350 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER 
l October 20, 1887. 
liquor in the evening, but gas lime applied in a ring around the trees is one 
of the best remedies. The lime, however, must have been exposed to the 
air for a time, or it may be injurious to vegetation. 
Destructive Caterpillars (IF. B , Cork). —These are the half-grown 
caterpillars of the great yellow underwing, Tr/phama pronuba, which has 
been abundant in many parts of England this autumn, though it is every 
season more or less troublesome to gardeners and farmers. It feeds from 
early autumn to spring, unless the weather be severe, and varies its opera¬ 
tions by attacking the roots during the day, and then issues from the soil at 
night to gnaw the crowns or st»ms of plants. Gas lim *, at the rate of 2 ozs. 
or 3 ozs. to the square yard, pointed in at the least a month before sowing 
or planting, is an excellent grub antidote, but injurious to crops if used in 
excess or at the time of inserting the plants. It should he well mixed with 
the soil near the surface. 
Oil on Hot-water Pipes (Malvern). —You ask its “ what oil we recom¬ 
mend to be applied to hot-water pipes against mildew,” also observe that 
you -l had not heard of Mr. Veiteh’s remedy before.” Our reply is, we did 
not recommend any kind of oil; hut as is stated on page 321, the para¬ 
graph referred to was extracted from the “ American Gardeners’ Monthly ” 
as *• suggestive.” We may a'so add that the Mr. Veitch rderred to is not 
the respected head of the great firm at Chelsea, but an American authority 
of repute. Petroleum is referred to as oil in America, hut we are not in 
a position to state whether that is the kind advised in our Transatlan¬ 
tic contemporary or not. Perhaps we shatl hear more on the subject, and 
in the meantime it will he safe for those who may try the oil vapour 
remedy to proceed cautiously and exp rimentally. 
Pear Trees Unhealthy (Amos).—Judging from the spur sent we suspect 
the cause of the unhealthiness of your trees to be ungenial and possibly 
water-logged soil. If the soil is wet drain it thoroughly to a depth of 
3 feet, having a clear outlet for the water. If the subsoil ia not wet, then 
the condition of your trees is attributable to poverty of the soil. The 
remedy in this case is to remove the surface soil, just bareing the roots, and 
cover them with the best soil you can obtain, and over the soil place a good 
covering of rich manure. Limewash the trees, or, what is tquivalent, dust 
them with dry lime when the branches are wet. If blossom buds predo¬ 
minate over wood buds remove some of the former, especially taking off any 
at the tips of the branches. Your aim must be to induce clean healthy 
young shoots, not permitting the trees to blossom profusely, and your trees 
will regain their vigour. 
Rose Heps (T. B. B.). —These are not in any way injured bv remaining 
on the trees to be frozen to some extent, indeed it is questionable if severe 
frosts are detrimental to their germination. Gather them when rip?, open 
them and store the seeds in damp cocoa-nut fibre refuse or ieaf mould till 
spring. They may be sown either in pots or boxes in a frame on a mild 
hotbed, or in drills in the open ground in March. Artificial heat accel- 
ierates germ’mtion, but as the first essential of tie Rose is hardiness sime 
raisers sow in the open, on the assumption that only seedlings that prove 
their undoubted hardiness are rel'able for propagation. Some of the seeds 
are often slow in germinating, therefore ihere must be no undue haste 
in disturbing the beds, or witholding water from pots or boxes in which the 
seeds have been sown. As you do not state your conveniences for raising 
Che plants a choice of methods is given. Cover the seeds an inch deep and 
keep the soil uniformly moist by shading to arrest evaporation, and water¬ 
ing to supply moisture as it may be required. 
Tomatoes (B. W. G.). —The disease attacking the stem of the plant is 
almost certainly due to over-feeding, mor; sap being provided than the 
leaves could assimilate, hence a case is produc d analogous with blood 
poisoning. The same mistake of growing the plants in a large bulk of rich 
soil, or giving them liquid manure or active stimulants in some other form 
in excess, predisposes the leaves to the attacks of fungus, inasmuch as the 
peculiar and unhealthy state of the sap is favourable for the germination of 
the spores. The fungus is allied to that which attacks Potatoes under 
similar conditions, especially when the weather is dull and wet, checking 
transpiration and the elaboration of the sap. A close damp atmosphere 
should, therefore, be avoided for Tomatoes, as well as guarding against over- 
stimulating the plants with manure. A peck of soil, if of the right kind, is 
sufficient for a Tomato plant, if sufficient water is afforded in hot weather 
when the plants are in fall growth. We have seen a splendid crop on 
plants this year that were planted 18 inches apart in a trough 9 inches wide 
and deep, the plants being confined to one stem ; and we have seen plauts 
in 9-inch pots roped with fruit to a height of 11 feet. The plants, of which 
portions are before us, have been treated too generously, and the atmosphere 
of the house has not been in the best state for keeping them heal'hy. 
The Mirabelle Plum (S. Edwards). —So far from being useless, this 
Plum is highly appreciated by some persons. Tbe lite Mr. Rivers liked it 
and recommended it in the following words :—“ For very many years I have 
admired this charming little Plum, and have often felt surprised that it is so 
seldom cultivated in England. It is not to be thought of as a dessert Plum, 
for uncooked it is rather dry, with a dull sweetness and of no taking flavour, 
but when cooked or made into jam its flavour is delicious ; ar.dwhatis very 
remarkable, although there are hundreds of varieties of Plums, not one has 
the peculiar aroma of this sort. If bottled (without water), the flavour is 
fully preserved, and a tart or pudding of Mirabelle Plums at this season is a 
real treat. Some years since, when Louis Phillippe was king, I happened 
to visit the potagerie at Versailles, and there to my surprise I saw scores of 
baskets of this sort of Plum gathered ready for the Royal kitchen. On 
inquiry I found it was the favourite Plum of the Royal Family, no other 
variety equalling it in flavour for compotes, Ac. I afterwards learned that 
in the east of France it was equally esteemed, as it is now—it is, in fact, 
ca led Mirabelle de Metz. Its small oval fruit, bright yellow mottled with 
red, are most ornamental on the trees, and its stone the smallest of all Plum 
stones. The tree is best cultivated as a bush, and when in blossom should 
have a covering of light flannel when the nights are frosty. It requires a 
dry warm situation, and is welt worthy of extra care.” 
Roses in Pots (Duncan). — Successful growers of Roses in pots repot 
them every year, not necessarily in larger pots if the plants are already 
large and the accommodation for growing them limited, but that they may 
make new roots, and receive a greater amount of good food during the 
summer that is so essential for producing fine flowers in tho following 
spring. Tbe best time for potting Roses is in the month of June, directly 
aft-r they have finished blooming, using a compost of two-thirds of good 
turfy loan and a thbd of well decaved manure, Tea Rose.3 having the 
addition of a little leaf soil and sand. By repotting them at tbit period the 
new roots take kindly to the soil, which enables the plants to make good 
growths early, that become hard and ripe before the summer is ended. After 
potting they should he plung d in an open situation, and a thick coating of 
manure placed around and over the surfa e of the pots, so that the roo's are 
kept cool, and the rains wash in the properties of the mauu e. Roses in 
pots are often spoiled through neglect during the summer, which is the 
season they should receive the most attent on. You would not reap much 
benefit by repo.ting now ; the better plan would be to loosen and remove a 
portion of the surface soil and apply a top-dressing of rich compost. Prune 
the plants during this month and the next, tie the points of the shoots down¬ 
wards, and allow them to bresk wry steadily and without any assistance 
from fire heat. They may pos-ibly bieik back from the old wood. As they 
advance in growth a slight sprinkling of chemical manure over the surface 
of the so 1 will str ngthen them, using a solution of cow manure and soot 
as the flower buds advance. 
Raising Seedling and Cutting Briars (Notts Amateur). —The heps 
should remain on th- bushes till they assume a dark almost black colour, as 
then the seeds may be expected to be ripe. A brisk frost does them no 
harm. If there are only a few they may be placed in a flowerpot and buried 
in the ground. If in large hulk they may be mixed with damp sand and 
buriei in a pit. Take them out in March or as soon as the ground is in 
good working condition, separating the seeds from the husks,and sow them 
in drills 2 inches deep and a foot asunder, covering them with free loamy 
soil. They will not all germinate at once, and some may be long before 
producing plants. If sown late or until the soil gets dry and a hot summer 
follows they may remain dormant all the season, therefore sow as soon as 
the soil is in suitable condition ; and if dry hot weather occurs before the 
seedlings appear shade the ground with brushwood or whatever will lay 
lightly on it and prevent evaporation. When large enough for transplant¬ 
ing take them up in the autumn, sort them, separating the large from the 
small, and transplant (j inches apart in rows thrice that distance asunder ; 
then when the stems are large enough for the reception of buds, also full of 
sap, so that the bark lis-^s freely, insert the buds in them as low down as 
possible, and below any incipi-nt buds on the stems. The stocks are not 
cat down before the buds are inserted, nor ti 1 the spring following, when 
starting into growth, they remaining do mant in the winter. Some growers 
consider stocks raised from Briar cuttings equal to s'edliags. The cuttings 
are made from firm young wood produced in the s tmmer, cut into foot 
lengths, a.l the buds being carefu’ly removed except two or three at the top, 
and the cuttings inserted thickly and firmly up to those buds. Some di-, 
but many grow, and are transplanted in the autumn for budding. The 
sooner they are put in after the piesent time the better, failure often re¬ 
sulting when the wo k is deferred till spring. 
Pansies and tlieir Culture (C. S.). —Several articles have appeared from 
time to time on the cu'tivation of Pansies. You do not state your object 
in growing them, hut the following remarks on their characteristics and 
culture may be useful:—Many have written upon the cha'acteri sties which 
belong to it when really a superior flower, and their opinions are combined 
in the following :—1, Each bloom shou'd be nearly perfectly circular, flat, 
and very smooth at the edge ; every notch, or unevenness, bjing a blemish. 
2, The petals should be thick, and of a rich velvety texture. 3, Whatever 
may be the colours, the principal, or ground colour of the three lower petals, 
should be alike ; whether it be white, yellow, straw colour, plain, fringed, 
or blotched, there should not in these three petals be a shade difference in 
the principal colour; and the white, yellow, or straw colour should be pure. 
4, Whatever may be tti9 character of the marks or darker pencilling! on 
the ground colour, they should be bright, dens?, distinct, and retain their 
character, without running or flushing—that i', mixing with the ground 
colour. 5, Th ■ two upper petals should be perfictly uniform, whether dark 
or light, or fringed or blotched. The two petals immediately under them 
should be alike ; and the lower petal, as before observed, must have the 
same ground colour an 1 character as the two above it; and the pencilling 
or marking of the eye in the three lower petals must not break through to 
the edges. 6, If flowers are equal in other respects, the larger, if not the 
coarser is the better ; but no flower should be shown that is under II inch 
across. 7, Ragged or notched edges, crumpled petals, indentures on the 
petal, indistinct markings or pencillings, and flushed or run colours, are 
great blemishes; but if a bloom has one ground colour to the lower petal 
and another colour to the side ones, or if it has two shades of ground colour 
at all, it is not a show flower. The y llow within the eye ia not considered 
ground colour. A suitable situation is the chief point in the cultivation of 
the Pansy; this should be one sheltered from all cutting winds, as these 
often kill the plants by twisting them about. The situation should be op n. 
to the free circulation of the air, and exposed to the influence of the morniDg 
sun, but | rotected from the milday sun ; cool and moist, but thoroughly 
drained, for although the Pansy requires consider ible moisture du ing the 
blooming searon, and through the summer months, yet it is very imp it ent 
of superabundant moisture. The soil should be lichand tolerably light. 
Decayed Cucumber-bed dung is good, as also is decayed cow manure, and 
the soil which suits b ;st is a light hazel loam, thoroughly mixed with a good 
portion of decayed turf from pis'ure land, by frequently stirring and 
digging, and to three harrowloads of this soil add one of the Cucumber-bed 
manuie two years old. Manure wattr, particularly guano water, applied 
during the blooming season, is very bentfi ill. Those who intend to grow 
the Pansy for exhibition should seleot young p’ants well established from 
cuttings for the pit pose. For the sp ing exhibitions in May and June, se’tct 
plants struck the previous autumn, in August and September; and for the 
autumn exhibitions in September, select plants struck early in the spring , 
and after these have produced their blooms, save them for store plants, to 
produce cuttings, always having a constant succession of young plants for 
the purpose of bloom : ng. The propagat : ou of the Pansy is very easy. The 
young side shoots are to be most preferred for cuttings, as the old hollow 
stems seldom strike freely, and do not grow so strong. For spring blooming, 
take off a sufficient quantity of thes j sile shoots in August or the beginning 
