306 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
July 21. 
them stripped of almost all their buds some few days 
after they begin to swell. The mischief is all done in a 
day or two; and although the “Bullfinch” often gets 
the blame of it all, yet other little “ chirpers ” assuredly 
assist, but the celerity with which it is done, and the 
quiet way, deceive many “ old hands,” who had pre¬ 
viously determined to try and watch the movements of 
their cunning enemy. Suffice to say that it is done, and 
the careful pruner is mortified to find that the shoots he 
loft are totally denuded, except some two or three weak 
| eyes at the tip, which are left either because they were 
! too insignificant objects for the depredators to notice, or 
because they are most difficult of access, the spray 
giving way beneath the weight of the depredator 
perched near the end. This evil is difficult to contend 
against. Some have endeavoured to meet it by watching 
their grounds (where they are sufficiently extensive to 
repay that trouble) for a few days; others endeavour to 
scare their birds away by some of the contrivances which 
serve that purpose for a single day or so; but after all, a 
great deal of mischief is done about the end of February, 
or beginning of March, by these little depredators; and 
though some have interlaced their trees witli white and 
coloured thread, or worsted, representing net-work, 
still the effect is not always sufficient to keep away 
these enemies; and what makes the case somewhat 
singular, certain kinds of Gooseberries, as the Yellow 
Boughs, invariably escape their ravages. This induces 
some parties to plant this kind more extensively than 
others, where they are liable to so much injury. 
We will not here enter into the merits of the various 
kinds grown for market and private use, yet we may 
observe that certain kinds have a preference shown 
them on the same principle that has established the 
Ribston Pippin Apple, the Green Gage Plum, Black 
Hambro’, and White Muscat Grapes, and some other 
fruits, in the position “ of the standard of excellence ” in 
their respective classes. Perhaps the public are not so 
agreed as to which has the claim in the Gooseberry 
list, but the Warrington stands high, as a rough red 
one. This Gooseberry our north country friends will 
recognise under the name of Ashton ; while they 
have another equally a favourite with them for table 
use, which they call the Turkey, a black-red, of peculiar 
flavour, and the plant different in habit from most 
others, by being upright in growth, &c. The berries 
are rather globular than long, and not very large. This 
is called, in the south of England, the Champagne. 
Other kindsf are equally favourites with the above with 
their respective admirers, but the general mass of buyers 
enquire for the Warrington, when they meditate pre¬ 
serving them. 
We will now take the next misfortune to which the 
tree is liable, and it is one more especially within the 
means of the cottage gardener to control—we mean the 
Caterpillar, an enemy formidable enough, yet certainly 
more easy to combat with than the small birds. The 
; caterpillar requires to be energetically met, otherwise it 
i soon divests the trees of their leaves, and, consequently, 
they are crippled for the season. The Kentish fruit- 
! grower does not always attempt the most effectual means 
; to overcome this pest, which is hand-picking them off, 
but he does the next best thing, by scattering lime, or 
lime and soot, over his trees on damp mornings, as soon 
! as these gentry have made their appearance. This, 
, and, probably, some assistance from the same class of 
birds which did the mischief in early spring, is often 
: sufficient to keep these enemies down, and, certainly, 
there is no better antidote to the caterpillar than the 
small birds which prey on them, but these are not the 
j same birds as those which destroyed the young buds. 
Mauy years ago we tried hellebore powder, with a fail- 
share of success; and we have carried a pan of burning 
brimstone over the square, or amongst the trees infested 
with this pest, taking care to keep it so far from them 
as to prevent its doing any harm to the foliage. Thun¬ 
der, and the condition the atmosphere is in at the time, 
is certainly fatal to many insects in the embryo state, 
while the heavy showers which often accompany the 
same are likewise beneficial, as cleansing the foliage 
of impurities left them; but as these are natural 
agents, wc have no right to claim any credit for what 
assistance they afford us. If the fruit-grower finds 
his trees thus deprived of leaves, he generally picks off 
the berries, and sends them to market, and thereby 
relieves the tree of a burden which, under its then 
weakened condition, it is no longer able to bear; and it 
generally makes such a second growth as enables it to 
supply the pruner of the following season with a suffi¬ 
ciency of shoots to choose from. 
Though we have only mentioned these two evils as 
coming within the scope of the cultivator, we may men¬ 
tion one over which he has but little control—we mean 
the spring frosts. We have seen extensive plantations 
that were reported to suffer almost every year from this 
cause, and others that are said always to escape. This 
is owing to natural causes; but our readers will be 
curious to know that some plantations, which would 
seem to boast of some of the best soil to be found any¬ 
where, and lying in some nice sheltered situation facing 
the full south, almost annually become a victim to the 
frosts at the end of April or first of May. Now, as we 
beg to lay particular stress upon the cause of this, we 
may mention, that it is the “apparent” fine situation 
which is to blame for it; as by far the best plantation 
we know of is oxr ground inclining rather rapidly to the 
south-west and west, and even the north is not without 
its advantages. The reason is obvious: with a south 
aspect the trees are forwardest in vegetating, and a 
bright sun usually following a frost, the tender and 
delicate organs of the plant become too suddenly thawed 
to be able to bear the rapid changes it has undergone. 
Wc know of a plantation of about two acres facing the 
north-west, on rather a declivity; this has always been 
remarkable for escaping this evil, and not only that, 
but has been so productive as to furnish several hundred 
bushels of Gooseberries, although at the same time 
standard trees, as Apple, &c., were amongst the occu¬ 
pants of the ground, as well as the Gooseberries. We 
hope some of our readers may take a lesson from this, 
and before they be finally led away by the belief that 
a slope facing the south must be early and safe. 
As it requires some little discrimination to foresee 
what is likely to be the most prolific trees to plant on 
certain soils, we will, at another occasion, take this 
matter up, and then point out the culture and treatment 
the plant receives at the hands of those who make it 
their business to send several hundred bushels, or sieves, 
to London market every week during the season. 
J. Robson. 
APPEARANCE OF CROPS IN HAMPSHIRE. 
In the absence of any statistical returns of the appear¬ 
ance of the crops of corn, grass, &c., in this country, it 
must be apparent that the interest of the community 
requires that reports should be made upon the subject 
from the different districts of England, in order that any 
probable deficiency, or superabundance, of our agricul¬ 
tural productions may be anticipated. 
I therefore propose to report upon the appearance of 
the crops in Hampshire, based upon my own observa¬ 
tions. After the very unusual and difficult season for 
Wheat sowing, it might be expected that a deficiency in 
