768 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
August 4, 1894. 
The Standard Manufacturing Company, St. 
Alkmund's Churchyard, Derby, have received the 
Royal Warrant of Appointment as Makers and Pur¬ 
veyors of Horticultural Implements and Appliances 
to Her Majesty the Queen. 
A Non-Poisonous Insecticide.—A Kentish firm of 
Hop and fruit growers have introduced what they 
claim to be a safe and inexpensive cure for red 
spider, fly, and other pests which affect the Hop 
plant. Another advantage is that it is quite harm¬ 
less to the Hops after picking. The wash may also 
be used on fruit trees, Roses, greenhouses, and other 
plants, &c., with excellent results. It is prepared at 
the rate of one gallon of the wash to loo gallons of 
cold water, with which it mixes freely. The new 
insecticide is called “ Spimo." 
Royal Horticultural Society.—At the Special General 
Meeting of this Society, held on the 24th ult., the 
following new Bye-law with the accompanying rider 
was adopted:—Bye-law iia—Any Fellow wishing 
to commute his annual subscription, may do so by 
making one payment of forty guineas in lieu of a 
£i\ 4s. annual subscription ; of twenty-five guineas 
in lieu of a £2 2s. annual subscription ; or of fifteen 
guineas in lieu of a is. annual subscription ; such 
commutation entitling the Fellow for life to all privi¬ 
leges of the corresponding annual subscription. 
Rider .—That it be an instruction to the Treasurer of 
the Society, that all monies paid as commutations of 
annual subscriptions, be invested, and the interest 
only of such monies be dealt with as part of the 
annual revenue of the Society. 
Railway Rates.—A crowded meeting of repre¬ 
sentatives from County Councils, Chambers of Com¬ 
merce and Agriculture, the Lancashire and Cheshire 
Conference, the Mansion House Committee, and 
other bodies was held on the 20th ult., at the 
Westminster Hotel, to consider whether the proposed 
modification of the railway companies to the 
Government Railway Rates Bill should be accepted. 
Sir James Whitehead, M.P., presided, and the pro¬ 
ceedings were conducted in private. The meeting 
empowered Sir James Whitehead, and those 
associated with him, to act as they might think best 
in the interests of the mercantile and agricultural 
community, and it was stated that if only the rail¬ 
way companies are reasonable there is a prospect of 
the Bill passing into law this Session. 
Lilium Horsmanni.—Mr. R. W. Wallace, of Col¬ 
chester, writes: "I think a few remarks as to the 
history of naming this lily are necessary after Mr. 
Wilson's letter on p. 743. It first flowered 
here in 1878, when the late Mr. Fred Horsman was 
associated with ‘ The New Plant and Bulb Co.' 
(a very few bulbs having been imported direct from 
Japan), and was named after him. It is described 
in the catalogue of that firm for 1879, and also named 
and described in Dr. Wallace's ‘ Notes on Lilies,’ 
page 161, second edition, published 1879. I do not 
know at what date Mr. Wilson received his L. 
Thunbergianum cruentum, but that variety was 
certificated by the R.H.S. in 1882. If this be the 
same plant as the L. Horsmanni, shown by me on 
July loth last, surely priority of name belongs to the 
late Mr. Horsman. It has always been a very scarce 
lily with us, and until quite recently we have had 
no stock, only an occasional straggler appearing 
amongst our importations." 
The Afforestation of the Dunes. —The planting of 
the Dunes between Ostend and Blankenberghe, says 
the Bulletin d'Arboriculture, continues regularly. The 
parliamentary documents accompanying the budget 
of agriculture for 1894 makes known that the 
afforestation commenced in October, 1888, actually 
spreads over fifty-six hectares of Dunes, of which 
two hectares are occupied by nurseries. The leafy 
plantations have been made in the rich or low parts; 
the plantations of Pines have been formed on the 
elevated parts. Amongst the leafy kinds the best 
results have been given by a species of Willow, the 
white Alder, various species of Poplar, the 
Sycamore, Quercus pedunculata and the Ash. 
Betw'een Wenduyneand Breedene,aroad fifteenyards 
wide has been established following the depressions 
and the curves of the Dunes. The road will offer, 
in a few years, a shady promenade, which will be 
much appreciated by the visitors of the Belgian 
watering towns. 
Black spined Cucumbers. —Time was, but long ago, 
and anterior to the introduction by the Messrs. 
Rollisson, of Tooting, of their spineless, non-glaucous 
Cucumber, Telegraph, which has held its own for so 
many years, when it was the fashion to consider a 
black spine, glaucous cucumber grown in a frame 
as the correct thing to send to a gentleman's table. 
With the advent of Telegraph, and its numerous 
subsequent selections, the fashion changed, and black 
spined Cucumbers became no longer asked for. It 
would seem, however, as if there might be a revival 
of the old fancy, for we learn from Messrs. Hurst & 
Son that last year they had several enquiries for seeds of 
agood, long, black-spined frame Cucumber. Natur¬ 
ally, they in turn set to work to find one, with the 
result that they have now under cultivation in their 
trial ground at Kelvedon, a long, handsome, deep 
green, well flavoured, and free cropping variety, that 
has black spines, but only a few of them. Any how 
it is a black-spined Cucumber, and the fact that such 
a thing is being asked for again is deserving of pass¬ 
ing notice. Can anyone tell us the exact date when 
Rollisson's Telegraph was sent out ? 
A New Insecticide.—The Massachusetts Experi¬ 
ment Station publishes an account of a new poison 
used in the place of Paris green. It is arsenate of 
lead, formed by mixing arsenate of soda in water, 
with acetate of lead. The mixture causes a chemical 
reaction, and the result is the formation of a very 
fine white powder (arsenate of lead), which is lighter 
than Paris green. It does not dissolve, but remains 
suspended in the water. The proper way to prepare 
it is to put I loz. of acetate of lead and 40/.of arsenate 
of soda in a hogshead containing 50 gallons of water. 
This is that is all necessary, although it is desirable to 
add two quarts of treacle, which will cause the mix¬ 
ture to stick better. A mixture of this strength 
makes an effective poison, and will not be easily 
washed off the trees. Prof. Fernald thus sums up 
the advantages of this mixture :—" It has the advan¬ 
tage of being readily seen on the leaves, so that one 
can tell at a glance which have and which have not 
been sprayed, which is often of great convenience. 
Another advantage is, that it is lighter than Paris 
green, and does not settle so quickly, and as a result 
it can be distributed more evenly over the foliage. 
Still another advantage is that it can be used in 
large proportions, if necessary, even up to 25 lbs. to 
150 gallons of water, without injury to the foliage. 
Many fruit-growers dislike Paris green, in conse¬ 
quence of its injury to the foliage. This is un¬ 
doubtedly because they use too large a proportion, 
or else becau.se they do not keep it properly 
stirred all the time they are using it. If they should 
use arsenate of lead, no such trouble will arise ; but, 
to secure an even distribution, this also should be 
kept constantly stirred ."—Mark Lane Express. 
OUR FRUIT CROPS. 
In the neighbourhood of Preston, as in many other 
districts, the frost on the night of the 20th to the 
2ist of May, made sad havoc of the fruit crops. 
The north easterly winds that prevailed for a fort¬ 
night before the frost well nigh destroyed the Apple 
blossom, and almost simultaneously there appeared 
a horde of caterpillar and greenfly, and the frost 
completed the work of destruction. Rain and sleet 
fell on the eve of each frosty night, so that the 4 
deg. and 6 deg. of frost were as destructive as 8 deg. 
or 12 deg. on a dry night. Pears were set and 
swelling and the frost did good in thinning some of 
those less advanced, for there are plenty left and on 
some of the trees far too many. Cherries were an 
average set, but they got so horribly blighted that 
the fruit in some instances was begrimed with the 
excreta of insects. Morrello Cherries are a good 
crop, and the trees clean. 
Our Gooseberries escaped the frost with very 
little loss and the crop is the heaviest I have seen 
for some years, but in other gardens they were hard 
hit, the berries having the appearance of being par¬ 
boiled. For many years past our Currant trees 
have been free from insect pests, not even a cater¬ 
pillar, but this year they have been so infested with 
greenfly that most of the leaves are now off the 
trees. There was an average crop. Strawberries 
suffered badly, and we have made the last picking 
to-day, (July 30th), except a batch of Latest of 
All, and what with the frost and the wet during the 
ripening season our crop was about one fourth, and 
the worst specimens I ever gathered here. I see 
some writers attribute it to the dry weather of last 
year. One half of ours were layered last year and 
planted by the end of the first week in August, and 
I am certain they never wanted for water, and at the 
present time they are as large as the two-year-old 
plants. There was a grand show of bloom, but the 
frost destroyed more than those really expanded 
which included all the largest fruit. Even Rasp¬ 
berries which I have not seen suffer from frost here 
before, were touched, and in some instances, the 
growth turned brown. Ours are not so bad, and 
there is a good average crop. 
The culture of the Peach and Nectarine has been 
well nigh abandoned here on the open walls as we 
have an abundance under glass with far less trouble 
and expense. The set of fruit was, however, heavy 
on the remnants of trees left, but they got so horribly 
blighted that it was not deemed worth while to 
expend time and insecticides upon them, for when 
this has been done the crop has been so mutilated 
by birds, insects, including wasps, and even rats 
have at times devoured them, this part of the garden 
not being enclosed. Indoor trees give no trouble in 
this respect, and I have not had occasion to fumigate 
any of the houses for the past ten years.—IF. P. R. 
Preston. 
-- 
ON PRUNING SHRUBS. 
I HAVE noticed in many instances serious errors 
committed by the inexperienced in pruning shrubs 
all over during the spring. In most gaidens, even 
though they may be of small dimensions, there are 
both evergreen and deciduous flowering shrubs. 
The former are, in most cases, cut back to the 
dimensions necessary during the spring season, or 
just when growth begins, and, generally speaking, 
this is suitable treatment, but we regret to see such 
a sacrifice of flowers made by using the knife too 
freely and indiscriminately, instead of waiting till 
the better time when flowering has ceased and 
growth is about to commence. 
Many shrubs may be cut back to the middle of 
July; thinning them by cutting out gross wood and 
allowing the shorter growths to develop. If the 
shrubs stand singly, regulating growth to keep the 
plants evenly balanced may be all that is necessary. 
Never in our recollection have we seen shrubs 
flower so freely as during this season. No doubt 
the excellent time for flower bud formation last year 
was conducive to this, Rhododendrons, Brooms, 
Spiraeas, Ribes, Cherries, Lilacs, Thorns, Azaleas, 
Staphyleas, Azaleas, Viburnums, and many others 
interspersed with purple Beeches, Retinosporas, 
Cupressus, etc., for foliage, and all being kept to the 
size desired by means of pruning branches and 
roots. 
Many growers and admirers of ornamental shrubs 
allow them to become interlaced, which in a few 
years destroys their beauty, the larger species 
smothering the smaller ones. Recently we were 
called upon by an amateur to see his collection of 
Rhododendrons, which were literally ruined by the 
neglect indicated, and grafted plants were in many 
cases gradually becoming extinct by the growths 
from the stocks being allowed to take precedence of 
the scions. While writing about shrubs I would be 
glad to receive your editorial opinion regarding the 
difference which defines trees from shrubs. Recently 
at a horticultural exhibition certain judges would 
class Coniferae, such as Cupressus and Retinosporas, 
as being correct in a class for a collection of shrubs 
only; while others objected on the ground that 
such Coniferae could be classed as trees only.— 
Stirling. 
[A tree is a woody plant that rises from the ground 
with a single stem, and as a general rule attains some 
considerable height. A Hawthorn is still a tree, 
however, though it may only be 10 ft. to 15 ft. in 
height, if it has a single stem. Most of the Conifers 
are trees in the strictest sense of the word, including 
Cupressus and Retinosporas, although they may be 
reduced to the form and stature of bushes to meet 
the conveniences and requirements of the cultivator. 
The common Juniper in a wild state is usually a 
bush or shrub, but under cultivation may assume 
the form of a tree.— Ed.] 
Hardy Ornamental Flowering Trees and Shrubs, by 
A. D. Webster. A valuable guide to planters of beautiful 
trees and shrubs for the adornment of parks and gardens. 
Price, 3s ; post free, 3s. 3d. Pnblisher, Gardening World, 
I, Clement's Inn, Strand, London, W.C, 
