348 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ October 12 , 1882 . 
Mr. Wilson’s object in giving the prizes was to obtain a label that 
should be legible, durable, and cheap ; and he considered that those 
were the chief points requiring attention. Unfortunately it was 
difficult to find one which combined all these qualities, and in conse¬ 
quence at the first competition no prize was awarded. At the second, 
however, a label was selected as worthy the award. This consisted 
of an oblong wooden blade, through two holes in which a strong 
galvanised wire was bent, so as to form two prongs, as it were, which 
was the part inserted in the soil. He described at length the merits 
of metal, glass, paper, and wood as substances for labels, and after 
explaining the good and bad qualities of a large number of those 
shown at the Society of Arts Exhibition he concluded by describing 
one of his own design, in which the body consisted of metal—either 
sheet iron or Bessemer steel—and upon the blade w r as fixed a small 
sheet of sized paper, on which the name of the plant or tree had been 
previously printed. This was then covered with a coating of copal 
varnish, and the label had the merits of being practically indestruc¬ 
tible, very legible, and easily altered or renewed. Mr. Wilson, the 
chairman, in proposing a vote of thanks to Mr. Hibberd, stated that 
he had also offered a prize for the best wooden label, which he hoped 
would bring some good results, as he considered that if one could be 
found to stand the weather it would far surpass metal or any other 
substance. One he had tried which had been boiled in paraffin (not 
petroleum) for twelve hours had proved satisfactory. Unanimous 
votes of thanks were accorded both to Mr. Shirley Hibberd and 
Mr. G. E. Wilson. 
CHRYSANTHEMUM CORONARIUM. 
I wonder if there are many readers of the Journal who know 
or who grow Chrysanthemum coronarium. It is an old-fashioned 
annual, and used to figure half a century ago among all collections 
of flower seeds, and it might have been seen adorning the borders 
of all gardens where flowers were cherished. But, like many other 
good old things, it has been crowded out by the novelties by which 
we are ever too ready to allow ourselves to be led captive. Other 
Chrysanthemums there are which have forced themselves on public 
favour, and which under the names of Paris Daisy and Nice Daisy 
have of late become universally grown. But “Daisy” we may 
not use now-a-days. They must now, forsooth, be called Marguerites ! 
and it is these Marguerites which, pretty as they are, may be 
supplemented as decorative plants by this neglected flower. 
Last year I procured some seed of C. coronarium, which was 
sown in the open border, and when the plants came up they were 
thinned, and then left to themselves. They began to bloom in 
July, and continued to supply a profusion of large yellow, white, 
and cream-coloured flowers, some double and some single, all 
through the autumn, and, the winter being mild, they supplied us 
with cut flowers well into the spring from the open ground. This 
year I sowed some seed of my own saving, and some of the plants 
which were allowed sufficient room have grown into handsome 
bushy forms 2 to 3 feet high, of a pyramidal habit of growth, and 
covered with a profusion of large flowers, some of which are nearly 
3 inches across. Some of these I had potted into 24-pots, 
and placed in the conservatory, and anything more ornamental it 
would be difficult to find. It is not only the flowers, but the foliage 
which is so ornamental, the latter far surpassing that of the Paris 
Daisy, which I always think is thin and meagre ; and then the 
flowers are so useful for cutting, as they will keep fresh in vases 
for a fortnight or three weeks without having the water renewed.— 
Sussex. 
MILDEW ON PEAS. 
Could any of your numerous correspondents state their expe¬ 
rience with respect to mildew on Peas? I have always understood 
that it was generally attributable to wet, but I am inclined to 
think that on our land here Peas suffer more from mildew in dry 
weather. The early part of the summer with us was wet. Peas 
grew very fast, and were as clean as they possibly could be. A 
period of dry weather set in, and all the rows were seriously 
attacked : but in August and September rain again came, and 
washed them quite clean—in fact, they are quite as fresh now as 
the early Peas were in June. If it would be of any interest to 
your readers I could give you my observations on the varieties of 
Peas new and old (about twenty-five varieties) I have grown 
during the past summer.—J. S., Darlington. 
[Your notes on varieties of Peas will be very acceptable to our 
readers.] 
Salvia Heeri. —"We find this Salvia the most useful of all for 
winter-blooming. It is most easily managed. We take the cuttings 
early in April, which soon root, and are then potted and pinched 
back from time to time, and then in June are planted out along any 
unoccupied border in the kitchen garden. Here their growth is regu¬ 
lated by occasional pinching, and they form bushy plants, being lifted 
and potted about Michaelmas and taken into a cool vinery, where 
they begin to bloom towards the end of the year, when they are most 
useful to bring into the conservatory to take the place of the Chrys¬ 
anthemums. Their brilliant scarlet flowers are highly decorative 
during the months of January and February—a period when conser¬ 
vatories are often found comparatively destitute of bright flowers in 
elegant sprays. They last well until they give room to the early 
Azaleas. We have never tried the white Salvia Heeri, but if it 
flowers as freely as the scarlet one the two would make a pretty 
contrast.—M. A. M. 
NAMING FRUIT TREES. 
Not long ago I began to buy fruit trees, and being without 
experience I did not know what to do about labels ; so the 
labels that came on the trees from the nurseries were allowed to 
stay on them until they gradually dropped off, and the names of 
the trees were lost. I would therefore advise all inexperienced 
tree-planters to replace the paper labels at once with labels of 
zinc, which they can hang on the trees by means of thin lead 
wire. The names written with a chemical preparation, which is 
sold with the zinc labels, by means of a quill pen seem never to 
fade. This may seem a trifling matter, but it would prevent the 
annoyance which is felt at not knowing the names of the fruits in 
the garden, particularly when some are much liked, and in con¬ 
sequence there is a wish to grow more of them. The possessor is 
then driven, as I have been, to trespass on the kindness of the 
Editor of the Journal of Horticulture , and trouble him to remedy 
the effects of my own carelessness.—J. 
[We emphasise the above advice. The matter is far from being 
“ trifling ; ” on the contrary, it is a question of importance. 
Scarcely anything causes greater disappointment and involves 
more trouble in after years than neglecting to secure and preserve 
the names of fruit trees.] 
SILKWORMS AND SILKWORM REARING.—17. 
(Continued from gwge 294.) 
We have stated that the silkworm, A. Yama Mai, has been found 
to be subject to diseases when kept in cages, or at least restricted 
to a small space. Such a life is necessarily more or less artificial, 
and it is as liable to be unwholesome to these worms as it is to 
human beings who are similarly circumstanced. The common 
silkworm of the Mulberry seems as yet to have taken to confine¬ 
ment better than any of its relatives, thriving in every land if 
proper care be taken. Indeed so thoroughly has this insect been 
domesticated or tamed, that it has been observed the worms when 
kept in trays will die of starvation rather than wander beyond 
them in search of food, trusting entirely to man for their food 
supplies. Probably even when leading a life of freedom the Yama 
Mai suffers sometimes from each of the three diseases specified, 
since the breeders in Japan have noticed them all, though their 
losses by these are small compared to the per-centage of worms 
that have died under the management of our experimenters. The 
Japanese have also noted the curious fact that in their country a 
creeper with a dark stem, and leaves resembling the Convolvulus, 
occasionally climbs up the young Oaks. If one of the A. Yama 
Mai worms chances to eat a small portion of this creeper it dies 
almost immediately. 
Our apparent non-success in Britain with this Japanese species 
Dr. Wallace and others attribute to an insufficient trial of rearing 
the worms in the open air upon young Oaks, growing with a 
moderate amount of shelter from high winds, and where the 
climate is rather moist. Yama Mai is reared to profit upon this 
plan within a certain district of Japan ; it is also fed elsewhere 
upon twigs or branches taken from some species of Oak, and 
placed in water very much in our method. Mr. Adams, of Her 
Majesty’s Legation in Japan, made a tour some years ago through 
that region, which has at present sent the largest quantity of this 
particular kind of silk into the market. From the town of Mat- 
sumoto he was directed to a village situate in the heart of the silk 
district, and was fortunately able to lodge at the house of one of 
the principal persons engaged in this industry. He, it seemed, 
belonged to a society or association comprehending members from 
a large number of villages, which had the greater part of the trade 
in their hands, although some silk was produced by outsiders. 
By a rough estimate this man calculated that his society must on 
an average sell at least twenty million of cocoons yearly. The 
demand for the silk of A. Yama Mai had of late become greater 
than the supply : a much larger quantity, so Mr. Adams thought, 
might have been obtained by improved methods and more atten¬ 
tion ; “ the general principle there of letting things take their 
course and of leaving the issue to Providence, being painfully 
manifest.” 
Several species of Oak grow in that district, but one is chosen 
