414 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ May 25, 1893. 
winter, and in February or March, according to the state of the 
weather, be planted in their permanent positions; if in beds 
9 inches apart, when in borders in clumps of five, or dotted irregu¬ 
larly to form single specimens. Any plants which are unduly weak 
should be lifted and replanted G inches asunder in nursery beds, and 
have the flower stems removed should any form. With this treat¬ 
ment fine plants are produced for the following season. These I 
find especially useful for flowering in pots. They should be potted 
in October, using a compost of two parts loam to one of well 
decayed manure, with a little sharp sand and wood ashes added. 
Pot firmly, winter in cold pits, and when the flower stems appear 
give liquid manure freely. When the plants require more head 
room than a pit affords, transfer to a cool greenhouse or conser¬ 
vatory, when they will quickly develop into beautiful objects, 
suitable for all kinds of floral embellishment.—W. H. 
FRUIT PROSPECTS—INSECTS.' 
The fruit crops here are very promising without exception. 
Apples, Pears, Plums, Peaches, Nectarines, bush fruits, and Straw¬ 
berries are well furnished with even crops. Strawberries must 
necessarily be small in berry, consequent on the long spell of dry 
weather, and no doubt all bush fruits will be undersized from the same 
cause. Raspberries in particular seem to have shown signs of distress 
in a marked manner. 
Pears, both on walls and in the open, are above the average, and but 
very few trees are without fruits. These and Plums on walls were 
protected with fish nets while in bloom, and the weather being so dry 
frosts did but little or no apparent injury. Much thinning must be 
done to obtain full grown crops. Cherries of the dessert and Morello 
kinds are equally fruitful, bat the dry weather thinned them somewhat, 
yet there are plenty left to mature. We can boast of but one Fig tree 
on the open walls, but this has many fruits of good size swelling freely, 
and had no protection in winter. The Gooseberry caterpillar made an 
early start on the bushes, and the colonies although attacked while very 
few in numbers showed great determination, but have disappeared since 
the cuckoo paid us a few visits in the early morning and late evenings. 
Of Peaches but few are grown outdoors, and the same apply to 
Apricots ; but the trees we have are carrying a good crop of early 
fruits. Plums require considerable thinning. 
On the gravelly subsoils the drought has told its tale. This I had 
ample witness of at Draycot, Chippenham, where trees of all kinds 
seemed to be suffering, and the crops in most instances were light as 
regards stone fruits, Apples, and Pears. Gooseberries, Raspberries, Red 
and Black Currants, and Strawberries looked well. Water is carted in 
large quantities, but without a heavy mulch and regular supplies Mr. 
Gibson finds but little benefit derived from such labour when the 
ground is so hot and dry as it was previous to the much-needed rains. 
In Captain Spicer’s gardens, Spye Park, there are, with few excep¬ 
tions, fair crops, Red Currants being perhaps the lightest crop. This 
is attributed to frosts, which from the somewhat low lying situation 
of the garden often prove disastrous in spring. Plums on the walls 
are wonderfully even, and the trees in the best possible condition. 
Peaches and Apricots, too, are in a similarly fertile state, and very free 
from insects. Pears on walls are variable, some carrying a full crop, 
others being practically bare. Jargonelle and Williams’ Bon Chretien 
were both furnished splendidly; it is seldom that the first-named is seen so 
well set. Healthy young pyramid Plums and Pears planted by Mr. 
Perry only a few years since are almost devoid of a crop from the 
action of the spring frosts. However, there is an abundant promise, 
and with the unlimited resources in stable manure for mulching, dry 
weather has not the same influence that is known in too many gardens 
this spring. 
Insects abound more or less everywhere, the fly on Plums and Cherries, 
and the caterpillars on Apples, Pears, and Gooseberries are only too 
common, but it is hoped the showery weather now set in will tend to 
mend matters somewhat. Blac’x fly on Morello Cherries must have 
attention or the crop will quickly deteriorate, and I have found 
hellebore tea more effectual than any other dressing in making a 
clearance of this destructive pest. — W. Strugnell, Rood Ashton 
Gardens, Trowhridge. _ 
In “Notes and Gleanings” (page 375) you give the Board of Agricul¬ 
ture’s advice in regard to some of these. Tnere is no doubt that the amount 
of small caterpillar life is largely in excess of the ordinary quantity. 
For that, I apprehend, this extraordinary drought is responsible in large 
degree. The small moths, parents of many of these pests, are easily 
killed by a time of heavy rain—a large drop of rain hitting one of 
these tiny moths is nearly certain to put an end to its existence, or at 
any rate to incapacitate it from the roaming life which these little 
creatures evidently adopt—dropping one egg here and another yonder. 
I have little doubt that if these various applications reach the grubs, 
death results. But does it reach them ? that is the question. I trow 
not! Most of those that Injure our fruit trees belong to the leaf-rolling 
or leaf-closing tribe. Does this application ever reach them ? I can¬ 
not think that one in a hundred is touched by them. Then as to aphides. 
These on Peach trees do not appear to me to take the stem ; on the 
contrary, they are under the leaves, and these under the influence of the 
punctures of these little pests twist about in various ways ; but the 
result is generally that the curling leaf protects its enemy, and they are 
not seen even unless the leaf be unfurled. I wonder if the Board of 
Agriculture have tried the effect of their solutions on these. I have 
tried hard syringing on Peach trees against a wall, and the aphides remain 
lively and apparently none the worse. If the branches are loose and 
long enough that they can be dipped into a cup or basin containing the 
solution and stirred about in it, the pests may be reached, but this is not 
often the case ; they seem to attack the short branches, with five or six 
leaves all close together and no length of stem, and the unhealthy 
appearance of these is the only clue to their existence. 
As regards the maggots of the leaf-rolling kind, they are safe from 
the application, for even if put into a basin containing the solution I 
do not think it would reach the householder ; and if it did, he probably 
w'ould wriggle out the other side, and, dropping by his silken thread, 
alight on a neighbouring branch. If two leaves are glued together they 
safely enclose the grub, and if he has a sleeve he laughs in it at all the 
solutions. So again if the egg is laid, as is often the case, in the petals 
of the blooms, these are glued together, or three or four of the small fruit 
are thus fastened together, and the grub is safely protected there—the 
various fruits that go together to ma& the w'alls being all more or less 
injured. In fact, these fruits if spared can never be other than 
deformed specimens. My thoughts are directed not to orchards but to 
our wall fruit trees in gardens. I contend that the only safe plan is to 
cut off the leaf and burn it. Hand-picking is the only real safety, whilst 
in a year like the present, when Pears have set, as in some places, ten 
or more in a bunch, these should be separated and reduced to two, 
or perhaps only a single fruit. All these leaves and injured fruit must 
be burnt. Much may be done by squeezing the curled up leaves, but 
they do not improve the appearance of the tree. With most now the 
caterpillar has become a chrysalis, and if not stopped the young moth 
will soon be out again, and a fresh brood result. I venture to state 
that those who trust to these solutions are pinning their faith to broken 
reels, and will be disappointed. Hand-picking may be tedious, but it 
is sure.—Y. B. A. Z. 
LATE DECORATIVE TULIPS, 
Before the Tulip season is quite ended I cannot refrain from 
calling attention to the wealth of beauty to be found in these flowers. 
Early flow'ering sorts are perfectly well known, though too often only 
as forcing plants, but the May blooming kinds are not represented in 
many gardens. 
Some varieties which I bought many years ago as “breeders” or 
“ mother ” Tulips, and which hold something of the same position to 
florist Tulips that our beautiful self Carnations do to show varieties, 
seeing not one of them has ever changed in character, have yielded 
annually many gatherings of flowers as useful as they are beautiful. 
The stems of some of these are quite 3 feet long, while the colours of 
the flowers are indescribable, ranging as they do from fawn, soft blush, 
pink, crimson and violet, to deepest purple. One of the finest of all 
yellow flowers is a breeder named Bouton d’Or. There is another pretty 
variety called Picotee, but of the section to which this belongs I am not 
so sure, as the shape of the bloom is somewhat different. At any rate, 
it is indispensable, and is found in trade catalogues. In addition to 
these a number of T. Gesneriana, and of the more ruddy Oculus Solis, are 
indispensable. T. sylvestris we have in numbers in the woods, but it 
well repays cultivation. The form of the flower as well as the 
soft shade of yellow, and its delicious scent render it indispensable. 
Retroflexa is another yellow species of much beauty. 
I once purchased some bizarres at a few shillings per 100, and no 
flowers have given more satisfaction than these. The ground colour 
is yellow' marked with scarlet, maroon, and other shades. The descrip¬ 
tion may appear rather glaring, but the flowers really are not so, they 
are brilliant and glowing, but without any hint of vulgarity in tone. 
I am rather fond of monotone in arrangements of flowers. It is 
a simple and harmonious method, and there is no danger of mistaken 
contrasts. With Tulips, however, all colours may safely be employed 
together—purples, violets, yellows, reds and whites, and the effect is 
always good, just as it is if one shade or one colour alone is used. 
Tulips also harmonise well with other flowers, a few long-stemmed 
flowers giving character to an otherwise tame arrangement. 
The lime of day to cut Tulips is in the early morning, and the 
flowers should always be young. Placed with the stems in water for a 
few hours previous to packing they carry in perfect condition, and no 
flowers last longer in a cut state at this season of the year than they do. 
I have seen it stated that Tulips succeed without cultivation, but 
that is not so. ?ome of the kinds which do not increase much succeed 
fairly well for years left in the same pos tion, bat as a lule the bulbs 
will be found to produce better flowers if they are occasionally lifted 
and planted in fresh soil. Sorts which, like T. Gesneriana, increase 
rapidly may be taken up every summer with advantage, and allowed 
more room. They do not require much space when grown in this w'ay. 
If in rows put these at a f.ot asunder, and about five bulbs to the foot 
in each row. I find a surface dressing of superphosphate of lime 
appl'ed early in spring has a most beneficial effect on the plants, the 
foliage comes stronger, the flower stems longer, and the flowers them¬ 
selves of a greater size. The plants succeed in any position. I have 
some on a south, others on a north border. Many are grown in mixed 
borders, and the largest number in a quarter of Gooseberries. 
