240 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 9, 18S6. 
All correspondence should be directed either to “The Editor ’’ 
or to “ The Publisher.” Letters addressed to Dr. Hogg or 
members of the staff often remain unopened unavoidably. We 
request that no one will write privately to any of our correspon¬ 
dents, 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 Bee subjects, and should never 
send more than two or three questions at once. All articles in¬ 
tended 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 reiected communications. 
Name of Insect (C. D.). —Sirex gigas, largest-tailed wasp. It will be 
more fully referred to. 
Registration of Nurserymen ( J. J.). —We know of no other medium 
for registration than horticultural and trade directories. Your own bill¬ 
heads are sufficient evidence of your being in business, and we fail to 
conceive that with a remittance or banker’s refe ence you should experience 
any difficulty in purchasing goods at “trade” price. We feel confident 
there are nurserymen both at home and abroad who would supply you on 
that basis. 
Insect on Chrysanthemums (JET. M.). —Owing to the excessive heat of 
the weather while your last box was in transit to us the specimens enclosed 
were not only dead but dried. It has, however, been determined that they 
are the grubs or larvae of a beetle which have been feeding externally on 
the leaves and stems. The species cannot be determined, but there are 
several already known as being thus destructive to cultivated plants. We 
would suggest that, later on a watch be kept for any be-t'.es amongst your 
plants, though it is probable that these hybernate and do not deposit eggs 
until the early summer. Something might then be done by way of appli¬ 
cation, in order to render the plants distasteful to the insects. 
Judging Shallots (W. B .).—When judges differ and a referee is not 
called in to give a casting vote the responsibility of settling the point in 
dispute rests with the Committee. If the judges in your class awarded you 
the first prize, and the prize-card was affixed and remained there after the 
public had admittance to the Show, and, moreover, if the judges confirmed 
their decision on a re-examination, we suspect that you are entitled to the 
prize according to law; but please understand we do not advise your 
“ going to law ” or anything of that kind, as decisions are proverbially 
uncertain, and it is often an exceedingly costly process to win a case, saying 
nothing about the risk of losing. Regulation VII. in the schedule does not 
strictly apply to your case, though it has a slight bearing on it. If the 
alteration was made before the show was open to the public we think you 
have no claim to the prize. We do not think you acted wisely. 
Vine Leaves Withering ( William). —The premature ripening as repre¬ 
sented by No. 1 leaf is either the result of a very dry atmosphere or defective 
root-action, and this latter may arise from an insufficiency of water or 
unsuitable soil. You say nothing about the growth, whether strong or 
weak, nor the treatment accorded; it is certain, however, the Vine does not 
receive the support that is requisite for maintaining it in a satisfactory 
condition. The No. 2 leaf appears to have been eaten by a weevil or cater¬ 
pillar, and you had better make a search, with the aid of a light, an hour or 
two after nightfall. The leaf is also slightly scorched. We suspect the air 
of the house is too dry, and you may possibly err in your method of 
ventilation ; also if the roots are inside the border it may not be sufficiently 
moist. 
House for Tomatoes and Chrysanthemums (.4. B.). —Considering 
that you want the house for Chrysanthemums after Tomatoes the larger 
house would be much the better, as the sma’ler houses whilst right for the 
Tomatoes would be less suitable for the Chrysanthemums. With the large 
house the side walls need only be a couple of feet out of the ground, as 
there will be sufficient head room through the increased width of the 
house. For heating, three rows of 4-inch pipes along both sides of the 
house will be required, and 2 feet from the side walls, so as to allow of a 
bed in which to grow the Tomatoes that are to be trained up the roof, 
trellises being fixed about 12 inches from the glass, and only extending 
about G feet up the roof, so that light could get at the central bed, in which 
Tomatoes could be grown also. The pipes must be kept above the ground. 
The pathways may be of laths. Bottom heat is not necessary. 
Seeding Cucumbers ( A . C. J.). —There ought not to be any difficulty in 
getting the fruit to seed at this time of year. Impregnate some of the 
most promising flowers when they are fully expanded, a dry fine day on 
which air is given freely being best for the operation, and the fruit'will 
swell, and if there is seed in it will form a knob at the end. Fine even- 
swelled fruit are not equal to the knobby ones for affording seed. If there 
are any fruit with knobby ends we should let them remain, as they have 
been fertilised and contain seeds, so that you will have a better chance of 
ripening it than by fruit now fertilised, as the season is getting advanced 
for that purpose. The fruit should be left on the plants until it turns 
yellow, when it may be cut and kept in a warm house until the pulp 
becomes soft, when the seeds maybe removtd, washed, dried, and stored 
away. 
Destroying Plantains on Lawns (J. TV.).—The best plan we have tried 
is to lift the Plantains during moist weather with a daisy fork. If care iB 
taken it will draw them up by the roots, and any that break off near the 
top can have sulphuric acid (oil of vitriol) dropped on the part, and it will 
kill the root. Our plan in using it is to clean out an old blacking bottle, 
tie a piece of wire round the neck so as to form a handle to hold the bottle, 
which makes all safe in handling, then make notches at the end of a stick 
about as thick as the finge ■, then notches all round, and about 1 inch up the 
stick; some of the sulphuric acid being put in the bottle apply the notch 
end of the stick and it will retain suffi.-ient of the acid to apply to each 
Plantain, putting it on the root. It will kill the Plantain by applying it to 
the centre of each plant; but we prefer to pick them up. Care must be 
used with the sulphuric acid, not trusting it to a careless or mischievous 
person. 
Insects on Ferns ( Downton Lodge). —The insects are brown scale, and 
have nothing to do with the soil. They are common to Ferns and many 
other plants. The best remedy is to pick them off whilst quite young, as 
when left to become brown and hard their shells only contain an innumer¬ 
able host of young ones, and their disturbance in that state is wholesale 
propagation. The best plan to pursue will be to cut away the most infested 
fronds and burn them, and the others you may syringe with a solution ot 
softsoap, 2 ozs. to the gallon of water, and petroleum at the rate of a wine- 
glassful to four gallons of the soap solution, and this should be k^pt well 
mixed by stirring briskly whilst bring applied. Be careful to wet every 
infested part, and keep it from the roots, the plants being laid on their 
sides. If planted out use sponge and brush, and some approved insecti¬ 
cide, most of those advertised being efficacious if the directions are 
accurately followed. 
Peach Tree Unfruitful (M. L. (?.).—It would be much the best plan to 
well thin out the branches now, leaving no more than will be required for 
furnishing the tree and giving next year’s crop. It would be a capital 
plan as soon as this is done to take out a trench about one-third the dis¬ 
tance from the stem the tree covers in extent of trellis, and down so as 
to cut off all roots, leaving the trench open for about a fortnight; this 
will check the tendency to a late growth and encourage roots to form in 
the radius next the tree. The trench may then be filled up. When the 
leav.s give indications of falling re-open the trench and remove the soil 
inward from the trench towards the tree, tiking care not to injure the 
roots, and continue thi9 working under the roots until you get so near the 
stem that a spade can be got under the ball, so as to cut off any roots that 
may strike down. It is well to leave the soil for a distance of about 
18 inches or a couple of feet undisturbed, but removing the loose sou over 
the roots. Proceed to lay in the roots nearer the surface in fresh soil, and 
make it firm as the different tiers of roots are laid in the fresh material, 
covering the topmost roots about 3 inches. Mulch with 3 inches thickness 
of partially decayed manure about a foot further than the roots extend. 
Resting Cattleyas (A. B. C.). —You must encourage your plants of 
C. Mossite to complete the growths they have recently started from the 
base of the pseudo-bulbs. These growths must have been on the verge of 
issuing forth before you wrote to us ; but even had this not been the case it 
is too early in the season to commence resting this variety of Cattleya. This 
season’s growth could not have been thoroughly developed if made after 
the plants flowered in May and June, their usual time of flowering. The 
growth of the plant is not fully developed when the pseudo-bulb has been 
made and the flower sheath appears. It requires further development, 
which is not accomplished by subjecting the plants to rest, but by light and 
heat, a circulation of air, and. a moderately liberal supply of moisture in 
the atmosphere and at the roots of the plants until the pseudo-bulb 
becomes firm. This treatment results in fine flowers, but the reverse those 
of small size, which are certain to be deficient in colour and substance. 
By resting your plant directly the pseudo-bulbs seem to be completed and 
the sheath appears, as waB the case when you wrote to us, you prevent the 
plant making roots, which will end sooner or later in weakened growth 
and enfeebled health, and finally death. The production of back growths 
from the old pseudo-bulbs and a second from the leader displays to us that 
your plants are doing well, and you will be the gainer rather than the loser 
even if your plant failed to flower for one season. By destroying these 
growths or preventing them pushing by prematurely resting the plant you 
render it incapable of increasing its size or the number of flowering pseudo¬ 
bulbs. Orchid growers would willingly forego the flowers for a season to 
increase the number of leads or breaks of their plants. Your plants are 
growing slightly out of their season, but when plants are healthy they not 
unfrequently do thi 3 . We have a good number in the same condition, both 
of imported plants of last spring and the previous summer, but instead of 
trying to prevent their starting we are pleased to think they have broken 
so freely into growth. Nearly all the plants imported last spring are in this 
condition. These may not develope into pseudo-bulbs strong enough to 
flower, but they will do so another year. The plants in this condition must 
have every encouragement to complete this growth and ripen it, then there 
will be a fair season in which to rest the plan s. As they will grow longer 
they must be rested a little later in the spring than those plants that 
complete their growth earlier in the season. The principal object is to 
ripen these growths as thoroughly as possible, and then if the rest is short 
let it be complete by a slightly lower temperature than that given to the 
earlier ones, the atmosphere a little drier, and the plants given less water 
at their roots. If you do this, then start the plants into growth, and push 
them on in a little warmer temperature, or place them at the warmest 
end of the house—the position they should occupy now—they will grow 
with greater regularity, and the following autumn you will not regret 
the second growths having started. 
Names of Fruits.—The names and addresses of senders of fruit to be named 
must in all cases be enclosed with the specimens, whether letters referring 
to the fruit are sent by post or not. The names are not necessarily required 
for publication, initials sufficing for that. Only Bix specimens can be 
named at once, and surplus fruits beyond that number cannot be preserved. 
(Pomona). —1, Scarlet Nonpareil; 2, Scarlet Nonpareil; 3, Kerry Pippin; 
4, Ross Nonpareil; 5, White Paradise; 6, Brabant Bellefleur. ( Thomas 
Hogg). —Nectarine Plum. (T. S). —1, Keswick Codlin ; 2, Fearn’s Pippin; 
3, not known ; 4, Jefferson ; 5, undoubtedly Victoria ; 6, Kirke’s. 
Names of Plants.—We only undertake to name species of plants, not 
varieties that have originated from seed and termed florists’ flowers, 
Flowering specimens are necessary of flowering plants, and Fern fronds 
