THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
March 16 . 
1 456 
! readers, however, need never he at a loss, for a reference 
to back volumes will soon set them right, be the case 
what it may. The basis of this retardation principle, 
which I was the earliest to get recognised by some of 
our first-rate men, stands thus:—every week we advance 
into the Spring as to the unfolding of the blossoms, the 
air becomes progressively milder, and any recurrence to 
frost of necessity assumes a moderated or qualified 
character, through the warmth of the soil, walls, or, 
indeed, any contiguous body. I urge this as certain on 
general principles; it is of no use telling me of excep¬ 
tions. Many people allow themselves so to be terrified 
by these that they never carry out anything by system, 
but squander away their time in indecision. Verily, the 
world at large must appear a chaos to such characters. 
The foregoing is not all as to the setting of the blos¬ 
soms ; the ground warmth at the roots is a most import¬ 
ant consideration. I hope, that by this time most of 
our readers recognise the propriety of endeavouring to 
enlist the action of the root whilst the development of 
the foliage is taking place; and are aware that all our 
best forcing gardeners instantly aim at this as the fun¬ 
damental principle in forcing. Indeed, common sense 
alone will point to the propriety of sustaining, as far as 
possible, a reciprocal action between root and branch; 
and it must be remembered, as to our fruit-trees from 
warmer climes, that in all probability the soil in many 
of those climates never becomes so low, in relation to 
atmospheric warmth, as in Britain; in the ordinary 
phraseology of gardeners,—those climates possess more 
“ bottom heat.” 
Such being admitted, it will also be readily conceded, 
that if by any kind of handy-work we can arrest the 
development of the blossoms and foliage, whilst the soil 
where the roots are situated is advancing several degrees 
in temperature, through the steadily advancing character 
of spring temperature, we are gaining the point most 
favourable both to a hearty and unchecked development 
of the foliage, as well as increasing the chances for a 
crop of fruit. 
I will now take it for granted that these doctrines are 
sufficiently sound to recommend themselves to our read¬ 
ers ; and I may just point to a practical application of the 
principle, or, at least, show forth my own practice in this 
respect. It is very simple where canvass can be applied ; 
it consists merely in reversing the protective principles, 
viz., in warding off all sudden excitement through sun¬ 
shine during the day, and in exposing the trees to the 
night air, to cold winds, &e. One caution alone is 
necessary here—when the trees actually begin to unfold 
their buds the retardation principle must gradually 
merge into the protecting principle, and this will consist 
in avoiding severe night frosts and cutting winds. 
Where, however, people are obliged to use fir, or 
other boughs, for protection or retardation, the case 
differs considerably. Here they are not capable of 
adaptation to emergencies, but once stuck in they must 
remain for weal or woe; any attempt to cover and un¬ 
cover through these things would seriously affect the 
: latter question, which, indeed, is likely to become the 
most serious question of the day. 
Next, let me remind our readers of the projiriety of 
looking sharp after the eggs of that pest of the Apricot, 
the Becl-bar Moth. I may again state that the eggs 
adhere to the principal branches as though pasted on, and 
are ol an oval character, like a large parsnip seed dotted 
| over. These will begin to hatch by the time the foliage 
| is unfolded, and their ravages soon become manifest, for 
each little rogue of a caterpillar selects a group of 
leaves connected with the spurs of the future year, and 
! ma k>ng up his mind to have comfortable quarters for 
many weeks, he rolls them instinctively round his 
person, and thus provided with a canopy which bids 
defiance to rains, &c., he sallies forth at tho command 
of his voracious appetite on marauding expeditions. Tn 
no case is the old adage, “ a stitch in time,” better verified 
than in the destruction of these eggs; it needs but a 
sharp eye and a good thumb nail, and they are anni¬ 
hilated ; the gelatinous issue from their ruins will pretty 
obviously attest to the amount of vitality in this appa¬ 
rent patch of dry paste. 
Come we next, in this wandering paper, to the Peach- 
trees, now, of course, pruned and trained, and I hope 
my presumption may be pardoned if I turn catechist 
for a moment. Have you dressed your wall or your 
trees, I would ask ? Again let me repeat that such a 
course is indispensable. The best time, as I think, to 
perform this, is the moment the trees are nailed or 
trained; and I find it the simplest and most certain 
course to apply the mixture with a half-sized painter’s 
“ dusting brush.” The following is my favourite mix¬ 
ture, but, doubtless, other practical gardeners have 
recipes, differing, of course, it may be, but, perhaps, as 
efficient: this is, to repeat the matter,—soft soap, four 
ounces to a gallon; sulphur, six handfuls; and as much 
thick clay water as will make the whole into a regular 
paint; this applied between every two branches, in 
fact, to every naked portion of the wall. With this 
application the red spider has never proved of any 
particular moment to me, although I have occasionally 
been honoured with visits from him. I prefer this 
before any other doctoring, for, indeed, as the summer 
advances, we generally find enough to do in disbudding, 
stopping, and the other minutice, which ought to be 
had recourse to. 
I may here advert to a novel mode of protecting bush- 
fruit from the attacks of birds. It is well-known by 
Gooseberry-growers that the Finch family, Tomtits, and 
others, are particularly partial to the buds of Gooseberries, 
Cherries, &c., when in the act of germination, or in 
what, perhaps, may be termed a malting condition. So 
great are their ravages at times, that I have known 
most of the bushes in a given garden three-parts de¬ 
stroyed by them,—for it is not only the loss of the 
season’s crop that we have to lament, this severe dis¬ 
budding process breaks-up the very constitution of the 
tree; and all that is needed to complete its utter 
destruction is a visitation from the caterpillars and 
red spider subsequently. Some people hang strings or 
threads over their bushes ; some suspend fragments of 
glass, in pairs, to tinkle with every puff of wind, like an 
iEolian harp; others run the string through potatoes 
at given distances, and stick feathers in the potatoes to 
represent hobgoblin birds, &c. It is pretty-well known 
that they do not care a fig for either after the novelty 
has passed, which is in about three days, for they may 
be seen to alight on the very strings; and as for the 
music, I am not sure but it soon proves attractive. 
After a very hard winter these birds are most voracious; 
I suppose, in consequence of the great destruction which 
ensues amongst other kinds of food to which they are 
attached; and the Gooseberry-grower may always look 
sharp out in the beginning of February. 
It has often occurred to me that much might be dono 
in preventing the ravages of insects, birds, &c., by 
using some application that would render the taste of 
the object to be protected nauseous to the marauder’s 
palate; and that such, if in a fluid state, might he 
most economically applied—as to labour—by the syringe. 
With this view, as soon as I found war was declared by 
the birds against the Gooseberry buds, I cleared out a 
reservoir holding nearly an hundred gallons, and com¬ 
menced brewing, although neither March nor October. 
The materials and proportions were about as follows:— 
Soft soap, two ounces to a gallon of warm water, well 
beat; two quarts of soot, added to the above, with 
threo handfuls of flower of sulphur, and as much 
clay mud, well strained, as would make tho whole into 
