December 21, 1893, ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
663 
think [differently. The remarks of Mr. Iggulden I fully agree with, 
wherein he states that if his brother gardeners are well advised they 
will endeavour, to the best of their ability, to keep up the old custom 
of placing some of their best fruit upon the table. 
If the framers of the schedule at Hull did not intend dessert to be 
placed on the table, why was it described as “dessert?” This latter 
word quite as much settles the business as “ only ” Chrysanthemums 
with any hardy foliage to be used in its decoration. If dessert was not 
placed, then there should have been spaces left for the number of dishes 
intended. 
I am well aware it is a different matter to arrange a table at a show 
than at home, but at the same time these decorations are supposed to 
lead to ideas for home decoration, although it is rarely they can be so 
adapted. There is the silver to display, and which the majority of 
owners take a pride in, and the decorations have to be so arranged to 
fit in with this. The number of dishes of dessert are arranged accord¬ 
ing to the size of the table. “ Yorkshire Bite ” oversteps the bounds 
of argument entirely, wherein he asks “ Was every exhibitor to load 
her table with all the known wines and cordials, also all the home and 
foreign fruit, both fresh and dried, that our fruiterers could supply?” 
What a “ bite ” they would have 1 A table could be laid out 
“completely” with four dishes or six dishes of fruit, to be varied 
according to its size. A dessert table could be “ completely ” laid out 
with only preserved fruits, although the lady or the gentleman of the 
house, as the case may be, would think perhaps it would be a poor 
dessert to be placed before their guests, that is, if they had a garden 
where fruit was expected to be grown.—A Decokatoe. 
At page 519 of Journal of Horticulture for December 7th, Mr. 
Harland, one of the Hon. Secretaries to the Hull and East Biding 
Chrysanthemum Society, solicits the correct view of the following 
stipulation in the society’s schedule, viz , “ Dessert table 8 feet by i feet 
completely laid out for six persons, only Chrysanthemums with any 
kind of foliage to be used in its decoration.” 
Following Mr. Harland’s request is the Editor’s desire to publish 
the opinions of table decorators or show judges upon the subject, an i 
having assisted in adjudicating on table decorations at shows, as well 
as a fairly large experience in that particular art of gardening, I ven¬ 
ture an opinion as to the only construction it appears possible for either 
exhibitor or judge to put upon the wording of the schedule. The 
table of proper dimensions as required by the schedule is of 
necessity provided by the Society, the competitor being requested by 
strict stipulation to convert the same in a “ dessert table ” completely 
laid out, that is to say, everything that is necessary to a fully prepared 
dessert table, for six persons, must be placed upon it, the character 
of the dessert used resting entirely with the exhibitor. 
That the Society attaches primary importance to a well prepared 
dessert table is evidenced by the words, “completely laid out,” as men¬ 
tioned by Mr. Harland, subordinating other adjuncts such as floral 
decorations, so that any deviation from the strict wording of the 
schedule must assuredly suffer disqualification in the event of a protest 
to that effect. The following would appear more practicable in such 
cases :—“ The most tastefully decorated dinner table, laid out for six 
persons, only Chrysanthemums with any kind of foliage to be used in the 
decoration, dimensions of table 8 feet by 4 feet.”—J. P. Leadbettek, 
The Gardens, Tranhy Croft, Hull. 
[Many persons who have had much experience in judging and the 
interpretation of ambiguous terms would in this case differentiate 
between “ laying out ” a table tastefully and artistically, and furnishing 
it with comestibles. The condition of “laying out” the table for six 
persons appears to have been complete in the number of necessary 
articles for use; the “ placing on ” the table of fruit and wine was not a 
specified condition. In cases of doubt in law “custom” becomes the 
determining factor, and it is undoubtedly the custom to specify that 
fruit and wine must be placed on a dessert table when that is the 
intention of show authorities.] 
OSIERS. 
(^Concluded from page 542'). 
Insect and other Enemies. 
The green fly, a species of aphis allied to the Pea aphis, does 
considerable damage to the Osier in certain seasons. If the plants are 
much affected the tender shoot at the top is killed and the growth is 
stunted, lateral shoots are thrown out, making the rods “snaggy,” and 
so injuring the sale. Some kinds are more affected than others. 
The “ black smother fly,” another of the aphis family, in certain 
seasons also injures the rods in the same way as the green fly. The 
tops of the rods are completely covered with them, the growth of the 
Osiers is stopped and the crop injured. This aphis has a preference 
for Glibskins, white new kinds, and all rods with a sweet skin. 
The “scab” is a disease of the bark : the effects of an injury made 
by an insect in the early growth. The injury shows itself in the form 
of a scab or bad place in the rod, going through the bark and some way 
into the wood ; at these places the rod will break when being peeled, 
or if left brown will break, when being worked, therefore if a crop is 
much affected it is a very great loss to the grower. 
The larvrn of some moths and beetles, which are wood borers, are 
sometimes found in the heads and in the rods themselves when left for 
two-year-olds, viz., the goat moth, leopard moth, musk beetle, and the 
long-horned beetle. The larva of the goat moth, however, requires two 
or three years to mature, and the moth almost always chooses trees of 
larger growth. 
A great enemy of the Osier is a small round beetle, the Willow 
beetle ^Phratora vitellinas), which bites the young rods close to the head 
so severely that they break down with their own weight and come to 
nothing. The beetle is rather more than a sixth of an inch in length. 
It is somewhat variable in colour, from blue to green, with metallic 
lustre, having faint spots upon the wing-cases. The body beneath is 
of a reddish hue, the antennae are black. It is most tenacious of life, 
and difficult to kill with water and pungent and poisonous solutions and 
fumes. It comes forth in May from its winter retreats in the earth, in 
rubbish, under the bark of trees, in the chinks and crannies of build¬ 
ings, posts, and rails. Fences, especially fences made of “ brush ” 
woven between stakes, form admirable shelters for it. In short, any 
refuge near the Willow beds seems to be suitable to keep the beetles 
from birds and from the weather, for they are not affected by cold. 
Having strong wings, they can fly considerable distance*. The eggs are 
placed under the leaves in groups and without any regular arrangement. 
In ordinary circumstances the larvae are found on the Willow plants 
towards the end of June. They are about half an ineh long, dirty 
white in colour, with black heads and rows of black spots along their 
bodies ; they have six feet. In this country, asiin Germany, there are 
two attacks, one in the spring, and the other in September and October. 
To prevent the attacks of these beetles, flooding the Willow beds has 
been resorted to where this can be done ariificially. Though they 
are difficult to drown, this tends to decrease them, or at least 
those below the water level. Many are ensconced under the bark of 
trees, in posts, and hedges above the water mark. Flooding with sewage 
has been found to be far more effectual than flooding with water. As 
far as possible, rubbish, and any other possible refuges for the beetles, 
should be removed from the Willow beds and their neighbourhood. 
Many things have been tried to dislodge these insects, such a* soot, 
sulphur, and other unpleasant]materials. Those who have seen Willow 
plants growing luxuriantly in beds will appreciate the difficulties of 
applying insecticides or insectifuges either in dry or liquid form. Paris 
green and London purple have been experimented with and found of 
some benefit. These require to be applied early, upon the first appear¬ 
ance of the beetle* and before the plants have made too much headway. 
Care must be taken not to make the arsenical washes too strong, as the 
Willow leaves are tender. Not more than 1 oz. to 20 gallons of 
water should be used at first. Some Willow-planters have taken to 
picking the beetles off by hand, and shaking them into vessels held 
beneath the plants ; this operation is said to have been effectual in 
small plantations. 
The larvae of the eye hawk moth and the bufftip moth are found 
feeding upon the Osiers, and also those of the puss moth, but not in 
sufficient numbers to cause any real injury. The bufftips may perhaps 
in some localities do mischief, as they are numerous at times and strip 
where they feed. 
A fungoid growth of the Osier is a kind of rust, similar to the rust 
on Wheat. It comes off upon the clothes of persons moving amongst 
the Osiers. The growth of Osiers would be retarded if severely affected 
by rust. 
Rabbits, when numerous, are very injurious, biting off the young 
shoots and injuring others. Hares are to some extent injurious in the 
same way, but not so much complaint is made about them as of rabbits. 
Water rats in some districts do a certain amount of damage by cutting 
a road through the young growth. Mice on fen land injure the heads 
by biting them close to the ground, causing them to die. 
Phrposes to which Osiers are Applied. 
The following are the principal purposes to which Osier rods are 
applied :— 
Agriculture. —Nearly 25 per cent, of the supply of Osiers is used for 
hand baskets for twitch and Potatoes, root and Potato skips, chaff skips, 
riddle and sieve bottoms, hampers, flats, peds and baskets for fruit. 
Potato hampers and sieves, and fowl baskets. 
Manufactures and Trade. —About 40 per cent, of the supply of Osiers 
is utilised in the manufacture of baskets used by cotton spinners, lace 
makers, hosiers, confectioners, wine and spirit merchants, brewers, 
carriage makers, fruiterers, gardeners, bakers, grocers, butchers, hawkers, 
coal miners, and coal whippers. 
Domestic Purposes. —About 10 per cent, of the Osier supply is used 
for clothes baskets, cradles, wicker chairs, market and other baskets, 
and small fancy articles. 
Post Office. —The manufacture of baskets used'to collect and carry 
letters in the office, and of parcel post hampers, absorbs about 7 per 
cent, of the supply of Osiers. 
Railways, — companies use about 10 per cent, of the supply 
for luggage barrows, meat and other hampers. 
The remaining 8 per cent, is used for herring peds, baskets for 
unloading herrings and other fish, smelt hampers, salmon baskets, 
anglers’ hampers and baskets, creels, eel hives, and jugs. 
In addition to the above summary of Mr. Little’s report, it may be 
useful to direct attention to an article by Mr. W. J. Cochrane of Hetton- 
le-Hole, Fence Houses, Durham, on the cultivation of Osiers as a profit¬ 
able method of utilising boggy or marsh land, published in the Journal 
of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (5th Series, vol. v., 
1893). from which the following remarks have been reproduced :— 
Provided there is a constant supply of moisture, any soil is suited to 
the Willow, assuming, of course, that it be of such a nature as to supply 
the requisite amount of plant food ; but the most favourable land is 
