JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
148 
[ August 17, 1882. 
Thrips appear to be particularly fond of it, and as fumigation 
is out of the question in our conservatory we had recourse on one 
occasion to a decoction of quassia chips and soft soap. This was 
made by steadily boiling half a pound of the former and 1 lb. of 
soft soap in a gallon of water for about an hour, and used at the 
rate of a pint to a 3-gallon can of water, the plants being 
thoroughly wetted with the aid of a syringe. This effectually 
checked the thrips, but also much damaged the apparently very 
susceptible foliage. This season we tried paraffin oil or petroleum 
at the rate of 2 ozs. to the gallon of hot water, ad ling to a 3-gallon 
can a lump of soft soap about the size of a hen’s egg. The latter 
was added to assist in the difficult matter of mixing the oil with 
the water, and besides this it is always necessary to either forcibly 
return each alternate syringeful into the can or to have a second 
svringe constantly stirring. The water is employed heated to 
about 120°, and the mixture is syringed off in the course of half 
an hour. It is safest applied in the evening and during dull 
weather, as bright sunshine is apt to injuriously affect the plant 
operated upon. I give this well-known recipe, not because I 
believe it so effective as a thrips and green fly-destroyer as either 
the decoction of quassia chips or tobacco water, but simply be¬ 
cause I find it invaluable as a destroyer of mealy bug. This mix¬ 
ture again damaged the older leaves of the Lonicera, and for the 
future we shall employ the decoction of quassia chips and soft 
soap more diluted. 
I believe Lonicera sempervirens minor is commonly called the 
Japanese Trumpet Honeysuckle, but I have searched in vain for a 
description or history of it.— W. Iggulden. 
THE MUNSTER SCHOOL POTATO EXPERIMENTS. 
The following remark occurs in the interesting review which 
appeared in your issue of last week (page 135) on the experiments 
made on the cultivation of the Potato at the farm of the Munster 
Agricultural and Dairy School:—“Kainit and cura<joaphosphates 
gave 15 tons 19 cwts., a fact which seems to prove that nitrogen 
may be dispensed with, although we think it a pity that nitrogen 
should not have been given along with both kainit and phosphates.” 
No doubt there are soils to be found so rich in nitrogen as to 
meet the wants of the Potato or any other crop without an addi¬ 
tional supply, but this can scarcely be so common as to render it 
prudent to dispense with this element in manures for ordinary 
cases. Unfortunately the composition of the soil at Munster is 
not indicated in your review (perhaps it is not given in the report), 
but the following table taken from Ville’s interesting work may 
keep some of your readers from being misled by these experiments 
in so vital a point as the value of nitrogen in the cultivation of the 
Potato. The table not only shows the results which may follow 
from the elimination of nitrogen from the manure used, but how 
much its value is influenced by the presence of potash :— 
Normal manure. 
Manure without nitrogen . 
„ st phosphate 
„ „ potash ... 
Without any manure . 
Result per acre. 
1885. 
11 tons 3£ cwts. 
6 » 14 >t 
7 ts 3 „ 
4 „ 4 „ 
3 „ 1£ „ 
1867. 
9 tons 16} cwts. 
6 tt 6 } „ 
~ >t tt 
4 ,, 4 „ 
3 it 0 „ 
The suppression of potash caused the crop to diminish from 9 tons 
16f cwts. to 4 tons 4 cwts., the soil without manure yielding only 
3 tons, and as Ville remarks—•“ But this is not all. You will see 
by the preceding table that by reducing the proportion of nitrogen 
in the normal manure from 103 to G7 lbs. per acre [for these were 
the quantities of that element used in 1865 and 1867 respectively] 
we only obtain with 103 lbs. of nitrogen 11 tons 3^ cwts. tubercles 
per acre ; with 67 lbs. of nitrogen 9 tons 16| cwts. tubercles per 
acre. By suppressing the potash in the two manures the results 
became equal. The excess of nitrogenous matter was altogether 
useless, and no longer exercised any action.” “When the dose of 
potash was doubled the result was—normal manure with 103 lbs. 
of nitrogen 11 tons 34 cwts.; manure without phosphate, 7 tons 
3 cwts. ; ditto, but with double dose of potash, 11 tons 4 cwts.” 
“ A remarkable instance,” says Ville, “ of the preponderant action 
of the dominant constituent.” These crucial experiments appear 
to me to put the whole case in a striking and clear light. As Ville 
truly remarks, they are of “ exceptional interest by reason of the 
ill effects that attend insufficient or badly composed manure” in 
growing Potatoes.— Inquirer. 
Plants in Pots—Lilies. —At this time of the year gardeners are 
very busy, and when plants have bloomed it is but too common to 
see them placed out of the way, often fully exposed to the sun, which 
treatment, excepting perhaps for Pelargoniums and a few others that 
require ripening, usually causes great injury to the roots. Often 
Cyclamens, Begonias, and many others suffer in this way; but I 
principally wish to urge more careful after treatment for Lilies when 
grown in pots, especially L. auratum. Too frequently they are said 
to be good the first year after importation and gone the third. This 
is often the cause of failure, and importers are not to blame. Re¬ 
move the seed pods when the flowers fall, and grow them carefully 
on with plenty of water until the stem becomes yellow and withered. 
—W. J. M., Clonmel. 
TALL SUMMER PERENNIALS. 
Being often asked to recommend tall and showy perennials for 
border decoration to flower late in summer “ when the family are 
down,” I mention a few which are in full flower here now on the 
12th of August, reminding the readers that Cheshire is from a 
week to a fortnight later than counties to the south of London. 
I include nothing which does not grow more than 3 feet high. 
Campanula pyramidalis. —Grows 6 feet high ; colour blue or 
white. Requires a strong moist soil to flower well out of doors, 
and does best treated as a biennial from seed sown early the first 
year ; but if the bed in which the seedlings are planted is kept 
undisturbed, fresh plants keep coming up from fragments of roots, 
which may be planted in the borders in spring to flower in autumn. 
A showy plant where it thrives. 
Verbascvm nigrum. —This, though a common native in the south 
of England, is a good border plant for any soil, to flower in July 
and August. If divided in early spring the size of the flower 
spikes is larger in proportion to the leaves, and the height is less. 
Roots may be divided in autumo, and are better for it. The 
white variety is a very beautiful plant, but requires a little more 
attention than the common form, or it may be lost. 
V. Chaixi. —Though V. nigrum is often sent from nurseries by 
this name, the true V. Chaixi, called also V. orientale, is an 
oriental form of V. nigrum, and is quite distinct in form and 
habit. The leaves are broader, the flowers larger, and the stem, 
which is 5 or 6 feet high, being branched for its whole length. It 
is a very good plant. I have never seen a white variety of it, 
those entered in catalogues as V. Chaixi album being always 
V. nigrum album. 
Monarda didyma. —In a moist soil and a sheltered but not too 
shady position this is a truly grand August plant. It should be 
replanted annually in a fresh spot, two or three shoots in spring 
being sufficient to make a fine plant if the soil is rich. With me 
it grows 5 feet high in the best positions. I have never seen a 
white M. didyma, those advertised being always M. fistulosa, a 
very inferior plant with dusty white flowers. 
Aster puniceus. —A large-flowered, free-flowering, mauve or slate- 
coloured early Michaelmas Daisy 5 feet high, having two or three 
distinct varieties and more names. I took great pains to get it 
rightly named, and hope I succeeded. It is a good back-row 
plant, but requires frequent division to enable the flowerheads 
to be properly developed. 
Veronica verticillata , alias virginica. —A tall upright species 
6 feet high or more, with stiff slender stems, branched vertically, 
and flowers nearly white. Leaves in regular whorls, distinct and 
elegant, taking little room, and not particular about situation. 
Veronica spicata rar. longifolia. —I venture to name a large 
class of Veronicas in this comprehensive way, as I am convinced 
that no distinctive line can be drawn to separate them. The 
finest is a well-known variety called subsessilis, growing about 
4 feet high when the plant is two years old, but being more 
elegant and ornamental when grown from an early spring cut¬ 
ting, when the proportion of flower to leaves is larger. Of 
other forms there are blue, white, and rose-coloured varieties, 
ranging from 2 feet to 4 feet in height. With regard to the 
distinction between these very variable and confused species, it 
is ge erally thought that the large forms with deeply serrated 
leaves and long petioles belong to longifolia; but two years ago 
I carefully saved the seed from a dwarf native plant of V. spicata 
not more than 6 inches high. The seed produced every form 
from the dwarfest spicata to the largest longifolia 4 feet high 
with serrated long-stalked leaves. 
Astilbe rivularis. —A coarse plant, and less elegant than Spiraea 
Aruncus, though flowering a month later, and in the same style. 
The form of the flower spike is handsome, and the flowers dull 
white ; but it is a robber of the soil, and spreads much at the 
root. 
Stenactis speciosa. —Upwards of 4 feet high, extremely free- 
flowering, continuing in full flower for at least two months ; like 
a Michaelmas Daisy, with very large lavender-coloured heads. 
Malra Alcea. —Five feet high, with abundant flowers of clear 
pale rose of good substance. 
M. moschata .— Both the rose-coloured and the white forms are 
