66 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
January 26, 1893. 
preference to moderately strong, short-jointed ones. Where the 
bushes are becoming too tall, remove some of the longer branches 
by cutting them back to young shoots near the base of the bush. 
Red Currants, on the other hand, ought to have the side shoots 
closely spurred in, allowing the extremities of the branches to 
extend about G inches each year till the required height is 
reached, when they may be cut back to one joint. Where gaps 
occur through the removal of old or dead branches young shoots 
may be left a foot in length to fill the vacancy. 
It is a good plan to leave the pruning of Gooseberry bushes till 
all other bush fruits have been done on account of the great havoc 
birds play among the buds. The best method to follow is to thin 
ont the young shoots to about 6 inches apart, those which are 
removed being cut back to one eye. No shortening of young shoots 
will be required except in the case of those likely to be brought to 
the ground with the weight of fruit. It is also an excellent prac¬ 
tice to leave the centre of the tree rather open. Extra fine fruits 
are produced by training a few trees to wires or fences and spurring 
the branches in closely. This, however, is not the best method to 
adopt for general purposes ; but those who carry out this system 
■well are justly proud of the fine results achieved.—D. W. 
BRUSSELS SPROUTS AND THEIR CULTURE. 
This vegetable is probably the most useful of any of the other 
forms of culinary produce obtained from the Brassica family 
during the winter and early spring. It is true that where the climate 
is favourable Broccoli may often supersede some of the more 
commonplace vegetables, which I have found to be the case even 
in northern districts, when an unusually mild winter effected a 
general improvement in the ordinary routine of kitchen supply. 
Among winter greens during a semi-arctic period, however, with 
which many vegetable growers are not unfamiliar, I consider an 
adequate supply of moderate sized firm Sprouts to be the gardeners 
sheet anchor. I have known instances in which Brussels Sprouts 
were regarded with some indifference, coupled with a suggestion 
from headquarters that a smaller plantation of them might suffice 
for the following season. Young and inexperienced practitioners 
should not, however, attach undue weight to suggestions of that 
kind, otherwise some rigorous period in early spring, when a supply 
of this sometimes rejected vegetable would be eagerly accepted, 
may lead them to discover their mistake. 
Referring briefly to the cultivation of Brussels Sprouts, I have 
picked fair crops of useful produce from spring sown plants raised 
on the open borders. These, however, were seldom so early, firm, 
and abundant as others from seed sown early in February under 
glass, then pricked off, and grown under the influence of plenty of 
light and air. When the seedlings are pricked out in frames the 
sashes should be removed on every favourable opportunity as soon 
as free growth is apparent, as the object of the grower should be to 
secure a stock of thoroughly hardy plants by the time they are ready 
for their places in the open quarters early in May. If for con¬ 
venience they are started in boxes placed in other cool structures 
we afterwards turn them out to the foot of a wall or some place of 
shelter, where they can be afforded additional protection if neces¬ 
sary, and made secure from possible injury of any description by 
adjusting wire netting over them. Whilst thus located the plants 
must be regularly attended to as regards watering, and in order 
to prevent them being drawn up weakly, no more covering should 
be used than is absolutely needful to save them from the check 
which would result from an occasional hard frost. 
Firm land is generally admitted to be more than half the secret 
of the success realised in the raising of fine crops of weather-proof 
Brussels Sprouts. While admitting this in principle I do not know 
that turning out the plants on ground that may not have been 
moved with a spade or prong for one or more years is the only 
method by which the proper conditions towards attaining success¬ 
ful results can be secured as far as soil texture is concerned. I 
have found that whether manure -vvas applied or not, that a light 
digging of the square selected for planting out the seedlings very 
much facilitates the operations of weeding or hoeing afterwards 
and the treading of the ground, consequent on the performance 
of such work, ensures the necessary solidity by the time the plants 
are more than half developed. Speaking from personal experience 
the crops produced by the light digging system on loam of medium 
texture have been at least equally hardy and prolific as when 
planted on solid land. 
For those who may not have the convenience for raising seedlings 
under glass autumn sown plants can be obtained from market men, 
but according to my experience of a trial or two of these a con¬ 
siderable percentage of them proved “ bolters.” When such plants 
are procured let it be as early in spring as they can be had, and 
when they come to hand prick them out in a cold frame, or on a 
bed in the open border over which some contrivance can be fixed 
to which temporary protection may be adjusted if necessary. Soon 
after the plants have taken to the soil the “ bolters ” will show 
themselves, when they can be removed before the final trans¬ 
planting is begun. It may not be superfluous to add the re¬ 
minder, that it is indispensable to the best results in Brussels 
Sprout culture that the plants at all stages of their growth should 
have sufficient space for perfect development. Let them once be 
overcrowded and failure, or at least partial failure, must result 
from the check thus produced. Among other varieties I have 
grown within the last few years have been President Carnot and 
Craig’s Favourite, the latter being of Scotch origin. Both are 
comparatively new sorts, and they appear to be very hardy and 
good croppers.— Brassica. 
MEALY BUG ON VINES. 
Where vineries are largely used as plant houses during the 
winter mealy bug is frequently introduced, and unless very great 
pains are taken in getting rid of the insects the worry and annoy¬ 
ance is of a very pronounced character. Some gardeners are of opinion 
that once mealy bug is well established, in an old vinery especially, 
it is next to impossible to get rid of it again. With this dictum, 
however, I cannot agree. One of the vineries under my charge is 
probably among the oldest in the country, some of the Vines being 
also very old, their exact age being known to nobody I have 
yet spoken to about them. Twice have mealy bugs been introduced 
to these Vines, and twice have they been mastered. Some of my 
readers will be of opinion that I ought not to have been so remiss 
as to allow mealy bug to regain a foothold in a vinery when once 
eradicated, but when more pot plants are grown than there is good 
room for, and more work attempted than there is enough hands to 
properly meet them, something or somebody must suffer. 
There are many and various ways of transmitting mealy bug to 
Vines, but I only know of one that can be relied upon to get rid of 
it again, and that is a thorough scrubbing of the woodwork, glass, 
walls, stages, and in particular the rods with hot water. It must 
be thorough, every crack and crevice being found out by the bristles 
of a scrubbing-brush, and unless this is done subsequent dressings 
of strong mixtures are of little avail. As a matter of fact 
I attach still less value to the latter than formerly, and I never 
wrote or spoke very highly of any other than gas tar mixture 
for Vine rods. There should be no skinning the rods, and 
hard scraping about the spurs. Doubtless this severe, most 
unnatural, though time-honoured custom, does lay bare many lurk¬ 
ing places of insect pests, but stripping off the bark has a most 
injurious effect upon the Vines from which they never recover, 
unless indeed the rods are gradually replaced by bark-clothed 
younger ones. By a.ll means roughly cleanse the rods after pruning, 
but remove the loose bark only, notably the scales about the spurs. 
Labourers should not be trusted to clean, scrub, and dress Vine 
rods, this important work being superintended and largely per¬ 
formed by those who take a more intelligent interest in their work 
or duties. Hot water with just enough softsoap dissolved in it to 
make it more penetrating and free working is an excellent insecti¬ 
cide. By hot water I do not mean a bucketful hot when first the 
work of scrubbing commences, and which quickly becomes cool, 
but it should be heated to nob less than 130°, and kept at or near 
that during the whole time it is in use, frequent additions being 
made. It must be a very difficult crevice to get at that will pro¬ 
tect mealy bug or other insects from a scrubbing-brush in good 
hands, though where these pests are well established it pays to 
give the rods a second good scrubbing. 
As a further precaution it is advisable to also dress the rods 
with a mixture of clayey water, to every quart of which a half 
pint of cold gas tar is added. I have used much more tar than 
this to the quart of clayey water without apparently injuring the 
Vines in any way, but the experience of others does not always 
agree with mine, and the lesser quantity is recommended in order 
that no risks should be run, the more so that I attach less import¬ 
ance, as before stated, to any dressing. The clay-tar mixture 
should be kept well stirred, and of the consistency of thin paint 
when applied with rather stiff brushes. Avoid smothering the 
buds, or even surrounding them closely, with the mixture ; tar 
recklessly used sometimes having the effect of injuring the young 
shoots, making them very brittle, and easy to snap off. Every 
crack and crevice ought to be well filled or cased over with 
the mixture, and against the latter what few insects escape the 
scrubbing brush will make little or no headway. 
