218 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
Dec. 6th, 1884. 
The Ecklinville Apple.— In the autumn of 
1880 we planted two dozen standard Apple-trees, of 
distinct varieties, in a well-sheltered plot of old 
pasture ground, rather high, but having a gentle fall 
to the west. The land being poor, with a sandy 
subsoil, we made good-sized circular holes, throwing 
out the sand, and carted in some strong yellow loam 
from a distance for a layer below, and some fresh soil 
from an edge-row that was being knocked down, to plant 
the trees in. They were maiden trees, with shoots 
only about a foot in length, and were not cut in at 
all. The early summer months of 1881 being very 
dry, they made but little growth, but in the following 
year they did well, and in 1883 many of them bore a 
few fruits, enough to enable us to prove their correct¬ 
ness as to names. The Ecklinville produced nearly a 
peck of full-sized fruits, and the tree was quite a 
picture to look at. During the past season, too, the tree 
beat all the others in carrying a good crop of fruit, in 
spite of the terrible, dry, scorching weather. It is a 
good-sized, handsome, early culinary Apple, being fit 
for use in September and October, with the good 
qualities of being an early and a free bearer. The 
Golden Pippin is also an early-bearing Apple, much 
appreciated for the dessert. These young trees get 
more interesting every year. They are not cut in 
annually, but are left to themselves. The growths 
that produce the fruits are two years old, that is to 
say, the fruits produced this year are on the shoots 
made in 1882, and the extended growths of 1883 have 
now got plump buds that will produce blossoms next 
year, 1885, and prove again how unwise it is to cut in 
the growths of the current year annually.— T. W., 
North Norfolk. 
A Remedy for Mealy - Bug in Vineries.— 
It has been my fortune, or should I not rather 
say my misfortune, to be placed in three different 
establishments where mealy - bug existed on the 
vines, and until within the last two years my 
efforts to eradicate it were, I am sorry to say, 
of but little avail. In the earlier part of my garden¬ 
ing career the only thing done for the destruction 
of the bug, or I should say, the only thing applied 
with that end in view was that unnatural and some¬ 
times ruinous practice of scraping off all the old bark 
with a blunt knife, and painting with a mixture of 
cow manure, soot, soft soap, sulphur, and tobacco 
juice, with clay added sometimes to give body, and 
occasionally lime to make it a lighter colour. Some¬ 
times Gishurst Compound was used in the place of soft 
soap, but in small quantities. I have seen this mixture 
modified by mixing size with it, with a view of sealing 
the insects in, so that they should not escape. All 
this, I am sorry to say, was done, but not with the good 
results that were anticipated, for when autumn came 
the pests were as numerous as before. 
My next trial with this pest on vines was with 
paraffin and soft soap, applied with an engine or a 
syringe to the foliage before the leaves dropped. This 
plan I gave a fair trial, determined if possible to kill 
or cure, but neither result followed. Those who have 
had any experience with mealy-bug are aware that the 
Grapes keep badly when affected, and my case was no 
exception to the rule, so that about the latter part of 
September we cut all the Grapes that were then hanging 
and bottled them, and placed them in a room best 
calculated to keep them as long as possible. After 
getting in a supply of soft soap and paraffin, we set to 
work with each and all of the vineries by using 4 ozs. 
of soft soap and 2 ozs. of paraffin to each gallon of water. 
The whole of the water was taken from the expansion 
box of one of the boilers, and was as hot as one could 
bear one’s hand in, and in each of these vineries, 24 ft. 
to 30 ft. long, we used sixty gallons of water, mixed as 
above described, and applied with all the force which 
two men could muster. This was repeated twice a 
week, and care was taken to throw plenty of straw on 
the inside borders. We next pealed off all the rough 
bark, the better to enable us to find the insects in their 
lurking places, and the washing was again repeated 
several times—some eight or nine times in all. After 
this ordeal, which I felt nothing in the shape of an 
insect could pass through, the next autumn the mealy¬ 
bug was almost as troublesome as ever. 
That same autumn I was recommended by a friend 
to try gas tar and clay. I was told that it was a safe 
and certain remedy, and to apply it in the proportion 
of two parts of the latter to one of the former. I 
determined to give it a trial at once, and forthwith 
looked out a vine-rod or two that could well be spared, 
as also a pot vine or two. These we painted with the 
mixture as above recommended, the eyes, young wood, 
and every part of them. The whole of these vines 
broke but little the worse for their dressing, and I was 
satisfied that I could use the mixture more extensively. 
Well, as the paraffin and soft soap mixture proved 
a failure during the following summer and autumn, 
and as the gas tar and clay prescription had been 
brought still more to the front by Mr. Murray, the 
gardener at Culzean Castle, Maybole, I determined to 
give it a thorough trial, and as I had the previous 
spring and summer seen its effects I had no fear of any 
harm resulting from its use. The only question now 
at issue was, would it prove an effectual cure ? There 
was no alternative but to try, and I am happy to say 
the result was all that we could wish—a perfect remedy 
without injury to the vines. The usual practice of 
removing the very roughest of the bark was followed, 
but no knife was used; the vines then received a 
good washing, as also the roof and stages, also the 
glass, the latter three with paraffin and soap very 
strong. The walls were then coloured, the pipes 
painted, and the tar and clay applied as recommended 
above. To those who have still this dreaded pest I 
would say, Lose no time in applying this remedy.— 
Chas. Warden, Clarendon, Salisbury. 
The King of the Pippins Apple.—Your North 
Norfolk correspondent says if he could only grow one 
variety of Apple he would select the King of Pippins. 
Where this Apple comes to maturity it certainly is a most 
valuable kind,—but north of the Midlands it is not so 
valuable as a dessert fruit; though always useful 
because of its free-bearing habit, I never knew' healthy 
trees fail in producing crops in quantity. In Essex, 
Suffolk, Worcester, Wilts, and Somerset, the King of 
the Pippins does grandly, growing to a useful size, 
and bright yellow in colour, with streaks of red on the 
side exposed to the sun. Once I had a row of trees 
W'hich bore fruits of very second-rate quality, being 
green, cracked, and acid. The cold northerly position 
was against them, but the bottom roots being in inert 
soil were cut clean off, a firm bottom of plaster 
rubbish was placed under the trees, and a good coating 
of rotten manure liberally supplied to the surface, in 
which, in course of time, the roots became matted. 
The tree made short stiff growdh, and the fruit always 
assumed a yellowish colour, with red streaks next the 
sun, and every year were loaded wdth Apples.— M, 
Temple. 
Gooseberries for Exhibition.—I should be 
very much obliged if some of your readers would give 
me a few hints on the cultivation of Gooseberries for 
exhibition. I should like to be informed how many 
berries are usually shown on a plate? Which are 
the best sorts to grow ? the best time to plant them ? 
and how they should be subsequently treated.— 
Constant Reader. 
The Irish Peach Apple.—We have a pyramid 
tree worked on one of the dwarfing stocks which bears 
a crop annually, being in a very sheltered place. The 
fruits are of medium size, nicely coloured on the 
sunny side, and of a juicy sweet flavour. It is very 
useful for the dessert in August, and is a variety that 
the wasps will find out, if very plentiful, and they are 
not bad judges.— T. W., North Norfolk. 
Osmtjnda pauustris. —This charming greenhouse 
fern is strangely enough seldom seen in private collec¬ 
tions. Its habit is unique when grown in small pots 
for vase work, and it is so much hardier than Adian- 
tums and other kinds, that it would be a most suit¬ 
able variety to grow largely for vase work in winter. 
To have this and other ferns in proper condition for 
winter, they ought through the autumn to be kept on 
the cool side, and have more light and air than 
plants that are simply intended to ornament a glass 
structure. 
Seasonable Work in the Plant-houses.—We 
are now in the last month of the year, and owing to 
the unusually fine weather we have had this autumn 
there may remain some work to be done which usually 
gets attention before this time. As the new year 
brings in so much work of importance, nothing should 
now be left that can be done in the way of cleansing 
plants and putting things in general order. The 
stock of bedding plants will require looking to, and 
in any case where the stock is short, they should 
have a little extra encouragement. Lobelias are 
much better grown from cuttings than seedlings, and 
where extra large plants for box-work, &c., are required 
a batch of cuttings should be put in at once. 
Verbenas, if a few good cuttings can be got now, and 
rooted, will make good plants to get stock from 
in the spring, and will give cleaner and better cuttings 
than older plants will provide. Alternantheras keep 
best through the winter, if they can be placed on a 
shelf in a warm house. A little attention to these 
now will often save a lot of trouble later on, especially 
where a large stock is required. 
-—*<- 
Tree Carnations.—Where these a-? required 
exclusively for giving a supply of cut-bloom during 
the winter months, it will be found better to rely on a 
few of the most distinct varieties rather than to grow 
a number of sorts. The following will be found to 
include all the most desirable colours, and all are 
remarkably floriferous;—Andalusia, pale yellow, 
flowers large, full, and beautifully fimbriated ; Laura, 
this is similar to the above, except in colour, which 
is pale pink or flesh; Lucifer, very bright scarlet; 
L’Hermoine, pure white; Belle Bose, very pink, very 
free; La Zouave, soft pink; Miss Joliffe, pale flesh. 
Good plants of the above varieties cannot fail to give 
satisfaction.— H. 
-,*<- 
Pompon Chrysanthemum Yal d’O .—From 
Messrs. John Laing & Co. we have received some cut 
blooms of this new variety, which were bright and 
fresh on the 2nd of December, when a good many 
of the other sorts were over. It is a dense compact 
little flower with imbricated petals; and citron-yellow 
in colour. It has good stout foliage, is a free bloomer, 
and seems to us to be well worth commending to the 
notice of growers. 
Schizostylis coccinea. — It is only those who 
have grown this Iridaceous plant that can have any 
idea of its usefulness, as besides having brilliant 
Gladiolus-like flowers (which it bears on long spikes), 
it comes naturally into bloom during the winter, when 
a few pots of it do much to embellish a house, and 
are specially valuable for vase decoration, as the 
flowers dress well with others and stand long in water. 
What adds to its value is, that the plants are hardy, 
and they may therefore be grown by anyone, but 
though the blossoms open outdoors, they generally 
get damaged and pinched through being so late, and 
are only seen at their best under glass. The way to 
start with them is to get a packet of seed and sow it 
in heat early in the year, when it will soon germinate 
and show leaflets like gi-ass, and as soon as the plants 
are large enough to handle, they should be singled 
out and potted triangularly three in a pot, and then 
plunged in a hot bed, or stood in any warm house or 
frame, to give them a fresh start and keep them 
steadily on. Towards the end of May or beginning of 
June, they will be ready for shifting again, and may 
then be placed in 7-in. pots, which will be quite large 
enough for them to remain in and bloom. The soil 
best adapted for them is loam and peat, or leaf-soil 
and the former, as they like it light and rich, and 
when so favoured, their roots can ramify freely and 
the plants make strong crowns that send up plenty of 
flowers. Instead of growing them in pots, some plant 
their Schizostylis out, and it is a good plan, as 
when so managed they require little attention during 
the summer, and in the autumn they lift readily with 
an abundance of roots, and may then be potted and 
placed in frames to be drawn from when wanted for 
