November 23, 1907. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
753 
Scarlet Pearmain is a dessert variety ripen¬ 
ing in September, so that your fruits have 
kept well; (2) Pear Winter Neliis, dessert in 
season from November to February; (3) Pear 
Josephine de Maliines, dessert in season Janu¬ 
ary to February; (4) Pear Doyenne du 
Comice, dessert in season October and No¬ 
vember ; (5) Pear Easter Beurre, dessert in 
season from January to March; (6) Apple 
Ribston Pippin, dessert in season from Octo¬ 
ber to May. Fruits, like other tilings, were 
later in ripening this year, but some oi 
those, you sent have been ready for use for 
some time. 
GARDEN ENEMIES. 
2396. Pear Midge. 
This pest almost entirely destroyed my 
crop of Pears, although I had a splendid 
prospect. As you, no doubt, are aware when 
the fruit got to a certain stage it decayed 
and dropped off. What remedy do you sug¬ 
gest? Also the time of year to apply it. 
(Joseph Stockbridge, Cambs.) 
The Pear gnat midge is known as Dip- 
losis pyrivora. Possibly you may not be 
acquainted with the nature of the insect. 
The fly lays its eggs in the flowers before 
they have expanded, and these hatch out, 
giving rise to a number of grubs in the in¬ 
terior of the fruit. When Pears are attacked 
so early in the season they never get to any 
size, but present a stunted appearance and 
begin to be in distress by the beginning of 
June. Some of the fruits swell very un¬ 
equal lv. and this also shows the presence of 
maggots within. Some of the young fruits 
will commence dropping, but you should 
keep a close watch on trees during their 
early stages, and as soon as the young fruits 
show signs of distress they should be picked 
off and burned, not merely thrown down-. A 
good plan also is to shake the trees oc¬ 
casionally, and damaged fruits wall fall. 
You could set a boy to pick up all these 
fallen fruits and have them burned. If you 
can destroy the insects in this way before 
they reach the resting stage, you will save 
yourself a deal of trouble next year. Some 
experiments have been made in America, and 
the most useful was to scatter a good dress¬ 
ing of kainit over the ground beneath the 
trees that were infested in spring at the rate 
of 6 lbs. to 8 lbs. of the kainit per rod or 
pole.- The insects, after they have reached 
their full size as grubs, come out and drop 
to the ground, where they lay up within one 
or two inches of the surface and form 
cocoons in which they rest until the follow¬ 
ing spring. The dressing of kainit has been 
found to destroy these pupae When applied 
late in summer, that is, after the grubs have 
reached the resting stage in the ground. It 
would be well worth your trouble to trv both 
of these plans and advise your neighbours 
who have Pears to do so likewise. It is only 
by such concerted meahs in a district that a 
plague like the Pear midge and Apple cod- 
lin moth can be kept down. You need have 
no hesitation in destroying Pears that you 
feel sure are infested, as they never get to 
any size. 
SOILS AND MANURES. 
2397. How to Lighten Heavy Soils. 
A few weeks ago I took over a house where 
the garden is very heavy, and in summer, I 
am told, it gets very hard. I know that 
manure will loosen it up, but this takes some 
years, unless a great quantity is used, and 
that would come father expensive the first 
year. What would you suggest? (H. 
Martin, Hunts.) 
Having just taken the garden in hand, you 
cannot do better than trench it all over at 
least 2 ft. deep. The best sail in this in¬ 
stance should be kept on the top, while the 
subsoil is kept there, buit thoroughly broken 
up with a spade or fork. While trenching, 
use plenty of rank stable manure, as this will 
serve to lighten it considerably. When you 
have finished trenching, give it a good dress¬ 
ing of lime, as this will help the heavy 
material to crumble considerably between 
now and planting time in spring. An ap¬ 
plication of lime like this is really only 
required every six or eight years, and should 
be kept on the surface, as it soon works its 
way downwards when, the land is being 
worked. Besides stable manure, you might 
possibly be able to procure a crop of green 
manure after the earlier crops have been re¬ 
moved. For instance, if you could sow seeds 
in August or about the beginning of Septem¬ 
ber, the plants would make an appreciable 
growth by the time you dig the soil in 
autumn or early winter. The seeds might 
consist of Turnip, White Mustard, or even 
old Cabbage seeds, which you may not desire 
to keep for further sowdng. At the same 
time, we should warn you against burying 
the stumps of Cabbages, Turnips, or diseased 
Potatos in the soil. If you can get any 
material from the waysides, such as parings 
and the scourings of ditches, it would effect 
a permanent improvement on your heavy soil. 
NAMES OF PLANTS. 
(D. W. D.) Maidenhair Spleenwort (Asple- 
nium Trichomanes). 
(James Ward) 1, Pernettya mucronata; 2, 
Berberis Aquifolium; 3, Gaultheria Shallon; 
4. Acer dasycarpum. 
(C. H. M.) 1, Arabis albida variegata; 2, 
Arabis lucida variegata ; 3, Sedum Sieboldi-i; 
4, Saxifraga sarmentosa; 5, Thymus Ser- 
phyllum lanuginosus. 
(T. J. Wilkins) 1, Begonia weltoniensi-s ; 2, 
Begonia metallica ; 3,. Gasteria verrucosa ; 4, 
Chlorophytum elatum medio-pictum; 5, 
Pelargonium Radula; 6, Pelargonium quer- 
ci folium. 
FRUITS TO NAME . 
(H. G. Dimsdale, Loughborough) Apple 
Foster Seedling; Pears: 1, Easter Beurre; 
2, Thompson’s ; 3, too much decayed to recog¬ 
nise. 
(M. C. F.) 1, Apple Scarlet Pearmain; 2, 
Pear Winter Nells; 3, Pear Josephine de 
Malines; 4, Pear Doyenqe du Comice; 5, 
Pear Easter Beurre; 6, Apple Ribston 
Pippin. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Kelway and Son, Lamgport, Somerset.— 
Kelway’s Manual. 
William Fell and Co. (Hexham), Ltd., 
Royal Nurseries, Hexham.—Forest Trees, 
Fruit Trees, Roses, etc. 
Pennick and Co., Delgany Nurseries, Co. 
Wicklow.—Catalogue of Proven Hardy 
Flowering. Shrubs and Roses, Fruit and 
Forest Trees. 
Pape and Bergmann, Quedlinburg, Ger¬ 
many.—Novelties for 1908 and New Cactus 
Dahlias. 
- +++ - 
Cattleya fulvescens Westonbirt var. 
This striking hybrid was derived from 
C. Forbesii x dowiana aurea. The 
sepals and petals are of a deep buff-yel- 
low. The lip is thickly marbled with rose 
on a white ground, and the disc is orange 
marbled wdth crimson. The combination 
of colours is remarkable, and the lip re¬ 
minds one forcibly of the colours seen 
in Phaius tuberculosus. First-class 
Certificate by the R.H.S. to Major Hol- 
ford, C.I.E., C.V.O. (gardener, Mr. H. 
G. Alexander), Westonbirt, Tetbury, 
Gloucester. 
Horticultural Societies’ 
Diary 
of Forthcoming Events. 
Abbreviations used. 
A.—Association H.— Horticultural 
Am.—Amateurs ALL— Mutual Improve- 
Ohy.—Chrysanthemum ment 
c.m.—Committee meeting m.m.— Monthly meeting 
Uott.—Cottage or Cottagers S.—Society 
D.—District w.ul— Weekly meeting 
G.—Gardening or gardener 
Thus :—The Templeton G. Am. and Cott. M.I.H.S. 
Gardeners, Amateurs’ and Cottagers’ Mutual Improve¬ 
ment Horticultural Society. 
NOVEMBER. 
25th.—Horsforth G.M.I.S. (w.m.). 
26th.—R.H.S. (Exhibition of Flowers and 
Fruit, 1 to 5. Lecture at 3 p.m. 
by Mr. F. J. Baker on “ Garden 
Experiments”); Crawley and 
D.G.M.I.A. ("The’ Designing of 
Gardens” by Mr. R. Dann). 
27th.—Harrietsham G.S. (m.m.). 
28th.—R.H.S. .(Show of Colonial-grown 
Fruit and Vegetables, and Pre¬ 
serves, 2 days); Southampton 
R.H.S. (m.m.); South Shields FI. 
and H.S. (m.m.). 
29th.—Beckenham H.S. (w\m.). 
30th.—Leeds Paxton S. (w.m.); Benfield-- 
side and D. Sweet Pea S. (m.m.). 
-- 
United Horticultural 
Benefit and Provident 
Society. 
Annual Dinner. 
The twenty-first anniversary dinner of 
this society took place in the Holborn 
Restaurant, London, on the 1st inst., 
under the presidency of Sir Albert K. 
Rollit, LL.D., D.C.L., when a goodly 
number of members and visitors sat down 
to dinner. After the usual loyal toasts 
the Chairman rose to propose success to 
the "United Horticultural Benefit and 
Provident Society.” He said that that 
was the twenty-first anniversary of the 
dinner, and both society and dinner had 
reached full age. He was trying to con¬ 
vince them that the society was a great 
one. He would divide the toast under 
three heads, namely, the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society as the principal one in 
horticulture; second, horticulture as an 
art, a science, a profession and a trade; 
third, the United Horticultural Benefit 
and Provident Society. - - 
He dwelt on the importance of the word 
‘•'united,” as it was an indication of 
strength. You need not look on ' the : 
society as a charity, he continued, as it is 
self supporting. The honorary members 
were of great value to the society, and he 
intended to join that class. The Royal 
Horticultural Society has been incorpora¬ 
ted only two years short of a century. 
It was at one time dependent on suburban 
fashion. Now it was in touch with the 
gardeners throughout the country. A 
scientific research station had been estab¬ 
lished at Wisley, which he considered an 
important branch in horticulture, in order 
to unravel the many difficult questions 
which it presented. Science, he said, can¬ 
not be neglected. The Royal Horticul¬ 
tural Society was really an assembly of 
