278 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 20, 1888. 
lights, and those may he fixed or not made to open, but they should be 
moveable, so as to admit of their being removed in autumn to ensure 
-the trees rest until it is necessary to replace the sashes in the spring. 
The roof should be wired 6 to 8 inches from the glass, not more dis¬ 
tantly t'-an 4^ inches. The trees should be planted about !) inches from 
■the front inside, dwarf trained trees disposed 15 feet apart. In the 
absence of a wall a span-roofed house would be itlic most suitable, ends 
north and south, and may be made similar to that described for covering 
a wall ; in fact, two lean-to’s ■joined together with trees on both sides 
and a pathway up the centre. The chief requirements for Apricot 
■culture under glass are a calcareous firm soil, efficient drainage, mulching 
and feeding, with cool treatment— i.e., abundant ventilation, especially in 
■the early stages and over the stoning period. If heat is used it should 
■only be to the extent of securing the safety of the blossom and young 
fruit from spriug frosts. 
Vines Unsatisfactory (IF. C.). —The leaves are thin in texture* 
spotted, and very pale in colour, which is chiefly caused by insufficient, 
injudicious, and inattention to early ventilation. Their present condition 
is not due to a cold close border, but to error in the treatment of the 
Vines generally. Your taking out the walk deeper than the border will 
help the drainage, which, however, seems unnecessar} r , as there is no 
•“ standing water.” It seems you have made a border upon the site of, 
the old without removing the old Vine, therefore the concrete is over 
the old Vine roots, and it is practically sealed against nutrition. The 
young Vines, it seems, are not doing well, but if the border is properly 
made and the treatment good they ought to flourish. We are sorry to 
say we do not understand what it is you propose to do further with the 
border. If the border is formed as you describe— viz., “ concreted, the 
bottom drained with plenty of stones and turves placed on them, then 
filled in with a mixture of turf, garden soil, stones, charcoal, and a little 
•stable manure,” it should grow good Grapes if these are drained with 
proper fall and outlet for the escape of superfluous water. If there i3 
no provision for this how is a concreted border to be other than sodden ? 
The disaster to the old Vine is mainly due to making the concreted 
border over its roots. Unless you can induce it to emit roots from the 
ipart of the stem above the concrete, it will not do any good. Had it 
been left alone and a departure made in pruning, and care taken to 
preserve the foliage from falling a prey to red spider, it would in all 
probability have gone on fruiting. It only needed more liberal treat¬ 
ment to insure a better result. In answer to your queries, first, “ Would 
■the foliage being spoiled cripple or weaken the Vines and so cause their 
not fruiting? ” we answer, Yes ; and second, as to what you have done 
and what you propose “to get fruit next season,” so far as we can 
understand the case, we cannot assure you of success. 
Ripe Nectarines {Idem'). —Nectarines this year are much given to 
shrink or shrivel at the apex when ripening. This is probably due to 
the prolonged dull and wet weather which prevailed during their swell¬ 
ing and the bright weather following causing extreme evaporation from 
the fruit. Some Nectarines, though ripe and even shrivelled at the 
apex, are not ripe at the base or stalk. But why leave the fruit on the 
trees until it falls ? When it is ripe, even before dead ripe, it should be 
carefully gathered. 
Young- Gardeners and the Journal (6*. D.).— Your experience 
is similar to that of many other young gardeners who have been enabled 
to surmount difficulties through following the instructions given in our 
columns. There is scarcely a young gardener who enters on a charge 
who has not something to learn. Bequirements may be different from 
those to which he has been accustomed, though he may be an able man 
all the same; and we are ready to help all who need hints fo.r their 
guidance on their wants and means of meeting them being made clear. 
Like yourself, many readers find what they need without special inquiry ; 
but it is a great mistake for any person who needs assistance on special 
matters to hesitate in asking for it, as by waiting for it to appear in the 
ordinary way he may wait too long. It is not in the slightest degree 
derogatory on the part of any person to seek for information that he 
needs, no matter how apparently simple the subject may be. Some of 
the greatest men in every profession or vocation are the greatest 
•questioners. It is perhaps that habit which has helped to make them 
what they are, coupled with another of enormous importance, of sifting 
the chaff from the grain in the replies, retaining the latter only, casting 
the former to the winds. It is, we are glad to know, the custom of 
many young gardeners to “take the Journal” when they enter on a 
charge, and some of the most experienced gardeners in the kingdom, 
when they desire to see their young men prosper, advise them to read 
and study all they can, but not to omit these pages. You have no 
occasion whatever to apologise for the matter and style of your letter. 
It is well and correctly written. You must have been diligent in the 
laudable work of self-education, and with very little practice you may 
become a teacher of others through the medium to which you so frankly 
acknowledge your indebtedness. We are glad to receive your letter, and 
though you did not ask us to suppress your name and address, we do 
so, since you were, of necessity, unaware of the nature of the observa¬ 
tions elicited. If you do not object we may perhaps publish your letter 
on a future occasion with your name, but have no desire to do so against 
your inclinations. 
Dendrobiums and Cattleyas (.7. P.). —Some Denclrobiums are 
deciduous and others evergreen. The former generally have their 
foliage on each side of the pseudo-bulbs, although some of the ever¬ 
green kinds are also of this mode of growth. Of the latter IX nobile 
and its varieties, as well as moschatum, may be taken as examples. In 
both cases these lose their foliage the second year, and when thoroughly 
ripened the first season the foliage gradually withers. Of such as Wardia- 
num, crassinode, Devonianum,and heterocarpum, the latter flowers only 
on growths that are two years old, while the others flower on well ripened 
growths of the current year. The evergreen kinds generally have a few 
thick fleshy leaves on the top of their pseudo-bulbs. If you observe care¬ 
fully you will seethe young growths in many cases lengthen before they 
form roots to any extent, and if the old pseudo-bulbs are removed they 
are certain after the first year to decrease in size and strength. The 
young growths draw from the older the support they need until they 
have sufficient roots to support themselves. Several strong growers, such 
as Wardianum, practically use up the old growths in one year, and may 
with safety be removed during the resting period, or just before the 
plants come into flower. You will act wisely in leaving them attached 
to the plants until they shrivel naturally. Very frequently the ever¬ 
green varieties produce back growths, and thus increase the size of the 
plants. The growths last upon them for several years. The deciduous 
will bear during the resting period a much lower temperature than 
many of the evergreen varieties. The growths of Cattleyas must not be 
removed unless you wish to destroy the plants. The pseudo-bulbs and 
foliage will last upon them for several years. Healthy plants invariably 
produce growths from the back pseudo-bulbs. If they do not do this 
the rhizome may be partially cut through after flowering, which will 
induce the back eyes to come forward more quickly. When growths 
from these have well started, and they have rooted sufficiently to sup¬ 
port themselves, the rhizomes may be severed. This is not absolutely 
necessary, for once the buds are produce! they will annually increase 
in size and strength under good culture. 
Wood-burrowin? Caterpillar (7.).—Your Weeping Ash tree 
is infested with the caterpillar of the Wood Leopard moth (Zeuzera 
msculi), but it attacks other trees more freely than the Chestnut 
(jEsculus), the Ash being one of them. As is recorded in Miss Ormerod’s 
Manual the eggs are laid during July, or later in the summer, in crevices 
of the bark, and on the branches as well as the trunk of the trees ; these 
eggs are oval and salmon coloured, and as many as 300 have been seen 
laid by one moth. The caterpillars, which soon hatch, feed at first in 
the bark, but not long afterwards they make their way into the live 
wood, where they bore galleries rather wider than themselves, and as 
much as afoot in length. When full grown they are about 1^ inch 
long, whitish or pale yellow, with a black horny plate on the segment 
behind the head and another above the tail ; the other segments are 
spotted with black, and the head is black or has two black spots. They 
feed wholly or at intervals until May or June (statements are made that 
they live for two years), and, when full-fed, they spin a web, or form 
a case of wood dust, in which they change to an ochreous-brown, 
long, cylindrical chrysalis. This web is usually woven just inside the 
bark, near the entrance of the boring, so that when the time for develop¬ 
ment is come the chrysalis forces itself through the opening, and, by 
means of the fine prickles with which it is furnished along the back, it 
is held firmly in the web whilst the moth frees itself, and leaves the 
empty case projecting from the tree. The moth is large and handsome, 
with a white head ; the wings are somewhat transparent, and are white 
with black spots, the spots being darkest on the fore wings, which also 
have yellow veins. The body between the wings is white spotted with 
black, and the abdomen grey, or grey banded with black. It is stated 
that the female moths appear somewhat later than the male, and may 
be found until the end of August. It is difficult and tedious to destroy 
the caterpillars. They may be destroyed by drawing them out of their 
burrows with hooked wires, or by running a strong wire into the hole, 
and thus crushing the caterpillar within to death. If the wire, when 
withdrawn, is found to have wet whitish matter on it, such as would 
result from having crushed the larva, or again, if gnawed wood should 
have been passed out of the burrow up to the time of the operation and no 
more appear afterwards, it may be supposed the creature is killed; 
otherwise the operation should be repeated. Syringing is also of service 
in getting rid of these caterpillars. For this purpose with a sharp- 
pointed nozzle fitted to the syringe, the hole may be filled with strong 
tobacco water and softsoap. The fumes of sulphur blown into the 
holes are also effective in destroying the caterpillars. 
Names of Plants.—We only undertake to name species of plants 
not varieties that have originated from seed and termed florists’ flowers. 
Flowering specimens are necessary of flowering plants, and Fern fronds 
should bear spores. Specimens should arrive in a fresh state in firm boxes. 
Slightly damp moss or soft green leaves form the best packing, dry cotton 
wool the worst. Not more than six specimens can be named at once, 
and the numbers should be visible without untying the ligatures, 
it being often difficult to separate them when the paper is damp. 
(7. S.~).— 1, Adiantum mmulum. 2, Adiantum Capillus-Veneris var. 
incisum. (IF. J. B.). — Tilia platyphyllos laciniata, a cut-leaved 
form of the Lime. {Till. C.). —Several of the perennial Campanulas 
do not reproduce themselves true from seed. The varieties you send 
have probably no recognised names, and the specimens are quite insuf¬ 
ficient for determining the point. We can only say, judging by the 
withering leaves alone, for there is not one flower, that No. 1 resembles 
C. urticiefolia, and No. 2 an inferior form of C. turbinata, of which 
seedlings are of most uncertain heights. You had, however, better 
regard them both as nondescripts. (IF., Bucks'). —The name of the 
Epidendrum has been confirmed, but the other flower did not afford 
sufficient material for determination. (IF. N. G.). —1, Centaurea 
suaveolens ; 2, Atriplex hortensis; 3, Colutea arborescens. 
