19G 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
I September 1, 1887. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Hogg it Wood, Coldstream. —Catalogue of Bulbous Boots. 
W. B. Hartland, 21, Patrick Street, Cork.— Little Book of Daffodils, (6 c. 
’Robert Veitch & Sons, Exeter. —Catalogue of Dutch Bulbs and other 
Blower Boots. 
William Bull, Chelsea. —Catalogue of Bulbs and Tuberous-rooted Plants. 
Barr & Son, Covent Garden, W.C. —Descriptive Illustrated Catalogue of 
Daffodils. 
Fisher, Son & Sibray, Handsworth, Sheffield. —Catalogue of Bulbs and 
Winter-flowering Plants. 
° o 0 All correspondence should be directed either to “ The 
Editor ” or to “ The Publisher.” Letters addressed to Dr. 
Hogg ,or members of ths staff often remain unopened un¬ 
avoidably. We request that no one will write privately 
to any of our correspondents, as doing so subjects them to 
unjustifiable trouble and expense. 
Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet questions 
relating to Gardening and those on Bee subjects, and should 
never send more than two or three questions at once. All 
articles intended for insertion should be written on one side of 
the paper only. We cannot reply to questions through the 
post, and we do not undertake to return rejected communica¬ 
tions. 
LATE INQUIRIES.—It is necessary to again remind correspondents that 
letters arriving on WEDNESDAY MORNING cannot be answered 
in the “ next issue,” which is then far advanced for press. 
Book (E. J. Collis). —In reply to your pleasant letter we have sent a 
book to your address, Norfolk City, Virginia, U.S.A. It may not contain 
everything you desire to know, but you will find in it much that is interest¬ 
ing and suggestive. The price is 3s. (three shillings) exclusive of postage. 
Sobralia macrantha (W. It.).—You will find all the information you 
desire about this plant in our Orchid column in this week’s issue. 
Insects (H. P.). —Our entomologist states that the galls are certainly the 
production of the mite Phytoptus Pyri, but along the edges of some of the 
leaves are traces also of a fungoid growth. 
Destroying Earwigs {Mr. Howard). — There is no better plan than to 
cut some Broad Bean stalks into 5 or 6-inch lengths, or the hollow stems of 
Sunflowers or Jerusalem Artichokes, avoiding the joints, so that the pieces 
have a hole right through them. They should be placed horizontally in 
different parts of the fruit trees, and be examined every day, and the ear¬ 
wigs blown out into scalding water. We find this plan very effectual. 
Fruit Tree for North-East and North-West Aspects ( Y. H. J .).— 
The north-east will be suitable for Cherries—Empress Eugenie, May Duke, 
and Governor Wood; for culinary purposes, Morello. Plums also succeed 
—Early Rivers, The Czar, Prince Englebert, and Victoria are suitable. 
The north-west wall would be available for Pears —such as Jargonelle, 
Williams’ Bon Chretien, Fondante d’Automne, Pitinaston Duchess, Duron- 
deau, and Josephine de Malines. They should be on the free stock for 
high walls. 
Vine Leaves Withering ( D. B. D.). —We'are not able to account satis¬ 
factorily for the shrinkage of the leafstalks. The composition of the 
border appears good, provided you have not used too much of Thomson’s 
manure. It is excellent when instructions are followed, but they should not 
be departed from. The leaf sent is very small and destitute of tissue, and 
suggests that the atmosphere has been kept very moist. It is possible also 
there has been some error in ventilation. You very properly tell us how 
the border was made, but entirely omit the details of management as regards 
ventilation, syringing, damping, and temperature. We can only say that 
the leaf sent is for a main leaf not satisfactory, apart from the shrinkage 
of the stalk. 
Cape Gooseberry {M. £>.).—Physalis edulis or Cape Gooseberry is a half- 
hardy or greenhouse perennial, and requires to be grown in a gre nhouse, 
or will succeed in a fram°, or even outdoors in summer. We should shift 
the plant* into G-inch pots now, using good loam, with a fifth of well- 
decryed manure and a sixth of sharp sand well incorporated, and draining 
efficiently. Pot moderately firm, but not very hard, and supply water 
carefully until the plants are established, when freer watering is necessary, 
none being given until the soil becomes dry, but before the foliage flags, 
and then afford a thorough supply sufficient to show at the drainage. Keep 
the plants in the 6-inch pots during the winter in a light position, and 
afford the requisite suppoit to the growth with stakes, or the growths may 
be trained to a trellis. The fruit is used for confections, some persons being 
very fond of the sweet acidulous flavour. It is of easy culture, and 
readily raised from seed. The plants may be shifted into larger pots in 
spring. 
Lifting Vines (Subscriber). — Your method of lifting the Vine roots in 
the outside border is correct, care being taken to preserve all the roots 
possible and to keep them from the drying influences of the atmosphere by 
covering with damp mats. The roots emanate from the collar or a little 
below, so that those that go down are readily brought up. The border 
being removed see that the drains are in working order and the drainage 
clean and efficient. A foot of rubble—roughest at the bottom and smallest 
at the top—will be necessary for drainage, and over this put in a foot cf 
soil made tolerably firm, on which the lowest tier of roots can be laid, 
spreading them out evenly, and covering with soil about 6 inches thick. On 
that place another layer of roots, and cover with 3 or 4 inches of soil, and 
any smaller roots may form a third tier and be covered in like manner with 
not more than 3 or 4 inches of soil. The soil should be worked well in 
amongst the roots and made moderately firm. The work should be performed 
whilst the foliage is on the Vines, not deferring operations later than the 
leaves give indications of maturity. They may be shaded and syringed k> 
prevent their quick shrivelling, and this will incite fresh root action. 
Gladiolus Colvilli and the Bulb Mite ( T. S.). —There is no doubt 
whatever about your bulbs being attacked by a form of the bulb mite, for 
the portions sent to us were swarming with the pest. The mites in 
question are larger than those that attack the Eucharis, although in 
appearance they are very much the same. We advise you strongly to bum 
the infested corms before the enemy reaches other bulbous plants in your 
garden. This is the most certain, and in the end the cheapest method 
of eradication. Are we right in supposing that the corms of Gladiolus 
Colvil i have been left in the ground during the winter for two or more 
seasons ? A few years ago we left a number of G. brenchleyensis in the 
ground for two or three years, and at first the plan succeeded so well that 
we were warranted in treating the whole of our stock in the same way, 
with the result that nearly all the corms were attacked the same as those 
you have sent. We dug up and burned the whole of them, and have not 
since been troubled with this destructive pest. For a few seasons we 
d d not plant the fresh corms obtained nor. any other kinds of bulbs on 
the same ground. The Gladiolus ‘ disease” is, we suspect, caused by the 
ravages of this mite. Our experience convinces us that a change of corms 
is important, and a change of site as well. llie mite on the corms sent 
can be seen with the naked eye, hut those that attack the Eucharis are 
scarcely distinguishable without the aid of a glass. 
Lifting Vines (J. D.''. —You have not followed any instructions of ours in 
the use of “dung underand round the roots;” you have, iudeed, departed 
from the advice contained in the \ery reply to which you refer. The roots 
being outside and in we did not advise the renovation of both borders at 
once, aud much the safer plan would have been to lift the roots outside, and 
place them in fresh soil, with due provision for drainage, treating the 
inside roots and border similarly the following year. This method of 
renovation has been advised repeatedly both by Ourselves and by gardeners 
who have found it satisfactory. You have, however, acted differently, and 
we hope the Vines will improve. Nor did we tell you to “put a bushel of 
quicklime to the square yard on the top of the border for forking in when 
slaked.” If you have used sufficient old mortar in the border, yon had 
better remove nearly all the lime, and place on a covering of half-decayed 
manure, leaving it to decay. How you could fork a bushel of lime into each 
square yard of a border in which the roots of Vines have been recently dis¬ 
posed without injuring those roots, passes our comprehension. The roots 
you sent were quire dead ; but we have no means of knowing whether they 
were in that state when cut off; nor can we form an opinion as to whether the 
Vines will “ come round ” or not. We can only say for your encourage ment 
that Vines endure a good deal of rough and curious treatment before they 
succumb. 
Mushrooms in Pastures (II. H. C.).— It is useless “sowing" spawn at 
any time, and unless the soil and season Bhould be specially favourable it 
is by no means certain that a good crop of Mushrooms would follow the 
insertion of the spawn in a new pasture. In Wright’s “ Mushrooms for the 
Million” the following instructions are given by a famous grower, Mr. 
Barter :—“ Manure should be prepared as if to be made into a bed, and 
when it is in the right condition remove squares of turf the size of a spade 
and about 3 inches deep, taking out at the same time sufficient soil to admit 
of a largo forkful of manure. In the centre of this place a quarter of a brick 
of good spawn, and tread the whole in firmly, replaoing the turf at once, 
and beating it down so that it is hard and level as before removal. At any 
time from the middle of May to the middle of June will be suitable for 
doing this, as at that time the temperature of the earth is usually sufficient 
to iucite the growth of the mycelium, while at the same time the requisite 
degree of moisture is generally provided. A very good index of this, how¬ 
ever, will be afforded by the state of the turf. Should the grass show any 
sign of dying it must be watered car fully, giving just sufficient for keeping 
the grass green. The most suitable pastures for Mushrooms are those 
where the turf is old and the earth a mass of fibrous roots, the soil of 
medium texture, and the subsoil porous. In pastures of this kind one 
spawning would probably suffice, as the myceLum would become established 
in the roots of the grass, except, perhaps, during an unusually wet season. 
In view of this contingency it is well to choose slight elevations rather 
than hollows or depressions in the pasture, and it is advisable also to have 
the prepared places as close together as possible, even if sprwnisnot 
inserted in all of them at the same time. Mushrooms grow freely in light 
soil, hut if plentiful are usually small. In heavy soils where the subsoil 
is not porous it would probably be necessary to insert spawn every year. 
The Mushrooms, however, would generally be much heavier than in light 
land, and perhaps more than repay the difference in the cost incurred by 
the yearly spawning. Meadows which are naturally wet, and districts where 
the rainfall is great, cannot be expected to give a satisfactory return for the 
outlay incurred in labour aud material for accomplishing the woik in ques¬ 
tion. It is impossible to explain precisely and in an intelligible manner 
the pastures that are adapted for Mushrooms or the reverse, but the point 
can be determined by a Gw well-conductsd experiments on the lines above 
indicated.” 
Gathering and Storing Fruit (A New Subscriber ).—Many kinds of 
Apples and Pears are not ripe till long after it is the proper time to gather 
them. As a general rule they are fit to gather when the seeds are black or 
brownish black, and also when the stalk separates, on the fruit being 
raised from the pendulous to a horizontal posiiion, at the junction 
of the st.dk and spur, as the petiole of a leaf separates at ils base. If the 
stalk require twisting and force, and would rather break in the middle 
than at this point, the fruit is not tired of the tree, and is unfit to gather. 
There are, however, some exceptions to this general rule. We may use¬ 
fully mention Williams’ Bon Chretien and the Flemish Beauty—two 
excellent Pears if gathered before they readily part from the tree, but 
otherwise they both become dry and disagreeably musky. Early ripening 
