t>72 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
July 15, 1905. 
Veronica incana. 
For the ordinary herbaceous border this 
should be accorded a front position, as it 
seldom exceeds 12 in. or 15 in. high, although 
it may even be dwarfer in dry seasons. Its 
special feature is an abundance of silky-grey 
leaves, so densely clothed with hairs as to be 
almost white. The dark blue flowers pro¬ 
duced in spikes make a fine contrast with the 
foliage. 
Delphinium formosum. 
When this beautiful specimen of perennial 
Larkspur was first introduced from Armenia 
it furnished the florist with a useful parent 
from which modern improved varieties have 
largely descended ; it was, indeed, the start¬ 
ing point from which the florist’s varieties, as 
we now know them, derived their large and 
richly-coloured flowers, together with dwarf 
habit and finely-divided foliage. The plant, 
simple as it was when introduced, is still 
worthy of a place in the herbaceous border. 
The flowers are of large size and of an ex- 
quisitely-beautiful and rich blue tint. Some 
of the older flowers may show shades of mauve 
or purple, and all of these colours may be seen 
running through the florist’s varieties. The 
centre is filled up with small white petals 
furnished with a yellow beard on the centre. 
Veronica. 
Beautiful 
STOVE FERNS. 
ADIANTUMS AND THEIR CULTURE. 
I think there are very few plants which find 
more universal favour than the above; to the 
rich they are indispensable, while the poor 
also are charmed with them, and, indeed, one 
cannot wonder at it, as anyone contemplating 
a well-grown specimen or collection of any of 
the better-class species, such as are sometimes 
seen at shows, cannot help being charmed 
with their grace and beauty. I therefore ven¬ 
ture these few remarks on their culture, in 
the hope that they may perchance help some 
who, from lack of experience or mistaken 
ideas, fail to grow them successfully, as my 
own success has been built up on previous 
failures. 
Potting —This is an important point in 
their culture. In the first place, the pots 
used should be thoroughly clean and dry at 
time of potting; place a crock over the hole, 
if large pots one over each hole, always put¬ 
ting the hollow side under. A layer of crocks 
should, then be placed over them to ensure 
perfect drainage. The amount of drainage 
will vary according to the size of the pot; a 
few pieces will suffice for the smaller and 
thumb pots, 2 in. will be necessary for 6 in. 
size, and 3 in. to 5 in. for the larger sizes. 
Place some of the roughest of the potting 
material over the drainage, and so arrange 
the plant that the crown is on a level or 
slightly above the rim of the pot. This pre¬ 
vents.manures, when given, from burning the 
young fronds. Always pot firmly, using a 
thin stick for the purpose, and always avoid 
over-potting, as this is a. very prolific source of 
failure. 
Compost. —The following I have found to 
prove an ideal rooting medium for most of the 
greenhouse section. Good fibrous loam should 
form the basis, to every bushel of which add 
5 peck of old mortar, ^ peck of charcoal, well 
broken up, and one peck of good sweet leaf- 
mould, or 5 peck each of leaf-soil and peat, 
and a good sprinkling of sharp sand, mixing 
the whole well together. 
Watering, —All Ferns require careful 
watering, especially after potting. They 
should never' be allowed to become dry, 
neither should they be kept constantly 
saturated, but always endeavour to strike the 
happy medium. Healthy, well-rooted speci¬ 
mens are greatly benefited by occasional 
applications of weak liquid manure, and 
where fine specimens are desired for show pur¬ 
poses an application once a week of sulphate 
of ammonia will add greatly to their vigour. 
In fact, for such purposes I consider it in¬ 
dispensable, using ^ oz. to the gallon of rain 
water, allowing it to stand in the sun for a few 
hours before using. This is a safe strength 
for general use, and should not be exceeded, 
except for experimental purposes. All Ferns 
should have a moist humid atmosphere. The 
structure and the plants should therefore be 
damped down frequently in hot weather ; at 
the same time the house should be ventilated 
so as to admit of plenty of pure air whenever 
possible, without cold draughts. 
Sailing. -From the beginning of March to 
October they should be shaded from the direct 
rays of the sun from 8 a.m. until four or half¬ 
past in the afternoon. I therefore recom¬ 
mend blinds in preference to permanent shad¬ 
ing, as it is a. mistaken idea to suppose that 
they need excessive shading. The remaining 
five months they will require little or no shad 
ing. Should tlirips or aphides gain a footing, 
a light fumigation with nicotine vapour is the 
surest way to eradicate the pest; fumigation 
with tobacco paper should be avoided. 
I omitted to mention that Ferns should have 
less water given them in winter ; never allow 
them to become dust dry, but keep them 
rather on the dry side than the wet. In this 
way they winter much better in low tempera¬ 
tures, and it affords them a rest. E. T. L. 
- - - ---- 
OUR PRIZE COMPETITIONS. 
ESSAY COMPETITION 
Prizes.—(1) Two Guineas; (2) One Guinea. 
Open to all Readers. 
The above Prizes will be given for the best 
essays on :— 
“What I would do with a Villa 
Garden, in the production of flowers, 
fruits, and vegetables.” 
The garden may be of any shape, providing the 
area is approximately 3,000 square feet. Give a 
rough plan of the garden, indicating which is the 
north by an arrow ; show the position of the 
various crops ; if it is decided to have a lawn ami 
flower-beds, their position with regard to th 
dwelling-house should be shown. Walks, flower 
borders, fruit-trees or bushes, and vegetable 
quarters should be so disposed as to give the 
finest effect from the house and be in harmony 
with the surroundings. State if the garden is 
enclosed with a brick wall, open or closed fencing. 
The skill and taste displayed by the competitor 
in his arrangements will have great weight in the 
adjudication of the prizes. The expenditure in 
first stocking the garden with seeds, plants, trees, 
bushes, and fertilisers should be stated, and the 
annual cost afterwards. The essay should be 
about 1,000 words, and must be sent in on or 
before July 31st next. Mark envelopes in the 
left-hand corner “ Garden Competition.” 
I __ J 
INSECTS PESTS 
or the GARDEN. 
SOME ENEMIES OF THE ROSE. 
The Rose Slug (Eriocampa Rosae). 
In its perfect state tliis four-winged fly is 
only one-eighth inch to one-sixth inch long. 
It is of shining black hue, with white knees 
and white feet to the first two pairs of legs. 
The caterpillar is a curious looking creature, 
being pale yellow-green, with a dark line down 
the back, and an orange head. The segments 
near the head are enlarged or humped. These 
caterpillars are very sluggish in habit, hence 
the name of Rose-slug. As in the case of 
the Pear and Cherry slug worms, the species 
which attacks the Rose also feeds on the 
upper surface of the leaf, destroying the skin 
or softer tissue, and leaving the veins like a 
network, which soon turns brown and dies. 
The grub feeds for about two or three weeks), 
when it reaches its full size, being about one- 
third of an inch long. The female fly lays her 
eggs on the mid-rib of the leaves in May, so 
that by June the slug worms are ready to pass 
into the ground to form their cocoons. 
Emphytus cinctus. 
There seems to be no common name for this 
sawfly, which is fairly common and hurtful 
to the leaves of Roses, The fly is one-third 
of an inch long, and of a shining black 
colour, except that the female is ornamented 
with a white band on the fifth segment of the 
abdomen. The hinder legs are also partly 
white. The female lays her eggs on the under 
surface of the leaflets, but the larvae feed on 
the edges, with their tails curved over the 
edge. When resting, however, they curl 
themselves up in a ball on the under-surface. 
The body is dark green, with shining white 
specks on the sides. The head may be yellow 
or brown. When full fed it passes into the 
pupa state amongst leaves or any rubbish 
which may happen to be lying about. There 
are some other species belonging to the same 
genus, but they are neither so common nor 
so hurtful as a rule: 
Blennocampa pusilla. 
No common name has been given to this 
species any more than the last, but it is 
one of the sawflies which feed on Roses, and 
is very troublesome from the fact that the 
caterpillars turn down the sides of the leaf¬ 
lets so as to shelter themselves from attack. 
The larva is very short, stout, and green, with 
a brown or pale head, and set ail over the 
back with bristly hairs. The grub is also 
a fat-looking creature, with folds of skin hang¬ 
ing down the sides. This attacks the leaves 
when they first unfold, and becoming rapidly 
full-fed, they pass into the soil, forming a 
cocoon in which they first become pupae, and 
then reach the perfect state in May and June, 
when the perfect sawflies make their appear¬ 
ance. These are of a shining black colour, 
with creamy-white knees arid feet on the first 
two pairs of legs. The wings are light brown. 
Cladius pectinicornis. 
The larvae or caterpillars of these sawflies 
behave somewhat differently from any of the 
above. The body is pale or deep green, with 
three rows of warts on each segment, and each 
wart carries a long brown hair. These crea¬ 
tures lie flat on the under-side of the leaflets, 
and gnaw holes in the soft tissue between the 
larger veins. The body is also flattened, 
which seems to be of convenience, as they 
cling to the under-surface of the leaflets. 
The perfect fly is glossy black, with grey 
hairs thinly scattered over the body. Tho 
