June 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
137 
(Tea-sccntcd) Devoniensis, (Hybrid Bourbon) Belle de St. Cyr and 
Charles Duval, (Hybrid Perpetual) Mrs. Elliott, (Hybrid China) Chc- 
nedole. 
A. Rowland, Esq., had a prize awarded to him for 
25 varieties of cut roses ; and Mr. Francis exhibited 
a tray of that rather new and fine rose, Geant de 
Batailles, which was much admired. 
TALL CACTI IN COLLECTIONS. 
First Prize.—Gold Banksian medal, to Mr. Green. 
This was a noble collection of those gorgeous flowers; 
they assisted materially to fill up the void occasioned 
by the absence of the brilliant azaleas. Mr. Green 
has, for several years, been very successful in this 
tribe of plants, hut at this exhibition be surpassed 
all his former displays. We note a few of the most 
showy. 
Epiphyllum aurantiacum . . . .4 feet by 2 feet 
,, rubra cerulea . . . . 3 ,, 3 
,, spcciosum elegans, new and beautiful . 2 ,, 2j 
Cereus speciosissimus . . . . . 7 ,, 3 
Epiphyllum ackermannii , . . . 7 >> 3 
Second Prize.—Silver gilt medal, to Mr. Falconer, 
gardener to F. Palmer, Esq., Cbeam. This also was 
a well grown and superbly flowered collection, but 
not quite so fine as the preceding. The finest speci¬ 
mens were 
Epiphyllum Jenkinsoni gvandiflorum . . 5 feet by 4 feet 
Cereus Mallisonii . . . . . G ,, 4 
Greenhouse Azaleas.—F irst prize, to Mr. Green, 
certificate of excellence : A. variegata was a good spe¬ 
cimen, 6 feet by 4^ feet, and A. rosea punctata was 
also in fair condition. 
Pitcher Plants.—M r. Smith, gardener to Mr. 
Lawrence, bad a silver Knightian medal awarded to 
him for a collection of these curious plants. 
Statices.—M r. Glendinning had a prize awarded 
to him for six species of this genus, viz., Statice 
dianthioides, l'rutescens, mucronata, puberula, arbo- 
rea, and speciosa. 
Amaryllids.—M r. Iveson had a prize for six ama- 
ryllids, which he exhibited in good style. 
Ranunculuses, &c.—T he silver Banksian medal 
was awarded to Mr. Tyso, for a splendid collection 
of ranunculuses; and certificates of merit to Mr. 
Costar, for a similar collection ; and to Mr. Gad, for 
a fine seedling large petunia, named Enchantress 
Calceolarias were never shown in greater beauty. 
Th e first prize was given to Sir. Gaines, who ex¬ 
hibited Gustavus, Cavalier, Prima Donna, Bianca, 
Don Juan and Eclipse. The second prize was given 
to Messrs Henderson, of Pine Apple Place, for Duke 
of Rothsay, Miss Rattray, Dr. Neil, Lucy Ashton, 
Catherine Seaton, and Black Agnes. 
Pelargoniums.—O f these we shall speak in a 
future Number, observing only at present, that we 
thought the best of the seedlings were Hoyle’s Cecil 
and Beck’s Major Domo ; and of the fancy varieties, 
Mr. E. Henderson’s Mario, Alice Lawton, and Beauty 
of Chiswick. No white Pelargonium yet excels Pearl ; 
it is still the gem of its colour. 
Lilium lancieolium punctatum.—M r. Groom ex¬ 
hibited twelve of these beautiful aristocratic-looking 
flowers. We never saw their pure white, turbaned 
flowers more beautifully bloomed. 
Fruit.—A. very few grapes, with one basket of 
Noblesse peaches, another of the Violette Hative nec¬ 
tarine, one of figs, and about a dozen pine apples, 
constituted the whole of the show in this department. 
There was one Lemon Queen pine, and that weighed 
4lbs. 6ozs., whilst the common queens ranged between 
3lbs. 10 ozs. and 5 lbs. 1 oz. They were well grown. 
EXTRACT FROM CORRESPONDENCE. 
Queen Wasps. —As this is now the full season for 
queen wasps, permit me to mention a very efficacious 
way of destroying them. Put a good percussion cap 
upon the nipple of an empty gun or strong pistol. 
Let the wasp settle, then bring the muzzle close up, 
and fire the cap; it will generally bring the insect 
down in a disabled state, doing little or no damage 
to the leaf or branch on which it is settled. If the 
locality is not of consequence, a pistol charge of loose 
powder will be still more efficacious. I need hardly 
inform you that the Pyracantlia has peculiar attrac¬ 
tions at this season for wasps. I have, this morning, 
killed the fourteenth olf of a plant at my door. If 
you could prevail on your readers more generally to 
plant this tree, and to watch for the wasps, which are 
certain to resort to them in the spring, these insects 
would soon be as scarce in this country as, fortunately 
now, is the hornet.— Clericus. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Chamomile in Turf {Beta). —We know of no other mode of 
destroying this weed than by cutting it down within the soil as often 
as it appears, and putting a spoonful of salt on the stump of the root. 
Slugs (XX.).—The cottager was quite right in his practice of get¬ 
ting up early in the morning to hand-pick the slugs from his crops : it 
is the best mode of keeping them under; but putting them into brine 
or lime, or crushing them with his foot, would have been a more 
speedy mode of destroying them. 
Mildew on Vine-lf.aves (F. W. Tillock). — If you burn sulphur 
and tobacco in your vinery you will kill every leaf and every grape, 
and yet not get rid of the fungus. In the case we mentioned at 
page 33, the mildew returned upon the new leaves. The leaves you 
have sent to us are very severely attacked; and, let us add, that 
we fear you aid the progress of the disease, by keeping the in¬ 
side of your house too damp, at least we judge so from the gross¬ 
ness of the leaves—that grossness, from whatever cause arising, 
promotes the growth of the mildew fungus. If the case was our 
own, we should pick off a good many leaves, selecting, of course, 
those most affected, and these we should burn. This would 
admit more light into the house, which is unfriendly to the growth 
of the fungus; and, for the same checking purpose, we should 
keep the air of the house dry. In a case so severe as yours, 
we would have every leaf thoroughly washed clear from the fungus 
by means of a sponge dipped in salt and water, four ounces to the 
gallon. Let this be done in the evening, and the next mofning have 
the whole well syringed with clear water. After this, an occasional 
syringing with salt and water, and then with clear water, as directed 
at p. 54, would probably keep down the disease. We have more 
confidence than ever in this treatment, having received a letter from 
a correspondent, in which is stated that it has been adopted for remov¬ 
ing the mildew from cucumber leaves with complete success. 
Strawberries ^ Working Man). —If the runners are strong the 
age of the parents producing them is of no consequence. Those who 
grow the finest strawberries never allow them to remain after the 
second year; the beds are then broken up and others formed in a 
different situation. We will here add that the grower of the finest 
strawberries we ever saw', trenches the ground for them full three feet 
deep, digging in with every spit as much rotten stable manure as can 
be worked in. His British Queens are red all over, having no ‘ green 
noses.’ The best time for making your beds will be August; and if 
your friend will then let you have his last year’s runners, from which 
he has nipped the blooms, if you move them carefully you will save a 
year. 
Antirrhinum Culture (C.).—Antirrhinums require to be sown 
in the spring, either thinly where they are to flower, or in a spare 
corner, to be transplanted when three or four inches high. They 
will grow in almost any soil. 
Hydrangeas (H ., a Subscriber). —These, you say, are only partly 
in leaf, but shoots are strong from the bottom. By all means cut 
down the old sticky stems, and if the roots are good the bottom 
shoots will flower in the autumn. 
LaurustinaS (Ibid). —Those planted last autumn are turned 
brown, either entirely or partially. Cut the brown tops off, or say 
the whole of the last growth; and after so much May rains they 
ought to shoot again from the old wood ; at least, be in no hurry with 
them ; we have seen them push after looking dead for some months. 
Camellias in Peat (H. C. Wells). —“ A good gardener near you 
pots them in very fine peat to be had near you;” by all means use 
the same; but in doing so, if they are in loam now, you ought to 
shake off as much of it as possible. Mr. Beaton says he has seen 
them grown in peat successfully in many parts of Scotland; but, 
knowing that certain kinds of peat is poison to them, he does not re¬ 
commend it. 
Abutilon Striatum (A Subscriber from the commencement ).— 
This is the name of the plant so misspelt by those from whom you 
bought it. It is of the same natural family as the hollyhock, as you 
