August 24, 1882. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 187 
Perhaps No. 1 may be Ne Plus Ultra, and No. 2 resembles Laxton’s Supreme ; 
but we do not pledge ourselves to accuracy of these names, nor do we undertake 
to name such vegetables as Peas, Beans, and Potatoes. 
Essay-Writing (IP. J. S.). —If you are not in possession of botanical 
knowledge wo fail to see how you can write an essay on the subject you name 
that would be creditable to yourself or convey sound and accurate information 
to your hearers. It would be a much safer course for you to write an essay on 
some practical subject that you understand, and leave scientific matters to 
scientific people. From these .you might learn, but you cannot teach satisfac¬ 
torily on a subject with which you are admittedly ill acquainted, and you would 
be sure to betray yourself if you made the attempt. Balfour's or Henfrey's 
“ Manuals of Botany ” if studied for a year might aid you in the preparation of 
such an essay as that to which you refer, as we presume you do not intend to 
simply copy from works and thus read an essay which would not be your own. 
Ageratums (Jack ).— We do not know an Ageratum having either yellow 
or buff-coloured flowers. There are varieties with white, flesh, and lavender- 
coloured flowers, some almost deepening to blue, and one variety has variegated 
foliage. 
Removing Trees (.4 Fourteen-years Subscriber). —If you are neither a 
market gardener nor a nurseryman you cannot legally either remove or cut 
down trees, and it would be especially unwise for you to interfere with them 
after you have received notice to quit. Let them alone, or you may incur 
trouble that might prove serious. 
Flanders Spinach (C. R. L.). —Some confusion exists in regard to the 
nomenclature of Spinach as sold by seedsmen. We have not a doubt that the 
seed you have obtained is suitable for sowing at the present time for affording 
a winter and spring supply of this wholesome vegetable. The true Flanders 
Spinach seed is more or less round, and the leaves are also roundish and very 
large. It is usually sown in the spring (like the ordinary round Spinach) for 
summer use, but is nevertheless hardy ; but the prickly-seeded variety is more 
commonly sown in the autumn, and is undoubtedly suitable for that purpose. 
If the variety you have obtained is an improved form of this you may sow it 
with confidence. Possibly it is a selection of the firm from the Flanders Spinach, 
but we cannot tell in the absence of seeds and plants. The dictionaries you 
name are identical. There is a fourth edition of the “ Vine Manual ” published. 
We do not know of a better edition of the “ Peach Pruner ” than the one you 
possess. We cannot answer questions by post. 
Exhibiting Cut Flowers (/. N. F. IF.).—According to the strict inter¬ 
pretation of the wording of the class, which you quote, we think you can do 
what you suggest, but we should not think the plan advisable, as you would 
afford the judges an excuse for passing your stand in the case of close com¬ 
petition. Show each variety in a separate bunch. You can include two or 
three distinct varieties of Dahlias, Stocks, and Phloxes, and cannot be properly 
disqualified for doing so, as, if the authorities of the show regard distinct kinds 
of flowers, they should have said so, in which case you could only stage one 
bunch of Phloxes, one of Dahlias, and one of Stocks. 
Pear Leaves Discoloured (J. H. S .).—The leaves arrived in a very 
dried state and partially crushed to powder. The Pear appears to have been 
attacked with the blister fly (Tinea clerckella), which is referred to in a reply to 
another correspondent, and also with the black fungus. Dissolve 3 ozs. of soft 
soap in a gallon of water, adding 1 or 2 ozs. of sulphur, and apply this at a tem¬ 
perature of 120° with a syringe, making both sides of the leaves quite wet. 
This will, we think, cleanse the foliage if used on three or four evenings con¬ 
secutively. Are the roots of the tree working freely in good soil ? The leaves 
sent are small and indicative of debility. 
Various (.4. B.). —Your young plants of Iresine Herbstii will not continue 
healthy if they are long subjected to a temperature of 35° or 36°. We have 
wintered them in a greenhouse, placing them at the warmest end where the 
temperature was usually about 45°, and seldom as low as 40°. Being stove 
plants they require more heat than Pelargoniums and Verbenas. You had 
better insert more cuttings than you require with the object of providing a 
margin for losses, which are almost sure to occur under the conditions you 
name. We do not cut the tops off Carnations when layering, and therefore do 
not recommend the practice. Isolepis gracilis is a miniature Sedge; it is a 
native of India, but succeeds well in a greenhouse, and is valuable for decora¬ 
tive purposes. The Tufted Hair Grass of this country is Aira csespitosa. The 
annual of which you have sent flowers is Kaulfussia amelloides. 
Duke of Buccleuch Grape (F. J. M.).— The above is the name of the 
Grape of which you have sent berries of average merit. The fruit is rather 
liable to be spotted, and the Vine does not always grow and bear well; we have, 
however, seen many healthy Vines and fine crops, the largest bunches being 
usually produced when the laterals have not been pruned very closely. It is 
essential that the growths be thinly disposed during the summer so as to insure 
the maturation of the wood, the Vine being somewhat succulent in its nature. 
Great care in ventilation is requisite during the season of growth, so that sudden 
transitions of temperature, and especially sharp draughts, are avoided, while 
the atmospheric moisture must be kept as equable as possible. It is a very fine 
Grape. 
Caterpillars on Oaks (Lady William ).—The appearance of the leaves 
proves that they have been attacked by the caterpillar of a small moth, very 
probably Tinea onosmella, or one of similar habit. This is just one of those 
instances where, owing to the caterpillar subsisting within the leaf hidden by 
a blotch or fold, applications are of little service, although some have advised 
that young Oaks which are likely to be attacked because they are near infested 
trees, should be copiously syringed with a soapy solution, or with one of the 
“ compounds” now frequently employed. The best remedy is Nature’s in this 
case—namely, small birds, which have been seen to split open the leaves and 
carry off the caterpillars, and should therefore be encouraged. We do not 
think, however, that the insect is so far detrimental as to endanger the life 
even of a young Oak, though the trees are seriously disfigured. The caterpillars 
may be less plentiful another year. 
Applying Manure Water to Vines (J. M. B.). —Though your Vine 
leaves have done their work and the Vines are going to rest, the roots will 
remain active for some time yet; it will, therefore, not be wise to apply strong 
liquid manure to your border till the middle of November, or till the tempe¬ 
rature of the border has fallen considerably and the roots are dormant. Should 
your border be the least dry, and the drainage as it ought to be, a thorough 
soaking of pure cold water given now and another in October will lower the 
temperature and also clear out any sourness, and prepare it for being manured 
by liquid applications. As there is “very little manure" in your border this 
may hardly be necessary for cleansing, but will do good. Six week : before 
using the urine add to it three times its own bulk of water. D not forget to 
supply lime. 
Neglected Gooseberry Bushes (-4 Suburban Amateur). —If the bushes 
bear pretty well, as we presume they do (as you say you cannot easily gather the 
fruit from the centre), and are also healthy and make tolerably free growth, wo 
should not do as you suggest, but should remove the suckers, using a spade it 
necessary for that purpose, and thin out the heads. But you must do this 
judiciously. If the bushes are really old and have not been pruned for some 
years, it is a mistake to prune them severely, as most of the inner branches are 
spurless and will remain so, the fruit being borne chiefly on the young wood. 
We should at once thin out the branches just sufficient for you to pass your 
hand between those remaining, not shortening the young shoots except for the 
purpose of rendering the bushes somewhat symmetrical. Old Gooseberry bushes 
often bear prodigiously on the young wood which is the reverse of luxuriant; 
indeed the finest crop we have seen this year was on bushes twenty years old, 
which are pruned but slightly and in the manner indicated. If you want large 
fruit you had better plant young trees. 
Planting an Orchard House (J. E .).—We scarcely understand your 
case. We presume your house is a lean-to having a back wall 12 feet high. In 
our view the most profitable mode of planting such a house, 20 feet by 12, 
would be to make a good border the entire width of the house, and plant trees for 
covering the wall, parallel with, and a foot from it, having a trellised path for 
attending to the trees. On the opposite side of the walk we should have a 
trellis commencing at the front and arching over to the path, affixing it there 
at 3 feet from the border and the same distance from the wall. You would thus 
provide a trellis 9 feet wide, which, when covered, would not shade the trees on 
the wall. But, then, you ask if you “ could plant two rows of trees (one on each 
side of the walk) trained to trellises across the border.” This is what we can¬ 
not understand, nor do we think it is understandable without a rough ground 
plan of the house showing the position of the walk. We think a house so low in 
front and so narrow not well adapted for cross trellises, but in very large 
structures they can be very profitably employed. You also appear to want 
half a dozen trees in pots. To provide a suitable position for these we can only 
suggest that the trellis be 14 feet instead of 20 feet long ; you would then have 
room for three or four trees in pots across each end. Another plan of occupying 
such a house is to have no trellis, but fill the house with trees in pots, covering 
also the back wall. This is a question of taste, cultural skill, and labour. The 
plan we first proposed would entail the least labour, and in all probability would 
result in the production of the greatest quantity of the finest fruit. Nor need 
this be had at the sacrifice of variety, as the trees, if desirable, can be grown 
as single cordons, planting them 20 inches apart along the foot of the wall and 
the front of the trellis. If you particularly desire cross trellises they should 
not be less than 4 feet apart, and they would probably answer fairly well. 
Heliotropium peruvianum (C. R L.). —The above is the name of the 
“ old lilac Cherry Pie Heliotrope ” to which you refer. It is a native of Peru 
and requires to be kept in a greenhouse during the winter, preferably where the 
temperature seldom falls below 40°, a minimum of 45° being better. Plants 
growing in flower beds do not what gardeners term “lift” well—that is, when 
taken up and potted most of them die. The best plan is to strike cuttings 
now by inserting short-jointed young shoots 3 inches long in sandy soil in pots, 
to be kept close, moist, and shaded in a frame until they are rooted, then re¬ 
moving them to a greenhouse. In a warm and light house healthy established 
plants continue flowering throughout the winter. There are many varieties 
of Heliotropes in cultivation, but none is sweeter and better adapted for winter 
flowering than the “old sort.” Miss Nightingale, Miss Lewington, White 
Queen, and Duchess of Edinburgh may be named among other good varieties. 
For general information, concisely given, on fruit, flower, and vegetable culture, 
our “ Garden Manual ” would be useful, price 1 j. 6 d. Sutherland’s “ Hardy 
Herbaceous Plants,” published by Blackwood, would also probably be of service 
to you. Every week you may derive sound information on a variety of subjects 
from our columns, and we answer questions that are submitted to us on all 
gardening matters. 
Figs not Swelling ( L. J. K.).— We are glad to learn you have been so 
generally successful with the fruit trees in your greenhouse. The reason why 
all the Figs did not swell is not easy to determine without an acquaintance 
with the condition of the trees and the circumstances under which they are 
grown. If the soil has been too dry on any particular occasion the growth of 
the fruit would be arrested, as it also would be if the soil were not kept fertile 
by top-dressings or applications of liquid manure. Again, if the growths were 
not stopped above the second crop all the fruit would not advance to maturity, 
and a portion would also cease swelling if the trees were overcrowded with 
growths and foliage. After a careful perusal of your letter we conclude that 
either the sap which has supported the embryo fruits has been appropriated by 
growths which should have been stopped, or that the soil has become im¬ 
poverished. What we refer to as the fruit, and what is understood as such, is 
not the fruit, but the receptacle containing it. At the end an aperture forms, 
and usually opens before the young Figs attain half their full size ; this, no 
doubt, is for the purpose of fertilisation, which cannot be effected if the flowers 
are sealed up. It is essential that the receptacles should open, and no doubt 
they have opened in those instances when the Figs have attained their full size 
and have ripened satisfactorily. You will find much that is interesting on the 
fertilisation of the Fig, with illustrations, m an issue of January 3lst, 1878. If 
you do not possess this number it can be obtained from this office post free 
for 3.irf. 
Pear Tree Leaves Blistered (Idem).— The leaves you have sent have 
been attacked by the Pear Tree Blister Moth, Tinea clerckella. The caterpillars 
of this raise dark brown blisters on the leaves. The moth is active and minute, 
shining like pearly satin, the wings having an orange ground spotted with 
black and other colours. It appears in May. To check this disease it is 
advisable to wash the tree with soapsuds the end of May or beginning of June, 
when the moths are pairing and laying eggs for a future progeny ; and if a very 
valuable tree be only partially attacked, the blistered leaves might be gathered 
and burnt as soon as any spots began to appear in August. 
Burned Clay (II. IF.). —The beneficial action of burned clay is mainly due 
to its altering the texture of the soil, and its application to heavy soils is 
attended with gieat success. It acts by rendering such soils less adhesive, con¬ 
sequently more permeable to air and water ; and tlie clay in burning has its con¬ 
stituents changed so that the ashes contain a greater proportion of alkalies, 
more especially of soda and potash, than unburned clay, a considerable portion 
of the alkaline substances in the latter being liberated in the process of burning. 
Much, however, depends on the state of burning, for if the clay be exposed to a 
great heat it will be converted into a brick-like mass, and its alkaline sub¬ 
stances be rendered less soluble than before, hence the burning should not be 
more than to cause it to readily crumble down. The best way to use it is to 
spread it over the surface and work it in by digging or trenching, so as to mix 
it with the soil to a depth of not more than 18 inches. The more thoroughly it 
is incorporated with the soil the better, and in no case should it be used in 
