May 2J, 1891. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
407 
•- At a recent meeting of the Royal BoTANfc Society of London 
Lord Willoughby d’Eresby in the chair, the plants in flower from the 
Society’s conservatories, shown at the meeting, included an Amorpho- 
phallus, a plant allied to the Arums, remarkable for the offensive 
carrion-like odour given out by the flower when it has reached the 
fertilising stage, with the evident design of attracting insects to assist 
it. Another characteristic peculiar to the family is the greatly increased 
temperature at that period, a rise of 9° over the surrounding air being 
shown by a thermometer suspended in the flower. 
-Berberis AQUIFOLIUM is making a great display with its 
light yellow flowers, which contrast well with its deep green leaves. 
I think it cannot be generally known that this Barberry succeeds so 
well under trees where the shade is not too dense, or I fancy more 
of it would be employed. As an evergreen it provides a great variety 
both in the colour and shape of its leaves. Some are green, while 
others vary from bronze to bright red. All are most useful for cutting 
as greenery for other flowers. Owing to the tough character of the 
leaves they last a long time fresh in a cut state. What could be better 
for associating with Daffodils than branches of this Berberis placed 
lightly in a vase ?—E. 
- Hardiness of Cupressds macrocarpa.— Where the trees 
of this well known Conifer assume a columnar form they are quite a 
feature in the pinetum or pleasure grounds, but I am afraid it is not 
nearly so hardy as at one time thought. With us both large specimens 
and quite small trees are badly injured—are so hard hit, in fact, that they 
will most probably be rooted up. I was in hopes they might recover, 
but instead of improving in colour they are gradually getting worse, 
and in all probability the stems are dead or dying. The south-western 
counties certainly had the worst of the blizzard that did so much 
mischief, but the trees of Cupressus macrocarpa were not unduly 
exposed to it. Are we to write down this noble Conifer as of doubtful 
hardiness ?—W. I., Somerset. 
-- Bulbs after Flowering. —Many persons are at a loss to 
know what to do with the bulbs of Hyacinths, Tulips, Narcissus, and 
Jonquils after they have flowered in pots. They think that the bulbs 
are useless, and consequently throw them away, whereas a greater 
mistake could not be made, as if planted at the front of the herbaceous 
border they flower every year, for I cannot say how many of ours have 
flowered continuously for the last ten years. By planting them at once 
with the flower spike removed, they are out of the way, and the pots are 
available for other purposes. We plant them with a trowel, simply 
removing the crocks from the bottom of the pot. The soil about the 
roots is useful for them to grow in for some years, until they are 
replanted. Here they make that, part of the garden quite gay when in 
bloom, otherwise it would be dull.—M. 
- Mr. Joseph Witherspoon, The Vineries, Red Rose Cottage, 
Chester-le-Street, Co. Durham, writes :—“ As I had determined to grow 
a few Grapes with the object of exhibiting them at the Edinburgh 
International Show, and as I should be very sorry, after being at 
the trouble and expense to find if a prizewinner that I would risk dis¬ 
qualification, will you kindly permit me through your columns to 
inquire of the Council, Are gardeners or amateurs, who sell the portion 
of their produce not needed for home consumption, eligible to compete 
in classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 10? If selling produce disqualifies, 
then, as a matter of course, selling being the order of the day, there 
will be some trouble in getting up an exhibition ; but if gardeners and 
amateurs remain so irrespective of selling, then I, as an amateur who 
sell to live, and gentlemen, too, who sell extensively, will both be 
equally eligible to exhibit and take prizes. As you are aware, I am by 
trade a wheelwright, and therefore strictly speaking an amateur.” 
- A Continental Insecticide. —M. Cazeneuve, writing in the 
Journal d,'Agriculture Pratique, describes the good effects of sulphuret 
of carbon, mixed with an equal quantity of vaseline, as an insecticide, 
especially for the phylloxera. The use of the vaseline is to prevent the 
rapid evaporation of the sulphuret of carbon, which was the great 
objection to this otherwise valuable insecticide. It was only in 1887 
that the idea of adding vaseline was first formed, and since then the 
mixture has come into more and more extensive use every year. 
M. Cazeneuve has tried the remedy in his own vineyard since it was 
introduced, and has tripled his production of Grapes since he adopted 
the treatment. No phylloxera can now be found on the roots of the 
Vines, new rootlets have been formed in great number, and the vegeta¬ 
tion is luxuriant .—(The Standard.') 
- Black Currant Mite.—T he writer who remarks that my 
picking off the affected buds is no use, gives no reason for it, nor for his 
assertion that it is of no effect if one is left or dropped. Surely one 
affected bud is not so bad as a thousand, and in a few years, if picking 
off the buds is of use at all, the pest would be stamped out. He savs 
the branches must be cut off, but it appears to me that a bud is more 
likely to be missed in this way than by disbudding, unless the whole of 
the tree is cut down, which would be a serious loss to a fruit grower. 
The insects are more likely to escape if a branch lies on the ground 
when cut off than if the buds are picked into a pail and taken away 
and destroyed. When pruning a large plantation one cannot walk 
away with every handful, 
- Queen Wasps. —An unusual number of these appear to have 
been abroad lately, and should be destroyed. A good plan is to have a 
syringe and pot of water handy, especially about sunset, as when their 
wings are wetted they cannot fly. 
- Caterpillars are a’so numerous again this year, though I 
think we have benefited greatly by the wet weather clearing them off 
la!5t summer, and which no doubt largely prevented them continuing the 
circle of their development. Without prejudice to other makers who 
may have something better, I may say that the best handpump with 
which I am acquainted for washing fruit trees with a short stem, is a 
Robins’ No. 2 hydronette. This is an exceedingly handy little imple¬ 
ment, and answers as well as more costly ones, and is also useful as a 
syringe, for it can be worked more quickly than the ordinary garden 
syringe.—W alter Kruse. 
- Fruit Prospects. — Apples, Pears, Plums, Cherries, Straw¬ 
berries and bush fruits have been flowering abundantly, and so far we 
are free from caterpillars. The few hot days we had caused the leaves to 
expand well, and being late the soft-billed birds, which are this season 
numerous, are busy examining the fruit trees. Some of those I 
noticed at work in the Apple trees were the willow wren, blackcap, 
chaffinch, several varieties of titmice, and greenfinches. The bullfinches 
have been troublesome late this season ; they did not begin in earnest till 
April, and they have since destroyed a great quantity of Apple blossoms 
when nearly expanded, and I noticed they are still at work at a large 
Bigarreau Cherry tree in full bloom. I have enclosed a few from the above 
named tree, some having the embryo fruit extracted by bullfinches and 
some not, and since writing the above I noticed that yesterday they 
had been busy at work on some late-flowering Apples, notably 
Wellington and Cox’s Orange Pippin.—R. M., Berhs, 
- Fruit Prospects. —The caterpillars are as yet very small, 
and do not appear to be doing such mischief to the foliage or the 
blossom as in previous years, nor do I think it is likely they will do so, 
as the trees were in a more advanced stage of growth at the time of 
their appearance; and although in many curled-up clusters of leaves— 
particularly in the centres of the trees—it is easy to find some half a 
dozen thin wiry specimens about a quarter of an inch in length, yet 
there are quantities of both wood and flower buds expanding freely in 
which no trace of the insect is to be found. Up to the present neither 
grease banding in autumn nor spraying the trees in spring has been at 
all practised in this district, so that I attribute this partial immunity of 
our trees from the plague to the beneficial work of birds at the time 
the grub would be depositing its eggs, and when they were driven to 
the trees for food on account of the ground being hard-baked by the 
frost. Gooseberries flowered satisfactorily, but the fruit then just 
setting freely was severely thinned from the outside branches and the 
tops of the trees by frost during the last week of April. Currants, both 
Black and Red, promise a fair crop, as also do Raspberries, which show 
a plentiful display of bloom buds. Strawberries are throwing up very 
strong trusses of bloom, in quantities sufficient for heavy crops.— 
W. K. W., Sijston, Leice.ster. 
- Daffodil Trumpet Maximus. —In reference to Mr. Hart- 
land’s note of May 16th respecting this Narcissus, I hope it will not 
yet be recorded as an ascertained fact that N. maximus grows wild on 
the Spanish side of the Pyrenees. Mr. Hartland writes in perfectly 
good faith, but the “ collectors ” who profess that this plant is 
“ brought on mules’ backs from over the mountains ” are not trust¬ 
worthy in their statements. It is not impossible that N. maximus is a 
Spanish plant, but we have as yet no sure evidence that this is so. 
Indeed, I believe there is considerable evidence that this particular 
consignment of bulbs may have had its ultimate origin in English or 
Dutch nurseries ; but hereby hangs a long story, and one which would 
bring into mention names which I am not at liberty to use. I only write 
