July 22. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
257 
applied, for the eradication of this evil, the hydro-sul¬ 
phate of lime, which M. Grison uses for the vine 
mildew. It is somewhat premature to speak confidently, 
but the little practice I have had with it leads me to be¬ 
lieve that it will be effectual in doing for the red spider, 
more so than any other application of sulphur wheu 
blended with a liquid. I do not think I shall give up 
smearing pipes and flues in hothouses with sulphur, 
but then what would be the use of it at periods when 
fire was not wanted. As a preventive against mildew 
and insects, the mixture will be found most important. 
I made it exactly as recommended last week—one pound 
of sulphur to an equal volume of quick-lime, intimately 
mixed, then blended with five pints of water, kept 
stirred, boiled ten minutes, then allowed to settle, the 
clear liquid poured off, and to every pint of this add 
a hundred pints of clear water, and syringe with it 
directly. In the open air, with vines and peaches, I i 
should use the mixture of this strength, and that is far 
from being weak; for plants of all sorts, even for vines 
and peaches in-doors, I would recommend a fourth 
more water ; and for delicate plants I would prefer 
double the quantity of water—that is, two hundred pints 
to the pint of clear liquid. Those who imagine that at 
this strength they might as well use common water, 
have only to hold the moisture to their nose, and let a 
few drops be deposited on their tongue, to find out the 
mistake. I presume we shall all have reason to thank 
M. Grison for his simple mode of getting the strength 
of sulphur into water. I found such a strong residuum 
after pouring off the clear liquid, that I boiled it over 
again, and used it the same way as the first, but with 
only half the quantity of water—namely, fifty pints of 
water to the pint of liquid. 
Another word or two about burning sulphur in houses 
and pits. Thus used it is a good servant, but a merci¬ 
lessly bad master. As previously shown, if ever it actually 
burns, it will kill everything green, as well as insects. 
The detailing a misfortune is never without its use, and 
may often do as much good, in the way of a beware, as 
detailing the most successful practice for imitation, j 
Now, I have had great experience in burning sulphur, ! 
and yet I got caught the other day with a collection of ; 
aehimenes, and, what is worse than all, I can form no 1 
definite idea how the sulphur got to them. A pit is 
divided into two divisions. The last thing in one was 
British Queen strawberries, and, owing to the extreme 
heat, the red spider got on them. When removed, 
before filling with other things, it was decided to fumi¬ 
gate with sulphur; and, that time should be gained, it I 
was done during the day, the lights fitting so close that 
even the smell was not perceived outside. The other 
half, separated by a close brick wall, contained the achi- j 
menes, and not even the opening of a pin-hole could be 
discerned: the sense of smell was also put in requisi¬ 
tion, and all was right. But the next day, the aehimenes 
next the strawberry division were either done for, or 
rendered so unsightly as to deprive them of ornamenting 
properties until fresh growth was formed. Now, I had 
burned sulphur in these pits often when one was filled 
with plants, and never had the semblance of an accident, j 
No questioning will enable me to unravel the matter. 
That ill-doer “ nobody" bad unquestionably been there. ! 
The matter will very likely come out some day. My 
own impression is, that the lights over the aehimenes ! 
had for some purpose been slid down, or tilted on the 
side next the strawberry division, and that some youth, 
with inquisitiveness largely developed, had lifted the 
light nearest the division to ascertain what the white, 
wreathing smoke inside could mean, and thus allowed a 
volume of the noxious vapour to touch the aehimenes. 
It will be seen, therefore, that great caution must always 
be used. I may also mention, that strong fumes from 
hot-water pipes, when daubed with sulphur, tell very | 
soon upon the aehimenes tribe. The most sensitive 
things I have found in this respect are some of the 
finer-leaved adiautums. When it is necessary to fume 
a house from the pipes, such plants should be previously 
removed. 
Mulberry-coloured Fancy Pelargoniums, such as Sta- 
tuislci. —Who can account for taste. Our good friend, 
Mr. Beaton, ,says, “ he sees plainer than ever why ladies 
call them ‘ such frights,’ and that they look like half- 
drowned witches, &c. ? ” Now, without giving an opinion 
of my own, this name, Statuiski has already been in¬ 
scribed in a number of ladies note books, this season, in 
my presence, and I have scarcely noticed one that passed 
without stopping to admire it. The plant, however, was 
large, some three feet in height, and when at its best, 
better than four feet in diameter, and it stood beside 
a Queen Victoria quite as large. The darks themselves 
might give us the blues, and the lights give a tendency 
to the yelloivs, but when contrasted, the beauty of both 
is enhanced. My object, however, in alluding to Sta¬ 
tuiski, is not so much to defend him from our friend’s 
criticism, as to tell of two good properties he has, namely, 
that he will bloom all the summer, in a box or bed, out- 
of-doors ; and, secondly, that he is almost unrivalled for 
continuous blooming in a pot. The plant referred to 
has been an object of great beauty for nearly four 
months. 
Preparing Pelargoniums for cutting-down. — “ How 
miserable these geraniums look, Mr. E. Why my own 
can beat these hollow.” The plants referred to were 
standing right in the sun. They had received no water 
for nearly a fortnight. Any moisture they could get 
must have been absorbed from the atmosphere, and from 
the soil or gravel on which the plants stood, and yet 
when these plants were cut down, they will break more 
regularly and strongly, and the cuttings will strike better, 
and make healthier plants, than if the plants had been 
coddled, and regularly watered. The perspiring and 
elaborating influences to which they were exposed 
rendered their shoots firm, and the juices they contained 
highly organized. And yet, people who keep their 
geraniums in a shady place, with their stems full of 
watery matter, find that their fine succulent green shoots 
break anywhere but where wanted, and wonder accord¬ 
ingly. Let the stems be well ripened, and neither plants 
nor cuttings will require half the care afterwards. 
Shading. —And who has not wanted it during the last 
few weeks? Every mode has its recommendations; at 
some of our chief nurseries many things are tried. “ We 
must have this,” says one; “ we cannot do without that,” 
says another; “ the plants will be scorched without them,” 
says a third;—and it is all very well to have nice shading 
of calico, and bunting, and oiled cloth, and Nottingham 
lace, if you can get them ; but even then this very 
advantage may constitute a disadvantage. They will at 
times be left on too long, or by shading all the house you 
shade something that you cannot give too much light to. 
I have no shading cloths at all; where a temporary 
shade is wanted I use a little whitening in water, and 
almost as quickly as you can let a canvass blind down. 
For a more lengthened purpose, and a subdued light 
like that obtained by Hartley’s patent glass, I as yet 
fiud nothing equal to double size, heated in a pot, and 
drawn over the glass when hot. When the shade is 
wanted to be abiding and dense, a little whitening may 
be mixed with the size. R. Fish. 
FLORISTS’ FLOWERS AT CHISWICK. 
July 10 th. 
The Pelargoniums here were the grand attraction of 
the day; they were never shown in better condition. 
This favourite flower is now cultivated to such an 
