548 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ December 27, 1883, 
bearings is there anything really to complain about ? If rooms are not 
provided for the young men there they have no doubt compensating 
advantages ; and it is very questionable if quiet private lodgings are not 
more favourable for reading and study than a noisy barrack-room, for 
that is what bothy life would amount to in such a large establishment. 
It has become almost fashionable with a certain class of pessimist 
winters now-a-days to represent young gardeners as more thoughtless, 
careless, and reckless than they were a generation ago. I can only say 
if they arc, which I do not believe, they are better separated; while if 
they are more studious', as I hope they are—and I know not a few 
who conduct themselves creditably—they will prefer quietude for self- 
improvement. 
I have had a fair share of bothy life, and in what I may call the 
olden time it was composed to a very large extent of domino and card¬ 
playing, fiddle-scraping, accordion-grinding, dancing, boxing, and such-like 
intellectual accomplishments ; and if a voting man should engage himself 
in writing an essay it would be probably to the accompaniment of a 
recitation not altogether bearing on his subject; or if engaged in an 
exercise in geometry he would be lucky if an accident did not occur, 
such as an old hat or cap coming in contact with the candle, or a casual 
p ash against his elbow. 
That was bothy life when I was young, in the halcyon days when 
under gardeners were so gentle, studious, kind, and good; and if they 
ai’e less gentle now, then I can only say the fewer there are together the 
better, and that lodgings in respectable families are altogether better 
for them morally and intellectually. But I do not believe, judging from 
those I have had under me, that, as Tennyson says in his “ Northern 
Fanner,” the men “ in the loomp is bad.” I am distinctly of opinion 
that they compare favourably with those of any past time, and for the 
maintenance of their general i-espeetability and their self-improvement 
I venture to think they are better out of barracks. What do others say? 
A Boss. 
ORDERING- SEEDS. 
As the seed catalogues will soon arrive, it will be well to be in 
readiness to order the seed for next year’s supply. It is often a difficult 
matter to know which to order of the numerous varieties in the seed 
catalogues even to those who have had years of practice, but to young 
beginners it is simply bewildering. I will add a list of well-tried sorts, 
and I shall be glad if others will give lists of varieties they have found 
best. In doing so new varieties should not stand before old sorts, unless 
they have been well tried together, or in similar positions, as new varie¬ 
ties generally get the best positions, and the ground especially prepared 
for them, and well cared for afterwards. When this is the case it is 
hardly fair to compare the results with older sorts that have simply been 
sown on any piece of ground, with only the ordinary preparation. 
I think everyone that can do so should try some new varieties, but 
they should do so in addition to their list of well-tried sorts, so that they 
will not have to depend upon the new ones for a supply. I cannot 
recommend the Chou de Burghley from the first season’s trial. With me 
it is inferior to a good Cabbage ; just now Rosette Colewort is far 
before it. 
Beet. —Egyptian and Nutting’s Dwarf. 
Beans, Broad. —Johnson’s Wonderful and Improved Windsor. Kidney. 
—Canadian Wonder, Negro, S;on House, and Osborn’s Forcing. Banners. 
— Scarlet Champion and Suttons’ Giant White. 
Borecole, Scotch. —Ccttageis and Buda. 
Broccoli. — Walcheren, Veitch’s Self - protecting, Snow’s White, 
Osborn’s White, Cooling’s Matchless, Cattell’s Eclipse, Late Queen, 
Model, and Purple Sprouting. 
Brussels Sprout. —The Aigburth. 
Cabbage. —Improved Nonpared, Rosette Colewort, Red Cabbage, and 
Couve Tronchuda. 
Savoys. —Dwarf Green Curled and Drumhead. 
Cauliflowers. —Suttons’ King of Cauliflowers and Veitch’s Autumn 
Giant. 
Celery. —Major Clarke’s Red and Sandringham White. 
Cucumber. —Telegraph. 
Carrot. —Early French Horn, Scarlet Short Horn, and Long Red 
Suirsy. 
Endive. —Picpus Green Curled, and Improved Round-leaved Batavian. 
Lcelt. —Musselburgh. 
Lettuces. —Early Paris Market, All Heart, Paris White, and Paris 
Green. 
Melons. —Eastnor Castle and Blenheim Orange. 
Onions. —Improved Reading, Brown Globe, Deptford, The Queer, 
and Red Italian. 
Parsnip. —The Student. 
Peas. — Suttons’ Ringleader, William I., Nelson’s Vanguard, Dr. 
MacLean, Telegraph, Veitch’s Perfection, and Ne Plus Ultra. 
Tomatoes. —Hathaway’s Excelsior and Orangefield Dwarf. 
Turnips. — Early White Stone, Early Munich, and Veitch’s Red 
Globe. 
Vegetable Marrows. —Custard and Moore’s Vegetable Cream. 
Early Munich Turnip is a very quick-growing Turnip, with a very 
small top. I thought so highly of it last year that I have grown it 
largtly this season ; but, although it is a gardener’s Turnip, the cook does 
not like it in the kitchen. It is better even in its young state, and as 
soon as it gets to a fair size is very woolly. 
If Melons are only grown in frames, Blankney Hero might be sub¬ 
stituted for Eastnor Castle. The latter is a good old Melon in a house, 
but it is 'not so satisfactory in a frame as the other two varieties.— 
J. L. B. 
THE CATERPILLARS OF THE BROWN-TAIL MOTH. 
It is now some six years since I gave in this Journal some 
account of a colony of this species, which I had had under observation 
for several seasons. The species appears now to be by no means 
generally distributed in England, but I have proofs of its occurrence 
in various places in Kent. The particular colony I noticed was upon a 
strip of hedgerow at Denton, near Gravesend ; a few stragglers were to be 
seen as far off as Northfleet and East Chalk, but the main body of the 
insects did not seem inclined to extend itself. In one season the broods 
were so numerous that the task would not have been difficult to have 
collected ten thousand of the caterpillars, and the floating hairs thrown 
off by them in their moults were numerous enough to irritate the skin of 
by-passers. At that time the Whitethorn in the hedge was defoliated by 
them, and they also devoured the leaves of Elm, Elder, and Blackthorn 
growing there. 
As much fruit is produced in districts of North Kent not very remote 
from the spot mentioned, and the caterpillars have been reputed to be 
the cause sometimes of much damage to fruit trees, I drew the attention 
of gardeners and others to the circumstance. I advised the destruction 
of this colony of the brown-tail moth in the winter by the removal of 
their nests, which could easily have been done, and prevented any 
possibility of either moths or caterpillars migrating to do mischief. This 
was not attempted, however, but fortunately Nature effected a cure by 
means of the winters of 1881-82 and 1882-83. Both of these were mild 
and moist; as a consequence of the former I noticed very few caterpillars 
in the summer of 1882, and last summer I could not find one. The rains 
of the winter and spring doubtless loaded their winter nests with moisture, 
which proved destructive to the insects within. 
It is remarkable that although this species (Liparis chrysorrhaea) 
occurs in fruit trees, its near relative, the gold-tail (Liparis auriflua), 
appears restricted to the Whitethorn. The late Mr. Edward Newman, 
when I mentioned the subject of the ravages said to be committed 
sometimes by the brown-tail caterpillars in orchards, admitted that he 
thought there was a degree of exaggeration, or else an error as to the 
species. I am anxious to learn if any of our friends who are growers of 
fruit have ever observed it on Apple, Pear, or Plum. The description of 
the caterpillar is briefly as follows It is stout, about an inch long when 
full grown, black, with four rows of warts running from head to tail; 
these warts have short tufts of hairs, some of which are white and some 
black. Its most marked characteristic consists in a couple of cup-like 
scarlet spots in the centre of the back, at a short distance from the tail. 
I should add that August and September are the months when it would 
be observable.— Entomologist. 
We learn that the Vjeitch Memorial Prizes offered by the 
Royal Botanic Society will be awarded at the Shows held at Regent’s 
Park on May 21st and June 18th, 1884. They will consist in each case 
of a medal and £5 on the first-named date for the best specimen Orchid 
and the best stove or greenhouse plant in flower, and at the latter date 
for the best dish of three bunches of Grapes, one variety. 
- We are informed that an extensive programme of Horti¬ 
cultural Shows at the Crystal Palace is now under con¬ 
sideration, and it has been proposed that something like £1500 
should be given in prizes during the year. Now that the Alexandra 
Palace appears to have passed from the sphere of usefulness in this 
direction, a good opportunity is afforded to the southern Palace for 
extra efforts. 
- In accordance with inquests that we have from time to time 
received from correspondents, we shall early in the year publish the re¬ 
sults of an election of Carnations and Picotees, to which the leading 
florists have kindly conti-ibuted, and Mr. George Rudd obligingly arranged. 
In this election we shall have brought to the front the leading varieties 
of this sweet and beautiful hardy flower that are, as they eminently 
deserve, becoming increasingly popular. As border flowers they are 
unequalled in their season, and for cultivation in pots they are admirably 
adapted for amateurs, well rewarding the cultivator for the skill and care 
evoted to their production in their highest form of excellence. 
- Relative to the question of lalge v. small Brussels Sprouts 
