142 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ September, 
from being frozen, without anything whatever to 
throw off the rains and melting snow. 
— £n reference to the introduction of the 
Phylloxera, Mr. C. V. Eiley, the American 
State entomologist, writes in the American 
Naturalist: —“ I strongly believe that the insect was 
originally introduced into Europe from America in 
the ‘ winter-egg’ state upon cuttings. I would say, 
therefore, to those countries desirous of defending 
themselves from this scourge, that all danger is re¬ 
moved when Vines and all parts of Vines from in¬ 
fested countries are kept out. With such prohibi¬ 
tion, all requirements are met, and all legislation 
that goes beyond this must necessarily be hurtful to 
general industry; while the prohibition of traffic in 
American Vines in countries where the Grape 
Phylloxera is known to already occur can have no 
useful end, and may be detrimental. That the rarity 
with which the impregnated egg is found above 
ground greatly reduces the chances of Phylloxera 
introduction by cuttings is true, but in a country 
desiring protection from such a scourge the remotest 
chance should not be risked. Mr. Bush is wrong in 
supposing that this egg may not occur on one-year 
canes. I have found it upon such, and it may even 
occur upon the dried leaf where, in all probability, 
it is destined to perish. While, therefore, I believe 
that the laws cannot be too stringent in preventing 
the introduction and use of Grape Vines in any 
living condition into a non-infected from an infected 
country, it is equally true that there is no danger in 
the mere passage through such a country of such 
Vines or cuttings. These are necessarily boxed, 
and can only be safely and properly shipped during 
the cold or non-growing season, when the egg is 
dormant, so that there is a practical impossibility 
of the introduction of the insect by the mere passage 
whether of Vines or cuttings.” 
-— Writing of Wallflowers in the Gar¬ 
deners Chronicle, especially in reference to the 
high death-rate amongst them during the past 
winter and spring, Mr. Horsefield, of Heytesbury, 
states his belief that nine-tenths of them may be 
traced to two causes :—1, Sowing the seed too early; 
2, growing the plants afterwards in too rich a soil. 
To give force to this statement, he adds that he 
annually plants out in beds and borders from 3,000 to 
4,000, and on looking over his stock this spring, did 
not find more than a dozen dead ones. His modus 
operandi consists of sowing the seed about the 
middle of May, and in pricking out the young plants, 
when large enough, in rows 9 in. apart each way, in 
the poorest soil obtainable, in which they remain 
till the end of October, when they are transplanted 
to the places where they are required to flower. 
— ®he Annual Exhibition of the National 
Carnation and Picotee Society (Northern 
Division) took place on August 24th, in connec¬ 
tion with the great International Exhibition, in the 
Botanical Gardens, Old Trafford, Manchester. We 
intend to publish a report of the show in our next 
issue. 
— 2The pretty Daphne Fioniana, which 
hears a profusion of charming rosy flowers, 
deliciously perfumed, is one of the best hardy 
Daphnes in cultivation. The flowers are closely 
clustered at the cuds of the branches, and their 
perfume is most agreeable and powerful. The plant 
was formerly known under the name of D. versail- 
lense, having been the result of a cross between D. 
Cneorum and D. collina effected by M. Fion, whose 
name it now bears. It is usually, says the Journal 
of Horticulture, grafted on one of the common 
species, such as D. Mezereum or D. pontica, and 
dwarf, compact plants are readily obtained, which 
flower freely during the early spring months. 
— 0kiE following plan of growing Tomatos 
for the Million, as followed by Mr. Hepper? 
at Mr. Hawkins’ Nursery, Haver Green, Ealing, 
has recently been mentioned in the Gardeners’ 
Chronicle. In a span-roofed house 216 feet in length 
there are growing 400 plants, 200 on each side, 
planted in a bed of soil resting on somewhat narrow 
wooden and slate shelves. The house is warmed 
solely by solar heat. The plants, which represent a 
good type of the Large Red Tomato, were raised 
from seed in March, and planted out at the latter 
part of April, Layers of turf were first laid on the 
shelves, and on this was placed'a compost formed of 
good fibry loam and dung, in which the Tomatos 
were planted. They are trained straight up to the 
roof, and the laterals are kept thinned out. As soon 
as the fruits begin to show signs of colouring, they 
are picked off and ripened on shelves. One remark¬ 
able feature of the plants is their short-jointed 
growth. Mr. Hepper calculates there are eight 
joints to the yard, and that the plants, after thin¬ 
ning, average eighteen fruit to the foot-run—such 
fruit, too, large, symmetrical, and highly coloured. 
The shelves are narrow, and the depth of soil 
scarcely exceeds 6 in.; as the roots find their way to 
the surface, a little fresh soil is added, and copious 
waterings are given. The bunches are thinned out 
to about nine fruits by removing all the malformed 
ones. With constant attention and careful cropping, 
Mr. Hepper hopes to gather fruit up to Christmas. 
There arc also four smaller span-roofed houses 
planted in beds for later crops, the plants being 
similarly trained. These houses give another 500 
plants, and it is believed each plant will produce on 
an average fifty fruits. With such productiveness, 
good Tomatos should be within easy reach of the 
million. 
— ®he culture of Cool Orchids is hardly 
yet understood generally. It is now a good 
many years since the first experiments were 
made at the York nurseries of submitting some few 
kinds of Orchids out-of-doors fully exposed to the 
open air in the summer. Many people have sup¬ 
posed that this kind of treatment was simply an 
experiment, tried to see what some of the hardier 
kinds would bear without destruction; but if they 
were to see the rows of Lcelia majalis and Epiden- 
drum erubescens stood out to make their growth as 
soon as the danger from frosty nights is past, until 
there is a chance of the same chill visitant in the 
autumn, they would be of a different opinion. The 
Lselias consist of immense specimens, with from 200 
to 500 bulbs each, growing on blocks of wood ; they 
are hung in a double row to a couple of rails about 
1 foot or 15 inches high, fastened to posts driven 
into the ground, in the full blazing sun, drenched with 
water in hot weather three or four times a day. 
Here they make their growth, and that growth 
much stronger than ever they will under glass. The 
stock of Epidendrum erubescens is in pots stood on 
the ground at the north end of one of the big houses. 
— fHESSRS. Carter and Co.’s new dwarf 
Trop^iolum Empress of India ranks far ahead 
of anything of the kind which has previously 
been known. The plant is of dwarf compact habit, 
