Apill 30, 1831. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
845 
■- What a difference there is in the time of flowering of old and 
YOUNG Peimroses in the beds or borders, Beds filled with plants 
grown from seed four years since have been covered with bloom for the 
last month, while beds of last year’s seedlings have not a flower open, 
d he foliage on the young plants is in a much better condition than 
that is on those older plants. In the former case the leaves are quite 
green, in the latter the leaves have decayed to a great extent; but 
they have somewhat compensated for lack of foliage by the full crop 
of flowers. 
-The deep violet blue dense heads of flower of Primula 
CAPiTATA render it a showy plant for the borders or on the rockery 
during the greater part of April. The under side of the leaves is thickly 
clothed with a mealy pow-der of a distinct golden hue. Judging from the 
manner in which flower heads are now developing this plant is decidedly 
hardy, having withstood the late winter on an east border without any 
protection. It may be had in bloom in a cool house early in March, 
though the colour is not so rich as when out of doors. Forcing in 
heat it objects to, the flower spikes run up too high to give a favourable 
appearance. By dividing the roots after flowering a large stock of 
plants can quickly be had. 
- Tulip Ophir d’Or, —Bright golden yellow flowers are never 
too plentiful, especially early in the spring, out of doors ; therefore 
anything in the way of this Tulip is acceptable. The growth is dwarf, 
foliage good, the flowers long, and supported upon stout stalks. It is 
at the present time in a fully developed state in a w^arm border, 
showing how well this single Tulip is adapted for early flowering.—S. 
•- Queen Wasps.—W e arc once more again entering upon the 
season for these wasps. It has often occurred to me why, in country 
localities rvhere flower shows are held, prizes could not be offered 
for the greater number of queen wasps caught dirring the months of 
May and June—for instance, by offering a prize of £1, and by dividing 
it into as many prizes as may be deemed necessary. Secretaries w’ould, 
I think, find plenty of competition amongst countiy lads. By so doing 
■we should help to eradicate the often destructive pest.— A. E. Fume. 
- Black Currant Mite.—I have been glad to see notes about 
this in the Journal, as I have been wishing to know something about 
its life history and habits. It threatened to be very destructive to fruit 
plantations. Last year and this I have had women to pick them off by 
hand, and it only costs about Ss. per acre, I do not think they are as 
numerous this year as last. I have had this done in the spring, but 
should like to know the best time, as it is no use picking the buds off if 
the insect has left them. If they fly they do not appear to fly far. 
Usually if a bush is affected badly the side of the next bush nearest to 
it is also badly affected.— Walter Kruse. [As the Phytoptidse or 
gall mites arc wingless they cannot fly.] 
-A Proposed Botanic Garden in New York. — The 
American Florid has the following note:—“New York is going to 
have a Botanical Garden in one of its new parks, and it is going 
to be got up on such a magnificent scale that it will rival the Botanic 
Garden at Kew, England, the most important botanical garden in the 
world. Good. We want such a garden, and there is no reason on earth 
why we should not have it. And it is mooted that the assistant director 
of the Kew Gardens may be proffered the directorship of the New York 
garden.” 
- Weed killers and Sugar Poisoning. —Acurious case of exten¬ 
sive arsenical poisoning is recorded in the Lancet as having occurred at 
Crieff recently. It appears that the effects were traced to sugar supplied 
by a certain dealer, and further investigation revealed the fact that in 
transit a bag of sugar had been in contact with some leaking tins of a 
liquid “ weed-killer.” The obvious moral is, that it is not safe to send 
“ weed-killer ” in leaky tins, and above all it is most undesirable that 
they should be packed with bags of sugar, which, to say the least, 
shows a singular want of thought. 
- Lady Gardeners. — A correspondent sends us the following 
advertisement cut from a London journal. He wants a gardener, but 
dare not engage this young lady, not alone because he doubts her attend¬ 
ing to the fires late at night, but for other reasons. Here is the request:— 
“ Jardiniere, F.R.H.S., wants to hear of a situation as gardener for a young 
lady of gentle birth, strong and healthy, has great practical experience, 
understands forcing, Melon culture, and many of the higher branches 
of horticulture, as rvcll as ordinary work in a private garden.” He does 
not say she will do the work, though she is “ strong and healthy.” But 
how a “young” lady, or gentleman cither, could have “great experience” 
is not explained, and gardeners have to be at least middle aged before 
they claim great experience as a recommendation. However, no doubt 
the young lady will get a “ place.” 
- Royal Botanic Society of London.—A t a meeting of this 
society on Saturday, Mr. J. Bell Sedgwick in the chair, among the collec¬ 
tion of Orchids and other interesting plants in flower shown and explained 
by the Secretary was a species of Drimia having snow-white flower buds, 
which, however, change to a vivid green as they open, thus forming an 
exception at once curious and interesting to the ordinary rule in nature 
of green buds and white or eoloured flowers. Mr. H. Smith exhibited a 
specimen of the Calla or Trumpet Lily, in which a leaf remaining attached 
to the flower stalk had become perfectly w'hite as the flower itself, while 
retaining its own shape and consistency. 
- We learn from a daily paper that the Director of the Royal 
Gardens, Kew, has just accepted the offer for the Economic Museum of a 
large and unique eollection of objects representing the Uses of Bamboo 
IN Japan. The donor is Mr. Charles Holme, F.L.S,, a w’ell-known con¬ 
noisseur of Oriental art, who has for many years been an ardent student 
and enthusiastic collector of things Japanese. The collection embraces 
only such objects as are made for native use, and is interesting not only 
from an economic, but also from an artistic, point of view. It is intended 
to place this collection in separate cases, and to publish a popular illus¬ 
trated handbook, which Mr. Holme has consented to write in relation to 
it. The value of such popular handbooks has been abundantly evidenced 
by the success of those issued by the Natural History Museum at South 
Kensington. 
-AVakepield Paxton Society.— At the ordinary weekly meeting 
of the members of the above Society, held at the Saw Hotel last week 
Mr. B. Whiteley presided and Mr. W. Pyc filled the vice-chair. There 
was a good attendance of the members, and several new' members were 
proposed. A long. Interesting, and most instructive lecture w'as delivered 
by Mr. T. Tate, F.G.S., of Leeds, on “ How do Fluids Move in a Plant? ” 
Mr. Tate, who had on two previous occasions lectured before the Wake¬ 
field Paxtonians, dealt with his subject in a thorough and most interest¬ 
ing manner, and his remarks were rendered exceedingly clear by the 
exhibition of specimens and diagrams. After the lecture, which was 
most attentively listened to and very warmly applauded, a few' questions 
were asked by Messrs. Gordon, Tunnicliffe, and Garnett, and then, on 
the motion of Mr. G. W. Fallas, seconded by Mr. T. Garnett, and sup¬ 
ported by Mr. H. S. Goodyear, a very hearty vote of thanks was accorded 
to Mr. Tait. 
_Effects op Snow upon Plants. — I have previously 
mentioned the destructive effects of snow upon some plants. Since then 
I have witnessed at an elevation of upwards of uOO feet, about 200 feet 
higher than here, with more snow, plants flowering and apparently 
uninjured that are killed with me, and I have lost many. The only 
solution of the problem I can give is a pure atmosphere in the one 
case, and a polluted one in the other. The sulphurous and ammoniacal 
compounds in the smoke-laden atmosphere are brought dow'n with the 
snow, forming a freezing mixture that lowers the temperature greatly 
and more than the plants can stand. There are few plants that preserve 
their foliage above ground but have suffered. I preserved a few double 
Primulas and Auriculas by covering them with earth at the beginning 
of March. I have at other times buried Chrysanthemums, then after 
the frost w'as gone lifted and replanted them, thereby saving wdrat w'ould 
otherwise have been lost, but the operation must not be too long 
delayed. If winters or rather springs are to be as severe in the future, I 
have no doubt but the preservation of hardy plants in smoke-laden 
localities w'ill have to be attended to in some way.—W. T., lilantyre. 
_ Hardy French Perpetual Flowering Carnations. I 
have been absorbed of late in office work, but have not forgotten my gardens 
or greenhouses, and this morning I was engaged in transplanting yellow 
ground Carnation seedlings of my own raising and rearing. The reason 
why home-grown seedling yellow ground Carnations is unusual is 
because, first, those “aristocrats” of the Carnation world are rarely 
rrrown and flowered in the open garden, and, second, even if they were 
they rarely produce seal. I was fortunate in getting a few podsfiil of seed 
from a strain that I have found w'onderfully floriferous and very vigorous, 
almost completely proof against the winter’s severity, I mean the 
“ French Perpetual Flowering,” that flower continuously for at least six 
mouths. To attain tliLs object I sow the seed in the autumn, give them 
