70 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
Jrly 19,1^94. 
Potatoes Unsatisfactory ^Mutual). —It seems clear from the 
circumstances of the case that the ground where the Potatoes were 
planted has been poisoned through the excessive use of crude manure. 
Sbortenlngr of Crimson Rambler Rose Staoot {Kittle ).— 
No climbing Rose ought to be stopped, but should be allowed to grow 
and produce as much young wood as possible this year for flowering in 
the next. That, of course, depends on its being well ripened. Mr. 
Turner does not “ top ” the growths of his Crimson Rambler Rose in 
the summer, but allows them to extend, and the long ripened stems 
tied round stakes produce trusses of flowers nearly from base to summit. 
“Caked” Superphosphate {Ideni). —The superphosphate should 
be crumbled and used in somewhat larger quantities than usual, as it 
will have lost nearly all its ammonia, and a considerable amount of the 
phosphate will have reverted to the insoluble state. 
Tomatoes {Cross'). —We are obliged by the fruits, which are very 
good. We have not tried either of the remedies you propose. You will 
have read what Mr. F. Williams said on sulphur and lime on page 9 
(July 6th). You will also find in a lengthy reply to another corre¬ 
spondent a method ot conquering the Tomato disease, and we happen to 
know the record is strictly accurate. All nearly ripe fruits should be 
cut before applying the dressings. 
Challenger Tomato {J. IV. B,). —You say you “ cannot get one 
fruit in ten to finish properly,” though you have no difficulty with other 
varieties. The fruits sent are a little irregular in outline and not 
uniformly coloured. They are softer than others we have seen perfect 
in shape and colour, and if yours suggest anything it is that the plants 
have been somewhat overfed. Possibly also the fertilisation may have 
been defective. Try the effect of less generous treatment. 
Insect on Chrysanthemum Xeaf {W. B., Sigh Beech). —The 
“ bug” on the Chrysanthemum leaf is the pupa state of the “ ladybird ” 
insect (Coccinella bipunctata), from which the perfect insect will soon 
emerge, leaving its skin or pupa-case behind—on the leaves of the 
Chrysanthemum. In its larva stage it devours aphides, and is extremely 
useful, of which your testimony is convincing, namely, “ they seem to 
eat the ‘aphides” and die [become pupa], as all plants with this bug 
[pupa] are clear of green fly.” The insect in its next or beetle form does 
not do the plants any harm, but will feed on certain kinds of fruit, 
though it rarely does material mischief. 
Black IVXuscat Crapes Sbanklng (A. D.). —You do not say 
when you re-made the border, and there has perhaps not been time for 
the effects of your work to show themselves. Apart from this the 
Grape named is prone to shank, especially when the crop is expected to 
ripen in June. A month later the root-action would be much more 
powerful and the shanking less virulent. The advice of your friends to 
“do away ” with the Vine is probably good; but if you particularly 
desire to retain the variety, insrch a cane to the adjoining Muscat of 
Alexandria. This Vine will support two rods as well as one, and as a 
rule the Black Muscat succeeds on it much better than on its own roots. 
Cyclamens {Flower Lover) —If the plants are small they may be 
kept growing under the present treatment, and shifted into larger pots 
as more rooting space is needed. When large plants have flowered it 
is a good plan to plunge the pots over the rims in cocoa-nut fibre 
refuse, or other light material, in the open air. They will then rest for 
a time, and eventually push clusters of new leaves. When these are an 
inch or two high a good deal of loose soil may be removed from the roots 
and fresh compost supplied, using the same or larger pots, according to 
the condition of the plants. After repotting they may be grown in 
frames under your present treatment until the temperature falls too 
low for them in the autumn. 
Insects on Red Currants {W. S. B.). — The “little grub or 
beetle attached so fast that it can only be removed by force ” is the 
pupa stage of one of the ladybirds, probably Coccinella bipunctata ; 
but the species is rather difficult to distinguish in its pupal condition. 
The preceding stage of the insect is extremely useful in devouring 
aphides, which it grasps with its fore legs and sucks the liquid part of 
the insects clean out of the skins, leaving only these. The larvte are 
black and very active when anything is applied to the bushes which 
they do not like, as tobacco smoke, and soon get out of harm’s way. 
The only thing worth trying to do is to keep the Currant bushes free 
from aphides, and then the ladybirds in any stage will not frequent 
them so as to do harm, as they certainly do when they become pupae on 
the fruit, which is clearly unfit for use. See Mr. Dunkin’s article on 
“ Fighting Our Insect Pests,” in the Journal of July 5th (page 1). 
Peach Trees Infested with Thrlps and Red Spider {E. M.). 
—As the fruit is ripening syringing cannot well be had recourse to, 
but you may kill the thrips by fumigation with good tobacco paper, 
choosing a calm evening and having the foliage dry, but the floor may 
be damped. Repeat in the course of a few days, as more will be hatched 
from eggs, which the smoke will not destroy. For the red spider it will 
be necessary to heat the hot-water pipes to 180° or more, only not 
making the water boil. Close the house, and paint the hot-water 
pipes with a cream formed of flowers of sulphur and skim milk. 
The house should be kept close and the pipes hot for about an hour, 
when they should be allowed to gradually cool to the usual heat. 
Repeat the heating of the pipes in about a week, it sufficing to brush 
them with a little water if the sulphur remain on, otherwise use a little 
of the sulphur cream as before. Though these measures will destroy 
the pests, it is certain the effects of these will prove more or less 
disastrous to the trees and prejudice their health—and possibly 
cropping—another year. 
Trees for Towns {Member of Local Board). —Forest or deciduous 
trees of large size :—1, Common Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) ; 2, Common 
Beech (Fagus sylvatica), also Copper Beech (F. s. cuprea) ; 3, Balsam 
Poplar (Populus balsamifera) ; 4, Sycamore (Acer pseudo-Platanu*, 
also the Purple-leaved A. p.-P. foliis purpureis) ; 5, White Willow 
(Salix alba) ; 6, Small-leaved Lime (Tilia cordata), also the Silver Lime 
(T. argentea), these hold their leaves better than the common Limes 
(T. platyphylla and T. vulgaris) in towns ; 7, Norway Maple (Acer 
platanoides) ; 8, Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) ; 9, Scotch or 
Wych Elm (Ulmus montana) ; 10, Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea), also 
common Oak (Q. pedunculata) ; 11, Ontario Poplar (Populus canadensis, 
also var. P. c. nova) ; 12, Manna Ash (Fraxinus Ornus). Horse Chestnut 
(AUsculus hippocastanum) does well, but the capsules tempt boys to 
throw stones. Tree of Heaven (Ailantus glandulosa) is an excellent 
tree for towns, but it produces an immense number of suckers, as also 
does White Poplar (Populus alba), otherwise it is a good town tree. 
Birch (Betula alba) may not be large enough for your purpose, other¬ 
wise it has few equals for beauty—“queen of the woods.” Two of the 
very best town trees, Acer-leaved Oriental Plane (Platanus orientalis var. 
acerifolia) and Black Walnut (Juglans nigra), have not been included 
in the dozen, as they would probably prove too tender for your situation. 
Red Spider on Vines — IVXanure {Omicron). —There is no better 
plan than the tedious one of sponging the leaves carefully with a solu¬ 
tion of softsoap, 2 ozs. to a gallon of water, taking care not to damage 
them or to rub the berries. Another plan is to syringe the Vines 
forcibly with clear rain water, so as to dislodge the red spider, practising 
it sufficiently early in the afternoon to allow of the foliage and Grapes 
becoming fairly dry before night. This may be continued daily in fine 
weather up to the Grapes commencing to colour, when the Vines ought 
to be perfectly free from red spider. The best manorial antidote to red 
spider is soot; but if used after the Grapes are more than half swelled it 
will impart an unpleasant taste to the fruit. You may use Peruvian 
guano, 2 ozs. per square yard, at fortnightly intervals, and wash in 
moderately, it being best to first give the needful supply of water, then 
sprinkle with the guano and wash in as advised. It will aid the Vines, 
and prove more or less inimical to red spider. In bad cases the hot- 
water pipes may be heated to 180°, and while hot painted with flowers 
of sulphur brought to a thin cream consistence with skim milk. The 
house should be closed, and the pipes kept hot for about an hour. 
The fumes vapourised in that time will kill the red spider ; afterwards 
allow the pipes to cool to the ordinary temperature. You may repeat 
the operation in about a week from the first, so as to destroy any 
“spider ” hatched from eggs. 
Pbenyle and Carbolic Acid for “ Club ” In Cucumbers 
(J/.).—Phenol (which you mention) is of no use, but Soluble Phenyle 
(Ce Hs) is a cure, provided the plants are not too far gone, for when 
“ clubbing ” has set in so as to affect the foliage nothing will cure, 
though by earthing up the plants and getting new roots from the stem 
they may be continued in bearing some time. Phenyle is a preparation 
ot coal tar, and to be of use must be soluble (Little’s Soluble Phenyle 
can be had of all druggists). It should be used with soft or rain water, 
quarter pint to four gallons of water, mixed well, and a gallon applied 
to each square yard of bed. You mention the length of the border 
(100 feet), but do not state its width, yet ask how much of the liquid to 
use? The mixture may be applied at intervals of about fifteen days, 
and it will not injure (like carbolic acid) but invigorate the plants, as 
it is a nitrogenous manure. You can, however, use carbolic acid, one 
part to twenty of rain water, and employ a gallon of the solution per 
square yard, but it will act prejudicially upon the plants for a time. 
If you would like to still further experiment, procure some gas liquor 
from gasworks, and use half pint to a gallon of water, applying that to 
a square yard of bed. The cysts of the eelworm may resist this, but 
when they emerge as eel worms they will soon seek “ pastures new ” or 
wriggle themselves out of existence. The quantity named is for very 
strong gas liquor, but it is as well to be safe, otherwise it may be used 
at a strength of one part to eight of water—viz., one pint to a gallon. 
It is a sure preventive if applied in time. 
Tomato Plants Diseased—making' and Using Carbonate 
of Copper Solution {G. C .).—We find nothing in the elaborate 
account of your treatment but what accords with good cultural manage¬ 
ment. When the attacking fungus is not affected by bouille bordelaise 
it is possible that either a slight mistake has been made in its prepara¬ 
tion or dressings have been too long deferred or incomplete. After a 
failure with the bouille Mr. W. K. Woodcock succeeded in banishing the 
fungus and gathering a very profitable crop of Tomatoes through the 
use of carbonate of copper solution. We reproduce what he wrote on 
the subject in 1892 :—“ Having read in the Journal of Uorticulture of 
the value of carbonate of copper solution, I determined to give it a 
trial, and therefore applied to the wholesale drug stores, but was told by 
them that they kept the copper sulphate but not the copper carbonate. 
I also saw in the Journal a method by which the sulphate may be con¬ 
verted into carbonate. I proceeded to put it into practice as follows :— 
I purchased 4 lbs. of sulphate of copper and 4 lbs. of ordinary washing 
soda. I placed the sulphate in a wooden vessel and added thereto 
9 gallons of hot water, stirring this vigorously until the sulphate was all 
dissolved. I then placed the soda in another vessel and dissolved it with 
a similar quantity of hot water. After allowing the two solutions to 
stand a sufficient time for the water to become cold I poured the soda 
solution into the vessel containing the copper, stirring well to thoroughly 
mix the two solutions, the effect of this being to cause the sulphur to 
part from the copper, the former floating as a thick yellow scum on the 
