112 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 7, 1890. 
bulbs alone, and instead of the neatly formed round SQlid bulb one 
expects when taking up this kind, the whole, hardly without excep¬ 
tion, had long tapering bulbs, most nearly allied, as far as shape is 
concerned, to a thin bulb of N. maximus. I attributed this deformity 
to over-deep planting, being caused probably by the weight of the 
soil above becoming too great. The following year when these bulbs 
were lifted again, and had only been covered with 3 inches of 
soil, they were entirely transformed into those round, solid, com¬ 
pact bulbs characteristic of the species under notice. Another very 
similar case was related to me by a gentleman who grows one of 
the finest collections of Daffodils in this country, but his experi¬ 
ence was with the double forms of N. cernuus : these had been 
planted at more than ordinary depth to commence with, and had 
been heavily mulched, either with spent hops or manure (I forget 
which), in winter time, with the result that the whole had more or 
less disfigured bulbs—in short, they were all considerably elongated, 
which I imagine goes to prove that deep planting, as a rule, is 
anything but an advantage to the bulbs alone, apart from the extra 
labour entailed where large collections have a permanent home. 
—J. H. E. 
RED SPIDER ON VINES. 
Red spider is difficult to eradicate during the current season's 
growth when once it has obtained a hold of the plants. Red 
spider is encouraged in many cases by overcrowing vineries with 
plants, which often results in the neglect of the borders in which 
the Yines are growing, and often of the Vines themselves. Vines 
growing in a well drained and properly prepared border require 
abundant supplies of water all through the season of active growth, 
and even in the winter the borders should not be allowed to become 
dry. A dry rooting medium means a check to the vigour of the 
plants, and all gardeners know that checks to growth of this 
nature invariably result in disease to some plants, and in others 
to the attacks of various insects. Another cause of this dreaded 
parasite making its appearance on Yines is deficient or unsuitable 
ventilation. Yines at all stages of growth require constant sup¬ 
plies of fresh air, and it has long been recognised as a safe rule 
to follow to begin early in the season, to allow a little air to be 
admitted at the back ventilators at night, avoiding, of course, 
draughts and the admission of too much duiing the prevalence 
of dry east winds. This, too, should be supplemented by timely 
attention to increasing the ventilation on hot bright mornings when 
the Yines are in full growth and very susceptible to sudden 
changes. Nothing is gained by having too high a temperature 
except in the case of some special kinds. 
The management of the atmosphere or the house is very im¬ 
portant in preventing the appearance of red spider, as unless the 
Yines can spread out their leaves in a moist and healthy atmosphere, 
so that they can absorb from abundance to meet their demands, 
they will certainly become liable to the speedy attacks of red 
spider, which lives and thrives and spreads in a dry condition 
of the atmosphere. Moisture is fatal to these insects, or at least 
to a slight attack, as has been proved in the case of Cucumbers 
attacked, which have been almost if not quite cleared of the pest 
by shutting the house close, having the pipes warm, and enveloping 
the plants in a steaming mist for some hours. Some gardeners 
have proved the disastrous effects of introducing Strawberry plants 
in pots into vineries, as they are sure to be attacked by the pest, 
which certainly will spread to the Yines despite the best attention. 
Growing Azaleas in vineiies often induces attacks of red spider, 
particularly when the plants are old and root-bound. 
The old remedy of applying sulphur to hot-water pipes to 
destroy the red spider is becoming obsolete. A better plan is the 
application of some of the excellent insecticides in the form of 
brushing or sponging the leaves infested. Fir tree oil has been 
found to be of great service, and a solution of it at the rate of 
1 pint to 15 pints of water well mixed, will, if carefully sponged on 
the infested portions of the foliage, serve to destroy the pest. This 
may be a tedious operation in a badly infested house, but patiently 
persisted in, along w T ith syringings with a weaker solution—say, 
about 1 pint of oil to between 30 a ad 40 of water—will in the end 
prove successful. 
Some allege that the practice of syringing Yines renders them 
more liable to insect attacks by producing a soft and flabby growth, 
which having to endure the slightest unfavourable conditions soon 
becomes a ready prey to enemies. Iam inclined to think, however, 
that this is an extreme of the opposite kind, and can only hold 
good in cases where too much attention is paid to syringing, and 
too little to the moisture requirement of the roots. The secret 
of having healthy Yines c insists in maintaining an equal balance 
of vigour between root and branch, and this can best be done by 
the judicious application of food and water to the former, and of 
air, heat, and moisture to the latter, with all the other necessary 
details of intelligent cultivation.—E. D. S. 
CLITORIA TERNATEA. 
The large family of the Leguminosre yields us abundant useful 
garden plants, but those with blue flowers are not too frequent in this* 
or any other section of the plant world. One of the best examples of a 
really handsome blue flowered plant is Clitoria Ternatea, of which a 
specimen is represented in fig. 1G. This is seldom seen in gardens, 
and yet the brilliant colour of its flowers ought to render it a general 
favourite. 
It was one of the plants which was well grown at Chatsworth in 
Paxton’s time, and he thus wrote concerning it :— 
“ This handsome plant was first brought beneath the notice of 
botanists and floriculturists as long ago as the year 1739. From that 
period down to the present it has been erroneously considered by many 
as an annual species, and slighted accordingly. Such an opinion pro¬ 
bably had its rise in the mode of culture which has occasionally been 
pursued. Instead of treating it as a stove plant, it was, from the facility 
with which it ripens seeds, raised anew each spring as a half-hardy, 
annual, and transferred to the open flower border; where, being un¬ 
protected on the approach of winter, it was destroyed by cold. 
“ From circumstances similar to the above, this plant has not been, 
an isolated example of false notions being imbibed respecting its habits. 
Notwithstanding the evident bent of cultivators rather to supply a. 
plant with too high a temperature than to suffer it to be too much, 
