524 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
April 19, 1890. 
fairly started into growth, perhaps an inch or two 
high. The most successful lot I ever saw planted was 
nothing short of 9 ins. high when placed in the soil. 
It was planted in the usual way, and watered heavily 
(the weather being dry), and it never even flagged. 
The best way to plant Asparagus is to cut a sloping 
trench on each side of the line, leaving a saddle-shaped 
ridge, on which place the plants, spreading the roots 
carefully and uniformly on either side, at the same time 
drawing the soil carefully over, leaving the crown about 
J in. below the surface, merely covered, and giving all 
a light mulching. I have used Mushroom-bed dung 
for this, well pounded before applying, as also leaf- 
soil drawn through a rough sieve ; in short, anything 
that is light and open will do. Many do not mulch 
at planting, but I place great confidence in this, as it 
keeps all equable, and assists the surface roots. In 
lifting Asparagus for planting, the greatest care must 
be exercised, as if the roots are mutilated in any 
way, they do not heal up again very readily, if at all. 
Care should also be taken to select a quiet, mild day 
for the operation, as they are very impatient of air 
about the roots ; and the young spongioles are so 
easily dried up that this should receive the greatest 
attention, even going the length of keeping the basket 
the plants are placed in closely matted over. A pail 
with a little water in it, slightly warm, in which to 
place the plants, is, of all others, the most commend¬ 
able plan. I sow a bed or two annually where it is to 
remain, and thin the plants to equal distances, leaving 
them at the first thinning about 6 ins. apart, and when 
all is safe, thinning to about 2 ft. apart. The rows 
are from 2 ft. to 2-i ft. apart. I think this preferable 
to sowing in nursery lines and transplanting when one 
or two years old, as is the custom with some—and even 
with good cultivators. By the latter method the 
check, consequent on lifting, is serious, whereas the 
former obviates all risk, and moreover economises time ; 
no mean consideration in these times of spare hands. 
It is needless to say Asparagus must have a rich, deep 
soil and liberal cultivation. An application of salt at 
dressing time in spring, and frequent doses of liquid 
manure in the growing season, will assist very materially 
in the production of good Asparagus.— J. Proctor, 
Glenfinart, N.B. 
-—M&C-- 
MEALY-BUG AND ITS ERADI- 
' CATION.* 
The chairman at the last meeting of the society, when 
announcing that Mr. Glasscock would read a paper on 
mealy-bug, expressed a hope that he would deal with 
the subject of its extermination. “So many,” said 
Mr. Glasscock, “have tried hard to do this, and 
having failed in their attempts, have given up all hope 
of getting rid of it, and been content to keep it within 
bounds as best they may. I myself had a long and 
unbroken intimacy with the pest till recent years, and 
the fact of having succeeded in ridding our houses of 
the plague is my apology for fixing upon a somewhat 
stale subject. I have sometimes heard a wish expressed 
that tobacco-smoke would kill the bug. Now it may 
be news to some that it can be killed by smoke, and as 
everything connected with this subject is of interest to 
those who have the misfortune to be too intimately 
acquainted with it, I will briefly state how it can be 
done. Take good strong tobacco-paper, and saturate 
it with urine. Then dry it, repeat this process several 
times, and fumigate with it. This is a desperate and 
offensive process, and should never be attempted where 
there are any plants with tender foliage ; but should I 
ever have the misfortune to take charge of Vineries in¬ 
fested with bug, I would, after the fruit was gathered, 
resort to it as a preliminary measure, for a good strong 
dose of this will bring them down by thousands, 
when care should be taken to thoroughly cleanse 
the stages and flooring after each smoking. This 
would be useful in thinning the bug, but must 
not be depended upon alone, for like an occasional 
application of any of the insecticides in use, it will 
prove only a palliative. I would, however, undertake 
to rid any stove or vinery of the pest, provided the 
owners would meet the necessary outlay for labour. 
This I contend, as a matter of £ s.d., would be greatly 
to their interest to incur, as the amount of money paid 
for insecticides and labour to keep this pest under in 
some establishments is considerable, and a very un¬ 
necessary expense, but if once the bug is strenuously 
battled with and eradicated the cost incurred in the 
process would soon be saved. This, at least, is my 
experience, and in proportion to the gain effected the 
* Abstract of a paper read at a meeting of the Croydon Gar¬ 
deners’ Society, on April 15, by Mr.W. B. Glasscock, Shirley Park. 
outlay is comparatively small. I took the mealy-bug 
vigorously in hand during the winter of 1878, and in 
three months from the commencement of operations 
not a bug could be found, neither has there been any 
in the place, except what has been imported with 
plants bought in. 
“ Our collection of stove plants is a limited one, but 
the measures taken are as applicable to large collections 
as to small ones. It is only a question of degree. We 
had enough to show that it was a sheer impossibility 
to keep it within bounds during the summer months, 
and so resolved to have a go at it with a view to its 
eradication, which, when accomplished, led to a yearly 
saving in labour of at least £10. It is quite true that, 
in common with very many more, I have only a certain 
amount of help ; and so some might perchance argue 
that after all the money is not saved, yet all those who 
have had this pest to contend with will see that the 
employer must get the benefit, because of the time set 
free to attend to other duties. 
“ In a short notice in the first edition of Johnson’s Cot¬ 
tage Gardeners' Dictionary, it says if this pest is attacked 
the moment it makes its appearance, it may usually be 
avoided. I go a step further, and say that in our own 
experience it is the only insect which can be extermi¬ 
nated from our hot-houses, no matter how badly they 
are infested with it. I have never found it in stronger 
force upon Stephanotis, Eucharis, and Gardenias, than 
it was on the plants we had when I took charge of them 
at Shirley, and I would undertake its extermination 
from any collection of plants within three months, 
provided the necessary labour was afforded for the work. 
I lay particular stress on the words necessary labour, 
because in most instances where there is much bug, the 
ordinary staff on the place is not sufficient to battle 
successfully with the enemy. It may be there are 
enough hands if they could be continuously spared for 
the work, but other duties will be constantly calling 
them away, and while this is taking place, the bug is 
travelling from plant to plant. This is the main cause 
of failure in efforts that are made to exterminate this 
foe. Plants undergo to all appearances a thorough 
cleansing, so that no one at the time can detect a 
single insect, on which after a day or two the most 
casual observer will find them. A common explanation 
of this is that some ova has been left behind, and 
hatched out since. This, no doubt, is often the case, 
but I believe that from sparsity of hands, this 
washing is far too slow a process to be effectual in 
eradicating the bug, which often travels from dirty 
plants to those already washed, and so baffles the 
attempts of the plantsman to get rid of it. 
“It is essential to wash all the plants in the house 
within the shortest space of time, and, at the least, 
sufficient force should be put into a house to go over 
every plant within four days, and the most unremitting 
attention be given to the business all the time a bug 
can be detected. It is better to spend three hours in 
finding one than three minutes in killing a hundred. 
Our first care on entering a house, to clear it of bug, 
would be the soft-wooded plants, which are easily pro¬ 
pagated, to work up a young stock in a separate 
structure, taking care to have clean cuttings, and to 
throw the old plants away. This would lessen the 
labour considerably. Next, the climbers, if there are 
any, on the rafters ; these I would cut back to the 
fullest extent, consistent with the safety of the plants. 
Then lay all plants in pots on their sides and apply 
the garden engine, or syringe, to the roof, and after¬ 
wards on the plants below. This done, give the 
staging pots and flooring a thorough washing, and 
remove an inch or so of soil from all the borders 
there are in the house, carting it some distance 
away. Then re-arrange the plants and commence 
washing them, doing the work as expeditiously 
as possible, consistent with thoroughness, and keep 
them constantly looked over until the sharpest eyes 
cannot find one. "We used nothing but water and soft 
soap. The soap is useful in the first washing to remove 
other dirt, but certainly not indispensable. At what¬ 
ever cost for labour, every plant must be frequently 
and rigidly examined all the time a single insect can 
be found. In our case, a plant of Hoya bella was the 
last plant on which we found it, and we frequently 
spent half-an-hour looking over this particular plant. 
I cannot now say exactly what the cost of labour was, 
but I think that I am quite within the mark in 
estimating it at £5. 
“ Where there are large collections of stove plants, a 
special house or pit should be devoted to the reception 
of all fresh plants brought into the place, where they 
could be kept in quarantine for two or three weeks, be 
frequently examined, and not placed among the general 
collection till after the utmost scrutiny they can be 
pronounced clean. I have had it badly on Cucumbers, 
and where this happens it is far better to do without 
them for a time than harbour this pest for a minute. 
I have not advocated the use of any insecticide, because, 
in this instance, it is quite unnecessary ; but may 
say that methylated spirit, benzoline, or, in fact, any 
oil or spirit will kill the bug if applied with a camel- 
hair pencil or spray distributor. Like many other 
preparations sold for the purpose, they are useful in 
keeping the pest in check, but to the best of my know¬ 
ledge and experience it will never be eradicated by the 
use of any of them alone. Time and labour must be 
incurred, as I have advocated.” 
-►»*<-.- 
ARDENING 
ISCELLANY 
—-f-— 
Magnolia conspicua. 
I send you some blooms of Magnolia conspicua taken 
from a tree growing in this village, and which measures 
as follows:—Height, 11 ft. ; spread of branches, 23 ft. 
It is entirely unprotected, has been for three weeks, 
and still is, a mass of flowers, and the admiration of all 
who have seen it. The present owner tells me it was 
planted about fifty years ago; and I should be 
pleased if any of your practical readers can advise me 
as to the best mode and time of propagating it.— 
W. J. Dale, The Gardens, Walbiirton House, Arundel, 
Sussex. 
Gardeners’ Associations. 
Having read the remarks of your correspondent, 
“A. W.,” on this interesting subject, I shall only take 
up one point raised therein, viz., his remarks concerning 
Essays, because I am a total disbeliever in the affiliation 
scheme, especially as applied to the R. H. S. Regard¬ 
ing competitions for prizes at these associations, 
“A. W.” says the purpose of these is not to disclose 
what knowledge of gardening each individual may 
possess. Then, I would ask, for what purpose are they 
instituted ? Your correspondent thinks books of refer¬ 
ence are the salvation of the whole scheme.' Supposing 
this argument to be admissible, and I maintain it is 
not, would one out of a hundred of the competitors 
ever give the source of the information which would 
lead them to stand well in the honours list ? I sincerely 
hope that “A. 'VV.’s” remarks on this point will carry 
no weight with your readers. — W. 
Pimelea spectabilis. 
Like other New Holland plants, the subject under 
notice receives comparatively little attention since the 
encouragement for shrubby greenhouse plants at exhi¬ 
bitions began to decline. For ordinary decorative 
purposes space cannot be afforded for large plants in 
most establishments ; but even here Pimelea spectabilis 
might prove useful in a small state, and afford a pleasing 
variation from the ordinary run of soft-wooded plants 
so largely used in conservatories at the present day. 
The plant ultimately attains a height of 3 ft. or 4 ft., 
but satisfactory plants not exceeding a foot in height 
can be obtained by occasional propagation, and by 
annually cutting the plants back after they have done 
flowering. Under such treatment the plants form 
dwarf, twiggy, and leafy bushes, each shoot terminating 
in a globose head of pale pink Bouvardia-like flowers. 
We noted recently some nice dwarf plants in the nursery 
of Messrs. B. S. Williams & Son, Upper Holloway 7 . 
Variegated Cornish Moneywort. 
Manx cultivators experience a difficulty in cultivating 
Sibthorpia europtea variegata simply because they grow 
it in unsuitable houses, and do not study its natural 
requirements. In a state of nature it grows in shady 
positions where the moisture is always trickling dowu 
the rocks, or oozing through the soil, so that it is 
always well supplied with moisture. This is the reason 
why it fails in the comparatively dry atmospheres of 
greenhouses and conservatories. The margins of the 
leaves under those conditions, and especially of the 
variegated variety, soon assume a brown appearance 
and become unsightly. To be successfully grown in 
the houses it must be covered with a handlight or bell- 
glass. The best position for it, however, is a cool 
Orchid house or cool fernery, where the plants may be 
grown upon the stages without any accessory means of 
retaining the moisture. The slender trailing stems 
droop over the sides of the pot or pan in which they 
are grown, and the small, orbicular, light green leaves, 
