September o, 1880. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 245 
Wasps and flies are remarkably busy among the fruit of all kinds 
this season, and have a great partiality for ripe Grapes. They may 
be kept off by enclosing the bunches in muslin bags ; but this has its 
disadvantages, and a better plan is where possible to stretch scrim 
canvas, hexagon netting, or otiier similar material across the rafters 
or stanchions as the case may be, wherever there are ventilators, by 
these means excluding the pests. Seltzer water bottles, and failing 
these soda water or other wide-mouthed bottles half filled with a 
mixture of beer, water, and sugar, are wonderfully attractive to wasps 
and flies, and oftentimes if hung in good numbers in a vinery will 
save the crops. They should also be hung on the Peach, Pear, and 
Plum trees if the crofis are of any value. 
Fuchsias are now very effective in the greenhouse, and to keep 
them so as long as possible attend well to the watering, giving weak 
liquid manure often. The same remarks apply to Coleuses, which 
however are not of much good in a cool house later than September. 
Torenias Fournieri and Bailloni as they lose their flowers may be 
thrown away, as they are really annuals. Gloxinias and tuberous- 
rooted Begonias as they cease to flower should be gradually dried 
off at the roots, to be eventually stored away on a dry shelf. The 
same treatment should be given to a few plants of Begonia Weltoni- 
ensis to be saved for next season, the remainder to be thrown away. 
Keep the flowers pinched out of the plants of Chinese Primulas, 
and shift the smaller plants into the flowering pots, and keep the 
frames somewhat closer till established. Give abundance of air to 
the largest and well-established plants. Cease to pinch back the 
plants of Salvias, Eupatoriums, Browallias, Abutilons, Heliotropes, 
Salvias, and other winter-flowering kinds, and shift into larger 
pots any that may require it. Keep trained Mignonette closely 
pinched back, and still prevent Zonal Pelargoniums from flowering, 
and let them have all the sunshine possible, and they will then give 
abundance of bloom during the earliest part of the winter. 
Striking Bedding Pelargoniums. —As was anticipated much diffi¬ 
culty is being experienced in striking the choicest varieties of 
these ; owing to the very succulent growth made whole pans of varie¬ 
gated sorts have decayed at the base, and that too before any water 
was given. Where long enough they have been cut afresh and 
placed in the sun for two days previous to being again inserted. 
All cuttings taken off late were served the same, and the pots and 
pans when filled were at once placed on sunny shelves under glass, 
and no water given for at least a week. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Francis and Arthur Dickson & Sons, 106, Eastgate Street, Chester. 
—Catalogue of Bulbs. 
The General Horticultural Company (Limited).— Catalogue of 
Bulbs. 
Hooper & Co., Covent Garden.— Catalogue of Bulbs. 
*** All correspondence should be directed either to “ The Editors ” 
or to “The Publisher.” Letters addressed to Mr. Johnson or 
Dr. Hogg often remain unopened unavoidably. We request that 
no one will write privately to any of our correspondents, as doing 
so subjects them to unjustifiable trouble and expense. 
Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet questions relat¬ 
ing to Gardening and those on Poultry and Bee subjects, and 
should never send more than two or three questions at once. All 
articles intended for insertion should be written on one side of 
the paper only. We cannot reply to questions through the post, 
and we do not undertake to return rejected communications. 
Book (.S', if. IF.).—We quite understand the subject of the book of which 
you desire the title, but so many works are incidentally alluded to in articles 
that we are unable to find the one y r ou need unless you can suggest a nearer 
date, or can state the subject of the article in which the book is mentioned. 
We have endeavoured to find what you want, but have failed in our search. If 
however, you cau aid us by a further suggestion we will readily search again. 
Exhibiting Araucaria cxcelsa {T. C. Smith ').—It is a greenhouse 
evergreen tree, and cannot properly be excluded from a class for “ stove and 
greenhouse plants ” any more than can Palms, which are also either stove or 
greenhouse trees. 
Mildew on Gooseberry Leaves (A.S.). —There have been insects on 
the bushes as on other trees adjacent, and where these abound glutinous matter 
is invariably found on the foliage, and this is often taken possession of by a 
fungus, as in the leaves you have sent. If these are a fair sample, the fungus 
will do no harm to the bushes ; but if other leaves are much more infested, dust 
them with fresh lime or sulphur. 
Pruning Raspberries {Idem ).—It is an excellent plan to remove the old 
canes from Raspberries at this season, and also to remove superfluous growths, 
but the canes remaining must not be cut to the height required for fruiting 
next year. You may remove the tops of any that are very tall, and further 
shorten them after the leaves have fallen, but topping the canes now is not 
essential. 
Exhibiting Zonal Pelargoniums {San Juan). —We are unable to answer 
your question, but if you write (enclosing a stamped directed envelope for reply) 
to Mr. Cannell, Swanley, Kent, who was a large and successful exhibitor at the 
show you name, he will either be able to answer your question or give you infor¬ 
mation of equal value on the subject to which it pertains. We are glad your 
show was so successful. 
Conifers Unhealthy {X. l r . Z .).—Many Conifers were much injured by a 
suddeu and severe frost that occurred last November, and then the protracted 
and almost arctic winter following caused the death of many specimens, also 
of shrubs in various districts. We have no doubt whatever that your trees and 
shrubs were injured by the frost. Your gardener appears to have done all that 
is possible to restore them, and we are unable to suggest any further remedy. 
Vines for Planting {Old Subscriber). —If you will state what your object 
is in growing Grapes—whether you reqisire a supply of good Grapes over a long 
period, or as many varieties as you can cultivate, or a heavy crop of easily grown 
Grapes all ready at the same time, we will endeavour to answer your question. 
You must also inform us whether you have made preparation for growing 
those Grapes that require a hothouse temperature to produce them in fine con¬ 
dition. You afford no data whatever to enable us to give a reply that will be 
useful to you. 
Cutting down Cordyline australis (J. Mackenzie). —As your tree is 
healthy it will in all probability push forth fresh growths at any point at which 
you may cut it down. We have seen specimens cut down to the ground, and 
they have grown again freely; occasionally, however, we have known them 
when cut down “ sulk and die.” We would not hesitate to cut down a healthy 
specimen, and by syringing the stem frequently we should expect fresh growths 
to issue in due time. 
Dividing Alpine Plants {T. J.). —Some of the plants you name are liable 
to damp off when divided in the autumn, especially if heavy rains occur and are 
continued more or less through the winter. A safer time for dividing and 
replanting would be just when fresh growth is commencing in the spring. The 
Heaths may be repotted now, if they need repotting, and the work must be done 
with great care. There is much danger in overpotting these plants, especially 
if the work has to be done and the plants managed by amateurs. 
Fruit Trees on Grass {Busy). —If the trees have attained a good size* 
are healthy, and grow freely, they will probably sustain no injury by permitting 
the grass to grow close to their stems ; but, on the contrary, may bear more 
freely, but the fruit will not be quite so fine as before. If the trees are at all 
weakly and stunted a mulching of manure or dressing of rich soil would be better 
than a covering of grass over the roots. You will now have no difficulty in 
determining the question. We are unable to reply more explicitly, as you did 
not state the age, size, and conditions of the trees. Your other question shall 
be answered in a future issue. 
Insect on Cineraria Roots (IF. Copeland). —The woolly insects to 
which you refer had quite shrivelled in transit, and were not recognisable ; the 
bro^vn grubs were probably conveyed to the pots in the soil or manure employed 
in potting. We should first try the effects of clear lime water as used for expel¬ 
ling worms from pots, and if this has not the desired effect should have recourse 
to paraffin. But this must be used with great caution. We have found that 
half a fluid ounce mixed in a gallon of soapy water has destroyed the aphides 
on Lettuce roots without injuring the plants, but we are unable to say if paraffin 
at that strength could be safely'applied to Cinerarias. Try'it of different degrees 
of strength with a few plants that you can afford to sacrifice, and carefully note 
the effects a week afterwards on the roots and aphides, obliging us with the 
result of your experiments. 
Scale on Vine Leaves {T. M. C., Lincoln). —The leaf sent is much infested 
with scale, not mealy bug, and the insects being on the upper surfaces of ihe 
leaves are not easy' to destroy ; indeed the only safe plan you can adopt is to wash 
them off with a sponge and strong soapy water—a rather tedious process, and we 
think not absolutely necessary if the Grapes are ripe or cut, and the foliage is 
approaching maturity. We would not permit the leaves to remain until they 
drop off, but after they have fairly assumed their autumnal tint we should take 
them off by hand, leaving the footstalks to ripen and fall naturally. If you do 
this, and burn the leaves, you will destroy the bulk of the insects. Prune early 
and scrub the rods thoroughly with a strong solution of soft soap—5 or 6 ozs. 
of soap to a gallon of water, to which may be added half a pint of tobacco water, 
using it as hot as can be borue by the hand. Wash also the woodwork of the 
house, cleanse any plants that may be in the structure, and if the border is 
inside remove the surface soil to the depth of a few inches and add fresh com¬ 
post. If you carefully carry out these suggestions you may possibly succeed in 
extirpating an injurious pest. A sweet glutinous substance is generally present 
on leaves where scale abounds, and it is this that attracts the flies to which 
you refer. 
Lopping Trees {A Gardener). —It is always desirable to endeavour to re¬ 
move grievances in an amicable manner. Probably if you courteously inform 
your neighbour of the injury you are sustaining by the overhanging branches of 
his trees he will aid you in removing them. If he ignores your complaint you 
had better write and inform him that you intend on a certain day to cut off the 
overhanging branches, and that you will be glad of his presence or that of his 
representative on the occasion. If he takes no notice of this intimation you 
will be justified in cutting off the branches, but you must be careful to cut them 
only where they actually hang over the fence ; also prune them in a neat work¬ 
manlike manner, so that there is no splitting or splintering of the wood or 
tearing of the bark below the parts at which the branches are severed. You 
cannot then be accused of doing undue injury to the trees. 
Ficus elastica Unsatisfactory {J. B.). —The plant lias lost its lower 
leaves either by the soil having been too dry at some time, causing the roots to 
shrivel, or too wet, causing them to decay; or possibly the room was too cold at 
