November 16, 1882. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 453 
of this and warmer climates, the following in reference to locusts 
IN Cyprus, from the Colonies and India, is worthy of note :— 
“ A regular campaign has been carried on against the locusts in 
Cyprus, the reward offered by the G-overnment of Cyprus of one 
piastre per oke, or about a halfpenny for every pound of eggs—sub¬ 
sequently raised, however, to three times that sum as the eggs be¬ 
came scarcer—having so stimulated the natural desire of the people 
to rid themselves of this pest, that the enormous amount of 1329£ tons 
of eggs were collected in seven months. Besides the eggs vast quan¬ 
tities of locusts were caught by means of screens and traps placed all 
over the island. Many of these insects were got rid of by burning 
them in great heaps, and the eggs were probably destroyed in the 
same way ; but it would surely be worth while for the Government, 
which pays a sum of £30,000 or £40,000 m the shape of 1 head money,’ 
to get some direct return for this expenditure, or enable the people 
to derive a further advantage from the destruction of the insects by 
devising some means of utilising the dead insects. At the other end 
of the Mediterranean and in the Bay of Biscay a paste made from the 
bodies of Algerian locusts is used with great success in the sardine 
fishery, and it is probable that the same bait might be used in other 
fisheries as well. The locust eggs could, perhaps, be still more easily 
utilised in the same way. All that would be necessary would be to 
kill the eggs by placing them in boiling water, and if then placed in 
bags, bottles, or casks they would make an excellent bait for shore 
fishing. By carrying boatloads of their spoil out to sea the locust- 
hunters might develope an important fishing industry round the 
coasts of Cyprus.” 
CULTURE OF HARDY PLANTS. 
It is pleasing to find, that although the Rev. Wolley Dod is an 
ardent lover of hardy plants, he does not recommend their use 
without at the same time assuring his readers that, in order to 
have them do well, constant attention is required. My experience 
has been that there is more work in connection with these in 
keeping them in good order, especially from July to November, 
than with ordinary bedding plants. This year I saw a large 
flower garden of ordinary bedding plants, and some large borders 
of hardy plants managed with a minimum of labour, and the 
bedding plants had much the best of it in effect. There had been 
no time to stake and tie plants as they required it, nor to remove 
decayed flower stems ; consequently in September, when the 
tender plants were glowing, the hardy flowers were comparatively 
wild. 
As I find it a good system periodically to lift hardy plants and 
retrench the borders and replant young plants instead of the 
older plants, and have recommended this system, I will give a 
short reply to your correspondent’s statement that “ this is a bad 
plan.” Our plan is to have strong rooted plants ready of those 
which are to be thrown away, and before commencing to trench 
the borders condemned plants are first cleared off ; then the 
borders are manured ; then as the ground is turned all bulbous 
plants are lifted carefully and set back into their old positions, 
or if too large divided and replanted as smaller clumps. Your 
readers may be assured that if properly performed the borders 
will be much better the first year than they will be the third, as 
it always happens, at least with us, that notwithstanding surface 
dressings the borders are never so fine after the second year. 
With regard to Phloxes, the simplest way to increase these is 
to divide the plants now and replant at once. Our Phlox beds 
always receive a dressing from 6 to 9 inches thick of manure, and 
with three to six shoots left to each plant we have few flowers to 
rival a bed of these. Mr. Wolley Dod’s plea for “ real cultiva¬ 
tion,” as he calls it, is worth the consideration of all. Starved 
flowers afford no pleasure.—B. 
SCRAPS ABOUT FRUIT. 
Peasgood’s Nonsuch Apple.— Your correspondent, “J. W.” 
(page 364), has made a slight mistake in reference to Lady Hen- 
niker Apple. The variety to which he refers is Peasgood’s Non¬ 
such. I have not yet fruited Lady Henniker Apple, but from 
specimens which I have seen I should say it partakes more of the 
Codlin type, while Peasgood’s Nonsuch is evidently nearly related 
to Blenheim Orange. Peasgood’s Nonsuch is certainly very 
handsome, and when it succeeds it is a most desirable variety 
to grow. My own experience of it is very limited, and I should 
be glad if some of your readers who grow this Apple would 
state their experience of it as a free-fruiting variety. It is now 
some years since Messrs. Brown of Stamford distributed this 
variety, so that there should be plenty of bearing trees in the 
country.—J. Smith, Mentmore. 
Soldat Laboubeur Peab.—I n reply to the inquiry of your 
correspondent, “ J. E.” in the last number of your Journal (page 
404) I beg to state that I have two trees of Soldat Laboureur, one 
of the Pears about which he asks for information, which I had 
many years ago from Mr. T. Rivers’ nursery under the double 
name of Soldat Laboureur or Orpheline d’Engheim. It was there 
described in his list as “very productive and of the highest excel¬ 
lence,” and so it has fully proved with me until the last two or 
three years, when it ceased to bear well. This year it has resumed 
its character and borne a good crop. It is of medium size, coming 
in about Christmas, and in quality most excellent.—C. P., Herts. 
Marie Guisse Pear.—A correspondent recently desired in¬ 
formation about this, amongst other Pears, that are not commonly 
grown in gardens. Marie Guisse I had from Belgium a dozen 
years ago, but it has not given satisfaction, the fruits often 
failing to ripen, or at least to develope the good qualities that 
this variety is reputed to possess. The fruit is large, uneven, and 
of a brownish tint, and when in good condition is juicy and plea¬ 
santly flavoured. But in the north, at least in Yorkshire, it is not 
by any means a Pear to be depended on, although it may succeed 
better in more favoured localities.—M. D. 
Double Crop of Plums. —In answer to your correspondent on 
page 427, we have here some young pyramids of Victoria that bore 
two crops this year. In the second crop the fruit was not so large 
as the first, hut they were well coloured, and proved useful for 
kitchen purposes. This is the first time that I have known Plum3 
bear the second time and bring them to perfection.—G. T. 
Apples for the North. —I observe (page 424) Mr. Wither¬ 
spoon strongly recommends as a suitable Apple to plant in the north 
of England and Scotland a sort called “ Ringer.” Can he or any of 
your correspondents tell the difference, if any, between Ringer and 
variety largely grown in the west of Scotland called Tom Mont¬ 
gomery } It will also be interesting to know something about the 
origin of Ringer. Tom Montgomery is an old sort. However, 
there were large trees of it in my father’s garden more than thirty 
years ago. I have not had an opportunity of comparing Ringer 
with Tom Montgomery, but, judging from memory both of the 
tree and fruit, I am strongly of opinion that they are the same.— 
J. MacIndoe. 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
November 14th. 
A LARGE and interesting meeting was held on Tuesday last, Pelar¬ 
goniums, Chrysanthemums, and the vegetables in competition for 
special prize forming the chief features. 
Fruit Committee. —Harry J. Yeitch, Esq., in the chair. A bronze 
medal was awarded for four extremely handsome Smooth Cayenne 
Pme Apples from Mr. C. Ross, gardener to C. Eyre, Esq., Welford 
Park, Newbury, which weighed 29 tbs. 4 ozs., the pips large and eight 
or nine deep. Mr. Horley, Toddington, Dunstable, sent some fine 
Naseby Mammoth Onions and several seedling Apples. Mr. T. 
Laxton, Bedford, sent a seedling Pear something like Beurrd Diel. 
Mr. Nelson, Dunmore House, Stanwell, near Staines, sent six fruit3 
of a seedling Apple named Nugget. Mr. C. Ross exhibited tubers of 
his new Potato termed Rival, even and clean, which was referred to 
Chiswick for trial. Messrs. Downie & Laird, Edinburgh, sent a seed¬ 
ling black Grape with large berries, juicy, and of good flavour. The 
Committee considered it a promising Grape, and desired to see it in 
January. Messrs. Carter & Co., High Holborn, exhibited their new 
Golden Queen Onion. A letter of thanks was awarded to Mr. E. 
Pond, The Vineries, Jersey, for some fine samples of his Giant Red 
Shallots. Mr. J. Tilley, Lincoln Road East, Peterborough, had a dish 
of Peter Pippin Apples. Mr. J. T. Miles, The Gardens, Wycombe Abbey, 
sent some fine samples of The Lyon Leek, for which a letter of thanks 
was awarded. Three bunches of Alnwick Seedling were sent from 
Chiswick, the berries of good size and beautifully coloured, for which 
a cultural commendation was awarded, Gros Colman also being well 
shown. Messrs. Saltmarsh & Son, Chelmsford, exhibited a dish of 
their new Apple The Queen, large, and of fine colour. Mr. Gandy, 
Maidstone, sent a dish of Loddington Apples. Mr. C. Roberts, The 
Gardens, Highfield Hall, sent a fine cone of Encephalartos horridus. 
Mr. C. Tyler, The Gardens, Shelton Abbey, had a scarlet-fleshed 
Melon named Shelton Abbey, of moderate size and well netted, but 
of poor flavour. 
Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading, exhibited a very large collection 
of Potatoes, Kales, Cabbages, and other vegetables in very fine 
condition, and occupying one side of the vestibule. Messrs. James 
Veitch & Sons, Chelsea, contributed a number of Curled Kales and 
Endives, the latter including the White Curled, Green Curled, Picpus, 
Moss Curled, Hardy Winter, and Fraser’s Broad-leaved. A collection 
of Shallots was sent from the Society’s gardens, comprising the 
Russian, Exhibition, New Russian, Large Russian, Small Red, Large 
Brown, and Large Red. 
