386 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ May 14, UOl. 
- Paris Green and Caterpillars, —The caterpillar has now 
been at work for some weeks, but the fact will only be patent to most 
people within the next few clays, and then there will be an outcry for 
a remedy. So far as I know, Paris green stands alone. It is not an 
ideal remedy, because, firstly, it is a poison; secondly, it is insoluble in 
water ; but we have to choose between the use of it or the loss of crops, 
and possibly of trees. Kindly, therefore, insert these comments on “ En¬ 
tomologist’s ” remarks in your last number. No doubt it is imperative 
that warning should be given as to the handling of the poison, but 
that having been done, I am in the position, from my large use of Paris 
green in the powder, to affirm that the danger is practically nil. Last 
year we used many pounds, and not having any proper mechanical 
sprayer the distribution was effected by the hand, and although some 
ten acres of bush trees were gone over ten times, no one suffered the 
smallest injury or inconvenience. Now, by means of a Stott’s sprayer, 
wet hands are avoided. Then as to danger from eating fruit so treated. 
Of course bush fruit should not be sprayed ; but when I tell you that 
18 OZ3. of Paris green suffice to spray ten acres of trees—that of course 
the bulk of the spray falls on the leaves, and a great part on the ground, 
and that the fruit is exposed for months to all the washing of rain—it 
must be admitted that the risk is not worth mentioning. American 
fruit growers have been applying the remedy for many years, and we 
Lave never heard of any evil results. Surely we may conclude that, for 
all practical purposes, the danger is non-existent. Therefore, until some 
perfect remedy be found, my advice is—Spray with Paris green, and as 
soon as the blossom is off; lose no time.—D. Lee Campbell, Glewstone 
Court. 
- American Fruit and Vegetables.— A Dalziel’s telegram, 
dated Washington, May 10th, states : The Department of Agriculture 
has issued a bulletin regarding the effect upon crops of the frost which 
occurred on the 5th inst. “ This frost,” says the bulletin, “ has caused 
wide-spread damage to Strawberries, Grapes, Cherries, Peaches, and early 
vegetables.” 
- Pansies from Self-sown Seed.—I send you a bunch of 
flowers just brought in from a friend’s garden, and self-sown. What a 
size, and such a perfume I His garden is wild with them in the greatest 
profusion. The locality was due south, Sunday’s Well side, and very 
sheltered.—H. B. W., Cor/i-. [The flowers were large and the colours 
excellent.] 
- Gardening Appointment.— Mr. Herbert Coster, for the last 
six years foreman at Sprowston Hall, Norwich, has been appointed head 
gardener to A H. Wood, Esq., who has taken a lease of Ickworth Park, 
Bury St. Edmunds, the seat of the Marquis of Bristol. Mr. Squibbs, 
who has had charge of the Ickworth Park Gardensfor nearly forty years, 
has been transferred to Old Place, Sleaford, Lincolnshire, another seat 
of the Marquis of Bristol. 
- At the ordinary meeting of the Royal Meteorological 
Society, to be held at 25, Great George Street, Westminster, on 
Wednesday, the 20th instant, at 7 p.m., the following papers will be 
read :—“ On the Vertical Circulation of the Atmosphere in Relation to 
the Formation of Storms,” by William H. Dines, B.A., F.R.Met.Soc. ; 
“ On Brocken Spectres in a London Fog,” by A. W. Clayden, M.A., 
F.R.Met.Soc., F.G.S. ; “An Account of the ‘ Leste,’ or Hot Wind of 
Madeira,” by H. Coupland Taylor, M.D., F.R.Met.Soc. Mr. Shelford 
Bidwell, M.A., F.R.S., will also exhibit an experiment showing the effect 
of an electrical discharge upon the condensation of steam. 
- Parcels Post for Flowers. — A deputation, consisting of 
Sir H. Selwin-Ibbetson, M.P., Mr. Round, M.P., Sir E. Birkbeck, M.P., 
Prebendary done?. Rev. H. W. P. Stevens, and other gentlemen con¬ 
nected with agricaltural and horticultural intere,sts, yesterday waited 
upon the Postmaster-General at the House of Commons, to urge him by 
means of the Parcels Post to give increased facilities for the conveyance 
of flowers, eggs, and other produce of small allotments. Mr. Raikes, in 
reply, said that he understood that the deputation asked, no'; so much 
that the speed of delivery in connection with the Parcel Post should be 
accelerated, or that the maximum weight should be increased, but that 
the charges on small and perishable articles should be lessened. On 
that point he had already been in communication with the Teasury, and 
he thought there was a strong case indeed for the Post Office taking 
special charge of those perishable articles for which speedy conveyance 
was everything. He sympathised with the views which the deputation 
had expressed, and would again approach the Treasury to see if some¬ 
thing could not be done to secure the realisation of their wishes. 
With regard to flowers See., sent from the South of Ireland he 
suggested that possibly a special express service might be arranged, 
so that the articles might be delivered in London earlier than at 
present. 
- Daffodil, Trumpet maximus. —I notice through the Press 
that this variety does not do well about London. Your readers, 
particularly from the scientific point of view, will be glad to know I 
have a large bed (1000 bulbs) that flowered the first week in March, 
the stock of which came from the Spanish side of the Pyrenees, and 
it is now carrying a full crop of seed pods, 2^ to 3 feet in height, the 
foliage is intense dark bluish green. The bloom here is long since 
over with most sorts. Ard Righ we shall be lifting in a fortnight, 
and the Horse Chestnuts are in full bloom.—W. Baylor Hartland, 
Ard Cairn, Corh. 
- The Weather in April.—T his was a cold month, and also 
very dry. The wind was in an easterly direction twenty-one days. 
Total rainfall was I'll inch, which fell on fifteen days, the greatest 
daily fall being O AG on the 4th. The barometer was changeable. Highest 
reading 30’35 at 9 p.m. on 20th, lowest 29'55 at noon on the 5th. Highest 
shade temperature, 65° on the 30th ; lowest, 22° on the Ist; lowest on 
grass, 19° on 1st and 26th. Mean temperature of the month, 42'56°. 
The garden spring ran 10 gallons per minute on the 30th. Horse Chest¬ 
nuts only commenced to unfold their buds on the 30th, which was the 
first day of mild spring weather. Everything is very late in the gardens 
in this neighbourhood, but the prospects for a good fruit crop of all 
kinds are very general. — W. H. Divers, Ketton Hall Gardens, 
Stamford. 
-The Weather at Ripley, Yorks, during April, 1891.— 
April opened very wet and cold ; snow fell in quantity on the 2nd, 7th, 
and 25th. From the 8th to 28th w'eather (with the exception of 25th) 
generally fine, but cold. Vegetation made very little progress during 
the month. Rain fell upon seventeen days; total fall for month 2'67 
inches, of which 0‘83 of an inch fell on the 4th. Six bright days 
occurred during the month. Wind northerly on twenty-one days* 
Mean reading of barometer, 30 09°. Mean maximum temperature, 50° ; 
Mean minimum temperature, 34-6°. Mean temperature, 42-4°. Highest 
maximum temperature, 60° on 30th; lowest minimum temperature, 
24° on 1st and 14th. At or below 32° on fifteen days. Apricots are set 
well; Pears just in full blossom, and beautiful they will be in another 
day or two. Plums also promise well, as do Apples, but the last-named 
wi’l not unfold their blossoms for ten to fourteen days. Small fruits 
also give abundant promise, but we require warm rains, or I am 
afraid a great per-centage will fall prematurely.—J. Tunnington 
Rijoley Castle, Yorlis. 
- Black Currant Mite.—I observed in your last issue a note 
by “ W. T.,” who has doubts about the efficacy of taking off the 
infected buds. I think if he will give it a fair trial he may think as i 
am now inclined to do, that it will answer very well, and would be often 
preferable to digging up and throwing the bushes away. The few 
bushes that we have wffiich were subjected to the picking process for the 
last few years are now showing better for fruit than I have yet seen 
them. They have been picked over at intervals three or four times this 
spring. I enclose a small twig on which there are two bad buds that 
were missed, but you will see that it is thick set with flowers, and it 
is a fair average for the promise for fruitfulness. For small gardens I 
am now disposed to think it would be often better to pick the bad buds 
off than replace with young trees, which would take time before they 
reached a good bearing condition, and then there would be a little risk 
in that they might be again attacked. In many cases I would say try 
the picking process.—R. M., Chcadle. 
- Newcastle Gardeners’ Improvement Society. —A meet¬ 
ing of gardeners and others interested in horticulture was held in 
Newcastle-on-Tyne, on the 29th April, to consider the advisability of 
establishing a Horticultural Mutual Improvement Society. There was 
a fair attendance. Mr. R. H. Irvine having been voted to the chair, 
addressed the meeting at some length, urging upon gardeners to com¬ 
bine and form some such society as it would be proposed to establish 
that night. Mr. J. Hood, junr., then proposed the following resolu¬ 
tion:—“ That this meeting is of opinion that a Horticultural Mutual 
Improvement Society would be beneficial to the district, and further 
that it decides to form one, and that a Committee be appointed to 
draft rules, solicit subscriptions, and report to another general meeting.” 
In supporting the resolution he spoke of the entire absence of any 
society in the district which had for its object the mutual improvement 
and general welfare of gardeners, and spoke of the numerous advantages 
