596 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
May 18, 1889. 
The Carnation Maggot. 
This pest committed sad havoc among the Carnation 
and Picotee plants last autumn, many collections 
having been almost destroyed by its ravages. Mr. 
John Ball, of the Royal Nurseries, Slcugh, being 
anxious to find out its origin, placed several maggots 
under a glass, and fed them on Carnation leaves. Last 
week a mosquito-like fly emerged from the chrysalis, 
specimens of which I enclose. Now the question arises 
cannot something be done to render the plants un¬ 
palatable to the fly, and so prevent it from depositing 
its eggs on the foliage of the plants ? Is dressing with 
soot or syringing with water in which Quassia chips 
has been boiled, and soft-soap dissolved likely to keep 
off the fly ? Will some competent authority kindly 
advise us in the matter ? There may be some who 
have already found a remedy for this evil, if so, will 
they come forward and give us the benefit of their 
experience, and so earn the everlasting gratitude of 
their less favoured brethren. Now is the time for 
action, as the plants are making rapid growth, and the 
fly will soon be at work again.— T. E. Henwood, 
Beading. [Serious losses were sustained last autumn 
by florists in widely different parts of the country, and 
as but little is known of the life history of the fly we 
shall be glad to receive any information on the subject. 
We should also be obliged for specimens of the maggot 
or of the perfect fly for identification.— Ed.] 
The Promise of the Carnation Bloom. 
Judging from what I have seen in several parts of the 
country, I should think there is so far a promise of an 
early and a good bloom also. When at Stakehill a 
few days ago I was surprised to see how forward Mr. 
Barlow’s plants were ; and I think they are the best 
lot I have seen in the Stakehill Gardens. They 
appeared to be well established in their pots, vigorous, 
clean, and throwing up strong blooming growths. 
Mr. Barlow pots early, and he is wise in doing so in 
such a late district. He uses a good compost, and if 
the season continues favourable, and the hopes enter¬ 
tained of the plants are fulfilled, Mr. Barlow should 
have something worth placing on the exhibition table 
in July and August next. 
I was at Reading a few days later, and found Mr. T. 
E. Henwood’s and Mr. Charles Phillip’s plants looking 
well also, and as these young growers always give a 
good account of themselves at the London and Oxford 
shows, there is no reason to suppose but that their 
prestige as successful growers will be maintained during 
the coming season. 
My own plants are so few in number—I cannot 
boast of more than forty pots—that I am diffident in 
saying anything about them, beyond the fact that they 
look well, and are making good headway. I hear 
good accounts from other growers, so I hope for a year 
for the Carnation that will enhance it still more in the 
estimation of lovers of flowers. 
Mr. E. S. Dodwell, who is pre-eminently thoughtful 
in the matter of small details of culture, says in his 
popular book on the Carnation, in reference to the 
cultural details for May, “Watch the weather carefully, 
and let there be no want of promptitude or ingenuity 
in accommodating the stocks to its vicissitudes. If 
cold and dull, be sparing in the use of the watering- 
pot ; if warm and dry, copious waterings may be 
needed. Watch for green-fly and every species of 
vermin, and destroy them immediately they are 
detected, cut off or otherwise clear away decayed 
foliage, and towards the middle of the month place the 
blooming-sticks to the plants. Stir the surface-soil 
frequently but carefully when dry, and never allow it 
to remain closed or hard, the result of heavy rains or 
repeated waterings.” Wire-worm is sometimes very 
troublesome, and as soon as a plant shows signs of 
decay—pretty sure indication that a wire-worm is at 
work at the roots—let a thorough search be made for 
the intruder, for if left in the soil, the remaining plants 
will most likely suffer also. 
In reference to green-fly, I found Mr. T. E. Henwood 
using Fir Tree Oil in a diluted form upon his collection 
at Reading. He was applying it by means of a small 
paint brush, painting over the affected parts, and he 
said it was the best green-fly destroyer he is able to 
employ. In regard to quite young seedlings in pans, 
Mr. Dodwell states that if these are affected by green¬ 
fly, the best plan is to dust strong snuff over them 
through a fine muslin bag.— B. D. 
A New Pink—Her Majesty. 
The flowers of a new Pink exhibited under this name 
at the Crystal Palace on Saturday last, and said to be 
a perpetual-flowering variety, are as large as those of a 
good Carnation, pure white, and sweet-scented. The 
petals are numerous and flat, or nearly so. A number 
of plants in pots, and about 1 ft. in height, together 
with a stand of cut blooms, were shown by Mr. Fred. 
Hooper, Widcombe Hill, Bath, and a First Class 
Certificate was awarded. A similar award was also 
made to it by the Floral Committee of the Royal 
Horticultural Society on Tuesday. 
Alpine Auriculas. 
In response to “R. D.,” I beg to say that where 
Auriculas are raised in quantity for cutting, a fair 
proportion of dark plum or purple seifs with white 
centre and shaded edgings, affords a contrast to the 
gold centres, and gives variety to a vase of these 
sweet flowers. There is evidently a correlation between 
the body-colour and centre. Purple and dark plum 
colours are associated with white and brimstone- 
coloured centres, and so are some shades of crimson. 
A very beautiful lake variety constantly reappears from 
seed with a white centre of irregular form, which spoils 
what would otherwise be a great acquisition. Some 
rich browns and crimsons as constantly display golden 
centres. A large proportion of seedlings should be 
raised from “King of Crimsons,” “ Diamond,” “Etna,” 
“ Mercury,” and Silvia to contrast with the “ George 
Lightbody ” type of purples, shaded blues and violets. 
I do not profess to teach “R. D.” anything about 
Auriculas. My wish is rather to furnish hints to 
intending growers, and to assist in popularising one of 
the sweetest, hardiest and most easily cultivated of 
spring flowers. Many people are deterred from growing 
Auriculas, because they are believed to require very 
special treatment, and, of course, if such floral gems as 
noted florists exhibit are required, the same or similar 
care and skill must be applied. But in these days of 
cut flowers, Auriculas of another stamp are wanted, 
with trusses of bloom which one can cut without a 
severe twinge as of suffering a minor amputation. I 
am strongly of opinion that there is a future for the 
Alpine Auricula as a reliable spring flower, either out 
of doors or under cover. If brought into late vineries 
or cool orchard houses about Christmas, a great 
quantity of bloom may be cut early in the season, and 
the plants would afterwards be available for planting 
out in rockeries or other suitable places, where some 
amount of bloom would appear in the autumn. I find 
the Alpine Auricula more hardy and persistent than 
any other of the Primulaceee. Where Polyanthuses 
are eaten up with red-spider the Auricula escapes, and 
it is less injured by severe frost and cutting winds than 
the Primrose. In sweet and well-drained soil, 
especially in a rockery, it will stand its ground and 
bloom for years either in grimy Sheffield or fog-afflicted 
London.— JV. B., Streatham Hill. 
New Tuberous Begonias. 
Claribel. —When they first expand the flowers of this 
variety are perfectly double, and exhibit two colours. 
The broad outer layer of petals are of a beautiful pink- 
white, the centre being white, but it is probable that 
they will become darker as the bloom becomes old. 
The petals are beautifully undulated, not too crowded, 
and the plant is of the narrow-leaved type. 
Stanstead Gem. —The double flowers in this case 
are made up of numerous small rosettes, not of a single 
one, as in Claribel; they are large, of a deep scarlet, 
and the petals are not deeply packed. The leaves are 
narrow, as in the B. boliviensis type. 
Duchess of Teck. —In this we have a large and 
double yellow flower of pleasing aspect. The rosette, 
so to speak, is like a bouquet made up of numerous 
small ones. The leaves are much broader than those 
already mentioned, deep green with paler veins, as 
if B. Pearcei had something to do in its production. 
All three were exhibited by Messrs. J. Laing & Sons, 
Forest Hill, at the great summer show at the Crystal 
Palace on Saturday last, and received First Class 
Certificates. The two last-named were also Certificated 
by the Floral Committee on Tuesday. 
H.P. Rose. Silver Queen. 
The flowers of this Rose, a sport from Queen of Queens, 
are of large size, almost globular, and very double. 
The petals are of a beautiful soft pink, and recurve at 
the margins in the same way as those of La France, 
but not to the same extent. The foliage is ample, deep 
green, and the leaflets broad. A standard specimen of 
it was shown by Messrs. Win. Paul & Son, Waltham 
Cross, at the last meeting of the Floral Committee of 
the Royal Horticultural Society, when a First Class 
Certificate was awarded to it. 
GARDENERS’ HOLIDAYS. 
Allow" me to thank you for your reply to “ A Constant 
Reader” in your last issue. You simplv put the 
matter in a nutshell, and anyone who can crack that 
nut and come to the same conclusion as “A Constant 
Reader” has very little fellow-feeling indeed. If 
gardeners are to be cited as working from daylight to 
dark in winter time, why omit masons and other trades 
equally as healthy as gardening, and much better 
paid ? All of these have Saturday afternoon and all 
public holidays. In my present situation we work ten 
hours a day all the year round, Saturdays excepted, 
when we cease work at four o’clock. I was once in a 
situation where we all stopped work at one o’clock, 
and I can assure you it was thoroughly appreciated. 
Of course, we took our turn on duty on Saturday after¬ 
noons and Sundays, and I am bound to say that the 
work in our garden was alwaj's as far advanced as in 
our neighbours’, where they worked for sixty hours a 
week. I will not attempt to deny that gardening is a 
healthy calling in some respects, but anyone who has 
been working under glass for a number of years, as I 
and a great many more of my brethren have to do, 
would be quite as grateful as any factory hand to get a 
breath of fresh air on a Saturday afternoon. There 
are too many employers who look upon gardeners as 
mere machines, to be continually kept in motion ; but 
even machinery needs lubricating occasionally, and 
what oil is to machinery so is rest to the wearied 
gardener. You knock the nail on the head beautifully 
when you ask who does the stoking, Sunday duty, &e.; 
I have sat up to one, two and three o’clock in the 
morning week after week in frosty weather, and even 
when in bed could not rest; and this is no solitary 
case, hundreds of gardeners I am certain could tell the 
same story. Let us hope, however, that the day is not 
far distant when we shall be treated with as much 
consideration as workmen employed in other and 
inferior branches of industry.— Teribns. 
I am sure the thanks of all gardeners are due to you for 
dispelling your correspondent’s erroneous idea that their 
profession is healthy. The changes of temperature 
that gardeners undergo have been the partial ruin of 
many a young man’s health, as I myself can testify. 
If Sunday work and night duty were out of the question 
we should not grumble much about holidays. But 
when one has to get up at 5 a.m. on Sundays, and 
frequently not finishing at 5 p.m., after a hot day 
(most factory hands get the whole of Sundays), I think 
your correspondent will agree with me that our 
occupation is not quite so healthy as she thinks it to 
be, and that we do deserve a holiday now and then.— 
A. Sadler, Westbury, Wilts. 
This subject is one which is rarely discussed or even 
commented upon in the horticultural press, nevertheless 
it is not an unimportant one, especially as it affects 
young gardeners. Your just and timely review of some 
of the difficulties connected with our profession, by way 
of correcting the wrong impression of “A Constant 
Reader,” will be read with much interest, and it need 
hardly be said will be highly appreciated. The case 
was not over-drawn in the least. There are grievances 
in this as in other professions or trades, and not 
one of the least are the lengthy hours which young 
gardeners have to work. It is about the rule that, 
when light, the day be from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., but with 
many the day is not finished even then. Those on 
duty have to attend to the stoking and the regulation 
of temperatures, which in ordinary weather prolongs 
the days three or four hours, while in winter it is a 
severe time indeed, involving many hours in the night 
necessarily wearying and arduous. Much of this is of 
course a necessity, because if plants must live, means 
to that end must be maintained. Then, as mentioned 
in the editorial comment, there is the high temperature 
to work in, which is prejudicial in its effects in so 
many cases, also Sunday duty—no small item in itself. 
This by no means exhausts the list, but enough has 
been said to show that if any body of workers deserve 
an occasional holiday it is the gardeners. How 
often is it the case that when the young members 
solicit a well-earned diversion or holiday, the request 
is met by a point-blank refusal, or else it is reluctantly 
and grudgingly given. There are establishments where 
a better state of things exists, and such is a recognised 
boon. It is hardly to be expected that a systematic 
course of holidays is within reach of us yet, but many 
will wish it not to be deferred to the “dim and 
distant ” future. Granted that horticulture has its 
advantages, it is no argument why a known dis¬ 
advantage may not be partially or effectively remedied. 
— F. B. S. 
