Deesmbtr 6,18SS. ] 
507 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
C ONTINUING this subject from page 4S4, it is necessary to 
emphasise the remarks on the thorough cleansing of not Vines 
only in insect-infested houses, but every inch of the structures, and 
especially those parts out of sight. During the present week a 
vinery, put in order for the winter, has been visited. The Vines 
had been pruned and dressed with tar and clay, as “ mealy bug had 
been so bad but under a stage formed along the front of the 
house Gloxinias were stored away, and at the base of the withering 
stems masses of fluff were visible, and a removal of some of the soil 
revealed nests of the dreaded Vine pest. Its presence was also too 
apparent on the under surface of the stage, and especially at the 
foot of the front wall in the dry soil behind the hot-water pipes. 
There were thousands of insects. The man in charge appeared to 
think he had done all that was needed in tarring the Vines, as he 
had been told that was a “ certain cure for the mealy bug.” There 
is no certain cure short of absolute eradication from the house of 
which the pest has taken possession, and applying matter to the 
rods of Vines alone is utterly delusive. Such dressings may have 
done good in conjunction with other efforts to subdue the enemy, 
but not without them, and experience has proved, not in one case, 
but many instances, that it can be banished without the tar, and has 
been completely eradicated before that “ remedy ” was heard of ; 
still, those who like tar can use it, as tastes differ, and every man to 
his taste. 
Some persons have been seen to go the wrong way to work in 
pruning and cleansing Vines and vineries. They first prune, peel, 
and dress the Vines, then wash the rafters, sashbars, and wires. 
The pruning should be done first, but the cleansing of the Vines 
last. If the roof is done last some insects may fall from there on 
the rods, but they cannot do so if the roof-cleansing has been com¬ 
plete. The glass and woodwork should be washed with clean hot 
water, the hotter the better, both for effective cleansing and quick 
drying. Soapy water clouds the glass, and that is not good for 
plants in winter. When the woodwork is dry it will be ready for 
painting, if that is needed or is to be done, for everything that is 
needed in gardens is not done nowadays ; but what can be done at 
trifling cost, and what should be done in vineries where insects 
abound or have been prevalent during the summer, is to dress the 
woodwork with petroleum, forcing it well into every fissure with a 
brush. The wires must be similarly dressed after every bit of 
matting and dry tendril is removed. Leaving these almost 
certainly means leaving insects in the coils. This may appear 
a small matter to dwell on, but many an example of its non- 
observance has proved the necessity ; and probably no man who 
has habitually overlooked small items and apparent trivialities has 
won distinction above his fellows in any vocation, and certainly not 
In gardening. Let young men particularly bear that in mind, for it 
is tiue. In small things as in more advanced duties, in work 
hidden as well as that in view, be thorough, slurring over nothing. 
As much pains should be taken in crocking a pot as in making a 
bouquet, and it is impossible to bestow too much care in cleansing 
insect-stricken vineries. Walls must be as well washed as wood¬ 
work. Hot lime is an excellent insecticide and purifier, and it is 
cheap. .When all this is done we come to the Vines. 
Peebng and scraping all the bark off Vines, and polishing the 
rods as if they were to be made into walking sticks for dandies, is 
No. 411.—Vol. XVII., Thibd Sebies. 
one of the most stupid practices that ever grew into a system. 
When infested with insects it is no doubt advantageous to remove 
the loose bark, including the scaly parts round the spurs. There is 
a good and distinct reason for that—namely, the exposure of 
insects to the applications for their eradication. If an enemy 
lurks behind ambuscades the sheltering agency must be removed, 
even if a little mischief is done in the process ; but to do injury 
without a justifiable object is wanton, and no justification has yet 
been established for forcibly, and at no small trouble, stripping 
clean Vine rods of their natural covering. As a non-conducting 
medium the bark of Vines prevents those sudden chills to the sap, 
affecting its fluidity, during sudden falls of temperature in spring, 
while its absorbent nature is conducive to healthy growth by insur¬ 
ing much more uniform humidity than can be possible when every 
particle of the moisture-retaining substance is removed. In this 
event, the skinning, perhaps, then “painting” with clay as the 
medium for holding something else, may be of a little use, though 
applied for another purpose. But Vine rods can be cleansed with¬ 
out such violent skinning as they are often subjected to, even if 
there are insects lurking in the fissures ; while if there is none the 
operation is inexcusable, and the dirty daubings superfluous. 
It is prudent to wash Vine rods that are supposed to be free 
from insects, because supposition is not certainty, and the operation 
costs next to nothing, and cannot possibly do harm ; but when 
insects have been troublesome on Vines in summer, rod-washing in 
winter is imperative, and must be done in a very thorough manner, 
with a solution that cannot do the Vines any harm, but which will 
rid them of their enemies. Gishurst compound will answer, or 
softsoap ; a quarter of a pound of either, dissolved in a gallon of 
soft boiling water, violently stirring in a 2J-inch flower potful of 
petroleum ; apply the mixture hot, or at a temperature of 130°, 
also liberally and briskly, with a suitable brush, till every minute 
crevice is filled with it, and the entire bark saturated. If this 
work is done well there will be an end of insect life there. If 
any are left behind it will be evidence of bad workmanship. Others 
may come from elsewhere in the spring, and take possession of the 
Vines, and are certain to do so if. there are any left on plants, in 
the soil, in the fissures of woodwork, no matter where, and it is 
because of this that the cleansing of the house and everything in it 
should be searching and exhaustive. Let no one lull himself into a 
state of false security in assuming that if Vines are clayed and tarred, 
or coated with any other pigment in fashion for the purpose, they 
will be safe, because insects that emerge from their winter resorts 
will refuse to crawl up the stems. They will refrain from this 
when hungry men prefer going without breakfast and dinner be¬ 
cause the roads are dirty, and not till then. Dirt is no deterrent of 
insects ; cleanliness, thorough cleanliness, everywhere being infinitely 
more effectual. 
It has been said the soil, especially dry soil, in vineries, affords 
shelter to insects in the winter. Thousands have been there pro¬ 
tected, and come out in spring, to the surprise of owners or 
managers who have been at a loss to know where the invading 
horde “ sprang from.” If the soil is allowed to get dry, as it often 
is close to walls, and especially under a stage or near a flue or hot- 
water pipes, it shrinks, forming fissures, and as deep as these are so 
far will the pests travel and find the conditions they need for pass¬ 
ing a few months comfortably. They also ensconce themselves in 
the loose dry sail near the surface of borders. All such soil, indeed 
the entire surface, should be removed from insect-stricken vineries, 
down to where the soil is moist, even if a few roots are disturbed 
in the process. Then if the soil below is not moist enough—and it is 
often much too dry—water should be given with no sparing hand, 
and if at a temperature of 140° it will do no injury whatever to 
Vine roots, but it will to insects that may happen to be left behind 
when skimming off the surface soil. It is almost impossible to pour 
in too much water where the soil has shrunk from walls through 
drought. Those parts should be quite saturated, and never be 
No. 2097 .—Vol. LXXIX., Old Sebum. 
