March 6, 1909. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
157 
markable. The exhibits of the firm at 
e Temple and Holland House Shows 
3uld alone be sufficient to convince any- 
ie of the very high standard of their 
rain of Begonias. The lumpy flowers 
at used to prevail will not be looked at 
jw, in the presence of flowers that have 
:en improved to resemble the Rose, the 
arnation, the Camellia and the Holly- 
xk, the last-named having wavy petals, 
bile the others have smooth petals like 
-,e flowers to which they are compared. 
The Amateur’s French Garden.” 
The above is the title of the second edi- 
on of the book on French gardening by' 
Ir. C. D. McKay, F.R.H.S., now being 
ublished for 3d. by Messrs. Watkins and 
impson, 12, Tavistock Street, Covent 
rarden, London. It was first published 
v the ‘'Daily Mail,” and the second edi- 
on is intended for the use of amateurs, 
he garden calendar begins with August, 
pparently an unusual time, but that is 
hen the operations really commence, the 
bjec-t being to keep up a supply of vege- 
ables through the winter months, when 
egetables are scarce and require artifi- 
ial assistance in this country. The calen- 
ar goes right through the year, however, 
howing what should be done each month 
ight up to the end of July, when the cul- 
ivator must prepare for winter again. 
- American Blight. • 
With the Pest. 
On’e of the most injurious pests Apple 
trees are troubled with is the well-known 
American blight. When once it obtains a 
footing in an orchard it is very hard to 
eradicate, but fortunately if a sharp look¬ 
out is kept it can always be detected at 
an early stage by the cottony substance 
with which the aphides are covered. The 
insects are dark brown or slaty black in 
colour, full grown ones sometimes as 
much as three-quarters of an inch in 
length. They are usually packed closely 
together in batches, and are provided with 
long suckers by means of which they 
draw off the sap of the tree, thereby caus¬ 
ing the bark to form knobbly swellings. 
Immediately the cottony stuff is seen, 
if thoroughly wetted by means of a small 
brush dipped in methylated spirit the 
aphides will be stopped from doing any 
harm. Should, however, they be left un¬ 
molested they will quickly spread from 
one branch to another, and then from tree 
to tree. When that has occurred, the best 
remedy is to. cut away the rough bark on 
the affected parts and then apply a caus¬ 
tic wash on a calm winter’s day, being 
careful to reach every crevice in which 
the insects may have taken refuge. A 
cloth must be placed under the tree be¬ 
fore scraping off the bark, for it is im¬ 
portant that every bit be collected and 
burnt. A good plan is to first wet the 
bark with soapsuds so as to prevent any 
particle blowing away. 
To make the solution, dissolve 1 lb. of 
caustic soda in a gallon of water, then 
add f lb. of carbonate of potash. Stir 
until all is dissolved, then add 9 gallons 
of water; finally 10 ozs. of soft soap that 
has been dissolved in a small quantity of 
boiling water should be thoroughly mixed 
in. 1 he solution can be used without the 
soft soap, but the soap makes it adhere 
better. Rain water should be used for the 
solution, but if this cannot be procured, 
add a little soda to the water before using. 
This mixture being very caustic, care 
must be taken not to get any on ones 
skin or clothes. It must, of course, be 
used on a day when there is no wind, and 
is best applied by means of a spraying 
machine, or a spraying nozzle can be fitted 
to an ordinary syringe; if a common 
nozzle is used, the solution is not thrown 
on in such a finely divided form, and in 
consequence a lot of it is wasted. 
A. C. D. 
-- 
R.H.S. 
The next fortnightly exhibition of 
flowers, plants, etc., of the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society will be held on March 
9th. from 1 p.m. to 6 n.m. Mr. W. S. 
Murray will lecture at 3 o'clock on “ Bulb 
Growing in Holland."’ 
1 
DELPHINIUMS FOR BORDERS. 
Planted in rows, Kelways Delphiniums form an ex¬ 
cellent border, the rich shades of blue making a fine 
background for plants of brighter hues. They flourish 
in almost any soil and provide a good succession 
of blooms through the summer. February, March, 
and April are among the best months for planting. 
Collections of choice named Delphiniums 
from 9/- a dozen, 70/- a hundred. 
— *. , v , A T r o O/^UVT T he Royal Horticulturists, 
KELWAY & SON, langport, somerset. 
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