522 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
5 \ine ledo. 
raising seedling Strawberries. This programme ought to furnish 
ample subjects for profitable discussion, and in addition there will 
be exhibits of as many varieties as possible.—C. 
HARDY FLOWER NOTES. 
One of the charms of hardy plant growing is that there is a 
constant succession of flower. Hardly a gap exists in the procession 
of beauty which moves on throughout the year. Even in the dull 
dark days of winter some adventurous Crocus or Primrose in a 
sheltered nook will peer from its snug corner as if to prove that 
some at least of Flora’s subjects need no glass roof to enable them 
to declare with mute yet—paradoxical as it may seem—eloquent 
tongue the power of their goddess. And if this is so in winter, in 
the leafy month these voices of beauty reveal themselves at every 
turn. While all own the suzerainty of Flora there is no slight 
rivalry among her vassels for the distinction of the queen of 
flowers. The Rose has her adoring subjects, the Lily has hers ; but 
the grower of hardy plants may be said to be a universalist, paying 
homage to many in turn. And now where is he to begin ? Few 
among our garden flowers are at present finer than the Pyrethrums. 
They have become so well known that the danger is that from the 
very fact of their being so plentiful they may be driven, to a great 
extent, from many gardens. I heard a lady, who had once given 
the white Anemone japonica an honoured place in her garden, say 
that she “did not care for it, it was so common.’’ It would be 
unfortunate if this spirit—which is, unlike the Anemone, too 
common—should lead to the neglect of such a valuable flower as 
the Pyrethrum. The progress which has been made in the 
improvement of these flowers will, however, do much to retain 
the flower in the estimation of those who constantly seek for 
something new, while the true flower lover will cherish it for 
itself. 
Much has been said as to the respective merits of the single and 
double flowers, but both are valuable in their place, the single 
varieties being perhaps more graceful as a cut flower than the 
others. The Poppies are brilliant as usual, and all are flne in their 
way, from the dwarf and delicate Papaver alpinum to the showy 
varieties of P. orientate or P. bracteatum. It is a pleasure to see 
that our florists are at work on P. orientale, and that we have to 
thank the vagaries of fashion once more for an improvement in 
flowers. Few things are more show'y in the garden than this fine 
PopPJ) but unless great care is taken in choosing a position for it 
the colour will “ kill ’’ everything near. I have been admiring a 
fine seedling in my own garden of great size, and with splendidly 
marked black blotches at the base. It is far superior to the variety 
I have had in the garden for some years, and which is known here 
as the “ Branch ’’ Poppy. Looking at these flowers one can realise 
the force of the language of Ruskin, when he says in “ Proserpina ; ’’ 
—“We usually think of the Poppy as a coarse flower : but it is 
the most transparent and delicate of all the blossoms of the field. 
The rest, nearly all of them, depend on the texture of their 
surface for colour. But the Poppy is painted glass ; it never 
glows so brightly as when the sun shines through it. Wherever it 
is seen, against the light or with the light, ahvays it is a flame, and 
warms the wind like a blown ruby.” 
The imperial Delphiniums, with their stately spikes of blue, are 
now opening to add their various shades of beautiful colouring to 
the scene. One splendid clump will have many fine spikes of light 
blue, and near it stands the noble Lilium giganteum, now showing 
its flower buds at the top of its tall stem. It has stood unscathed 
the fierce winds and heavy rains of late, and seems to feel the 
storm but little even without a stake to support its stalk. The 
first of the Lilies to flower in my garden is L. Szovitzianum. This 
is a very pleasing Lily with beautiful citron blooms arranged like 
Turk’s Cap Lily, and with black spots. This Lily has a very 
powerful and agreeable perfume, which can be felt some distance 
off. Most of the other Lilies are doing well with the exception of 
L. candidum, which made very strong growth in spring, but since 
then has been almost at a standstill, although there is, as yet, no 
sign of the disease which attacked it last year. Several Sedums or 
Stonecrops are in flower, one of the best being S. kamtchaticum, 
but these neglected plants deserve some notes to themselves, and I 
would prefer to reserve my remarks for a little until opportunity 
offers. The most fragrant flower in the garden is the old double 
white Pink. P’ine as Mrs. Sinkins undoubtedly is, the old variety 
has advantages the new does not possess. It is earlier, a far more 
compact garden plant ; the calyx is not so apt to split, and last, 
but not least, when out of bloom, and even in the depth of winter, 
the old fimbriata is a much more attractive object in the garden. 
It is of great value as a foliage plant, a point it shares with most 
of the fine single alpine kinds now in bloom. Indeed, few things 
are of more value in early spring, a healthy plant being a dense 
mass of glaucous spiny foliage. 
A fine yellow tree Lupine (Lupinus arboreus) is extremely 
decorative. It has nigh upon 200 spikes in flower as I write (18th 
June), and will be in flower for a long time yet. I observe with 
great pleasure the notes by “D., Deal," on hardy plants. Primula 
cashmeriana is indeed worthy of a better place than the back of 
the rockery. One thing I have noticed of this fine species is that 
if grown on a dryish position a little above the ground level it haa 
a more pronounced habit of elevating its leaves so as to show the- 
golden farina of the under surface, which renders it extremely 
pretty when thus placed. Anemone sylvestris does not prove 
troublesome on my light soil. Here A. japonica grows and flowers, 
but does not spread so rapidly or flower so freely as on stronger 
soils, and possibly it becomes almost a weed, as in some gardens I 
know the other species will show a similar tendency. Low down 
at the base of a rockery are several Mimuluses now in full flower,, 
and one of them carpeting a clump of Lilium chalcedonicum. One 
of the finest of the dwarf Mimuli is M. cupreus Prince Bismarck, 
a new purple variety, which I have just flowered for the first timei 
It is well worth growing by those who have a damp half shady 
situation to accommodate these flowers. Irises and Thrifts, Thalic- 
trums and many others, must bide their time,'and this homily musk 
be drawn to a close, the rain pouring down upon my flowers as I 
write looking out upon them as they brighten the garden by their 
beauty.—S. Aknott. 
RED SPIDER ON VINES. 
There are few Grape growers who are not acquainted with 
red spider and the mischief it commits if left undisturbed. 
Although one of the smallest of garden pests it is one of the 
most destructive, and at the same time one of the most diffi¬ 
cult to exterminate. There are gardeners who believe strongly 
in sulphur applied to the hot-water pipes for destroying red 
spider, but from experiments and observations I have lost 
faith in the so-called remedy, and have discontinued its use, 
I do not say it will not tend to act as a preventive when applied 
early, but it requires to be used with caution or it will have 
an unfavourable influence on the tender foliage and berries in their 
earliest stages of development. I well remember once, when 
acting in a subordinate position, being directed to apply all the 
heat obtainable from a large tubular boiler to one vinery for the 
purpose of a sulphur application, and the pipes thus became so hot 
that the hand could not bo sustained on them for a moment, and 
while so heated I had to apply sulphur not merely of a thin paint¬ 
like consistency, commonly practised, but put on as thick as was 
convenient to do. The air of the closed structure was highly 
charged with sulphur fumes and was allowed to remain so for 
several hours before the ventilators were opened. This operation 
w’as carried out early in the evening, the house being opened, and 
the heat turned off to allow of the air becoming pure before 
sunrise, but the spiders on the morning examination appeared none 
the worse for their sulphur treatment. 
Not content with this, renewed efforts were directed the follow¬ 
ing evening in extra heat and sulphur supplies, but to no avail, and 
we were compelled to admit that we were beaten. AVe then set 
about the longer lasting and tedious operation of sponging the 
leaves with a solution made with softsoap and sulphur with a more 
satisfactory issue than attended our previous exertions. 
It is somewhat remarkable as to what constitutes the origin of 
the pest on Vines. I have generally been led to believe that weak 
or ill-managed Vines would prove the easiest prey, but I find that 
not only are such the victims, but also those possessed of extra¬ 
ordinary vigour. Only a short time since I was privileged to see 
some of the finest Grapes that were ever produced ; the foliage, 
although of considerable texture, bore evident traces of this noxious 
garden enemy. Such labour as the sponging of a large house involved 
was, however, not considered too much, but was pushed on assidu¬ 
ously during the early and late hours of the day, which is the only 
convenient time for such work when bright sunshine prevails. 
Sulphur found no place in this instance, and I think I am correct in 
saying that it is not used in the house for any purpose, but Fir tree 
oil is found more reliable when properly used. An ounce of the 
fluid to a pint of soft water is found to be suitable proportions for 
sponging purposes, and used in this way the amount stated would 
provide sufficient for a large portion of roof space in leaf-sponging. 
At this strength it has been found to act as a deterrent to young 
and succeeding broods, and should, therefore, prove economical and 
cheap. 
Sulphur mixed with water and used for sponging is good when, 
employed against red spider, for the leaves charged with this pre¬ 
paration do not provide a healthy feeding ground for them ; but 
on the contrary, they seem to lose appetite and dwindle away, 
