358 
THE GARDENING WORLD , 
April 30, 1904. 
looks worse than. a. bunch of Grapes with a. long stalk and 
no. .shoulders. 
When the bunches have all been: thinned oncei, if they have 
set well, it will be time to go over them again, and take out 
a few moke from each bunch. Each berry should be cut clean 
out, n.ot leaving any stalk, as this looks unsightly. Soane 
varieties, such as Muscats and Alicantes; generally have' a 
good lot of unset flowers left in them, and should be cleaned 
before commencing to thin them. I have not space here to 
mention a. good many varieties, but no two sorts want thin¬ 
ning alike. For instance, Gros Colmar or Gros Maroe will 
need twice as many berries removed as would a Black Ham¬ 
burgh, Lady Downes. Seedling, or some of the White Sweet- 
waters. 
Thei best time of the day for thinning is in the early morning 
or evening, when the house isi cooler and drier. The hands are 
also drier then and will not be so liable to mark the berries 
should they happen to touch them. When finished for the 
time being, the scissors should be wiped dry and cleaned, and 
put in a diy place until wanted next time. The operation, is 
rather tedious at first, but one soon gets used to it and cam 
thin a bunch comparatively easy, after doing a few carefully. 
Take care always that the points of the scissors, are not too 
sharp-, or the berries that are left may get. pricked, and this 
greatly disfigures them when the bunches are ripe, and alsoi 
impairs their keeping qualities. Grapes' that are intended for 
keeping all the winter should be, as a. rule, thinned rather' 
more freely than, those intended for summer and autumn, con¬ 
sumption, Three times' isi not too much to look over them 
with the scissors', as a.t. the third thinning there are usually one 
or two berries that would be better removed, especially inside 
the bunch. R. Thatcher. 
Wistow Gardens, Leicester. 
Garden Insects. 
This is one- of the most important subjects in connection 
with gardening, and should be closely studied by all whoi 
wish to be successful. 
There' are so many, and they are so varied in their habits', 
and if not properly understood how to check them, some of 
them can do immense damage. 
Insects pass through .several stages before they reach the 
perfect state, from the eggs', to the larva, then, to the pupa 
stage, and then comes the perfect, insect. 
In most cases it is in the larva, stage that, the insect does the 
most damage', and soi it is to this that the gardener must turn 
his attention, though hei should be on the outlook to check as 
far as possible the female insect, when, it is laying its eggs. 
The larvae of insects cam be divided into two sections'—. 
namely, the sucking larvae and the biting larvae. Now, for 
the former you must use a, poisonous insecticide which will 
stick to, the larva and take effect upon itself, as it penetrates 
its sucking mouth into the tissue of the leaf, or soft stem, and 
sucks the juice tout of them. Thus; you see the difficulty it isi 
under 1 ordinary circumstances' to get rid of such insects; but, 
in using a, wash, mix with it some soft soap., and it will then 
stick to the insects and fix the' poison on to them. 
For 'the biting larvae it, is an easier matter to 1 get’ rid of 
them; in, some instances if poisonous substances are objected 
to, they can be got rid of by applying a bitter or bad tasting 
substance to the plants, when they will be starved. Of 
course, where a poisonous substance can be used, they can be 
got rid of at once by spraying or dusting over the plants. Care 
must be taken to put on. the powder or wash in as fine, a dust 
or spray as possible,, and go over every part, of the plant, 
so as not to leave any part, where they can live on. until the 
effects cf the poison, have gone; and it is better to give a| 
small spraying or dusting two or three times in a sea.son, 
where the ground or plants have been infested, than, to give 
a laro:e dose all at one time. 
There are many insecticides and means of getting rid of 
insect pests; but a knowledge both of the insect and of the 
insecticide is highly essential or a great amount of damage 
may be done in this direction also. 
Paraffin oil is a. splendid insecticide used at the rate of a 
wineglassful to the gallon of water for ordinary outside use, 
such a® the Carrot fly, Onion fly, etc. 
The juice of quassia chip® is another very good insecticide, 
and is veay hitter; 4 lb., boiled, will make about 50 gallons of 
insecticide. Add about, 6 lb. of soft soap, which will make it 
stick the better to the plants and insects themselves. 
Of the poisonous substances, Paris Green and London 
Purple are the most common and oftenest used, though 
cyanide is 1 being used with deadly effect; hut all those should 
only be used 1 with the greatest care by those who understand 
them thoroughly. 
The first two arei better known and can be mod more freely 
for caterpillars, winter moth, -etc., on fruit tree®, but care must 
be taken, mot toi let any of the liquid get into any sore in the 
hands', and also you should stand on the opposite side from 
which the spray or dust isi blowing, so as not to inhale the 
poison. 
In using washes of all kinds you should 1 always be careful 
to keep- the substances well mixed, or the water will come off 
first in the' case of London Purple and Paris Green and do 
no good, and then the poison, last and do harm ; or in the case 
of the paraffin mixture the oil will come off first and do harm 
and the water last. 
There are small sprayers which are extremely handy for 
distributing the powder in fine dust, and also for liquid spray¬ 
ing, .such as the knapsack, etc:., for band use in the garden, 
which keep® the liquid mixed as well as sending it out in a very 
fine spray by great force; while there are larger instruments 
foa" field work, which are drawn by horses, and the pump® are 
propelled by the wheels. 
Insects breathe by pores', and if these minute openings can 
be properly stopped up, then you get rid of the insects. I 
remember a, gardener telling me. lie had a Rose border close 
to the road, and the bushes were literally covered with 
Aphides'; he was just, wondering what to do with them, when 
there was a wind storm and the hushes were perfectly white 
with dust; then in a day or two there was a deluge of ram, 
and when lie went, and examined his bushes' they were tho¬ 
roughly clean. 
Thei dust had stopped up, the brea.tiling pores and suffocated 
them, and then the rain had washed them all off. W. Good. 
Primula obconica hybrids. 
During the past few months there have been several refer¬ 
ence® to, new shade's of the above, but it must not be supposed 
that English growers alone are working upon this species. 
Indeed, my correspondence tends to show that America, is 
well to the front, if not really ahead. 
It is some four years' since that I first became familiar with 
the strain, worked up by a clever Geinnan-American, but at 
that, time I did not succeed m getting beyond a white and a 
blush, in addition to the typical colour. 
Cii cum stance, si prevented my continuing to cultivate them, 
but there is little doubt that a strain of P. obconica as large 
and fine, a® 1 P. sinensis, exist®. A note before me states that 
they are hybrids between P. obconica and P. sinensis, and in 
addition to being fringed in, many instances; vary in tint from 
pink to white; including violet, blush, rose, mauve, lilac and 
red. 
They are extremely vigorous and floriferous, and entirely 
lack the poisonous qualities attributed to P. obconica. 
They a,ie the results of patient work by the same grower, 
vho; somei tune since, succeeded in crossing, after fifteen years, 
the tuberous Begonia with Rex, resulting in a tuberous hex 
strain, with small leave®. 
The latter characteristic, I understand, is being rapidly 
improved upon. 
