March 29,1894. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
235 
Whilst passing through the embryo stage of a gardener’s life 
in a Kentish nursery nothing impressed me more vividly thin 
a plant of Stephanotis planted in the common soil—the fat 
yellow loam of Kent—and filling the roof of the house. The 
wealth of flower each season was lavishly produced. All the cire 
bestowed on it was the annual pruning and washing with Gishurst 
compound on a short winter’s day ; happy place, where mealy bug 
was unknown. 
In some gardens, particularly the old-fashioned ones, a range of 
lean-to houses is midway relieved by a lofty central structure, 
nominally a greenhouse or conservatory, built more for outside 
effect than inside utility, where space may be limited except in an 
upright direction. For such a house 'i'acsonia Van Volxemi is 
from its rapid growth and pleasing habit a valuable climber. A 
satisfactory way to treat an unsightly roof is to stretch light wires 
from the top wall plate from which the roof springs to the opposite 
one, thus forming a ceiling of greenery, shutting out the roof. 
Few who see this Tacsonia thus treated, with a crop of its crimson 
starry blossoms pendant from the threadlike stems, would fail to 
think it was the right thing in the right place. Solanum jasminoides 
is a charming plant, its hardy constitution enabling it to stand where 
more tender kinds fail ; and interesting is the quaint chocolate 
flowers of the deciduous Akebia quinata. Hardy as this and the 
Solanum are, their best conditions are developed under glass. 
The different Lygodiums are chaste and elegant climbers, not 
so often seen as they deserve to be. Neither tying nor training do 
they require. Cut down at this season as the new fronds are 
starting, and during potting peg securely in the centre a single 
length of bell wire, with the wire strained to a nail in the roof, 
when up they will go 10, 12 or 15 feet, be it stove, greenhouse or 
Fern house, shade or sunshine. In the autumn or winter they 
readily adapt themselves to house or church decorations. By 
disengaging the wire from the roof they are easily carried, suiting 
pillars, windows, or arches, and are something out of the common, 
with a distinct tone of colour from those useful decorative 
climbers, the Asparagus plumosus and Smilax (Mediola). 
Cissus discolor is pre-eminently a lover of tropical heat, 
moisture and shade. With me, a plant in the border at the foot of 
a back wall has appropriated the whole space, and in its annual 
growth monopolises the greater part of the roof, while armfuls of 
streamers have to be shorn to keep it within bounds. 
An end or back wall of a house, especially if of porous brick, 
retaining moisture, is according to temperature admirably adapted 
to some of the most beautiful of our climbers, amongst which are 
Pothos, .iEschynanthus Lobbi and fulgens, the latter furnishing 
fine sprays tipped with bloom for large vases. Begonia glauco- 
phylla never seems quite happy in any other position ; and many 
an ugly corner or bit of wall left bare from unsuitableness to other 
plants may be draped with that friend to gardeners Ficus repens, 
which appears to hold the same position under glass that the Ivy 
does outside. 
In concluding these few notes on that important class of plants, 
our stove and greenhouse climbers, I am constrained to offer a 
weak apology to the large family for omitting to mention many of 
the members by adding that they have at least been thought of. 
—E. K., Dublin. 
LOROPETALON CHINENSE. 
The accompanying illustration (fig. 39) represents a spray of Loro- 
petalon chinense, an early flowering shrub that does not appear to be 
generally grown in gardens. It was shown by Messrs. 3. Veitch & Sons, 
Royal Exotic Nurseries, Chelsea, at the Drill Hall, Westminster, on the 
13th inst., when the Floral Committee of the Royal Horticultural 
Society awarded a first-class certificate for it. It is quite hardy, is said 
to attain a height of 3 or 4 feet when fully grown, and when covered 
with white narrow-petalled flowers is very ornamental. The above 
mentioned firm introduced it from the Khasya Mountains and China 
in 1880. 
MASTERING THE ONION MAGGOT. 
This important question is well worthy of the prominence 
given it in the pages of the Journal of Horticulture. The ravages 
of this pest in some localities is such as to almost destroy the 
whole crop annually, in spice of every precaution taken to prevent 
such devastation. A good crop of Onions in these parts is a rarity, 
whereas in other districts there is but little trouble with the 
enemy. I feel sure many cultivators would welcome any positive 
remedy as a great boon to ensure a full crop of this indispensable 
esculent. The only specific I know is to continually syringe the 
plants with a mixture of petroleum and dissolved soap, and even 
this does not always succeed in preventing the destruction of a 
goodly portion of the plants. 
One drawback is that at the time most attention is required there 
are also a multitude of other matters needing the same amount of 
care. Constant warfare, however, is necessary where the fly is 
troublesome, for, as Miss Ormerod tells us, the Onion maggots only 
remain in the bulbs about a fortnight, when they usually leave and 
enter the earth and turn into the pupae state, from whence flies 
emerge in from ten to twenty days to again begin the work of 
destruction, and so the round goes on while any Onions remain. 
An important matter is to pay particular attention to the plot from 
which the crop of Onions have been removed during the autumn 
and winter months. This consists in using every endeavour to 
exterminate the last batch of pupae, which bring forth the earliest 
flies in the forthcoming season. 
The soil here being light I am now turning my attention to 
Fia. 30.—LOROPETALON CHINENSE. 
heavier dressings of clay marl, especially near the surface, together 
with such substances as will build up a robust constitution in the 
plant. Thus at the same time it will make it more difficult for the 
fly to deposit its eggs. I have tried all kinds of surface dressings 
prior to sowing when the ground has been carefully prepared, but 
they have little effect in the prevention of the attack of the fly. 
From my experience very early sowings in boxes, thence trans¬ 
planted, are no more exempt than the others. As a matter of 
fact the autumn-sown Onions get attacked, and these must naturally 
be harder in the skin than those raised early inside. Anyone 
doubting this would soon be convinced if living in this district and 
he wanted a dozen or two of sound bulbs for any particular 
object, say about the end of July. I might place Carrots and 
Parsley in a similar list. 
There is no trouble in getting the spring-sown crop to start 
growing well. The plants usually look all one could desire until 
they get about 6 inches high, then the work of destruction begins. 
There is no need to thin the plants. I think the chief reniedy 
must be applied from the top. But what is to be the positive 
remedy ? I hope some good Samaritan may be found to 
propound it. 
I have a strong recollection of a contribution entitled “ Success 
with Onions,” from the pen of Mr. John Chinnery, in the Journal 
of Horticulture for March 24th, 1892, page 213. Therein he states 
that he took a crop of Onions weighing 25 cwt. from a plot of 
ground measuring 104 square yards. That year I well remember 
