February 11, 1888. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
381 
Peas and Beans. —Make a second sowing of these 
as soon as the nature of the soil and the state of the 
weather will permit, to succeed those already in the 
ground. Keep a watchful eye over the latter, as mice 
are apt to make inroads upon them should they discover 
their whereabouts. 
-*»*<-- 
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETIES, 
Preston and Fulwood Horticultural.— 
February ith. 
There was a good attendance of members at this 
meeting, which was presided over hv Mr. Alderman 
Galloway. The subject for discussion was “The 
Eucharis Mite, and How to Destroy it.” Mr. J. 
Atherton remarked that the subject was a very 
important one, not only to the gardener but also to his 
employer. They could hardly take up a horticultural 
paper but they read of the ravages of the Eucharis mite, 
and it not only attacked the Eucharis but other bulbous 
plants. Mr. E. Mackeller, Abney Hall, Cheadle, had 
written to the secretary to the effect that opinion was 
very much mixed on the Eucharis mite amongst 
gardeners. Some thought it was nothing of importance, 
while others dreaded it as an almost incurable disease. 
He had never had any trouble with the mite until last 
winter, and the plants attacked did not make any 
vigorous growth again until last August ; but now they 
were in splendid condition. He could well understand 
that the Eucharis, when grown in an unsuitable place, 
might not get sufficiently strong to throw off the mite. 
Mr. Samuel Heaton wrote that many suggestions had 
been thrown out as to the origin of the mite, and differ¬ 
ent methods had been adopted to annihilate the pest. 
He knew of persons who steeped the bulbs in hot and 
cold water, Tobacco water, and soot water, without any 
return for their labour ; while others steeped 
them in hot water first, then in soot water, and 
afterwards potted them and watered them with soot 
water. The pest seemed to be of very delicate con¬ 
struction, were of two kinds, and required a very 
watchful eye if they were to be eradicated. 
Mr. Roberts said he had had no actual experience of 
the Eucharis mite, but his respect for his gardening 
friends would not allow him to say that there was not 
such a thing. He had had some Eucharis plants in a 
bad state, and a friend had said that he had got the 
mite like other people, but, whether that was so or not, 
the plants got round all right, and he did nothing to 
them with the exception of a little top-dressiDg. In 
his opinion, the insects were more the effect then the 
cause of bad condition in plants. They only came 
when there was decayed matter to feed upon. They 
were the carrion crows of the bulb, and they were no 
more the cause of the bad state of a plant, than the 
carrion crow was the cause of the death of the carcase 
it fed upon. Mr. Troughton said he was much of the 
opinion of Mr. Roberts, and he had previously doubted 
whether there was such a thing as a Eucharis mite. 
But there was such a thing as a Eucharis mite, though 
no doubt in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred it was 
brought about by bad cultivation. Mr. Spelman 
remarked that he did not believe the Eucharis mite 
would develop itself if the plant were placed upon a 
trellis-work with hot-water pipes underneath. The 
following members also took part in the discussion :— 
Messrs. Williams, Waters, Thornber, Frisby, Weaving, 
Letts, and Swan. A Eucharis plant attacked with the 
mite was inspected with considerable interest by the 
aid of a microscope, through which the ravages of the 
little white creature could be distinctly observed. 
Fruit Growing and Railway Rates. 
Upon the table were exposed twelve plates of very choice 
Apples, of different kinds, which Mr. Roberts stated had 
been sent for inspection by a friend of his, Mr. J. S. 
Trevor, of Oswestry, who recently had a communication 
in one of the gardening papers upon the cultivation of 
Apples. When, Mr. Roberts added, they could produce 
such Apples as those the members saw before them in 
February, he did not think there was much need for 
Apples from America. In a communication ac¬ 
companying the fruit Mr. Trevor said :—“ These 
gardeners’ associations are, I am sure, of great benefit 
to gardeners, and are a great means by which all may 
improve themselves. If you should read my notes 
perhaps one or two suggestions on the extension of fruit 
culture may interest the members. It would greatly 
aid matters if railway companies would grant greater 
facilities in conveying fruit at a cheaper rate. There 
is no doubt about that, but if left till they grant this 
we may have to wait a long time. I am pleased to think 
that the Government are going to bring in a bill—the 
Railway Rates Bill—and I trust it will receive the con¬ 
sideration of the House which it deserves. I have known 
market gardeners who, after sending their fruit to large 
centres by rail after paying the rates, have received 
but very little to meet the expenses of growing and 
gathering, and in mauy instances the expenses have 
left them in a deficit, which you will admit is not very 
desirable. The trees here are very mossy, and I attri¬ 
bute that to the unusual amount of moisture w r e get in 
this county ; age is a secondary cause.” Mr Troughton 
said he believed there was a reaction setting in, so far as 
the fruit-growing interest of this country was concerned. 
Growers appeared to be going in for fewer sorts of Apples, 
but were growing much larger specimens than they did 
a few years ago. Personally he had hundreds of trees 
which came in for all seasons of the year, but the 
present demand was for much larger Apples than it used 
to be. But so long as they could grow Apples such as 
those upon the table they need not fear competition from 
America if the railway rates were only reduced so as to 
allow growers to get their produce expeditiously and 
cheaply to large market centres. Mr. Atherton ob¬ 
served that no doubt Mr. Tomlinson, the senior member 
for Preston, was doing good work in the action he was 
taking in the House of Commons with regard to the 
Railway and Canal Traffic Bill, and he hoped it would 
pass through the House all right, and prove of advantage 
to the fruit growers of this country, and to the country 
generally.__ 
THE WEATHER. 
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean 
reading of the barometer during the week ending 
February 4th was 29'78 ins.; the lowest was 29’08 ins. 
on Tuesday afternoon, and the highest 30’15 ins. at the 
end of the week. The mean temperature of the air 
was 33’7 deg., and 6'8 deg. below the average in the 
corresponding weeks of the twenty years ending 1868. 
The mean was considerably below the average on each 
of the first six days of the week, whereas it showed an 
excess on Saturday. The direction of the wind was 
variable, and the horizontal movement of the air 
averaged 12'17 miles per hour, which was 1'4 miles 
below the average in the corresponding weeks of six¬ 
teen years. Rain or melted snow was measured on 
three days of the week, to the aggregate amount of 
0'17 of an inch. The duration of registered bright 
sunshine in the week was 11T hours, against 12'6 
hours at Glynde Place, Lewes. 
-- 
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS. 
%*Speeial attention is paid to the colums of The 
Gardening World to the answering of questions on 
all subjects connected with practical horticulture, and 
the naming of Plants (other than Florist's Flowerss) and 
Fruits, in which department the Editor is assisted by 
gardeners and specialists of great experience. 
It is particularly requested that correspondents 
will favour us with their communications as early in 
the week as possible, and that they address them only 
to “The Editor.” ___ 
Orange Trees for Small House.— A. Morris: The most 
suitable kind for your small conservatory would be that named 
the Otaheite Orange. It will readily grow to the height of 3 ft. 
or 4 ft., but can be kept in small pots in a close and bushy state 
not exceeding 12 ins. in height. When well grown and furnished 
with fruit, plants of this size are very ornamental. They are so 
addicted to mealy bug, scale, and other pests, that to ensure a 
healthy condition they must be frequently sponged ; but if this 
is well attended to you will have no difficulty in growing this 
Orange, whose fruits range from the size of a marble to that of a 
pigeon’s egg. 
Night-soil. — R. S. : Night-soil if burned would lose most of 
the roperties for which it is valued, and whether burned or 
mixed with quicklime would lose all its nitrogen in the form of 
ammonia, as it would escape. It would be difficult to say what 
would be its composition after being burned, as it varies in 
different cases even before that operation ; but we should say 
that it would consist chiefly of mineral ingredients or ash. 
Before burning the following would be a fair average analysis:— 
Water 73'3, insoluble animal and vegetable remains 7, mucus 
and fatty products 14, bile 0'9, albumen 0'9, extractive matter 2'7, 
chloride of iodiura 0'309, sulphate of soda 0T55, carbonate of 
soda 0'201, phosphate of magnesia 0T55, and phosphate of 
lime 0'31. It might be mixed with powdered charcoal, charred 
peat or sifted ashes, which take away its bad smell, as well as 
add to its fertility. As a manure in this form it is very powerful, 
and should be used very carefully by mixing with a large 
quantity of soil. 
Forbidden Fruit. — H. Alexander: The name is generally and 
popularly applied to the Shaddock, a species of Orange. 
Pomelloes is the name generally given to the fruits in the 
market, and they are also known as Pampelmousse or Pompel- 
moose. The latter names are generally applied to the larger 
fruits of Citrus decumana, while Forbidden Fruit is more 
generally applied to the smaller ones. C. decumana is a native 
of India, from whence it was introduced to this country in 1724. 
It is now largely cultivated in the West Indies. 
Arbor-vita. — J. S. : The name is applied to several species of 
the genus Thuja, and not to any one in particular. The American 
Arbor-vit® is T. occidentalis, while the Chinese species is 
T. (Biota) orientalis, and the giant Arbor-vita; is T. gigantea, &c. 
The last-mentioned and the Chinese species are certainly by far 
the most ornamental for planting as isolated specimens, especially 
some of the choice varieties of the latter. 
Curious Plant from the East Indies.- Mountaineer: 
There is no doubt that the plant referred to in the paragraph given 
below, which you sent us, is Rafflesia Arnoldi, a gigantic and aris¬ 
tocratic parasite, native of Sumatra, and first discovered in 1818 
by Sir Stamford Raffles, Lady Raffles and Dr. Arnold, in com¬ 
pliment to whom the generic and specific names have been given. 
The first flower discovered was more fhan a yard in diameter. 
Although it has no leaves it bears no relation to a fungus, but is 
a degenerate form of some highly-developed and flower-producing 
ancestor, and is purely parasitical, because it does not contain 
or develop leaf-green in its tissues. The colour is more flesh- 
coloured or dull orange with creamy spots rather than red, and 
is structurally very different from a Water Lily. The whole 
flower weighed about 15 lbs. when fresh. 
“There is a flower which measures more than 2 ft. across. It 
is not a fairy tale, as you seem to fancy. It is found in the East 
Indies, but is rare there. It is by no means a pleasant flower, 
for it smells very disagreeably, and is more of the nature of a 
fungus, having no leaves. It often reaches 9 ft. in circumference, 
and is red, spotted with white, and something like a Water Lily 
in shape.” 
Fruit Trees.— Planter: The economy of planting Apple and 
Pear trees that have been grafted on the Paradise and Quince 
stocks respectively is that they come into bearing much sooner, 
can easily be kept in a small state, and by their rooting more 
shallowly, can be grown on poorer soils by surface feeding, such 
as mulching, than they can when grown on the Crab or ordinary 
Pear stock. Where an early return is not the desideratum, a 
heavier permanent crop and longer-lived trees can be obtained by 
planting standards grafted on the last-mentioned stocks. Healthy 
Pear trees continue to bear fruit freely until they are 100 to 150 
years old, and both Apples and Pears will come into full bearing 
as standards after they are ten or fifteen years old. 
Peach Tree Dying.— F. Green: It would be no advantage to 
remove the soil and apply fresh when the tree is old and declin¬ 
ing in the way you state. The excessive swelling at the graft is 
a sure sign that the tree is gone past recovery. If you con¬ 
template replacing the soil with fibry but partly-decayed turf 
from an old pasture, well and good ; but we should advise you 
to lose no time in planting a young tree, which may be allowed 
to come into bearing before removing the other if need be. 
Should you not be dependent on one house for a supply of fruit, 
then the entire structure may be re-planted without further loss 
of time. The trees are no doubt worked on the Plum, which is 
a very hardy stock, but grows more slowly than the Peach, 
hence the discrepancy in the swelling of the two stems. 
Luculia gratissima.— Thos. Leith: This magnificent con¬ 
servatory plant may be grown to great perfection, either in a 
large pot or planted out. Of course, in any case it is necessary 
to ensure perfect drainage. When the plants go out of flower 
prune them close back, as this ensures the production of strong 
rampant shoots, which should be encouraged in the growing 
season by a liberal supply of water at the roots, syringing over 
head twice a day in bright weather' to keep down insect pests. 
Maintain a moderately high temperature when the plants are in 
flower, merely to keep the atmosphere and the flowers dry. It 
is by no means a stove plant. 
Eupatorium Weinmannianum .—Fides: The plant you mention 
ii quite distinct from E. riparium, and is the tallest grower of 
the three most commonly grown species, without counting those 
that are generally known as Hebecliniums, which may be 
distinguished by their blue flowers. The two above mentioned, 
together with E. odoratum, have white flower-heads. The last 
mentioned has smooth, shining, somewhat leathery leaves, while 
those of E. riparium are long and narrow, but similar in colour 
and texture to those of E. Weinmannianum, the leaves of the 
latter being broad. There is no difficulty in distinguishing all 
three by this brief description. 
Tufa.— G. G.: Messrs. H. Buxton & Co.. Matlock, Bath. 
Berries in Market.— M. C. Bill: The small berry-like fruits 
you noticed are the fruits of the Cranberry (Yaceinium macro- 
carpum, sometimes called Oxycoccns macrocarpa), an American 
plant represented in this country by V. palustre. Both are 
equally useful for preserving, but the American one certainly 
bears the larger fruits, which come to this country in great 
quantities from Canada. V. palustre is the true British Cran¬ 
berry ; but we frequently hear of the tenants of an estate being 
allowed into the woods and forests on certain days during the 
year for the purpose of collecting Cranberries, which are in most 
cases really the fruits of V. Vitis-idea, another and closely allied 
plant. 
Cool Orchids.—W ill some reader say if the hardy Orchids, 
such as Cypripediura spectabile, &c., can be grown in pots ; and 
what soil they like ; and 'would it do better in a frame or out¬ 
door ; and what are the best cool Orchids to grow in a window ? 
Arthur. 
Names of Plants — R. Rhind: The two white-flowered 
Orchids are forms of Calanthe vestita, the yellow-eyed variety 
being C. vestita luteo-oculata, while the other is a pure white 
kind, with some red in the throat, but does not correspond 
exactly to C. v. rubro-oeulata. The rose-coloured flowers are 
those of Limatodes rosea, sometimes called Calanthe rosea. 
IV. Withers: Chimonanthus fragrans, bearing fruit. It is not 
often seen in this condition. 
Communications Received.— D. P. L. — S. & S.—G. G.— 
C. S. & Co.—J. C. & Co.—A. B.—IV. M.—R. H. M. 
-- 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
James Yates, 29, Little Underbank, Stockport.—Vegetable 
and Flower Seeds. 
John Watkins, Pomona Farm, Withington, near Hereford.— 
Seed Potatos, Hardy Fruit Trees, &c. 
