September 28, 1889. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
57 
not only to be self-supporting, but to make it a 
financial success. 
We have had our grumble, for which I thank the 
originator most heartily. He has given us a peg on 
which to hang our little differences. We have been 
able to exchange ideas which may after consideration 
prove highly beneficial to the objects of the institution, 
and tend to join and cement the union and good fellow¬ 
ship of airCarnation growers.— W. W. 
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OUR FRIENDS THE BIRDS. 
In your issue of the 7th inst. there is a note from Mr. 
Gaut, telling of the good done by the Titmouse or Black¬ 
cap in destroying the larvie of the Celery fly. 
Fortunately I am not troubled with the Celery fly here, 
therefore I am not indebted to the birds on that score, 
but from what I know of the habits of the tomtits, I am 
very pleased to have the opportunity, along with such 
an able and intelligent observer as Mr. Gaut, of saying 
a few words on behalf of one of the liveliest and 
prettiest of our resident birds. There are several species 
of tits, only two of which really frequent gardens, the one 
bud as the “wormi’ the bud” that is the great attraction 
for Tom.— JVm. Keith, Boghead, Bardens, K. B. 
Mr. Gaut asks if no one has a word to say in favour 
of the- titmouse, and I accept the challenge. I have 
watched them several times lately amongst the Chry¬ 
santhemums, and they fly from one shoot to another, 
devouring every green-fly they come across. I have left 
it to them to keep the plants clean ; they have done 
the work splendidly, and I hope they will find plenty 
of good food and a warm shelter during the coming 
winter. 
Your correspondent, “J. H. G. H.,” says he is 
thinking of putting wire netting over flats of Goose¬ 
berries and Raspberries to keep the birds off the fruit. 
I don’t think he will bo much in pocket over the 
experiment, if he takes into consideration the number 
of caterpillars, green-fly, slugs, &c., the birds destroy 
for him in the spring. My plan, when I can get it 
done, is to stretch a wire on poles 6 ft. or 7 ft. high, 
and throw over a good net ; there is plenty of room for a 
man to go under and gather the fruit without disturbing 
these two, I endorse all Mr. Gaut’s remarks. The 
Celery-fly larvie are not troublesome here ; but the 
small birds have done incalculable good in destroying 
aphis and other insect pests, which the gardener is 
continually battling against. —J. S. T. 
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THE LILIES AT HEATHERBANK. 
Lilium speciosum (lancifolium) is now out in its full 
beauty—rubrum, roseurn and album. These being the 
last of the garden Lilies the season will soon be over, 
and the time has come for my usual note on what it 
has been with us. Most species of Lilies have been 
unusually fine ; I suppose the warm dry season has 
suited them. L. Brownii was especially fine, one 
clump had twenty-three flowers out at once, the stems 
all about the same height, and some with three blooms. 
L. Hansoni was very strong, our highest stem was 6 ft. 
1 in.; L. Szovitzianum fine as usual, L. tenuifolium 
about the average, L. candidum simplex in some 
positions very good, in others it failed. L. Humboldtii 
was much finer than usual ; L. pardalinum and its 
varieties very fine and jielding more seed than usual. 
Best Types of egetables :—A, Long Carrot, Matchless and New Intermediate Type. B, Short-horn Carrot, Scarlet Model. C, Early 
Carrot, French Forcing. D, Round Potato, Chiswick Favourite. E, Medium Kidney Potato. 
referred to by Mr. Gaut, and the Blue Tit or Oxeye. 
The habits of both birds are very nearly alike, their 
food consisting of insects, larvie, buds and seeds of 
various kinds. Although very well aware of the havoc 
a few pairs of these birds will work on a row of Peas, 
still I am convinced that the evil is more than counter¬ 
balanced by the good they do. 
Yery many years ago, a very keen and painstaking 
ornithologist here, made the following observations 
relative to the feeding of the young of the blue tit :— 
At half-past three o’clock on a July morning, the parent 
birds started to feed their young, which were six in 
number, and from that time until half-past eight 
o’clock at night they fed incessantly, sometimes 
visiting their nest forty-six times in an hour. The food 
appeared solely to consist of caterpillars, sometimes one 
large one being brought in, and at other times two or 
three small ones. On one day they fed in the aggregate 
475 times, so that anyone can imagine the services 
rendered to the gardener by a few pairs of tits, merely 
in the nesting season. The tomtit is blamed for being 
so very destructive to buds, consequently is ruthlessly 
shot down ; but after all it is perhaps not so much the 
the net. As soon as the fruit is all gathered, and the 
net is dry enough, I fold it up and put it away until 
the next season. If the birds do by chance get under 
the net, or get a little fruit before the net is put over, 
I consider they are only taking what is due to them, 
and are very poorly paid indeed at the price.— A. B. I)., 
Durham. 
Mr. Gaut pleads the cause of the small birds, and I 
too would like to say a word on their behalf, for 
although at times they are rather troublesome, yet the 
benefit derived from their onslaughts on insect life 
generally far outweighs the trifling damage done to 
fruit and flowers. There are two birds on which I 
cannot bestow any praise—namely, the wood-pigeon 
and the blackbird. The former is very destructive 
during frosty or snowy weather, when at such times it 
will clear everything green to be found. The black¬ 
birds, when in numbers, are, in my opinion, the 
greatest pest to the gardener. They attack fruit of all 
kinds, and this season with me have been a great 
nuisance, especially so now, when they peck the 
ripening Apples and Pears. With the exception of 
L. giganteum was average, but its small relative, L. cor- 
difolium, in a good many positions was especially fine 
and seeding freely. L. Martagon dalmaticum, of several 
shades of colour, was fine ; L. tigrinum Fortunei, 
splendens, flore pleno, and jucundum, were average, L. 
Batemanniae and L. Leichtlinii fair. L. Parryi was 
not good, I evidently have not yet the right place for 
it. L. polyphyllum was average. L. superbum in 
different situations were all especially fine ; I never 
realised its full beauty so much before, and it seemed 
to strike the visitors to the garden very much. It cer¬ 
tainly is a most graceful Lily, and with its stems from 
8 ft. to 9 ft. (our highest was 9 ft. 9 ins ), waving in 
the gentle breeze that finds its way into our wood, with 
the green background of the trees was certainly very 
beautiful. The flowers vary much in colouring and 
size, and it has seeded much more freely than usual. 
The season being early, owing to the warm summer, 
has exactly suited L. speciosum. In the coolest and 
shadiest positions it is already fully out, and the flowers 
are unusually fine. L. auratum and varieties have 
been fine. We had at Wisley a plant of L. auratum 
macranthum, of which the base of the stem, carefully 
