270 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
December 22, 1900. 
(patented) The patent is simple and provides an 
easy means of sterilising bottles of fruit, &c., from 
bacteria or germs that are contained both in fruit and 
water. The fruits are filled into bottles and are sub¬ 
jected (by means of steam impinged upon these 
bottles) to a temperature that sterilises the germs 
and expels the air in the bottles. They are further 
fitted with a patent lid which clasps the top so 
securely as to h-rmetically seal the bottles. Both 
fruits, Peas, Tomatos, &c., can be thus bottled, and 
will keep for years. (Silver Banksian Medal.) 
LEGAL NOTES. 
The Trade Poisons Bill. 
The summary of the provisions of the Trade Poisons 
Bill, which is to be brought before Parliament, is 
briefly as follows :— 
The Bill seeks te make it lawful for all chemists to 
sell poisons or poisonous compounds for agricul¬ 
tural, horticultural, and other trade or technical 
purposes under certain conditions, among which are 
that the person or firm selling shall be registered 
and pay certain duties; and that such poisons 
(which are not to be sold for therapeutic or medicinal 
use, or the preparation of medicines) shall be sold 
only in closed vessels or packages, and, where the 
seller is not the manufacturer, in the original pack¬ 
ages as received from the manufacturer without 
breaking bulk. 
The present agitation about the right of selling 
poisons for technical purposes, e.g., for fumigating, 
spraying, or weed-killing, &c,, originated about a 
year ago, when a certain firm was prosecuted by 
order of the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society 
for selling a weed-killing poisoD, though they were 
not chemists. Some other prosecutions followed, 
until sellers of weed-killers and all the various 
poisons used in gardening, farming, &c , joined to 
petition Parliament to have the Pharmacy Act 
altered. The alterations wanted have just been 
referred to. By its actions the latter body has 
shown that when they recognised the extent of the 
trade in poisons for technical purposes, they thought 
they would try to cause such trade to pass through 
their own hands by enforcing the Pharmacy Act, the 
wording of which certainly bars the sundriesman. 
The journal called Oils, Colours, and Drysalteries 
points out that the Pharmaceutical Society has it in 
< its power to prosecute in connection with many 
other poisonous compounds that are sold every day 
by those who are not chemists. This journal points 
out that paints intended for ship bottoms contain 
arsenic in order to prevent incrustations of animal 
life. And again Emerald Green, which has been 
used for nearly a century in house painting, is manu¬ 
factured direct from arsenic. 
It will thus be seen that the society that was lately 
formed for the sake of having the Poisons Bill 
altered, and which hopes to be backed by the 
chemical section of the London Chamber of Com- 
. merce, is attempting a most necessary and desirable 
reform. The Trade Poisons Bills was recently 
discussed at a meeting of the chemical 
section of the London Chamber of Com¬ 
merce, and at the close of the meeting a vote 
was taken, when an equal number indicated their 
approval and disapproval of the measure. This 
result is distinctly encouraging to those who are 
oppose to a monopoly in trade. 
READ THIS. 
A weekly award of 5s. will be made by the pro¬ 
prietors of The Gardening World, to the person 
who sends the most interesting or valuable item of 
news upon passing events likely to interest horticult¬ 
urists at large ; hints containing suggestive facts of 
practical interest to gardeners or growers of plants, 
fruits, or flowers ; successful methods of propagating 
plants usually considered difficult ; or any other 
tot>ic coming within the sphere of gardening proper. 
The articles in question should not exceed 250 words, 
and should be marked " Competition." The address 
of the winner will be published. The Editor's 
judgment must be considered final. The communi¬ 
cations for each week should be posted not later 
than Monday eight. 
The prize last week was awarded to Mr. T. S. 
Dick, Castlemilk Gardens, Lockerbie, N.B , for his 
article on the " Paeony Garden," p. 246. 
QU6$T10n$ ADD An$UJGK$. 
. Will our friends who send us news.apers be so good 
as to mark the paragraphs or articles they wish us to see. 
We shall be greatly obliged by their so doing. 
Correspondents, please note that we cannot undertake to 
name florists' flowers such as Carnations, Pelargoniums, 
Chrysanthemums, Roses, nor such as are mere garden 
varieties, differing only in the colour of the flower. 
Florists' flowers, as a rule, can only be named by those who 
grow collections of them.] 
Delphiniums from Seed.— James Bartlemany, M.P.: 
Delphiniums are perfectly hardy even much further 
north than your garden, so that no protection will 
be needed. The chief danger is that the small 
plants may be eaten by slugs and snails in spring, 
when the plants commence to grow, especially if 
there are grass verges, lawn?, or Box edgiDgs near 
so as toharbrur such pests. The best plan under 
such circumstances will be to transplant them into 
freshly dug or prepared soil away from such edg¬ 
ings or grass if possible until the plants get strong. 
In the meantime make sure that the soil is fairly 
dry, so that the roots of the plants may not be 
water-logged. If the soil is very wet the plants 
might be carefully lifted, put into boxes, and placed 
in cold frames till they commence to grow in spring. 
Some of them may bloom next summer, particularly 
late in 1 he season, but they are not likely to be very 
strong the first year. We should understand that 
you sowed the seeds in the open ground, otherwise 
they would have been stronger. A better plan 
would have been to sow them in heat in March to 
give them an early start, and then to transplant 
them into boxes 2 in. apart each way, finally putting 
them in the open ground after hardening them off 
about the end of April. In any case give them 
plenty of room when you transplant them in spring, 
and they will flower strongly in 1902. 
Red Spider on Violas. — James Bartlemany, M.P .; 
There can be little doubt that red spider got a foot¬ 
ing on the Viola cuttings while the weather was 
still dry in autumn, or they may have been kept 
rather dry after they were put in the frames. The 
mild, open weather has been favourable to the pest 
ever since. It is not a very common occurrence for 
this thing to happen so late in the season; but we 
had some samples of Violas sent us some weeks ago, 
infested with the same enemy. Your best plan will 
be to give the cuttings a good syringing with soft 
soap or Gishurst Compound dissolved in water (rain 
water for preference) at the rate of 1 oz. or 2 oz. of 
either insecticide to 1 gallon of water. Another 
remedy is to put some flowers of sulphur in water, 
thoroughly stir it and syringe the cuttings with this. 
In all cases try to get at the under-surface of the 
leaves as much as possible. Do this in the morning 
and the superfluous moisture will be dried up before 
nightfall. Repeat the operation in the course of a 
week if you have reason to believe that some of the 
pests are still alive. You should have no difficulty 
in subduing the pest. Soap, sulphur, and water are 
very hurtful to red spider if you can make sure of 
wetting the same. 
Marguerite Leaves Disfigured.— A.M.: Winter 
does not stop the breeding of the insect which dis¬ 
figures the leaves of Marguerites and various other 
Chrysanthemums. In a greenhouse with the present 
mild weather the pupae in the leaves will develop 
into perfect flies, which forthwith commence breed¬ 
ing and laying eggs upon the leaves again, so that 
the mischief keeps on increasing or extending. In 
a warm greenhouse, where plants are kept in 
bloom during winter, the increase of temperature 
will be greatly in favour of the small black fly 
(Fhytomyza nigricornis), which does the mischief. 
You should make an effort to exterminate the fly 
during winter at least. The very worst of the 
plants should be burnt (it is a mistake to throw 
them on the rubbish heap), then proceed to pick off 
the worst of the leaves on other plants affected. 
Leaves that are not very bad should be turned up 
and inspected, the underside enabling you to 
localise the grubs or pupae in the leaves Squeeze 
the same between the finger and thumb. Do this 
with all the Chrysanthemums and Marguerites that 
may be in the house Also syringe them with 
diluted tobacco water, as this helps to keep the flies 
from laying their eggs upon the leaves. 
Remedy for Raspberry Beetle.— G. West: We 
presume you mean the grubs that bore into and 
destroy the fruits, making them useless for the table. 
You can do something at the present time to lessen 
the pest, though summer is a better time to get at 
the perfect insect. If the old stems are not already 
cut down you should proceed at once to do this, as 
the grubs often form cocoons in the crevices of the 
bark or elsewhere in the neighbourhood where they 
can find shelter. Carefully remove all dead wood 
even to the base of last year’s stems,'if they still 
remain above ground, and having carefully raked 
them up with the leaves, have the lot burnt forth¬ 
with. This should be done before topdressing the 
ground for the winter. About the time the plants 
come into flower next spring get some freshly tarred 
trays of wood and go over the plants early in the 
morning, one holding the tray while another shakes 
the bushes or branches over the same. Any beetles 
present will fall on the tar and be held there. This 
should be done several mornings in succession till 
you find no more beetles. By this means you will 
prevent a lot of egg-laying and subsequent damage. 
During the day the small brown beetles fly away if 
disturbed. 
Budding Apple Trees.— D. W. D. : Apple trees 
that have been grafted in March or April will 
occasionally fail, and if the stocks that have been 
headed down for that purpose should fail to throw 
up one or more shoots from below the graft, the trees 
that were grafted will be lost. On the other hand if 
some of the grafts fail to take, and the trees develop 
a shoot or two from below the graft, you will have 
another chance of budding the same in July, August 
or even later provided the bark will " tud," that is 
lift readily. In order to bud you will have to get well 
developed shoots of the variety of Apple you want 
to work upon the stocks in question, that is, having 
fairly plump and prominent buds. The bu idiDg may 
be done at tne base of ihe young ;hoots, or on the 
stem of the stock itself according as you find the 
bark to rise most readily. Some mattiDg or raphia 
is necessary for binding. Aho get your knife 
thoroughly sharpened. When everything is ready 
make a T shaped cut where you wish to insert the 
bud. The latter must now be prepared by cutting 
off a thin slice of the Apple shoot you have procured. 
To do this insert your knife just clear above a bud, 
passing it downward for about an inch. Cut off the 
leaf blade, leaving its stalk. Then with the point of 
your knife remove all the wood from this thin 
slice of shoot, with the exception of the little 
knot at the base of the bud. If this latter 
is removed the bud will die. Now hold the 
bud by the leaf stalk and with the point of the 
knife carefully lift the bark of the stock on 
either side of the cut below the head of the T. Now 
insert the bud beneath the bark, and tie all rather 
firmly with the raffia, to keep out the air. By the 
end of the third week you will see whether or not the 
bud has taken, and if so you must cut the raffia 
so as not to strangle the swelling wood of the 
tree. 
How to Get a Stock of Gypsophilapaniculata.— 
T. H. W. : Plants, or rather roots, of this may be 
obtained for spring planting from nurserymen who 
grow herbaceous plants. They might be planted 
now, but would be more certain to succeed if plant¬ 
ing is deferred to March or April, according to the 
state of the weather. If you desire a considerable 
stock of it you can obtain seeds from any good seeds¬ 
man. As the p'ant is a perennial it would not give 
you much if any flowers the first season, unless you 
sow it early in heat and grow it to some size before 
planting out the seedlings. As soon as tdey come 
up you must keep them in a cool greenhouse or airy 
pit near the glass to prevent drawing. Prick out the 
seedlings in boxes, or pot them singly to encourage 
growth. 
Ferns for a Wardian Case.— R. M.\ Only dwarf 
growing kinds should be used ; but that will depend 
largely upon the size of the case, and the number of 
plants you would like to grow. For ornamental 
effect you may plant such as Asplenium bulbiferum 
minus (A. Collensoi), A Trichomanes, Seolopen- 
driura vulgare crispum, Polypodium vulgare cambri- 
cum, or other fine varieties Lastrea glabella, Pteris 
hastata, Pteris rotundifolia, Aspleuium Pfemionitis, 
Adiantum Capillus-Veneris imoricatum, and other 
varieties, Doodia aspera, Trichomanes radicans 
(Killarney Fero), Asplenium marinum elongatum, 
Asplenium’ fontanum, and other dwarf species. For 
mere decorative effect you could use small plants, 
raised from spores, of Pteris Wimsettii, P, cretica 
cristata, P. tremula, Asplenium bulbiferum, and 
Lady Ferns in great variety. Of course tbe latter 
die down in winter so that you can decide to use 
them or not. As the others get too large replace 
them by young ones. 
Names of Plants.—A C.: 1, Begonia semper- 
florens var. ; 2, Begooia manicata; 3, Carex brunnea 
variegata (erroneously named C. japonica variegata 
in gardens) ; 4. Pelionia daveauaDa; 5, Phyllanthus 
glaucescens.— D. R. : 1, Cypripedium insigne ; 2, C. 
i. Maulei ; 3, Oncidium crispum ; 4, Dandrobium 
nobile (a good variety but not nobilius). —T. B. A.: 
1, Ophiopogon japonicus ; 2, O. Jaburan variegatus ; 
3, Scolopendrium vulgare crispum ; 4, Polystichum 
angulare proliferun; 5, Adiantum diaphanum; 6, 
Polypodium plesiosorus, often called Goniophlebium 
appendiculatum in gardens— A. L. : 1, Iris stylosa; 
2, Jasminum nudiflornm ; 3, Helleborus niger alti- 
folius, often called maximus.— W. D. : 1, Primula 
fioribunda; 2, Fittonia argyroneura; 3, Aralia ele- 
gantissima; 4, Libonia fioribunda. 
- -—■ 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
James Veitch & Sons, Ltd., King’s Road, Chelsea, 
London.—Catalogue of Seeds, &c., for 1931; also A 
Catalogue of Fruits; List of Chrysanthemums; 
Border Carnations and Picotees ; and The Chelsea 
Horticultural Manure. 
James Carter & Co., 237, 238, and 97, High 
Holborn, London, England —Carter’s Tested Seeds, 
1901. , 
Dickson, Brown & Tait, 43 and 45, Corporation 
Street, Manchester.—Catilogue of Vegetable and 
Flower Seeds and Garden Requisites. 
Samuel Dobie & Son, Heaihfitld Gardens, near 
Chester.—The Amateur’s Gard n Annual for 1901. 
