594 
May 20, 1893, 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
RETENTIVE SOILS. 
Rarely have we had a spring season which so 
thoroughly tested the retentive nature of soils as the 
present one. Happily all deep rooting things, such 
as trees, have suffered little. The test has rather 
been with surface, fruit, and vegetable crops, and 
these suffer just as the soil on which they are grow¬ 
ing has been shallow worked. It is very difficult 
indeed to impress upon all who cultivate soil the 
absolute need there is for deep working. It is need¬ 
ful to keep on reiterating the old and familiar truth 
that soil constitutes both a reservoir of food and of 
moisture, but that such stores are available only for 
plant sustenance the wider the doors are open to 
them by trenching or other form of cultivation. 
The man who cultivates an acre of ground 12 in. 
in depth cannot understand how it is that his 
neighbour who trenches two feet in depth secures 
such abundant crops, but he forgets that his neigh¬ 
bour is cropping nearly twice his own area, if not 
superficially at least vertically. But even the best 
supplies of plant food may be inoperative without 
moisture, and that has long now been the case with 
surface manurings. On the other hand, manures 
buried down in the well worked and fertilised sub¬ 
soil are there in the moisture which exists, giving up 
to roots that have gone down in search of it ample 
stores of food, so that the crops are making almost 
luxuriant growth, whilst those on shallow worked 
soils are starving. 
We must regard deep cultivating the soil as the 
very A B C of horticulture, the foundation on 
which is later to be erected the structure of success. 
All the scientific or chemical knowledge in the 
world is mere folly as compared with the common- 
sense practical knowledge found in deep cultivation. 
Given that, tlfen all the rest may be added with 
advantage.— A. D. 
- - I«- 
VIOLAS FROM HAWICK. 
A large boxful of Viola blooms in bewildering 
number has reached us from Mr. John Forbes, 
the Buccleuch Nurseries, Hawick. All the leading 
types were represented in a great variety of forms 
with exception of the miniature types which included 
Violetta only. 
Yellow. 
Bullion we must give the front place, on account of 
its rich golden yellow’ hue and free flowering pro¬ 
pensities. In the same way, but larger, is Mary 
Gilbert, and Eynsford Gem is also larger but paler. 
A number of the yellow’s may be classed together 
for their rich golden hue, but they are all charac¬ 
terised by heavy brownish black rays or even 
blotches. Amongst the rayed ones are Wemyss 
Gold, neat but small; Royalty, heavier rays ; Gold- 
finder, medium size and handsome ; Yellow Gem, 
pale yellow’; Wonder, a useful, erect growing and 
neat yellow ; George Corbett, in the way of Ardwell 
Gem ; and Daldowie Yellow, rather shaded with slate 
colour on the back to be choice. Canary is one of 
the most distinct on account of its long, slender, 
branching rays. Some of the medium-sized yellows 
have one to three black blotches at the base of the 
lower petals, including Sovereign, Brilliant, and 
Oriflamme, the first two being best. Several of the 
large sulphur yellows have heavy black lines round 
the eye as in Abercorn Gem, Sulphurea, and Seed¬ 
ling No. 4. Cheftain differs by having long slender 
rays, and Warden by having blotches. Goldfinch 
and Duchess of Fife are very choice, but too well 
known to call for comment. Flowers of the latter 
were sent for Ardwell Gem, but this must have been 
an oversight or a sport. Rob Roy may be placed 
here, as the three lower petals are golden yellow and 
the upper ones mahogany except the edges. Jacka¬ 
napes has the whole of the upper petals of a deep 
mahogany. 
White. 
Countess of Hopetoun, in our opinion, should take 
the first rank in its class ; but we are surprised to 
see it producing about nine short rays round the 
eye. Miss Kinnear, at this stage at least, is much in 
the same way as the last named. Several others 
have darker and more decided violet rays, including 
Jeffrey's White, Lady Polwarth, Mrs. John Clark, 
creamy white,.and Mount Blanc, a neat little flower 
and fragrant. Buccleuch Gem is very pure, but has 
also numerous, long, slender, violet rays. Neatness is 
almost sulphur-coloured, with long rays, and Beauty 
is too indistinctly shaded with blue at the margin. 
Pilrig Park and Mrs. Langtry have three violet 
blotches, the latter being the best. Marchioness of 
Tweeddale is delicately shaded with lavender at 
present. 
Blue. 
Max Kolb and Archibald Grant are two of the 
finest large dark blues we have, but for- utility as 
bedders, floriferousness, and continuous flowering 
we should give Holyrood and Beauty of Chipping 
Norton the preference, both of which have, of 
course, much smaller flowers. Astern, on the other 
hand, is much larger, and the upper petals are 
shaded purple. Lottie is a large but clearer 
blue flower. Startler is a dark ultramarine 
blue, but the colour is too much run to our taste. 
Blue Bell is still a popular and well-known flower. 
Souvenir, Diana, Formosa, and Distinction are sorts 
in the way of the old Blue King, but lighter in colour 
with more pronounced blotches in some cases as in 
Distinction. Lilacina is a light-coloured, old and 
free flowering sort. At present Ariel is of an intense 
sky blue, with a white eye, but later on it will 
become almost white, in the south at least. Duchess 
of Sutherland is also dark, but will soon change to 
a delicate and charming lavender shade. 
Purple. 
Acme and John Morrison are amongst the largest 
and finest of the intense purple varieties but we are 
doubtful if they flower so freely as some of the 
smaller kinds. Aurora is smaller but shaded with 
blue and black round the eye. Meta seems a good 
clear purple. Le Grand resembles Aurora consider¬ 
ably but is much larger. Duchess of Albany is blue 
purple, shaded white at the edges. Bronze Queen is 
much overlaid with bronzy maroon on a purple 
ground, but Favourite is larger and deep bronzy over 
a great part of the centre. 
Variegated Flow’ers. 
We have now a host of parti-coloured flowers of all 
shades and suitable to meet various tastes. The 
Countess of Kintore will represent a class with blue 
or purple centres and white upper petals. Neptune 
is also most floriferous but smaller, as is Hugh 
Ainslie. The Mearns is a large purple flower shaded 
with white on the upper petals and very choice in its 
way. Clouded Gem is blue purple, shaded white on 
the upper petals and Mrs. H. Bellamy is more 
decided in both colours. Magpie is an old and well- 
known sort. Mrs. Forbes is distinct from either, 
being deep purple shaded in centre with white and 
ultramarine blue. Blue Cloud is the well-known white 
with a heavy ultramarine blue border. Mrs. Hood has 
a broader but paler shading, and we should think is 
sportive. Rainbow differs from Blue Cloud in having 
a broad purple margin to the upper petals only and 
the rest blue. The upper petals of Joy are heavily 
blotched with purple. Gipsy Queen and Columbine 
are well-known old sorts of light hue. Moonlight 
shows a curious mixture and is getting well known. 
The buff purple border of Peter Barr is hardly yet 
in its true character. Dawn of Day is a beautifully 
shaded flower, sky blue, lavender and white, but the 
plant is very troublesome to cultivate. Miss Nisbet 
is a curious flower heavily shaded with bronzy buff 
on a yellow ground, giving the whole a livid appear¬ 
ance. H. M. Stanley is very sportive and flaked 
with dark and light purple. Something in the way 
of the last is Duke of Albany, but splashed with a 
white shading. Dorothy Tennant is rosy purple 
shaded with white on all the petals. A white variety 
was also sent under the last name but this must 
surely be a mistake. It resembled Purity very much. 
- ~i - 
INSECTS ON FRUIT 
TREES. 
The Board of Agriculture being advised that cater¬ 
pillars and other insects are now present in numbers 
on fruit trees, consider it desirable to republish 
information with regard to remedial measures to be 
taken against them, which have at various times 
been suggested in particular cases. 
Upon examination of fruit trees, and especially 
Apple and Damson trees, it will be seen that many 
caterpillars are at work eating the forming fruit and 
the leaves. 
The caterpillars at first are greyish, and so small 
as to escape notice unless attention is specially 
directed to them, but they can be found in alarming 
numbers in many orchards and fruit plantations, 
and it is most important that steps should be taken 
at once to check their progress. 
In their later stages the caterpillars are light 
green, and nearly three-quarters of an inch long. 
First .—It should be noted that syringing the trees 
infested with caterpillars has proved advantageous 
in many places in previous seasons ; it has been 
more particularly useful in respect of Plums, 
Damsons, and small Apple trees. The large old 
Apple trees are beyond the reach of ordinary garden 
engines used for this purpose, and it is only in Hop¬ 
growing districts where Hop-washing machines are 
generally used that the systematic syringing of large 
standard trees has been adopted. These machines 
can be moved about easily enough in orchards. In 
plantations, with fruit bushes under the standards, 
it is more difficult to move them about and to get 
the supplies of liquid brought through the thick 
undergrowth. 
The mixtures to be employed for syringing fruit 
trees are :— 
1. The extract of 10 lbs. of quassia—obtained by 
boiling quassia in water—to 100 gallons of w’ater and 
ylbs. of soft soap. 
2. The extract of 5 lbs. of quassia, to 100 gallons 
of water, with 61 bs. of soft soap and 4 pints of 
paraffin, well stirred. 
3. The extract of ylbs. of quassia to 100 gallons 
of water, with 61 bs. of soft soap and 4 pints of Cal¬ 
vert’s carbolic acid, No. 5. 
4. 8 lbs of soft soap and 2 lbs., of finely-ground 
hellebore, and a quart of paraffin, boiled, and well 
stirred together. This is sufficient for 100 gallons of 
water. 
The soft soap is dissolved in a tub with hot water. 
The quassia chips are boiled in water and put into 
another tub. Where paraffin is used it should be 
well stirred up with boiling soap and w’ater before 
it is mixed with the cold water. Water carts, 
ordinary barrels, or wine casks, set upon frames with 
wheels, should be brought full of water to where the 
materials are being prepared, either at the farm 
buildings or in an extemporised shed with a copper 
in it, and the requisite amount of dissolved soap and 
other ingredients added. The Eclair and other 
similar hand machines can be used for small Apple 
trees, Plum and Damson trees, and for Filbert anij 
Cob nut trees, which are also badly infested. 
It is important that syringing should be done at 
once, as to be effective it must be commenced early. 
Directly there are signs of infestation the processs 
should be begun. As the hatching out of caterpillars 
is not simultaneous, but is extended over some days, 
the syringings must be renewed. 
Secondly .—Some fruit growers in several parts of 
the country have tried the arsenical insecticides 
used extensively in the United States and Canada. 
These have not been generally adopted in this 
country on account of their poisonous properties. 
The time has now arrived when they should be fully 
tried. 
There are two special substances of this nature. 
The one, " Paris green,” or " Emerald green,” is 
strongly recommended by several American and 
Canadian entomologists. 
Professor Lintner, the entomologist of the State 
of New York, says that, in his opinion, fruit growers 
who do not use Paris green as a remedy against 
caterpillars infesting fruit trees are guilty of 
culpable negligence. Professor Lintner believes 
that the produce of fruit land may be doubled by 
the judicious use of this substance. 
A full trial of this is urged. Care must, however, 
be taken to observe strictly the regulations laid down 
for its use, or injury will be caused to the foliage and 
blossoms. 
The latest advice from experienced practical 
entomologists is to put n lbs. of Paris green, in the 
form of paste which is far better than powder, into 
from 165 to 200 gallons of water. 
The mixture must be kept well stirred in order 
that the solution may be maintained at an uniform 
strength. 
The object is not to dislodge the caterpillars, but 
to poison their food with the arsenical solutions 
which should fall, like gentle rain, upon the leaves 
and blossoms. For this purpose fine "rose’’jets 
should be used. Riley's " cyclone nozzle ” is used 
in A^merica. The Vermorel nozzle is also a good 
distributor. 
The other arsenical compound is “ London 
Purple,” obtained in the manufacture of aniline 
dyes, and composed of lime and arsenious acid. 
One pound of London Purple should be mixed 
