THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND 
that, too, with the utmost anxiety and watchfulness, ever in 
doubt and fear, and having a constant knowledge of his extreme 
liability to fail, after having used every exertion. 
We have now passed (we may suppose) through the worst 
ordeal of this long winter; but it is still a matter of lottery, 
whether we may not yet have another “ killing frost ” to damp 
our hopes and kill our fruits. The Apricots are finely bloomed 
this year; but I find that although we have plenty of fruit set 
well, that the very cold, drying, harsh winds have made many of I 
the young fruit abortive. Pears promise magnificently, as also 
do Plums and Apples. Strawberries have been much injured by 
the winter, and will, probably, in many places, be an indifferent j 
crop. Young plants of this fruit have suffered most. The j 
Gooseberry-buds have been much thinned by the devastations of 
myriads of hungry birds, from which the severe winter had taken 
the supplies of other food. 
On this day (April 29th) we have the first symptoms of spring 
weather : we have a most powerful sun, and a most vivifying 
atmosphere, at a temperature of 55°. Under such influences, if 
continued, drooping vegetation will soon revive, and the heart of 
man will rejoice. 
In the flower garden there is much beauty to anticipate, and 
from the backwardness of vegetation we may expect a concen¬ 
tration of floral effect. OurRibes, double Furze, scarlet Thorns, 
Spiraeas, and Rhododendrons, must all be later by a month than 
is usual, and this will probably do much in deferring the gaiety 
of the garden to the summer months. 
To the planter of beds in masses a most exciting time is coming. 
In another fortnight he will commence the planting out of his 
varied tribes of tender plants, and a most anxious time this will 
be for him. If he has the good fortune to escape those late 
visitations of spring frosts, great supervision and care will be 
necessary, in order to make everything prosper. 
We may look forward during the ensuing season to the proving 
of many interesting plants for the flower garden. One of the 
lions of the day is the Spergula pilifera, and from all I have 
tried, or can collect information of, I do not think that this will 
succeed as a general lawn plant. It may do for small plots or 
terraces, or such situations, but will never become a substitute 
for extensive grass lawns. It does, indeed, require much caution 
and foresight in the present day, not to be allured too much by 
the specious character of the productions which are so ingeniously 
offered for our patronage, and which almost carry conviction 
“ against our will.” 
The culture of the beautiful Diantlius sent out by Messrs. 
Carter and Henderson, will form a striking feature in our flower 
gardens, and so will the beautiful and elegant species of gra¬ 
mineous plants furnished by the same parties. Added to these we 
have to enumerate the Mauve Yerbeua, Gazania splendens, and 
the Geraniums which our friend Mr. Beaton is constantly routing 
out. The varieties of Troprcolums, too, are most useful additions, 
which will amply repay for cultivation. While the new classes 
of Gourds and Squashes form a most interesting, useful, and 
ornamental class of quite novel plants. 
Although the past winter of 1859-60 has been an unusually 
severe and destructive one, it has been characterised by a remark¬ 
able want of sun, and lias been most unfavourable for all things 
which have been forced. To prove this, we need but refer to 
Covent Garden Market, and note the prices of Strawberries there. 
In the vegetable department we have a clear course to pursue; 
we have now little, or none, of last year’s crops remaining, and 
all has to be provided afresh. Let us then set-to with redoubled 
energy; let us plant and sow with diligence, and ondoavour to 
secure crops with moderate luxuriance. Various little facts have 
come under our observation during the past soason, let us turn 
them to account, and deduce useful inferences from them. Let 
us endeavour to be provided for every contingency. Let us 
foresee that it is better to be armed to meet evil, than to have 
it come upon us unawares. Henby Bailey, Nuneham. 
MOVING EVERGREEN OAKS AND PORTUGAL 
LAURELS IN MAY. 
Assuming that you were obliged to remove evergreen Oaks, and 
Portugal and common Laurels at this very unseasonable time, 
how would you do it ? And having done it, would you put dry 
—that is, dead litter about the roots on the surface of the soil?— 
A Constant Subscriber. 
[Evergreen Oaks and Portugal Laurels are the two most difR- 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, May 8, 1860. 83 
cult evergreens to move in May. The utmost care in taking 
them up, and in watering in the soil among the roots as they arc 
planted, then well mulched on the surface, and watered over t he 
mulching once a-week or ten days, and plying the garden-engine 
often over the leaves and branches, are all that can be done; but 
even then there are ten chances to one against them.] 
LUMINOUS INSECT. 
Can any of your correspondents inform me what insect it can 
be which is itself luminous, and leaves phosphorescence in its 
track, not being a glow-worm ? A few evenings since I observed 
it in a saucer of Calceolaria cuttings in my greenhouse. It was 
small, and moved rapidly ; but I could not catch it. The phos¬ 
phoric light was very vivid, and lasted nearly a minute after the 
insect had passed over the surface.—W. 
[We have no doubt that the insect above mentioned was the 
Scolopenclra (or Geophiltts) electrica (one of the family of the 
centipedes), often found in damp earth. We believe that, it is 
chiefly during pairing time the luminosity is most vividly deve¬ 
loped.—W.] 
MILDEWED VINES AT CHIPPENHAM. 
It was a short time before the close of a lovely autumnal day 
in the year 1858 that I first walked down the walk on the south 
side of this garden, which is the one that leads to the vinery; 
the proprietor at the same time telling me there was something 
very uncommon there to be seen. I, of course, should at once 
have made up my mind to see a first-rate house of Grapes had he 
not before told me that he had not had a bunch the year before ; 
neither was there a bunch there or had staid there to ripen that 
year. What in the world, then, could thero be there, I thought, 
to be so very uncommon to see ? Well, I was not kept a very 
great length of time in suspense; for on the instant that we 
entered the doorway thero it was to be seen visible enough ; yes, 
and in one of the most glaring garbs that it was possible for 
mildew, that ravager of the Vine, to appear in. 
Here, then, was a house with nine Vines in it, seven of which 
were planted five years before the above date, and the other two 
three years later, and arranged in the house as follows :—No. 1 , 
at the eastern end of the house, White Muscadine; 2, 3, 4, and 5, 
Black Hamburgh; 6, West’s St. Peter's; 7, Barbadoes; 8, Black 
Hamburgh ; and 9, Black Cluster. Under the name of the first 
(no feather in the man’s cap that supplied them), but was this 
year on its extra day, the 29th of February, inarched with the 
Golden Hamburgh, which it is driving up the rafter in a most 
beautiful manner, as strong and luxuriant as any one can desire 
it to be. 
But now back again to 1858, in June of which strong symptoms 
were seen. In July it was worse; and iu August every leaf, also 
every bunch of fruit, by the ravages of that swift-legged fungus 
called mildew, was totally destroyed. Every Vine had been 
thoroughly sulphured, quantities had also been burned there, 
hours of time wasted in attending to them, and all to no purpose : 
therefore the only way to get the canes into a thoroughly healthy 
state again was to cut them back close to the ground. “Did I 
not think the same ?” was the question to me. My answer to 
which was “ Certainly not.” It was what he, the proprietor, 
had been advised to do the year before ; and he further added, 
that, unless he could see them more promising than they were 
then, ho could see not the least chance of their over getting into 
a healthy state again but through the mode above described. 
The first thing that I wanted then to ascertain was how the 
border w T as prepared. “ Oh, everything there is all right, for 
that every inch of it was done according to the directions and 
under the eye of Mr. Spencer, of Bowoocl Gardens.” “ How far 
did this border extend, and what depths were the Vines planted ?” 
was my next question ; but this could not be answered. Well, I 
had it in my mincl that the mischief was at the root, and that 
[ that was the root of the mischief, which is clearly proved since to 
i the satisfaction of both the proprietor and myself. 
Here was a chance open that I had been wishing for for some 
| time. The temptation was too great to resist; therefore I at 
once accepted the service, and also promised for the safety of the 
fruit for last, which was the following, year, 1859, provided 1 
was allowed to treat them at the root as I thought was best, 
which I could not do without throwing that part of the garden 
into confusion for some time, which was consented to at once; 
