente Inferieure, which had 370,000 acres of 
vineyard in 1875, and 852,000 in 1880, had only 010,000 last year ; the 
department of the Herault declining during the same period from 
490,000 and 205,000 acres to 215,000 acres. Even in the departments 
where, notwithstanding the appearance of the phylloxera, there has 
not been any diminution in the acreage of the vineyards, there has 
been a marked falling-off in the yield, and in the Lot-et-Garonne, 
with its 175,000 acres of vineyard, the yield has fallen from 1,238,000 
hectolitres (22£ gallons each) to 067,000 in 1880, and 357,000 last year. 
The vintage was very abundant last year in all the departments 
which have hitherto escaped the ravages of the phylloxera, such as 
the Pyrenees-Orientales, the Aude, the Cher, the Loire-et-Cher, the 
Marne, and the Meurthe-et-Moselle, and this is why the total yield 
for the last year was 708,119,500 gallons as compared to 579,845,000 
in 1880. The effect of all this upon the imports and exports has 
been very marked. From 1871 to 1875 the exports of wine from 
France averaged 80,000,000 gallons, but last year they were only 
47,450,000. The making of wine from raisins has also become a 
recognised trade, and the latest statistical publication of the French 
Ministry of Finance gives the following receipt:—Crush about 70 tbs. 
of Smyrna or Cyprus raisins in 450 gallons of hot water ; and after a 
fermentation of twelve days to three weeks, the result will be a very 
palatable white wine possessing from 7° to 9° of alcoholic strength.” 
It is estimated that about 50,000,000 gallons of “ wine ” were made in 
this way last year, and that as much more was obtained by a second 
and third press of the Grapes after they had been crushed once, and 
by an addition of water and sugar. 
WALTON LEA. 
This estate, the residence of John Crosfield, Esq., is situated on 
a rising portion of ground about two miles from Warrington. The 
gardens and grounds are moderately extensive, and the mansion, 
which is built of stone, is a substantial commodious structure. It 
is situated in the centre of the grounds, from which extensive 
views can be obtained of the surrounding country. It is approached 
from the main road by a neat and well-kept drive, which curves 
sharply to the left, and the grounds on each side rise considerably 
until it reaches the mansion. Judging from the nature of the 
grounds closely surrounding the drive a large amount of exca¬ 
vation must have been required in its formation. On each side 
of the drive are large belts or clumps of Hollies ; in fact through¬ 
out the grounds, which have been well laid out, the shrubberies 
and the groups of evergreens principally consist of Hollies. I 
was somewhat surprised to find such a fine collection of these 
useful shrubs in the vicinity of Warrington, the atmosphere being 
far from favourable to the growth of evergreens ; but at Walton 
Lea the Hollies are quite at home, and scores of well-formed, sym¬ 
metrical, healthy specimens can be seen. When the planting was 
first done great care must have been exercised only to plant those 
shrubs most likely to succeed in the neighbourhood ; and in such 
an exposed situation, subject to such high and cutting winds, 
only a few of the choicer Coniferac—those most likely to succeed 
—are grown, and for these sheltered positions have been selected. 
Many neglect to consider the plants most suitable for the situation, 
and introduce many choice young specimens which only live a 
few years. The Hollies in these grounds have either been planted 
sufficiently thin or timely thinned out to allow them room to 
develope. Unfortunately in too many gardens shrubs are thickly 
planted for appearance at first, and then allowed to grow into 
a dense mass, which looks well in the front for a few years 
but they soon become full of dead and decaying branches by 
the w r ant of light and air, and not a creditable specimen remains. 
This is a ruinous system, especially in exposed situations and 
in the neighbourhood of large towns, where the work of destruc¬ 
tion appears to be more complete than in a pure air and more 
favourable locality. One other feature in connection with these 
Hollies is that they have all been clipped or cut in closely. 
Many, I know, living in neighbourhoods favourable to the growth 
of evergreens would strenuously object to this, and condemn 
clipping or anything approaching it, as Hollies when doing well 
frequently grow due proportioned. I do not admire formality 
in this respect in a garden, and prefer to see trees and shrubs 
develope naturally, except where they can be improved by re¬ 
moving badly formed shoots or any likely to outgrow its neigh¬ 
bours. But the Hollies referred to do not look formal, although 
they are all of pyramidal habit. This hard cutting-in is necessary 
in such places, as the plants grow much more compact and resist 
the force of the strong winds better. Pruning is a great advan¬ 
tage in the smoky suburbs of large towns and windy places, and 
should be practised more generally. The varieties of the Gold, 
Silver, and green kinds all succeed remarkably well near towns, 
and if the palm is to be given to any kind it is that dark green- 
foliaged variety Ilex Hodginsii. 
In leaving the drive and crossing a portion of a fine lawn in 
