228 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE ANT) COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ JUrch 13, 1888. 
The Eucharls Mite (6'. C.).—The information you desire will be 
published in an early issue of the Journal. 
Beetles In Tomato House (^1. ^l. 7?.).—The examples sent 
appear to be, as you surmised, one of the click or skip-jack beetles, the 
larviB of which, as “ wireworms,” are so frequently destructive, this 
particular species being Agriotes or Elater obscurus. It is not the 
common species to which the name wireworm more spceially applies, 
yet also injurious, as you have found it to be, though its occurrence on 
this Tomato is somewhat unusual. Trapping thi larv* or grubs is cer¬ 
tainly a good plan of thinning their numbers ; also the destruction of 
the mature insect. The mischief done by this group of insects is intensi¬ 
fied by the fact that, though small, they live and feed in the larval 
stage for two, or even three, years. Though the usual time for the 
beetles to emerge is July or August, a portion of a brood will occa¬ 
sionally be found in spring, their development being hastened by a warm 
summer and autumn preceding. 
Blssolved Bone Manure (77. II .).—This is excellent for Roses, 
fruit trees, and all kinds of kitchen garden crops, also for flower beds 
and borders that are more or less impoverished. It may be applied now 
in quantities varying from 2 ozs. to 4 ozs. per square yard, according to 
the poorness or otherwise of the soil, and the condition of the Roses on trees 
to which it may be applied, obviously those that may be healthy and 
strong not requiring half so much as others that may be very much the 
reverse. It is a very safe manure, and the good it does is exactly in 
proportion to the judgment that is exercised in its application on the 
lines indicated. Bones can be dissolved in an earthenware jar without 
wood ashes by pouring sulphuric acid on them till they boil. This plan is 
usually adopted when a large quantity is collected, and in disposing of 
a few at a time as they are had from the kitchen they will not be 
offensive if covered with wood ashes as often as the bones are collected. 
You can, however, try the acid, then adopt the method most suitable to 
your case. 
Gumming: Flowers (^Iderti ).—The petals of Pelargoniums are 
sealed by placing one drop in the centre of each flower of a strong solu¬ 
tion of gum arabic that can be had from a chemist’s. If you desire to 
make a quantity place 8 ozs. of the gum in 5^ pints of soft water, 
and allow it to stand two or three days to dissolve, then strain through 
a piece of muslin. The gumming process can be done quickly by having 
the solution in small tins, such as ladies use in oiling their sewing 
machines. 
Pruning: Clematis and Passlflora (^E. TF.).—Your Clematis does 
not appear to have made much growth, and the soil must either be poor' 
or have been very dry last summer. Shorten the stem about one-fourth 
or a little more—that is, if there are buds on it, as there should be, and 
spreatl a layer of manure 3 inches thick on the soil over the roots, cover¬ 
ing the ground 2 feet from the stem in all directions, and give water 
oopiously once a week in hot weather. If the ground is dry and poor 
now give a good soaking with liquid manure, soot water being excellent. 
Allow the mulching to remain and decay. The main growths of the 
Passiflora should be trained a foot apart or thereabouts, the side growths 
from them, if any, being cut back within an inch of the base, and the 
soft green ends of the leading shoots may be cut off. Fruits of the 
common Passion Flower, Passiflora ccerulea, are not eaten, but those of 
P. edulis are, and esteemed for their sub-acid flavour. This species 
requires to be grown under glass. 
Damp Conservatory (<?., Sin-j’ey ).—Imperfect ventilation, a low 
temperature, and overwatering are the causes of the mildew and damp¬ 
ing off among the plants of your conservatory. A temperature of 50° by 
fire heat, or higher by sun heat, opening the roof sashes early and regu¬ 
larly on fine days, and careful attention to watering, will soon set 
matters right at this season of the year. On wet or windy days do not 
open the ventilators, but insure circulation of the air by gentle fire heat. 
Your proposal to apply liquid manure to young climbers to induce them 
to bear flowers is wrong. It is probably owing to excessive vigour that 
they have been flowerless hitherto ; as the growth spreads it will become 
less rampant, and then you will have flowers. It is the want of light 
and a low temperature which causes the young growth of the Latania 
to be discoloured, spotted, and withered. Remove it and the Raphis 
flabelliformis, which is also suffering from lowness of temperature, to a 
warm house where the temperature ranges from 60° upwards, till the 
season’s growth is fully developed, and then use them again for the 
decoration of rooms or cool houses. 
Sbrubs for Slope in Exposed Situation (AVoodlands). —If 
you require something that will afford an evergreen covering, few things 
afford it better than Hypericum calycinum, which grows about a foot 
high, and has large bright yellow flowers in summer. Berberis Darwini 
also does fairly well, and Mahonia aquifolium, both evergreen, and with 
yellow flowers in spring. Vinca major elegantissima is also suitable. 
Daphne Fioniana is also suitable for banks, and Cotoneaster microphylla. 
Genista albus durus, G. multiflora luteus, and G. prsecox are dwarf, 
very free-flowering, and good. Double Gorse is particularly desirable, 
and Veronica Traversi. If you require anything to appear above the 
dwarfer plants there is nothing to surpass Hollies, both green and varie¬ 
gated. As you reside near Leeds it would be worth white noting the 
kinds that succeed on Woodhouse Moor. In deciduous shrubs the 
Golden and Silver variegated Elders are very desirable. Variegated 
Dogwood (Cornus sibirica variegata), Lonicera tatarica, and var. alba 
flora, Hypericum hircinum. Lilac in variety, and Ribes vars. 
Homan Hyacinths (^liegnlar Sub.‘tc7iher'). —IVhen the Roman 
Hyacinths that have flowered have been thoroughly hardened and the 
weather is genial, say towards the end of the present month, you may 
plant them outside. In doing so they should be planted in patches so 
that they can be protected while in flower with handlights or a frame. 
The Roman Hyacinth flowers when planted outside too early [to insure 
the flowers being any good for cutting without protection. Rain and 
e.arly frosts are certain to spoil them, in fact this is the Ci^e in the 
majority of seasons. When February proves mild they often flower out¬ 
side early in March, and generally before the close of the month. For 
years we have been in the habit of having a valuable supply of their 
pure white flowers for nearly a month after those grown inside were 
over. This was accomplished by planting on a sunny border in patches 
about 18 inches square, so that they could be covered at intervals of a 
few weeks with handlights after the growth appeared above ground, 
the last clumps being covered directly the colour of the flower was visible. 
Requiring a late supply no longer we lifted the whole stock and forced 
them. When lifting them we were surprised at the size some of the 
bulbs had attained and the increase in their number that had taken 
place. The spikes were equal to any we have seen from the first quality 
imported bulbs. Rather than plant a few weeks hence we should prefer 
to keep the bulbs well watered until they ripen their foliage, then 
shake the soil from them, and dry them in the sun. Then plant them 
in July, where they are intended to flower. This is the course we 
have adopted successfully. 
Peacb Buds Falling: (A. 7?.).— There are various causes for 
Peaches and Nectarines casting their bloom buds. The evil sometimes 
arises from over-development of the buds, as in the case of trees that 
are subjected year after year to early forcing, to imperfect formation of 
the buds, due mostly to insufficient supplies of water and aliment, too 
much wood, or crowding, overcropping, and attacks of red spider. The 
buds often fall from a deficiency of moisture at the roots during the 
season of rest, but of all the causes the most fertile is that of undue 
excitement and its concomitant checks during the resting period. We 
do not think the buds falling is in your case due to the cold draughts 
through the house, but incline to the opinion that the trees have not 
been duly supplied with water and liquid manure during growth, and 
the foliage not kept free from insects, also that the trees are kept in 
too changeable an atmosphere, and too dry whilst at rest. Sometimes 
the buds fall through a careless application or an overdose of an in¬ 
secticide. The only way to escape buds falling is to attend carefully to 
the cultural requirements of the trees. We have not lost any buds of 
consequence for many ye 9 ,rs by simpiy lifting trees that exhibited that 
tendency, lifting being, with otherwise good management, an almost 
certain preventive, and it is equally important that the trees be exposed 
to the full influence of the atmosphere by removing the roof lights so 
soon as the buds are formed and the leaves give indications of falling in 
the case of trees that do not ripen their fruit before August, but very 
early forced trees require the lights removed so as to prevent premature 
development of the buds. The removing of the roof lights insures a 
season of complete rest instead of the alternating fluctuations and depres¬ 
sions, which are often sudden, attending trees kept under a fixed roof. 
Protests at Shows (77. t'.).—‘‘Exhibitor,” to whose letter we 
replied last week, did not mention your name, nor the name of any 
person. He stated a case on the general subject of protests from 
exhibitors who feel themselves entitled to ask for a re-examination of 
certain classes in which they conceive an error has been made, and we 
had no hesitation in expressing our opinion on the subject on page 207. 
To that opinion we adhere. If judges make a mistake they have a 
right to have an opportunity of rectifying it, and are glad to do this 
when they perceive that justice demands it. When any error arises 
through the conditions of the schedule having been departed from, it is 
for the officials of the show, with or without consulting the judges, to 
take cognisance of the matter ; but even in such cases the protests 
ought to be placed before them in writing immediately a supposed 
infringement is observed, and that is as soon as the awards are made. 
Any exhibitor, whether he is a member of a committee or not, can enter 
a protest if he desires to do so, but he should take care to have good 
grounds for his action, and to state them clearly and promptly in 
writing to the secretary, in order that the matter can be there and then 
investigated. You say you were not an exhibitor at a partieular show to 
which you assume allusion was made. In that case the duty of pro¬ 
testing, if a protest was called for, obviously rested on someone else. 
Whatever is unsatisfactory at past shows should undoubtedly be con¬ 
sidered in committee, with the view to its avoidance in the future ; but 
the deliberations should be conducted in a temperate manner, and in a 
spirit devoid of recrimination in respect to past action. We refer to no 
person individually in these remarks, but they are of general application. 
We find that even Mr. Goodacre was not entirely free from the sus¬ 
picion that the remarks on lodging protests were intended for him. He 
was not in the mind of “Exhibitor” when writing, nor in ours when 
answering last week, nor, we repeat, was your name before us. 
'Wintering' Gloxinias and Amaryllises (J. E .).—The lowest 
temperature in which we have wintered the tubers and bulbs is about 
45°, occasionally it may have been lower, but more often a few degrees 
higher ; but we do not state that as the “ lowest ” endurable temperature 
and possibly Amaryllises if quite dry would endure greater cold. We 
prefer a temperature of about 50° for Gloxinias when resting. Amaryllis 
seed may be sown now in brisk heat. Under the best of culture and most 
suitable structures a few seedlings may flower in two years, that is when 
planted out in a warm bed in a very light house, but the majority are 
three and four years before flowering. 
