50 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLODIST. 
[ Aphil, 
weatlierand protection,.a fair annual return for 
labour may bo reasonably expected. Defici¬ 
encies in crops are not always the result of 
inclement weather in the spring, for trees 
which have been exhausted by excessive bear¬ 
ing will not carry a crop the next year without 
great injuiy, let the weather be ever so 
favourable. 
We come now' to the Winter Pruning and 
general management during the dormant 
season, which may be commenced as soon as the 
foliage has- all fallen. Here let me recommend 
the cultivator to loosen the trees entirely from 
the wall every second or third year, the branches 
being tied together in bundles, to prevent their 
being injured by knocking about, and then to 
piaint the walls entirely over with a mixture 
composed of lime, sulphur, cla}', and soot or 
lamp-black, wdiich, when mixed together, will 
form a wash of a neutral tint, which is not 
offensive to the eye. This should be mixed 
up w'ith strong soapsuds to the consistency of 
rather thick wdiitewash, and worked w'ell into 
all nail-holes, cracks, and crevices. It will act 
as a preventive against the attacks of noxious 
vermin, by smothering them in their haunts ; 
but more especially will it be useful in destroy¬ 
ing the little patches of the eggs of the apricot 
moth (Fcedisca angusiioran<i), called also the 
narrow-winged red-bar moth, the larvae of 
wdiich roll up the young leaves in May, thus 
forming for themselves a home in close proxi¬ 
mity to the young fruits on wdiich they feed, 
and amongst which, if left undisturbed, they 
cause great havoc, as a fruit once pierced is sure 
to drop off, from inability to form a stone. 
I have been familiar with this little depre¬ 
dator now for half a century, during which 
time I have destroyed many thousands, at the 
winter and spring pruning, by merely rubbing 
with the face of the hammer the little patches 
of eggs, wdiich the female deposits on bright 
glazed portions of the bricks in the wall. So 
cunningly is this accomplished, that at a casual 
glance the little patch of eggs, about a quarter 
of an inch in diameter, appears to be merely a 
portion of the glaze on the surface of the 
brick; but once recognised, it is not likely to be 
mistaken afterwards, and, of course, should be 
ruthlessly rubbed out. The practice, therefore, 
of covering the whole surface of the wall wdth 
a thick pigment is certainly beneficial in many 
ways, and calculated to save much after- 
trouble. 
It is not always that glazed surfaces are to 
be found on brick walls, and in such cases the 
eggs will be found to be deposited on various 
parts of the branches of the trees, but only on 
the veiy smoothest of the surfaces. The safest 
practice is, after pruning, to take away all the 
cuttings and burn them, and after searching 
for, and gently scraping off, all patches easily 
discernible on the w'ood, to paint it all over 
with the same mixture used for the wall, to 
which for this purpose may with advantage be 
added a little soft-soap, mixed up with about 
half a gill of paraffin oil. This latter is a safe 
agent, and a certain destructive to insect exist¬ 
ence.— John Cox, Bedleaf. 
AKBUTUS HYBRID A. 
EW of our hardy evergreens are more 
useful or ornamental than the Arhutiis 
Unedo, or Strawberry-tree, so-called 
from its round scarlet berries, which, from their 
colour and granulated surface, bear no slight 
resemblance to the fruit of the Strawberry. 
The trees are not only pleasant-looking as ever¬ 
greens, and ornamental as fruit-bearing subjects, 
but they have the additional recommendation, 
that the panicles of w'axy flowers are to be seen 
on the plants at the same time as the ripened 
fruit, these flowers being the earnest of a crop 
in the ensuing autumn. The plants require to 
obtain some size and age before they produce 
fruit; but when once they do so, they bear 
abundantly. There are several slight varie¬ 
ties—seedling forms, no doubt—cultivated, 
but they do not differ very materially from 
each other. One which is called ruber has 
the flowers tinted with red, and Croomii is 
considered to be superior to the type. 
This Arbutus Unedo is usually considered a 
hardy evergreen. In very severe winters it may 
indeed get a little damaged, but if the situation 
be at all favourable, it is rarely killed, whilst 
in average seasons it passes unscathed. There 
are a few' other species in cultivation, such as 
A. Audracline, a very fine Eastern species, 
and A. procera^ a North-American species, 
both with larger and longer leaves than 
A. Unedo, which is found wild in Ireland. 
Another handsome sort is named A. hjbrida, 
which is probably, as its name indicates, of 
