JOURNAL  OP  BORTIGULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  QARDENBk 
iafiuary  ‘It,  i§9'?. 
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Code  of  Judging:  («/.  £.). — Write  to  the  Secretary,  R.H.S.,  117, 
Victoria  Street,  London,  S.W.  The  price  is  Is.  Id.,  post  free. 
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London. 
Night  Soil  for  Vines — Nitrate  (IF.  IF). — Night  soil  is  one  of 
the  very  best  manures  for  Vines,  especially  that  from  earth  closets, 
which  contains  a  considerable  amount  of  urine  as  well  as  solid  matter, 
and  there  is  little  waste  where  sufficient  dry  earth  is  mixed  with 
it  to  form  a  crumbling  and  easily  applicable  manmre.  Although  the 
analysis  be  poor  as  compared  with  other  fertilisers,  it  is  a  very  satis¬ 
factory  one  in  use,  giving  first-class  results,  especially  with  Vines,  as  it 
improves  both  the  growth  and  finish  of  the  Grapes  to  a  striking  extent. 
It  should  be  applied  without  delay,  as  its  constituents  require  some  little 
time  to  become  available  as  food  for  plants,  a  2-inch  thickness  of  top- 
dressing  not  being  too  much,  but  it  should  be  pointed  lightly  into  the 
Soil.  Nitrate  (you  do  not  say  of  what)  would  certainly  promote  growth 
in  the  Vines,  but  if  you  mean  nitrate  of  soda  it  may  not  be  desirable, 
as  the  soil  is  heavy,  sulphate  of  ammonia  being  better,  applying  it  not 
later  than  the  starting  of  the  Vines  into  growth,  and  about  1  oz.  per 
square  yard,  or  2  lbs.  per  rod,  pointing  in  lightly.  If  2  ozs.  of  dissolved 
bones,  dry  and  crumbling,  were  supplied  at  the  same  time  it  would  be 
an  advantage,  still  better  with  1  oz.  of  double  sulphate  of  potash  and 
magnesia,  or  4  ozs.  of  the  mixture ;  sulphate  of  ammonia,  one  part; 
dissolved  bmes,  .two  parts;  double  sulphate  of  potash  and  magnesia, 
oae  part.  If,  as  you  say,  there  is  a  tendency  to  sourness  in  the  soil, 
ad i  sulphate  of  lime  four  parts,  and  apply  half  pound  of  that  mixture 
per  square  yard,  pointing  lightly  in,  not  deferring  application  later  than 
starting.  If  the  night  soil  have  about  10  per  cent  of  air-slaked  chalk 
lime,  dry  and  floury,  and  dust  charcoal,  also  perfectly  dry,  in  equal 
proportions,  mixed  with  it,  the  addition  will  improve  it  immensely  for 
Vines  and  there  will  be  little,  if  any,  loss  of  ammonia,  only  use  shortly 
after  mixing.  Ten  per  cent,  means  one  part  of  the  lime  and  charcoal 
to  ten  parts  of  the  night  soil. 
Crafting  Golden  Yew  on  Two-year-old  Shoots  on  Yew 
Hedge  (#.). — The  usual  time  of  grafting  Yews  is  in  August,  but  you 
may  practise  it  in  the  spring,  first  letting  the  sap  flow  freely  in  the 
stocks,  or  when  the  buds  commence  swelling.  Select  well  matured 
growths  of  the  Golden  Yew  some  little  time  before  then,  and  insert 
them  in  moist  sand  on  the  north  side  of  a  wall.  It  is  well  to  proceed 
by  side  grafting,  which  means  cutting  a  slice  of  bark  and  wood  off 
one  side  of  the  stock,  and  then  cutting  the  scion  in  such  manner  on 
one  of  its  sides  as  to  fit  that  made  on  the  Rtock,  so  that  the  barks  of 
brth  meet  exactly,  or  at  least  on  one  side.  Then  a  tongue  can  be  made 
in  the  stock  by  a  downward  cut,  and  a  slit  in  the  scion  upward,  so 
that  when  this  tongue  is  inserted  in  the  slit  of  the  stock  and  pushed 
downwards  the  barks  of  both  will  exactly  coiacide.  It  is  well  to  leave  a 
little  growth  or  part  of  the  stock  above  the  junction,  but  not  much,  to 
draw  the  sap  to  it  and  insure  “  knitting,”  and  also  have  a  portion  of  the 
scion  below  the  cut  part  long  enough  for  placing  in  a  phial  of  water  to 
keep  it  fresh  until  the  union  is  effected,  securing  the  phial  to  the  stock 
in  the  right  place  with  lead  wire.  Tne  scion  should  be  properly  bound 
to  the  stock  with  either  matting  or  darning  cotton,  and  then  dress  with 
either  grafting  wax  or  well  tempered  grafting  clay,  so  as  to  completely 
exclude  air  from  the  junction.  When  the  union  has  been  effected,  the 
ligature  must  be  loosened,  the  part  of  the  stock  above  the  graft  cut  off 
neatly,  and  also  the  part  of  the  scion  beliw  the  union  trimmed  off,  the 
first  in  an  upward  and  the  latter  in  a  downward  direction.  The  whole 
thing  is  much  easier  done  than  instructions  given  for  doing  it.  If  you 
do  not  proceed  by  what  is  known  as  bottle  grafting,  which  we  advise, 
whether  you  operate  during  the  first  fortnight  of  April  or  that  of 
August,  you  must  shade  the  graft  after  insertion,  otherwise  it  may  dry 
too  much  to  unite  with  the  stock, 
The  Currant  Bud  Mite  (J.  F.  IF). — The  Currant  mite  belongs 
to  a  rather  extensive  group  of  minute  creatures,  which  are  by  some 
naturalists  placed  amongst  Crustacese,  and  by  others  classed  with  insects. 
Present  opinion,  however,  rather  tends  to  put  them,  with  sundry  allies, 
in  a  group  called  Aptera,  insects  the  wings  of  which  have  somehdw 
disappeared,  and  legs  and  transformations  are  apt  to  vary  considerably. 
Those  in  the  genus  Phytoptus  either  make  galls  upon  leaves  or  secrete 
themselves  in  the  buds  of  plants,  which  then  become  “  puffy  ”  or 
contorted  and  shrivelled.  A  good  deal  of  notice  has  been  attracted 
recently  to  the  proceedings  of  P.  Ribis,  more  especially  in  the  case  of  the 
Black  Currant.  Owing  to  its  minuteness  and  its  mode  of  life  the  species 
doubtless  passes  unseen  in  many  instances.  There  is  ample  proof  that 
this  mite  is  lurking  within  the  Currant  buds  by  November,  if  not  earlier. 
pig.  18.— “knotted”  currant  buds. 
It  is,  however,  during  the  spring  that  our  attention  is  called  to  them', 
when  by  their  feeding  between  the  young  leaflets,  abstracting  their  sap, 
they  effectually  stop  the  development  of  flowers,  leaves,  and  twigs.  As 
Mr.  Andrew  Murray  remarks,  “  the  buds  attacked  are  seen  to  languish 
and  decay,  or  to  assume  a  rounded  swollen  form  without  pushing  out 
(‘  knotted,’  some  correspondents  style  it).  On  tearing  open  one, 
hundreds  of  very  small  Bemi-transparent  moving  things  may  be  seen  by 
a  lens.  All  the  surface  of  the  leaflets  on  which  they  are  scattered  has 
a  moist  raw-like  appearance  ;  in  fact,  the  Phytopti  have  browsed  on  it 
until  they  have  flayed  it  to  the  quick.”  Close  and  severe  pruning  is 
the  method  suggested  by  this  author  for  the  diminishing  of  their 
numbers,  but  he  scarcely  thinks  their  extirpation  can  be  thus  brought 
about.  Syringing  or  washing  the  bushes  with  one  of  the  many  solutions 
or  compounds  that  are  efficacious  for  the  destruction  of  insects  might 
clear  some  of  them  out  of  the  expanding  buds  in  spring,  but  wonld  not 
save  the  buds  from  dying  off,  Then  the  bushes  where  the  mite  has  been 
observed  might  be  also  syringed  early  in  the  autumn,  since  there  may  then 
be  a  migration  from  bud  to  bud.  Bushes  infested  with  this  destructive  mite 
1  should  never  be  propagated  from.  Young  trees  should  be  procured  that 
