521 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ December 20, 1883. 
should have two, or, if extra strong, three buds left; while 
Barbarossa (Gros Guillaume), Duke of Buccleuch, Golden 
Champion, and Canon Hall Muscat should have four or more 
buds left, according to the vigour of the Vines. By rubbing 
out all the shoots but those at the end and base of the spurs 
the latter may be converted into a bearing spurt next 
season, the other with old wood attached being cut away 
with the bunches. No long unsightly spurs thus result. In 
all cases, more especially where two shoots are laid in, the 
spurs should be wide apart, say not less than 18 inches on 
each side, and alternating, as this allows of the back shoot 
being properly developed. 
In shortening young rods in any case where strong, 
say 14 - inch in circumference, I would leave a length of 8 feet 
—that is, if there is so much space to furnish, while the 
very weak ones, say half an inch in circumference, should 
be cut back almost to the starting point, and others in 
proportion. The harder we cut strong shoots the grosser 
they become, and we do not want pithy rods ; but as we are 
equally averse to weakly rods, we prune weakly shoots hard 
in order to induce the formation of a much stronger rod. I 
may be taken to task for recommending the preservation of 
so great a length of young rod, but I could point to a grand 
range of vineries where the occupants were treated in the 
orthodox manner—that is to say, were cut hard back after 
making the first strong growth, and were subsequently taken 
up the roof by short stages, yet in spite of everything have 
never satisfied the grower, and never will till the over-fatted 
rods are replaced by younger and more woody canes. One 
of our most successful Grape-growers, before he could satisfy 
himself and employer, had to gradually supplant similarly 
pithy old rods with younger ones, and with these two 
examples before me it is not surprising that I hold the above 
opinions. 
Bad pruning has never to my knowledge ruined any 
Vines, but careless winter dressings have done so in a 
surprising number of cases. We are naturally anxious 
to clear the rods of any insect pests that may have esta¬ 
blished themselves on them, and in our anxiety we sometimes 
err on the wrong side. Fortunately the old barbarous 
practice of closely scraping the rods, and then dressing with 
a mixture of various obnoxious and destructive materials, is 
now fast becoming obsolete. At the same time I consider 
that those who recommend the more simple remedies should 
bear in mind that all are not acquainted with the dangerous 
properties of some of them. To be effective they must be 
strong, and a careless and too zealous operation may easily 
work irremediable harm. Poisons in the hands of those ex¬ 
perienced in their application are of great medicinal service, 
but no novicev are allowed to buy them without being 
cautioned, the bottles or packets being also labelled “ poison.” 
Now paraffin or petroleum is the gardener’s greatest friend in 
the way of insecticides, but this in some people’s hands may 
prove a most destructive agent. Consequently, if not exactly 
labelled “ poison,” it should have its dangerous properties well 
pointed out by those who advocate its employment. Mr. D. 
Thomson, who was the first to recommend its use, never 
neglected to suggest that it should be used with the greatest 
care, and he once strongly advised me not to use it on Vines, 
owing to the porous and absorbent nature of their bark. 
Others recommend it as a winter dressing for Vines, and not 
a few have suffered by partially following their advice. A 
rod barked and closely scraped, and when this is done even 
some of the newest bark is almost unavoidably cut away, may 
easily be damaged by paraffin and other penetrating insecti¬ 
cides, but where the bark has never been removed the former 
may, perhaps, if used at the rate of 2 ozs. to the gallon of 
soapy water and kept well stirred, be a safe remedy; but, all 
the same, I would not use it. I have never experimented with 
it, but have seen quite enough of other people’s experiments 
to warrant me in condemning paraffin for Vines. 
Prior to dressing the rods with an insecticide it may be ad¬ 
visable to lightly trim off some of the very roughest of the 
bark, but as a rule the less this is touched the better. Once 
we thoroughly “ skin ” a Vine rod it seldom if ever renews 
the bark in a satisfactory manner, but remains in a smooth 
state, and in all probability the rod will cease to swell 
properly ; in fact, this stripping off the bark is altogether an 
unnatural proceeding. If the Vines this past season have 
been infested with red spider, and also in the case of mildew, 
a dressing may be formed with sulphur and soft soap. Take 
two large handfuls of flowers of sulphur, place in a piece of 
muslin, and squeeze and work it through in a gallon of warm 
water in which a lump of soft soap rather larger than a 
hen’s egg, has been previously dissolved. To this may 
be added two gallons of warm soft water, and to which, if 
there have been any thrips on the Vines, should be added at 
least one pint of tobacco water, the whole being kept well 
stirred and applied with a syringe, in this manner being more 
thoroughly and quickly used than with a brush. When dry 
a second washing may be given, and in the end this will be 
found a safe and effective remedy. 
For mealy bug, gas or coal tar is the grand remedy. 
For appearance sake it is advisable to mix it with clay, the 
latter being worked up with the hands in a little warm 
water and all the gritty portion thrown out. The tar must 
be added in equal proportion to the dissolved clay, and if 
then too thick to be easily and thoroughly applied with a 
brush more water should be added. The tar should not 
be heated as in this case ; it might be penetrating and 
dangerous. It should be kept well stirred, and the rods and 
spurs thoroughly coated with it, taking care not to cover the 
buds, or if the Vines are weak the buds may not burst through 
the cases formed. No injury, to my knowledge, has ever 
accrued to the Vines from this tar dressing, and this is the 
experience of several well-known gardeners who have used it 
much longer than I have. All other presumably infallible 
remedies failed with our badly infested Vines, but the tar de¬ 
stroyed all but a few insects, and these were easily disposed of 
before they had increased. By way of a preventive the 
following winter a second dressing was given, and now the 
vineries are completely free from mealy bug. Every vinery 
should be thoroughly washed down and the walls whitewashed, 
thus destroying many eggs and insects, besides preserving a 
clean appearance. All the ironwork and much of the wood¬ 
work of the houses infested with mealy bug should be 
painted with raw paraffin, this destroying all insects and 
eggs with which it comes in contact.-—W. Iggulden. 
DELPHINIUMS. 
These are among the most valuable of all hardy flowers 
for the mixed border. Of course 1 refer to the hybrid 
varieties, albeit I entertain a high regard for all the so-called 
species, which are all more or less showy, but are by no means 
so effective as the majority of the now very numerous forms 
which have been raised from seed obt ined by cross-breeding, 
a matter most easily accomplished. No flowers are more easily 
cross-fertilised by insects, as they hold forth the duplex at¬ 
tractions of nectar and colour, and in addition the stamens shed 
the pollen before the stigma of the same flower is matured, so it 
is almost, if not quite, impossible for such a flower to be self- 
fertilised. And this easy method of cross-breeding readily 
accounts for the numerous varieties which are now obtainable 
from florists who make hardy plants a speciality. 
Most of them are robust and very free-flowering, a few are 
weakly, and should be planted in such positions that they may 
have a fair share of attention. In order to have them in the 
greatest luxuriance rich soil is necessary, with a good depth of 
it. I have never seen Delphiniums in finer condition than at 
Mr. Joseph Stevens’ at Byfleet, Surrey, in what he was pleased 
to call his variegated garden, because the majority of the plants 
therein grown were more or less variegated. In a long border 
was a magnificent row of excellent varieties growing most 
luxuriantly, and a very noble and effective appearance they 
presented. But the success was due to a deep rich soil, well 
worked before they were planted, and nothing more is required 
for some years, indeed not till the plants require dividing. 
Therefore where they are planted the preparation should be 
accomplished as for a permanent purpose, deep digging or 
