October 9, 1884. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER 
341 
culty we should fear would be in keeping out the water. This, however, 
may be accomplished with a good clay backing and a properly built sup¬ 
porting wall. In very wet places some persons heat their structures with 
boilers fixed above the pipes, the water being forced from the boiler into a 
chamber considerably above it, from whence it flows into the pipes below. 
We are obliged by your commendatory letter. We are always ready to 
impart information when we are able to do so. 
Caterpillars {E. L. L .).—We know of no means by which the chrysalids 
can be destroyed by any ready means. It does not follow that you will 
have a similar plague another year, as the weather may not be favourable 
for the moths that are the parents of the caterpillars. Had you employed 
a man to have dusted the plants heavily with soot when the leaves were 
wet with dew many of the caterpillars would have been destroyed and the 
crops benefited, soot being an excellent manure. We are not aware that 
caterpillars on Cabbages, &c., constitute the food of any particular birds, 
but perhaps some of our ornithological readers can supply information on 
this point. 
Boards for Chrysanthemum Blooms (A, B.). —Boards are easily made 
of three-quarter-inch deal, planed smoothly, and painted a rather light 
green. All the boards are of an uniform width of 18 inches, and are 
raised by legs screwed into the cross battens near each end, 6 inches high 
at the back and 2 inches at the front. For six blooms the boards are 1 foot 
long, for twelve 2 feet long, and two of these can be used for twenty-four 
blooms, and so on. As we have not received the schedule of the York 
Chrysanthemum Society we are unable to inform you of the name and 
address of the Secretary. 
Pit for Grapes {A. B.). —We have seen excellent Grapes grown in pits 
similar to the one figured last week, where the subsoil is dry ; but where it is 
wet houses should be built above ground. We should not have the roof 
much flatter, as this would simply shorten it and have no corresponding 
advantage. No doubt the pit could be heated with sufficient piping arranged 
down the path, but it would be more economical to have at least one pipe 
along the sides of the house, and we fail to see anything to prevent such an 
arrangement. With top ventilation alone lids should open the whole length 
of the house. 
Tea Roses for Exhibition {Idem). —Catheiine Mermet, Mardchal Niel, 
Souvenir d’un Ami, Marie Van Houtte, Souvenir d’Elise, Devoniensis, 
Madame Lambard, Niphetos, Madame Bravy,Jean Ducher, PerledesJardins, 
and Rubens. 
Grapes in Greenhouse {Clifton). —After Black Hamburghs have been 
ripe for some time they lose much of their dark colour and assume a reddish 
hue, but do not turn sour unless the footstalks become affected with gan¬ 
grene, which is known as shanking. This, however, usually affects Grapes 
just as they are ripening. It is mainly the cause of defective root-action or 
ungenial soil, and is aggravated by overcropping and general mismanage¬ 
ment of the foliage in permitting the growths to be overcrowded. If the 
Grapes are quite ripe and the house shaded we should cut the bunches with 
a considerable portion of the laterals attached. Insert these in wine bottles 
of water, and suspend them in a room having a temperature of about 45°, of 
course cutting out all imperfect berries. Your Buckland Sweetwater does 
not bear probably because the wood, if it is strong enough, is not well 
matured. A free grower, and more certain white Grape, is Foster’s Seed¬ 
ling. If you cut the fruit you would probably find it advantageous to allow 
your house rather brisk artificial heat, giving at the same time abundance 
of air for a fortnight for ripening the wood. 
Grubs in Begonia Tubers {G. S.). —As the tubers get old they are 
liable to the attacks of underground enemies, the same as the corms of 
Cyclamens are. The latter, if free from maggots when potted in soil that 
has been made hot over a fire, will, we think, remain free; and soil so 
heated is improved in fertility. We should shake the Begonias out of the 
soil and dip the tubers in a mixture of softsoap and tobacco water, then 
dry them and store in previously heated and dried soil. It is always a 
good plan to keep raising young tubers, as the old are ever liable to “ go 
wrong ” in some way. 
Heat in Outdoor Mushroom Bed {Amateur). —Heat rises in the beds 
or ought to rise, after they are made up ready for spawning, and it is very 
important that the spawn is not inserted until the heat has attained its 
maximum and commenced falling. When it is about 00° 2 or 3 inches 
below the surface the spawning may be done, and if the heat is maintained 
about 80°—a degree or two above or below not being material—the mycelium 
will spread if the manure is in good condition and the spawn also good. 
The amount of covering applied must obviously depend on the heat of the 
bed or the weather. If the temperature rises above 85° reduce the cover¬ 
ing ; if it falls below 75° increase it—that is, the heat below the casing. If 
a thermometer laid on the bed under the straw registers 60° that will 
suffice for the spread of the mycelium, and when Mushrooms appear the 
temperature may be about 55°. A waterproof covering may be used over 
the straw if the bed is not too warm, or when the surface is not above 60°. 
If warmer than that either the covering must be removed or the litter 
underneath it reduced in thickness. 
Cucumber-Root Disease (IF. Raynor). —The roots you have sent are 
seriously affected with the disease that has been microscopically examined 
and described as follows by Mr. Worthington G. Smith ;—“ The root nodules 
are generally assumed to have a fungus origin, but the Rev. M. J. Berkeley long 
ago described the disease, and showed it to be caused by a parasite of another 
nature. The description he illustrated with the utmost accuracy. It would 
seem that the pest which causes the mischief is not always readily seen, or 
maybe it escapes into the surrounding soil, or, after working the mischief, 
perishes; but that it is sometimes difficult or even impossible to detect Mr. 
Berkeley himself confesses. For our part we have frequently seen the in¬ 
terior of the nodules just in the condition described by Mr. Berkeley, with 
the parasites in all stages of growth, from the egg condition upwards. Mr. 
Berkeley refers these parasites to vibrios, which belongs to the infusoria 
(properly confervoid Algre), common in foetid water, &c., and always, we 
believe, extremely minute in size; but the animals are just over one one- 
hundredth of an inch long, whilst vibrios are ten times smaller, and do not 
arise from eggs, but increase by the formation of new joints and separation 
at the articulations. The parasite appears to us to belong rather to the 
oviparous section of the genus Anguillula, which includes the ‘ vinegar eel,’ 
and except that it is only about one-half the size, it is very similar in all 
stages of growth to A. Tritici, an eel found infesting blighted Wheat. It is 
often complained that men of science cannot specify cures for the diseases 
they describe, but it should always be remembered that in regard to cures 
pathological botanists considerably resemble doctors of medicine. It does 
not follow that, because a doctor can tell by certain symptoms his patient 
may have Asiatic cholera or cancer, that he can therefore cure the disease ; 
or because a fireman sees your house is being destroyed by fire, he can from 
that mere fact extinguish the blaze. Physic and water sometimes do won¬ 
derful things, and in the case of worms in the roots of Cucumbers, the best 
remedy is to destroy the plants and look to the compost, which probably 
harbours the parasites.” 
Names of Fruit {J. P .).—The Grapes you have sent are good examples 
of 1, Buckland Sweetwater; 2, Foster’s Seedling. {E. Price). —1 and 2, 
Ribston Pippin; 3, Cellini. {J. H. N.). —1, Lord Grosvenor; 3, Fearn’s 
Pippin ; 4, Cox’s Orange Pippin ; 5, decayed ; 6, Beurrd Diel. (TF. D .).— 
1, Bess Pool; 2, Gloria Mundi; 4, Costard ; 1 Pear, Flemish Beauty ; 
2, Nouveau Poiteau ; 3, Catillac. {D. Mackie). —1, decayed; 2, Vicar of 
VVinkfield ; 3, Warner’s King; 4, Gravenstein. {G. Southcott). — 1, Brown 
Beurrd; 2, Devonshire Buckland; 3, Devonshire Queen; 4, not known. 
(A. C.). —Borsdorfer. {Charles Stocking). —Striped Beefing. {J. S.). —The 
large Apple Hollandbury, the small Cellini. {T. Stephens). —Red Autumn 
Calville. {J. S.). —1, Cellini; 2, Cox’s Orange Pippin ; 3, Barton’s Incom¬ 
parable ; 4, Golden Russet; 5, not known ; 6, Winter Marigold. 
Names of Plants {Tin Box). —Though you write complainingly we do 
not think you have much cause for complaint. If you have not read the full 
reply we gave on page 275 in our issue of September the 18th, that is scarcely 
our fault, but rather your own omission. {H. K .).—Oncidium flexuosum. 
{B. A. IF.).—Crataegus coccinea. 
Errata.—In the “Notes on Dahlias” on page 805, their “ three great 
wants ” are stated to be, “ plenty of air, plenty of loam, and plenty of water.” 
The word “loam” should have been printed “room;” but if they have 
plenty of loam as well they will be none the worse for the addition. The 
word “we ” in the third line from top of page 317 should have been “who,” 
and “ Senex ” thatches his bee-houses with Heather. The printer perhaps 
thought “ leather ” would be more durable, but we hope in future he will 
“ follow copy.” 
COVENT GARDEN MARKET.—October 8th. 
Busines quiet. Large supplies of home-grown Apples reaching us, prices falling. 
FRUIT, 
s. 
d. 
S. 
d. 
s. 
d. 
s. 
d. 
Apples .. .. 
J sieve 
3 
6 
to 8 
6 
Oranges. 
.. 100 
8 
0 to 12 
0 
Chestnuts .. 
bushel 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Peaches . 
perdoz. 
3 
0 
8 
0 
Cobs, Kent .. 
per 100 lbs. 
60 
0 
55 
0 
Pears, kitchen .. 
dozen 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Currants, Red 
A sieve 
0 
0 
0 
0 
„ dessert 
dozen 
1 
0 
3 
0 
„ Black 
1 sieve 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Pine Apples English .. lb. 
4 
0 
6 
0 
Figs .. .. 
dozen 
0 
6 
1 
0 
Plums . 
* Sieve 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Grapes .. 
.. lb. 
0 
6 
4 
0 
Strawberries.. 
.. lb. 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Lemons .. .. 
. 
• • case 
15 
0 
21 
0 
St. Michael Pines 
..each 
4 
0 
7 
0 
VEGETABLES. 
s. 
d. 
s. 
d. 
s. 
d. 
s. 
d. 
Artichokes .. 
. dozen 
2 
0 
to 4 
0 
Lettuce .. .. . 
dozen 
1 
0 to 
1 
P 
Beans, Kidney 
lb. 
0 
3 
0 
0 
Mushrooms .. . 
punnet 
0 
0 
1 
6 
Beet, Red .. 
dozen 
1 
0 
2 
0 
Mustard and Cress 
punnet 
0 
2 
0 
0 
Broccoli .. .. 
bundle 
0 
9 
1 
0 
Onions . 
bunch 
0 
3 
0 
4 
Brussels Sprouts 
i sieve 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Parsley .. dozen bunches 
2 
0 
8 
0 
Cabbage .. .. 
dozen 
0 
0 
1 
0 
Parsnips. 
dozen 
1 
0 
2 
0 
Capsicums 
. 100 
1 
6 
2 
0 
Potatoes. 
cwt. 
4 
0 
5 
0 
Carrots .. .. 
bunch 
0 
S 
0 
4 
,, Kidney . 
cwt. 
4 
0 
5 
0 
Cauliflowers .. 
. dozen 
2 
0 
3 
0 
Rhubarb. 
bundle 
0 
4 
0 
0 
Celery .. .. 
bundle 
1 
6 
2 
0 
Salsafy. 
bundle 
1 
0 
0 
6 
Coleworts dcz. 
bunches 
2 
0 
4 
0 
Scorzonera .. .. 
bundle 
1 
6 
0 
0 
Cucumbers .. 
. each 
0 
2 
0 
4 
Shallots. 
0 
8 
0 
0 
Endive .. .. 
dozen 
1 
0 
2 
0 
Spinach. 
bushel 
2 
0 
4 
0 
Herbs .. .. 
. bunch 
0 
2 
0 
0 
Tomatoes .. .. 
0 
6 
0 
0 
Leeks .. .. 
. bunch 
0 
3 
0 
4 
Turnips. 
bunch 
0 
4 
0 
6 
AUTUMN CORN SOWING. 
Once more the time has arrived for coming to a decision about 
the division of the land for the crops of next year. Local circum¬ 
stances must exercise considerable influence upon our arrangements ; 
the nature and condition of the soil, the means at our disposal for 
its cultivation, implements, motive power, manures, all must be passed 
in review, for although we may be fully sensible of the best way of 
cropping the land, yet the means at our disposal may be insufficient, 
and then we must do the best we can. That high farming pays 
there can be no doubt, and we are strongly of opinion that it answers 
best to take a small farm and apply £20 per acre to its culture rather 
than a large one with only the proverbial £10 per acre. By high 
farming we do not mean extravagant farming ; rather do we aim at 
strict economy, but it is economy tempered by discretion. A neigh¬ 
bour of ours sowed Wheat last autumn upon a piece of poor land 
