- 10 
gmanures now and then. If the weather be 
dry day after day, do not play with the 
water can, but give each 2 galloas, and then 
leave them till dry again. The advantage 
of this is apparent to anyone who studies 
the matter, and as I have noticed that 
amateurs are often exceedingly unwise in 
their manner of giving water, I should like 
to explain to them that if they give 2 gal- 
Jons of water in three or four different 
waterings the plant benefits very little, as 
each day, the soil being wet only on the 
surface, the sun drys up every particle of 
the moisture, and so, after having had its 2 
gallons of water, the plant, apart from its 
passing refresher, is little better off; 
whereas, if the whole is poured on at once, 
in a circle round the plant about one yard 
across the under soil is well moistened, 
and the plants get something to feed upon. 
Give water with manure in it as often as 
meeded, which, during hot, dry weather, is 
about twice a week. 
if artificial manure is preferred, I think 
guano as good as anything, but it should be 
given carefully, and not with the idea that 
the more manure the better the bloom. I 
woald advise sticking to natural manures 
tor the most part, as conducing to a more 
natural and healthier growth. If exhibition 
blooms are the object for which the plants 
are grown, guard against letting {them 
bloom too tieely before the show time 
arrives. It is not unusual for beginners tu 
have very fine flowers. jusc when they are 
useless, and on the day of the show to find 
luardly a decent bloom anywhere. ‘he only 
way to ensnre blooms at the right time is to 
keep the buds cut off until it is safe to leave 
them, always reckoning that from the time 
‘» bud shows ull the flower expands is about 
amonuth. On the other hand, there is such 
a thing as to be behind, and so be sure to 
jeave buds to Huwer soon enough to allow 
jor the changes in the weather, aud not be 
caught in a cold, bad sped with buds where 
blooms’shuuld be. 
THE CANADIAN LILY (L. Canadense). 
Orange and brown spotted flowers of 
this, borne on slender stems, are welcome 
in late summer, especially when appear- 
ing from amongst an undergrowth of 
shrubs. It succeeds well in London, and 
should be made use of in the parks and 
open spaces, which require color in the de- 
clining days of summer. The Orange 
Lily, L. davuricum and L. chalcedonicum 
are good garden Lilies, but the latter is 
best seen in northern counties or York- 
shire, where it is common in cottage gat- 
dens, and’ of finer growth than in more 
southern districts. Few Lilies thrive 
more freely than L. Martagon, the 
variety dalmaticum in particular. It is 
an exceedingly beautiful form, very tell- 
ing when allowed to form a large clump, 
«or establish itself in the wilder parts of 
the garden. L. M. album is a suitable 
«companion to it, and, like all the forms of 
the Martagon Lily, quite hardy, very free 
in growth and bloom, preferring shade, but 
not refusing to grow in the sunlight. 
There are a few groups that should be 
«onsidered when planting Lilies in the 
wpeyn. Among these may he mentioned 
, THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER, 
L. pardalinum (the Panther Lily), with 
stems rising to a height of 8 feet, and 
seen to best advantage with shrubs as a 
groundwork. L. pomponium, too, must 
not be forgotten, as also the forms of L. 
lancifolium. The autumn is the season 
for these. They remain longer in bloom 
than any other Lily, commencing in Sep- 
tember and lasting many weeks in full 
beauty. A gay succession is kept up by 
the forms of L. tigrinum, the earliest of 
which begin to flower in August, the latest 
lasting till the end of October. 
MAYFLOWER (EPIGZiA REPENS). 
Being a great admirer of our Mayflower 
(Epigzea repens) I was interested in a 
recent “Garden” note which alluded to the 
lack of interest shown in its garden cultiva- 
tion, speaking of it as ‘really too sweet a 
subject to be neglected.” While I fully 
agree with this sentiment, experience has 
taught me that this charming and modest 
little wilding is one of the most difficult of 
all forest plants to grow successfully in the 
garden. Indeed, I have yet to see a single 
instance in which its obstinate wild wood 
nature was sufficiently subdued to make it 
succeed at all away from its habitat even 
under the greatest care in providing the 
most suitable conditions. Your writer 
speaks of the plant thriving, best on an 
eastern aspect, which surprises me, because 
when I find it in this region it is alwavs on 
& western slope or exposure, and usually on 
high ground where moisture can rarely 
accumulate. There is evidently very much 
for us to learn yet in regard to the require- 
ments of this lovely little plant. But pos- 
sibly if we knew it all we might not admire 
ee as well —H. Hendricks, Kingston, 
Correspondence. 
TO THE EDITOR. f 
- Dear Sir—Your ‘note and box ‘‘ with a 
beetle” duly to hand, and I may state at 
once that if the specimen sent be. a true 
representative of what ‘‘is spoken of as a 
bad destroyer amongst the cabbage gardens’, 
it must be bad indéed, for the ‘‘ thing’’ has 
neither a mo th nor brains to use, not even 
ahead! Of the six legs it ought to have, 
only indications of four are present, and 
these are without feet. How could one 
recognise a fellow without head and neck, 
and with his hands and feet chopped off? 
How could he have ‘‘ destroyed” unlimited 
quantities of juicy cabbages and lettuces 
without jaws to munch, a gullet to swallow, 
‘or a stomach to digest, let alone the in- 
capacity of walking or climbing abuut? 
But joking apart, as I happen to have an 
inkling what the complete ‘‘ bad destroyer” 
may have been like, I may say that it was 
a member of the scarabaeid family, and 
belonged to the genus Isodon, perhaps the 
species I. pecuatius,. which is a very 
common one where there is rich loose soil, 
or much decaying msnure, but nut of the 
stable variety. In these ard of these the 
larvae or grubs (i.e., the young) live; the 
beetles themselves live on foliage of gums 
‘and other green leaves (perhaps), but I 
never heard credibly that they anywhere 
May 2, 1904 
occurred in such great numbers (hundreds. 
per square vhain) as to’ be physically 
capable of inflicting any really appreciable 
damage. Itis only a bijou edition appa- 
rently of the growers superstitions about. 
the crows, etc.:—Damage is done; there 
are the birds pecking, therefore the: 
birds must be shot. The real culprits in 
the latter case were and are the small 
grubs and caterpillars beyond the ken and 
recognition of the ‘*man of practice,” of 
which the birds tried to free him, and in 
the case of that of the comparatively few, 
but large beetles—scores, hundreds or 
thousands of small, or even minute, grubs, 
caterpillars, slugs, etc. I once examined a 
small tobacco tinful of soil brought to me: 
with some larger larvae (about halt a dozen) 
accused of eating the roots of chrysanthe- 
mums, and found in it some scores of half 
a dozen kinds of minute but real destroyers. 
The ‘opinions and beliefs” of the working 
man regarding natural history are not 
always reliable. Over-manuring. not only 
produces great crops of vegetables, but 
usually also of animal life difficult to check. 
Hand-picking the large beetles before sun- 
rise—as the services of ducks, etc., cannot. 
be invoked—seems the only remedy in this 
case. 
Yours truly, 
J. G. O. Tepper. 
_ SWEET PEAS. 
The report of the National Sweet Pea 
Society of Great Britain has been issued, 
and must be a gratifying one to the mem- 
bers of the society. ‘he exhibits at the 
principal show were so numerous and exten- 
sive that it proved necessary to add 300. 
more square feet of space than was thought 
would be necessary. = 
A list of the most approved sorts to grow 
has been drawn up under the auspices of 
the society. At the conference held the 
following are given by authorities as the 
‘ Properties of the Sweet Pea’”’:— ‘ 
‘‘ Worm.’’—The standards must be erect, 
waved, or only slightly hooded. The 
standard, wings, and keel to be in propor- 
tion to each other, as will constitute a har- 
monious and well-balanced flower. : 
‘‘Number of blooms on a stem.’’—No- 
variety shall be recognised that has not at 
least three blooms on a stem, gracefully 
disposed. 
“ Color.””—Distinct and self clear colors. 
are most to be desired, and therefore 
striped, watered, and edged flowers will not 
be awarded certificates of merit, unless. 
they possess quite new and remarkable 
combinations, 
‘‘ Exceptions.”—Perfectly distinct new 
colors, such as approaching the blue of 
Salvia patens, the yellow of coreopsis 
grandiflora, or the scarlet of the zonal 
pelargonium shall be recognised, even if 
the variety shall fall short of the foregoing 
properties. — : pares 
On the completion of the judging on the: 
first day of the exhibition, the committee 
met to consider the merits of the new 
varieties, of which some two or three duzen 
were shown. First-class certificates were 
awarded to Florence Motyneux, Cupid Her 
Majesty, Cupid’ Lottie Eckford, Scarlet 
Gem, and King Edward VII. ‘The first 
