Pebrnary B, 1830. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
117 
absolutely effectual ; it checked it considerably, but I was not satisfied 
and determined to try a little softsoap, which I dissolved in warm 
water, 2 ozs. to 2 gallons of water with the sulphide, this 1 thoroughly 
stirred and mixed together. I turned the pots on their sides and syringed 
the Roses thoroughly with it, and since that time I have never seen the 
slightest suspicion of “ Orange fungus ” on my Roses. 
Whether the softsoap caused the sulphide to stick to the fungus or 
not I am not prepared to say, but perhaps Mr. Tonks will tell us that, 
buc the above are the plain facts. I have no doubt that it would have 
the same good results on Hollyhock affected by the fungus. 
There is only one objection to its use so far as I know, and that is 
when used in houses it will discolour the paint, but as Mr. Tonks says, 
this can readily be removed by a little warm water, and probably the 
syringe would fetch most of it off if charged with warm soapy water. 
It is the best remedy for the common mildew whether on Roses, Vines 
or other plants subject to it I have used.—T. A. 
THE FRUIT QUESTION. 
The following report from the City Prexs contains the substance 
of the speeches delivered at the banquet of the Fruiterers’ Company 
that was briefly referred to last week :— 
The Master (Sir James Whitehead, Bart.) said agriculture and horti¬ 
culture went hand in hand, and whatever affected one must more or less 
affect the other. Agriculture in these days required to be supplemented 
to some extent' by the cultivation of fruit. He was not going to say 
that every farmer could make a profit of his farm by the cultivation of 
fruit; but this he did say, that every farmer, if circumstances favoured 
him, might by the cultivation of fruit add something to his income, 
and he thought, too, that if the farmer was able to add something to 
his own income, he might also add something to the income of the land¬ 
lord and the labourer. So far as the Fruiterers’ Company was con¬ 
cerned he could assure them their aim and endeavour would be to pro¬ 
mote the cultivation of fruit in this country. It might be that in the 
past initiation of the Company there was a feeling of protecting the 
people in regard to foreign imports of fruit, but they had advanced very 
considerably beyond those times, and they must satisfy themselves that 
they were acting up to the spirit of the day in which they lived. He 
believed the desire of the Fruiterers’ Company was to act on the same 
lines as those of the Royal Agricultural Society, and to promote, as 
far as their means would permit, the cultivation of fruit in our home¬ 
steads and agricultural cottage gardens throughout the kingdom. 
It might be possible that in this way the Royal Agricultural Society 
and the Fruiterers’ Company would be able to work together. The 
Fruiterers’ Company would be glad to avail themselves to the fullest 
extent of the organisation of the Royal Agricultural Society. They 
encouraged agriculture in every district of the kingdom, and he believed 
it was the intention of the Fruiterers’ Company to follow in their lines, 
and do what would promote the cultivation of fruit in all parts of the 
kingdom. He hoped as a Company they would be brought into very 
close relations with the Royal Agricultural Society. He was very glad 
that since a letter was issued to the public by the late Master—their 
very active and energetic Master, Mr. Mason—the subject had taken 
hold of the minds of the people of this country, and he believed there 
had never been a time when there was such a thirst for knowledge in 
regard to fruit-growing as there was at the present moment. They 
could not satisfy that knowledge, they could not give prizes, they could 
not encourage the cultivation of fruit unless they had the necessary 
means. He would like the public at large to place in their hands, say 
£10,000, so that with the interest of that sum they might, following 
the action of the Royal Agricultural Society, give encouragement to the 
various districts of the kingdom for the cultivation of such fruit as 
they had a capacity for growing, aye, and growing as well as any 
country in the world within their own borders. They were quite alive 
to the necessities of the position, and providing the public at large 
would come forward and support the Fruiterers’ Company, they were 
willing to exercise their influence and the means at their disposal for 
promoting the cultivation of fruit in this country. Since the issue of 
Mr. Mason’s letter they had received something like £1600, including 
£500 from the Fruiterers’ Company, which, considering the small funds 
at their disposal, was a very large amount. #ne thousand six hundred 
pounds at the present time was all that was in the possession of the 
Company to enable them to carry out the scheme they had adopted. 
The subject was one of great national importance, and he Imped the 
publie would assist them in their effort to restore the orchards throughout 
our homesteads and cottages, and add to the industries of fruit-growing. 
Since they met twelve months ago a very excellent essay had been 
written for the company and published through the kindness of their 
friend, Mr. H. R. Williams. In that essay, which should be in the hands 
of every man in this country who had an acre of land, Mr. Wright had 
shown them how they might cultivate fruit at a profit, and he thought 
if the Fruiterers’ Company had done nothing else during the year than 
produce that essay, it would be sufficient to justify their existence. He 
was inclined to think that the Legislature could do a great deal, and he 
thought that in all rate and State-supported schools in the rural districts 
the theory of horticulture, as well as the theory of agriculture, should 
be taught, and that these should be made compulsory subjects. What 
earthly good was it to a lad in an agricultural district who had to plough, 
and sow, and reap, and mow, that he should be taught something about 
science and art, and that no consideration whatever should be given to 
the very business in which he was likely to be engaged the whole of his 1 
life i Technical education ought to be of a practical character, having 
reference to the districts in which it was given. So far as this subject 
was concerned, the Government of the day had risen to the situation, 
and in the Education Code which was put before Parliament last session, 
but which was unhappily withdrawn. Sir W. Hart Dyke provided that a 
Government grant should be given to all rate and State-supported 
schools for agricultural chemistry and the rudiments of agriculture, in¬ 
cluding horticulture, just as now grants were given in connection with 
the Science and Art Department of the Government. Whatever 
Government might be in power they would be impelled by the necessities 
of the nation to do what was required for the public good. Sir James 
referred to the great assistance which the Government of Denmark had 
rendered to agriculture and the butter industry, and asked why they 
could not take things up here in the same plucky and determined 
manner. By all means, he said, let them not forget that the greatest 
amount of wealth to this country came from our own soil. (Cheers.) 
Major Ceaigie regretted the absence of the chief of his department, 
Mr. Chaplin, and said that as the youngest member of the youngest 
institution of the State they would not expect him to say much. In re¬ 
presenting very inadequately the missing link between the practical 
agriculture of this country and the Board of Agriculture he would only 
say that they watched with interest such movements as the one whicla 
had been initiated in the City of London, which must tend to the 
development of one of the most essential branches of the agriculture of 
this country. He pointed out that it had been already directed that iii 
future the word “horticulture” should be included in the word agricul¬ 
ture. (Cheers.) 
Colonel Kingscote said he was sure it would be the wish of the 
Council and of every member of the Royal Agricultural Society to go- 
hand and glove with this Company in promoting the growth of hardy 
fruit in every way possible. There was a great consumption of jam in 
this country, and they did not want any to come from a foreign source. 
If they put their shoulders to the wheel they could keep foreigi> 
countries out. There were hundreds of thousands of places in this 
country where the cultivation of fruit would be of the greatest advan¬ 
tage. Let landlords help future tenants by planting more trees, let 
tenants take more pains with the trees they had got, and let them be 
more careful in sending their fruit to market, and a glorious service 
would be rendered to the agricultural interests of the country. (Cheers.) 
The Lord Mayor said his father was the first man to introduce 
foreign fruit into this country, and in that capacity he had heard hira 
spoken of as a public benefactor, for the introduction of foreign fruit 
had given employment and enjoyment to large numbers of people. His- 
Lordship proceeded to refer to the great facilities afforded for bringing 
foreign Plums to England, and observed that the carriage was a very 
important item. His firm brought packages of Oranges in vessels they 
had chartered from Valentia to the wharf adjoining London Bridge. 
They weighed a hundred and a half, and were carried over in eight or 
ten days at Is. 6d. freight. This was equivalent to four bushels of fruit. 
They must not shut their eyes to these facts. Let them make fruit¬ 
growing an item of education, but don’t let them delude themselves, 
don’t let them enter on a large enterprise and collect money unless they 
were assured there was to be some good result. His Lordship concluded 
by speaking of the energy, enterprise, and patriotism of the Master in 
very eulogistic terms. 
The Master thanked the Lord Mayor for the kindly words he had 
said respecting himself personally, but he could not conceal the fact- 
that he would have been more gratified if his Lordship had not damned 
the objects and aims of the Company with faint praise. He believed 
there was an opportunity of developing fruit-growing in this country, 
and he was sorry that on this matter he differed even to a slight extent 
from bis successor. It was easy enough to say there were difficulties in 
the way. They recognised the difficulties, but did Englishmen ever 
give in because there were difficulties Z He knew they could not grow 
Oranges in the open, he knew they could not produce Apricots and 
Peaches as they could be produced in the South of France and Spain, 
but he said they should in this country encourage the growth of such 
hardy fruits as they were capable of producing, and that they might in 
this way get additional production from the soil, which would go to 
increase the wealth of the nation. (Cheers.) 
CATERPILLARS ON FRUIT TREES. 
I AM perfectly convinced that very few people have the smallest 
idea of the dangers to which they are exposed in the growing of 
fruit from the ravages of the winter moth. There should, however, 
now be no more ignorance on the matter after the engraving given 
in your issue of the 30th of January (page 95). When it is con¬ 
sidered that I have taken as many as 115 cuttings similarly infested 
from a tree not exceeding 7 feet high, your readers will understand 
how it is that the foliage and buds disappear with such rapidity 
when the warm weather hatches the eggs. “ The prosaic work of 
pruning the trees again ” was done here last spring, but in spite of that 
sufficient caterpillars hatched to leave the thousands of trees under 
my care quite bare of everything green. Further, the repruning fur¬ 
nishes the moths with fresh facilities to lay eggs during the autumn. 
What is wanted, m my opinion, is some substance to be applied to the 
ends of branches and covering up all nooks and crevices. If such can 
be done we can deal more easily with the eggs laid on the bark. I am 
making experiments with this view, and will let you know the results 
later on, and also, should you wish it, send duplicate specimens. Our 
