Auprnst 11, 1887. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
109 
•earlier than Black Prince, much like it in plant and fruit, which is 
of a better flavour. Pauline is, I think, the best variety to grow 
■out of doors to produce early fruit. It ought to be planted out on 
•rich ground on a border well exposed to the sun, and sheltered from 
the north or east by a wall or fence. It was about ten days earlier 
than King of the Earlies or Black Prince, but those two were in 
the open ground. The fruits of Pauline are of the largest size and 
of excellent flavour. 
I believe the best Strawberries are produced from young plants, 
^nd prefer to make a fresh plantation annually. The ground must 
also be trenched up to 18 inches or 2 feet deep, and plenty of good 
manure should be dug in or trenched in. I like to place a layer in 
the bottom of each trench, and another layer about G or 9 inches 
below the surface.—J. Douglas. 
NOTES ON PINKS. 
WHITE PINKS. 
I no not think it is generally known that there are two varieties 
•of the common white garden Pink in cultivation, the one being 
•very much whiter than the other, though not on that account any 
the prettier, the soft shade of yellow present in the more common 
variety being very attractive. Now that Mrs. Sinkins has estab¬ 
lished a character for its very free-flowering and perpetual habit, 
while its scent is delightfully sweet, and the soft yellowish tint 
detected at the base of its rather loose petals is most charming, 
there may be a danger of the older varieties being displaced. But 
"to disoard the one for the other would not be wise, as the two are 
essentially distinct in almost every particular. Last year I had 
plants of a new variety named Mrs. W. Welsh from Messrs. 
Dicksons & Co. of Edinburgh. This they considered superior to 
Mrs. Sinkins. But though it is of the purest white, and in that 
■respect might be considered of superior merit, they are in other 
respects very distinct. Mrs. W. Welsh is a lovely sort, free- 
flowering, and, as already indicated, pure white, and may be safely 
grown on its own merits as a sterling variety. But for general 
■usefulness, sweetness, and beauty, I still think Mrs. Sinkins has 
nothing to fear. Both are easily propagated, cuttings striking root 
if inserted on borders without protection. Later on, handglasses 
blurred with sand are most suitable for insuring a rapid strike, 
though it is well to remember that the earlier the cuttings are taken 
the better, and the more floriferous will be the plants in the ensuing 
summer. All Pinks do best as young plants, and the soil in which 
they are grown should be well enriched, though the manure need 
not be deeply buried. The common white Pink is most easily 
propagated in September, when many roots are formed on the 
stem ; not too large pieces broken off, and planted where they are 
to flower, do very well. 
LACED PINKS. 
There are no sweeter flowers than these, and though generally 
grown as a florist flower, the laced Pink is most suitable for growing 
with much less attention. Strong sorts should be chosen, and I 
rather prefer the heavy laced varieties to the lighter flowers, but 
any of them are fine. The same plant will bloom year after year, 
but young plants are much to be preferred, the blooms being much 
larger, and I think sweeter, from young plants than from old ones. 
Cuttings—-pipings is the technical term—should be taken as early 
as possible, and they root well in the open border, and with increased 
celerity under the protection of bellglasses. The buds alike of 
Mrs. Sinkins, Mrs. W. Welsh, and these should be thinned, the 
flowers being much superior and more useful when cut. 
ANNE BOLEYN PINK. 
I do not often see this old variety. Perhaps the small return of 
bloom it makes to the grower has caused it to be thrust into the 
background. To those who do not grow it or know it, Anne 
Boleyn can well be recommended, it is so deliciously fragrant. It 
may be propagated from cuttings, but it is much better to layer the 
number required for plants, as these are so much stronger, and the 
only way to increase the number of flowers on an individual plant 
is to get sufficient strength to secure a strong flowering stem capable 
of producing blooms at every joint. Those who are fond of sweet- 
scented flowers should certainly include this among those they grow. 
We cultivate a large number of other varieties, but the above are 
the best, many otherwise good varieties being sadly wanting in 
fragrance.—B. 
CARBOLIC SOAP AS AN INSECTICIDE. 
No doubt there are many of your readers who are pestered with 
earwigs, caterpillars, blight, &c., on their plants and trees, and to all of 
whom an efficacious remedy would be a boon ; permit me, therefore, to 
state my experience with substances that seem to rre to be a sovereign 
remedy against all such destructive garden pests. The plants are 
singularly free from blight and insects in my garden, excepting earwigs 
and caterpillars, both of which abound, but a friend of mine has had his 
wall fruit trees annually attacked by the American blight, and his 
Currant bushes with the aphides that cause the leaves to curl and 
cockle up. As a remedy for the blight I tried last year petroleum in 
water, but it was tedious work, and, moreover, this year some of the 
trees attacked have completely decayed ; therefore this year I determined 
to try the effect of carbolic soap, knowing full well that that body is a 
powerful antiseptic and destroyer of all germs and insect life. I there¬ 
fore dissolved a quarter of a pound of carbolic soap in a gallon of water, 
and then with a common paint brush washed all the stems, branches, 
and axils wherever the American blight appeared. If it was very thick 
I rubbed the brush on a piece of the soap held in my other hand. I was 
surprised to see with what readiness the blight was brushed off the 
trees. All the white woolly portion and the gumm}' red bodies were 
washed off completely. I next tried the effect of the soap solution 
on the Currant bushes, brushing the liquid into the axils and under the 
leaves wherever they were curled up with the insects. The fluid acted 
marvellously, and since I washed them, a week ago, the shoots have 
started fresh growth, whereas before the growth was checked by the 
presence of these aphides. 
I next tried the effect of the soap in my own garden, for the earwigs 
and caterpillars have made a wretched appearance of the Sunflowers 
and Dahlias I have in bloom. I first tried the effect of painting several 
inches of the flower stems with the soapy water, but I found that had 
no effect, for both earwigs and caterpillars crawled over it. This was 
not encouraging, but finding that the fluid did destro3 r them I placed a 
few caterpillars and insects in a saucer with a little of the soap solution, 
and in ten seconds the caterpillars were dead, and in twenty seconds 
the earwigs were dead. I tried the effect of dropping some of the liquid 
into the flowers round the base of the petals where the earwigs seem to 
secrete themselves most. The effect of this was to preserve the flowers, 
for neither yesterday nor to-day do the flowers show any signs of having 
been gnawed, and, moreover, to-day I picked out a few dead earwigs 
from the base of the petals, plainly showing that the soap solution I 
had placed there had killed them. From these facts I shall try the 
effect of the soapy liquid on more delicate flower buds, using a toy 
squirt to deposit the fluid in the flower buds. The flowers themselves 
seem apparently not affected by the liquid. Perhaps some of your 
numerous readers will try this carbolic fluid—of course a solution of 
carbolic crystals would be stronger than one made from the soap—and 
report their experience. From the few facts I have gathered it seems 
to me to be a most effectual eradicator of garden posts. — H. C. 
Standage. 
PYRETHRUMS AND DELPHINIUMS. 
In most localities Pyrethrums will be past their best, and should 
have the old flower stems cut away without delay if a good supply 
of bloom is required again in the autumn. After this is done, if 
the weather continues dry, give the plants a thorough soaking of 
water, or liquid manure in a weak state, and then mulch the surface 
to prevent evaporation. Short decayed manure, such as the refuse 
of Mushroom beds, old tan, cocoa-nut fibre refuse, leaf mould, or 
even short grass, are all excellent for the purpose, but any of the 
former have a neater appearance than the last. This treatment 
will have the effect of pushing these plants into fresh growth, and 
after the ground has once been well soaked by rain they will grow 
luxuriantly, and produce again an excellent crop of flowers. 
If it is necessary to increase the stock of any of the varieties 
this is a capital time to do so. After a good watering they can be 
lifted and divided into as many portions as there are flower stems, 
each portion being potted singly in 2-inch pots in any light sandy 
soil. Place a little sand about the stem of the portion inserted. If 
well watered, kept close in a frame, and shaded from the sun, young 
growths will quickly issue from towards the base of the flower stem. 
Although propagation can be effected successfully by this method, 
we prefer to see the young growths appearing above the ground 
before lifting and dividing. With new growth fresh roots start 
into activity, and very frequently each portion can be taken off 
with a few of these attached, and then, with close moist treatment, 
they quickly become established. 
When well rooted it is an excellent practice to place them into 
4 or 5dnch pots, and allow them to remain in these during the 
winter, to be finally planted out during genial weather in spring. 
Perhaps the plants make greater progress if planted out from the 
small pots directly they have been well established and hardened. 
But the great drawback to this system is the liability of the plants 
to be destroyed by slugs, which are particularly fond of the young 
growths. Therefore it is safer to keep the plants in frames through 
the winter, and place them out in spring after they have well started 
into growth. 
Delphiniums—that is, all the early flowering varieties, will be 
past their best, except in northern localities. However, as soon as 
they reach this stage, unless seed is required, their flower stems 
should be cut away, and in a short time fresh growth will start from 
the base, which wUl result in another fine crop of flowers in autumn. 
