October 6 , 1881.] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 317 
Seedling; and although the last-named Grape does not always set 
freely, the bunch before us is perfect in that respect. The long 
tapering hunch of Muscat is similarly full and has swelled every 
berry to the point; and the Black Hamburgh, Lady Downe’s, and 
Alicante are also good and full bunches. The Grapes are far above 
the average as grown for home use, but all of them are not perfectly 
ripe; and as they were necessarily less ripe at Edinburgh it is not 
surprising that they were not criticised exclusively as “examples 
of setting,” but their general appearance was taken into account. 
Our reporter may, of course, have “failed to catch the drift of 
opinion” respecting them; hut we have to say that he is perfectly 
competent to judge Grapes, and is in the habit of sending produce 
to his employer’s table at least equal to the examples now before us, 
admirably as the bunches are set, and good and regular as are the 
berries.— Ed.] 
LINSEED OIL v. PEAR SCALE. 
On opening the Journal of Horticulture this morning I was 
surprised to see an old letter of mine again appearing in print. 
The two upright Pear trees alluded to in my letter were not 
injured in the slightest degree by the painting of boiled linseed 
oil which my gardener gave them, but it was “ all over ” with the 
scale, and the trees were not infested with that pest again. 
Three years ago an upright-trained Apple tree was painted 
with this oil : care, however, was taken not to touch the flower 
buds or the leading shoots of the year. This tree is now in good 
healthy fruit-bearing condition, and is quite free from scale. My 
gardener has also painted a Peach tree. The last year’s growth 
and the spurs were not painted, and the result was most satis¬ 
factory. Care must be taken to obtain pure linseed oil, as much 
inferior oil is now sold under the name of boiled linseed oil. 
I feel I am so much’ indebted to Mr. Wm. Taylor for his ad¬ 
mirable communications to our Journal, that I shall be most 
willing to answer any further questions he may think proper to 
ask on this subject.—C. M. 
[A letter will be published next week from a gardener of great 
experience, who has found linseed oil dangerous, and he does not 
advise its use as an insecticide. If in the meantime anyone 
applies the oil to fruit trees it is important that the above in¬ 
junction be borne in mind, and the oil be obtained pure.—E d.] 
PLANTING STRAWBERRIES ON LIGHT SOIL. 
The soil in the garden under my charge is one of the poorest 
anyone can have to deal with for Strawberry-growing, the surface 
in some parts being little more than sand about the depth of the 
spade, and overlying red sandstone rock. But though the soil is 
unsuitable my employers expect good Strawberries, and what 
they require it is only right that we should strive our best to pro¬ 
vide. I tried various plans and placed plants out at various times 
and ways before I tried my present method, which has answered 
very well so far, for this year the crop was very heavy and fine. 
Having selected the ground as early in the winter as convenient 
I dig it as deeply as I can without bringing up the sand, and give 
a good dressing of cow manure (this year I have given also a 
dressing of marl), mixing the manure and soil well together. In 
March I spread over the surface 1^ inch in depth a dressing of 
wood ashes, soot, and decayed manure from an old hotbed (manure 
and leaves). This I fork very lightly in and tread the ground 
firm. Drills are then drawn a foot apart and ODion seed is sown. 
Throughout the season the bed is hoed and weeded. About the 
end of July, as early as rooted runners can be obtained, I take 
the best and plant them in every alternate space between the rows 
of Onions 18 inches apart. Showery weather is chosen for the 
planting time, and the afternoon is preferred. I give a thorough 
supply of water, and more is seldom required afterwards, as the 
Onion tops shade the plants a little. When the plants are grow¬ 
ing freely and the Onion tops are in the way, we turn these over 
each way from the Strawberries ; this also acts beneficially to the 
Onions, checking the formation of thick necks. As soon as the 
Onions are ripe they are removed and the ground is hoed and 
raked. The Strawberry plants make fine crowns and produce a 
very good crop of fruit the first year, the fruit being fine, but the 
crop is not quite so heavy as in the following year. As soon as 
the fruit is gathered the second year I plant Broccoli between the 
rows, and when I have obtained what Strawberry plants are re¬ 
quired I rake the bed clean. The Broccoli make very good firm 
growth in the hard ground. 
A surface-dressing of half-decayed littery manure is given in 
April, which the rain washes clean by the time the fruit is ripe, 
and we are not troubled by thunder showers splashing the soil on 
the fruit. Iu this way I prepare the ground for three crops at 
one time (Onions, Strawberries, and Broccoli), have a solid and 
fairly rich ground for planting, and available to plant early, at a 
minimum expense for labour.— Spade. 
AN AMATEUR’S GARDEN. 
Having had the pleasure of visiting the garden of a well- 
known amateur exhibitor — viz., that of Mr. Richard Mann, 
Howden Dyke, Howden, East Yorkshire, I feel confident that 
a brief description of what I saw and learnt will interest some 
of the readers of this Journal. Mr. Mann is a chemical manure 
maker, and devotes the whole of his leisure to the improvement 
and cultivation of florists’ flowers. I was shown a fine display of 
African Marigolds, a strain entirely of his own production, and 
the result of nearly twenty years’ careful cultivation. I was told 
that they have carried off first honours wherever exhibited, in¬ 
cluding the first prize at the “ International ” Show of the present 
year at Manchester. There is a splendid collection of Hollyhocks, 
many of them great improvements on the older and still existing 
varieties. For these a plot of land is set apart and specially 
made up of a strong mixture of clay and sand. Carnations and 
Picotees seem to be a speciality, and above eight hundred plants 
in full bloom formed a display I shall not easily forget. Grown 
on clay soil they seem to flourish, and produce rich colours. Mr. 
Mann has taken prizes for them at all the chief Yorkshire shows 
for many years. Phloxes are well grown, and the collection com¬ 
prises about fifty varieties, including the following, which are very 
fine. Auguste Riviere, Bellini, Clara, Cameron, Deliverance, Le 
Lion, Lothair, Madame Domage, Mrs. Laing, Mrs. Grundy, and 
Roi des Roses. A magnificent bed of Show and Fancy Pansies 
attracted my notice, the most conspicuous of which were, Rob, 
Cowan, Thalia, Buttercup, Miss Darling, Marjory, Mrs. Birkmire, 
Mrs. E. H. Wood, Robt. Burns, De Foe, Dr. Livingstone, Dean 
Ramsay, John Rowatt, Mrs. Horsburgh, Rev. D. Taylor, Janet 
Lees, and George Fisher. 
I should take up too much of your valuable space were I to 
refer at length to the beds of Asters, Zinnias, Dahlias, and Roses ; 
but I may remark that whatever Mr. Mann takes in hand he 
devotes that care and persevering energy to it that has marked 
his career of twenty-five years as a successful amateur exhibitor. 
He told me that he had taken above one thousand prizes since 
1875 (excluding the present year), for flowers alone. 
I am a lover of flowers, and take a great interest in their culti¬ 
vation, and as a constant reader of your valuable paper I should 
like to see other notes on “ amateurs’ ” gardens.— Homo. 
THE USE OF FIRE HEAT FOR GRAPES. 
The subject of night temperatures for Grapes has been much 
discussed within the last few years, and since the re-opening of 
the subject through Mr. Simpson staging examples grown under 
his system the weary round is to be trod once more—at least, so 
it seems. Still the subject is an important one, and if it could be 
unprejudicedly discussed might be not altogether unprofitable. 
In order to do so, facts must be dealt with and considered and 
mere assumption left out. For instance, it does harm and not 
good to assume, as appears to have been too generally done, from 
what has appeared in the Scotsman, as elsewhere, that every bunch 
of Grapes that gained prizes at Edinburgh were grown on the 
high-night temperature system. To do so is begging the ques¬ 
tion entirely, when, for all the public knows, they may have been 
grown under the cool system. Indeed, we know that some of the 
very best were. This being the fact, what reliance are we to put 
on the judgment of one who selects not very good samples of 
Grapes which are stated to have been grown under the low-night 
temperature system and compares them with others grown under 
the same system, but which are very fine, and takes the good 
samples as proof that high-night temperatures are best ? Simply 
this, such hasty judgment is worth nothing. Nothing but care¬ 
fully considered and carefully carried out experiments will ever 
settle the question. Bad Grapes may be seen at any time grown 
under orthodox conditions so far as temperatures are concerned ; 
but we are not, therefore, to condemn a system whereby many 
have succeeded. We presume nobody will dissent from this. All 
we ask is, that the rule be applied in the other case. This is just 
what has not been done. 
It must not be supposed that we are concerned about the defence 
of Mr. Simpson, for we are not; he is quite qualified enough to do 
that for himself. But we do say that justice has not been done 
him in regard to his Edinburgh exhibit. It would be too much to 
say that the bunches were perfect in regard to setting, but very 
few growers can show better set bunches. We were visiting some 
