M v 20, 1905. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
427 
As a name, the expression common Thyme must be regarded as 
correct only when applied to Thymus vulgaris, as that was at one 
time no doubt the most common species in cultivation. In the days 
of our grandmothers it was largely used as a scented, plant amongst 
cut. Hovers, and more recently, or even then in private establish¬ 
ments of rich people, it was used as a culinary herb, and for that 
purpose it is still the common Thyme. The other which you mention 
would be more correctly termed Lemon Thyme or Lemon-scented 
Thyme. Some botanist, however, has named this Thymus Ser- 
phyllum vulgaris, but as an English name Lemon Thyme is still 
used. The common Thyme (T. vulgaris) is readily obtainable from, 
the seedsmen in the form of seeds, and the garden supply is usually 
kept up by making a sowing in the herb border or other part 
of the garden set aside for the use of the kitchen. It may be pro¬ 
pagated by means of cuttings, but that trouble is unnecessary, seeing 
that seeds may be sown in boxes and reared in frames or simply sown 
in the open in April and very lightly covered with soil, as the seeds 
are very small. 
Woodlice in Boxes and Pans. 
Our frames are infested with woodlice which destroy many seed¬ 
lings and tender plants, whatever may be said to the contrary, 
Please say what would be a good remedy. (G-. B. W.) 
It would be well to look over the frames and see what crevices 
or cracks there are, and which should be stopped up to prevent 
marauders of any kind from taking shelter there. If the base con¬ 
sists of brickwork the seams might want cementing, and if woodwork 
the openings might be stopped up by means of putty. If there is 
fermenting manure in the frames it often affords shelter between it 
and the walls or sides of the frame. In this latter case you could 
destroy large numbers of the enemy, or at least- drive them out, by 
pouring hot water between the frame -and the manure. On the 
other hand, the pest may be hiding in the bottom of the boxes or 
pans, and in such cases it would be worth while getting a large 
tub and putting about 2 in. of hot water in it. Then the pans or 
boxes might be stood in this for some minutes, and if any woodlice 
are sheltering there they will quickly come out if it is possible, 
otherwise the hot water will kill them. In fitting up the drainage 
of boxes or pans it would be well always to use some pieces of crock 
or tile that will fit- sufficiently close to prevent the entrance of such 
large animals as woodlice. It may be, however, that the manure 
and other means of affording them shelter .is the reason why you 
get so much trouble. All these things should be taken into considera¬ 
tion and everything done to afford the marauders as little shelter 
as possible. You should also hollow out some pieces of Potato, 
Carrot, or Turnip, and lay about- in the frames, examining these 
every morning. 
Green Scum on Ponds. 
Every year our small pond for aquatics gets covered over with a 
green scum consisting of small patches growing together in little knots 
or clusters. How can this be got rid of? (W. Sinclair.) 
From your description we conclude that the green scum growing! 
in clusters consists of Duckweed, which is often a great nuisance- in 
still waters. There are several ways of clearing it- off, and once 
you have got rid of it, it would he some time before it completely 
fills the pond again, notwithstanding the fact that it multiplies 
rather quickly. One method is to< drag the Duckweed to the sides 
of the pond by means of a wooden rake or something that will catcli 
the weed. This would take some time, but you can occasionally 
take advantage of a windy day to assist- you, as the weed will get 
driven to one side of the pond, when it may be taken out. After 
the bulk of it has been removed you might get- a bag or sack on the 
end of a pole, something similar to a butterfly net, except that the 
material may be coarser and stronger. By means of this you would 
clear out stray bits of the plant that would otherwise take a lot 
of trouble to collect. On a stick of convenient length a bag of a 
size that could easily be whisked about- with one hand could very 
quickly collect pieces over a large area of water. Another method 
ot destroying it would consist- of spraying it with a. weak solution of 
Bordeaux mixture in about equal portions of tlie mixture and water. 
This would probably be too- strong if it came in contact with the 
young leaves of Water Lilies or other water plants, so that you 
should b-e careful to avoid letting the spray on the leaves of such. 
If the surface is fairly covered with water’plants it would be well 
to tie only a very weak solution of the Bordeaux mixture to see what 
effect that had; before applying a stronger dose. The points to 
remember about this are that Bordeaux mixture if used too strong 
would be liable to damage valuable plants, while a weaker solution 
may destroy the lower organisms without affecting the valuable 
plants. _ Very little has been done in this country with this water- 
weed killer, so that- it is yet only in the experimental stave If 
the water-weed consisted of Alga-e only one cell thick a very weak 
solution of the Bordeaux solution would suffice to destroy'd but) 
the Duckweed is several cells in thickness, and would be more diffi¬ 
cult- to destroy. 
Thrips on Vines. 
Last- year we had the Vines badly attacked with thrips, whic 
ffinL laT tt C °? e i, ° ff .,-J e Az * leas in spring. Painting the hotwate 
pipes with sulphur did not destroy them. In case they should ma-k 
tar ajemMe this year, what would vou advise me to do 
We agree with you that sulphur on the hotwater pipes would not 
destroy thrips unless sufficiently strong to injure the Vines as well. 
Nor do we think that fumigation, would 'be very effective without- 
also causing injury to other plants owing to its strength. A better 
plan would be to use a mixture of soapsuds and tobacco water. 
Make up a quantity of liquid at the rate of 3 ihs. of soft soap in 
six gallons of rain water, and if the soap is thoroughly dissolved 
add about half a gallon of strong tobacco liquid. All that is neces¬ 
sary to do with this is to use a very fine syringe and thoroughly 
spray alt parts of the leaf, but particularly the under surface. It 
often happens, however, that when one surface is made unsuitable 
for this pest it betakes itself to the other, so that the perfect cure 
is really to get at both surfaces of the leaves with this mixture. 
Neither the soap nor the tobacco liquid will injure the Vines, though 
for other reasons the Vines might be syringed with clean water two 
hours afterwards. 
Kerosene Emulsion and Paraffin Emulsion. 
What i.s the difference- between kerosene emulsion and paraffin 
emulsion? Is- there any advantage in using one in preference to 
the other? IP. Marshall.) 
Kerosene is a liquid oil extracted from bituminous coal, and is 
always more certain in its use than is paraffin oil, because of a more 
definite composition. One of the best recipes for the making of 
kerosene emulsion is to take of kerosene one gallon to half a gallon 
of water and 4 lb. of soft- soap. Dissolve the soap in warm water, 
then put it into the mixture of kerosene and water, and thoroughly 
chum it with the syringe until it takes the form of a thin milky- 
looking paint. Made up in this proportion the kerosene would be 
about two-thirds of the bulk of the mixture. In this state it may be 
bottled and kept ready for use at any time, and will keep good for 
years. When about to use it you must dilute it with a certain pro¬ 
portion of water, and this would range from four to fifty times its 
bulk of water, according to the character of the plants to be syringed. 
Those with very young foliage -or very tender foliage would require 
the solution to be a very weak one, whereas in the case- of the trunks 
or stems of Apple, Pear, and other fruit trees in winter you coukl 
use it very strong without doing any damage. For instance, in the 
case of scale insects mixing the kerosene emulsion with nine times 
its bulk of water is a- very safe, suitable, and effective proportion. 
Paraffin oil, on the other hand, is already in a liquid state in the 
earth, where obtainable, so that it is liable to be mixed with various 
other substances, often of a dangerous character to plants. It has 
to undergo- rectification before it can be used for lighting 
purposes, and even then some of the oil obtainable in the shops 
is not- of a very high order. Ordinarily, however, you can prepare 
a paraffin emulsion that will be relatively safe if you make certain that 
none of the oil is free. If any oil appears on the top after it has 
stood for a time you must dissolve more soap, and again chum the 
mixture until no free oil remains after standing for a time. 
Leaves of Crocuses. 
I want- to leave Crocus bulbs round the edges of the beds when 
planting out- the summer bedding. Would it do any harm to cut off 
the leaves for the sake of neatness? (Herbert Jones.) 
If the leaves are still in a healthy and fresh condition it would 
be a mistake to cut them off, as you would thereby reduce the 
reserve matter to be stored up in the bulbs, thus lessening the capa¬ 
bilities of the corms to- bloom strongly. A better plan would be, if 
you want to reduce the bulk, to tie the leaves up in neat though 
loose knots. This, can readily be done by simply knotting the leaves 
themselves and leaving them where they grew. After they begin to 
fade they can then be pulled up, when, they will readily part from 
the corm. If the leaves are lengthy it might be possible to t-urni 
them over on the grass while you are preparing the bed for planting, 
and after planting it- is possible to- turn them on the soil without 
interfering with the other bedding plants. Either of these plans 
may be adopted until the leaves begin to turn yellow, showing that 
they have performed their work. 
Zinnias Eaten. 
Some animal has been causing great destruction amongst my 
pots of Zinnia seedlings, but I cannot stop the mischief nor find out 
wliat is causing it. Can vou give me any hint to save the Zinnias? 
(C. G.) 
The marauders may be woodlice or slugs, usually the latter, which 
are very fond of seedling Zinnias. You may find the depredators by 
turning up the seed pots and inspecting the openings in the bottom, 
where slugs may be hiding. This might also be their hiding place 
if the pots have a rim beneath, as some pots have, by which they 
are kept off the benches. If the pots are stood on wooden planks 
the slug's may be sheltering beneath the latter, from whence they 
steal out during the night. All these may be inspected at your 
leisure, and an excellent plan would be to inspect the pots at night 
by means of a lantern or bull’s-eve. In the meantime, however, you 
can stop the depredations immediately by getting wide saucers, such 
as are usually employed in dwelling-houses to keep the water in 
p-ot-s from running on to the tables. Fill these with water and 
place a piece of brick or invert a small pot in the centre of the 
water. Then stand the pots containing the Zinnias on the top of 
this brick or pot, where the Zinnias will be completely isolated bv 
means of the water. Slugs canno-t cross water, and woodlice will at 
the same time be kept away by such means, 
