October  24,  1896. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
403 
Thrlps  on  Vines  {Inquirer'). — You  ask  for  the  beat  way  of 
cleaning  Vines  in  bearing  from  thrips.  There  ia  no  better  or  surer  way 
than  sponging  the  leaves  with  Gishurst  compound  or  other  approved 
insecticide.  Just  before  the  leaves  fall  we  should  gather  and  burn  them. 
Where  Vines  are  seriously  attacked  the  insects  get  into  the  bunches  and 
spoil  the  fruit.  When  the  Vines  are  pruned  the  rods  should  be 
thoroughly  cleansed,  also  every  part  of  the  house  and  the  plants  in  it,  or 
you  may  have  more  trouble  next  year. 
Fleshy  Insects  Feeding  on  Green  and  Black  Fly  {W.  W.). 
— Of  the  three  fleshy  insects  we  only  found  one — a  brownish  leach-like 
creature — and  that  outside  the  box.  It  is  the  nearly  full-fed  larva  of  a 
dipterous  fly  belonging  to  the  Syrphidae,  or  hawk  flies,  which  will  soon 
turn  into  a  pupa,  and  in  that  state  pass  the  winter,  emerging  as  a  perfect 
fly  in  the  spring.  The  female  will  then  deposit  eggs  amid  the  aphis 
hosts,  the  larvae  from  these  will  feed  on  the  aphides,  which  they  suck 
dry  and  then  throw  the  empty  skin  away,  proceeding  to  another,  and 
so  on  until  full  fed.  You  will  find  much  of  interest  in  respect  of  useful 
insects  in  back  numbers  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture,  but  we  do  not 
know  of  a  work  devoted  to  the  subject. 
KTectarlues  Quartering  {A.  A.  T,). — The  usual  cause  of 
Nectarines  quartering  is  a  deficiency  of  atmospheric  moisture  in  the 
early  stages  of  swelling  up  to  and  including  stoning.  The  skin  thus 
becomes  hardened,  and  when  the  fruit  swells  for  ripening  the  skin  does 
not  grow  correspondingly  with  the  flesh,  and  splitting  ensues,  generally 
at  the  apex,  and  as  swelling  proceeds  the  crack  enlarges,  sometimes  so 
deeply  as  to  expose  the  stone.  The  only  remedy  is  more  moisture 
both  at  the  roots  and  in  the  atmosphere  during  the  early  stages  of 
swelling  and  past  the  stoning  process,  and  less  moisture  as  the  fruits 
approach  maturity.  Peaches  are  less  prone  to  “  quartering  ”  because 
their  skins  are  downy,  and  on  that  account  not  so  liable  to  induration 
by  an  arid  atmosphere  as  is  the  smooth  and  more  sensitive  skin  of 
Nectarines. 
IVKalmalson  Carnation  S^eaf  Diseased  {F,  G.). — The  “  rust  ’ 
on  the  leaf  is  not  Heterosporium  echinulatum,  Cke.  (Helminthosporium 
echinulatum,  Berk.),  which  is  easily  known  by  the  minutely  warted 
conidia  ;  but  it  is  a  very  poor  condition  of  the  rust  fungus  (Uromyces 
caryophyllinus),  the  spores  neing  brown  and  much  smaller  than  usual, 
which  is  probably  due  to  the  treatment  with  potassium  sulphide. 
However,  there  is  plenty  of  fresh  pustules,  and  the  spores  in  them  much 
below  the  average  size,  so  that  the  sulphide  has  some  deterring  effect, 
but  not  sufficient  to  prevent  and  destroy  the  fungus.  Spray  the  plant 
with  Condy’s  fluid  diluted  one-half  with  water,  or  use  the  pure  fluid 
with  a  sponge.  For  further  treatment  see  Journal  of  Horticulture, 
October  10th,  1895,  page  357,  under  the  side  heading  “  Malmaison 
Carnation  Infested  with  East  Fungus.” 
Chrysanthemum  Bloom  Deformed  {H.  P.). — The  bloom  was 
much  discoloured  on  the  outside,  which  may  be  due  to  the  jolting  and 
knocking  about  in  coming  through  the  post,  or  it  may  have  been  caused 
before  it  was  sent  off,  either  by  damp,  fumigation,  or  vaporisation  ;  but 
we  cannot  make  out  from  your  short  letter  what  it  is  you  wish  to  know 
about,  and  you  certainly  do  not  allude  to  the  discolouration.  It  has 
arisen  from  one  or  more  of  the  causes  mentioned,  there  not  being  any 
fungoid  growth.  The  malformation  of  the  flower  may  be  caused  by 
aphides,  which  swarmed  on  the  small  buds  at  the  base  of  the  bloom, 
and  in  the  bloom  itself  at  the  base  of  the  florets.  It  is  a  great  pity,  as 
this  ought  to  have  been  attended  to  before  the  flower  buds  expanded,  so 
as  to  have  the  plants  perfectly  clean  for  flowering.  We  can  only  suggest 
fumigation  with  best  tobacco  paper  or  rolls,  or  vapourisation  with 
nicotine  ;  but  unless  very  carefully  performed  it  will  discolour  the 
flowers,  therefore  operate  cautiously,  and  take  care  to  have  the  blooms 
quite  dry,  using  smoke,  or  vapour  moderately  on  two  or  three  con¬ 
secutive  evenings. 
Blood  from  Slaughter  House  for  a  Vine  Border  {Coat  Bridge). 
— The  best  way  to  use  blood  for  Vine  borders  is  as  a  top-dressing  during 
growth,  and  it  is  best  prepared  by  mixing  the  blood  with  wood 
ashes,  which  is  most  readily  done  when  the  blood  is  smelling  freely  from 
decomposition,  forming  a  thick  mortar-like  mass,  then  place  under 
cover,  and  coat  with  charcoal  dust  about  an  inch  thick.  Leave  until 
spring  or  until  dry  enough  for  crumbling,  then  break  up  and  apply, 
after  making  as  fine  as  possible,  and  mixing  the  charcoal  with  it  evenly 
at  the  rate  of  4  ozs.  per  square  yard  (1)  when  the  Vines  are  started, 
(2)  when  they  are  coming  into  full  leaf,  or  just  before  flowering, 
(3)  when  the  Grapes  are  a  quarter  to  half  grown.  If  you  cannot  get  the 
wood  ashes,  thoroughly  mix  the  blood  with  about  5  per  cent.  (5  lbs.  of 
lime  to  100  lbs.  of  blood)  of  its  weight  of  dry,  freshly  slaked  lime,  and 
cover  the  mixture  with  a  thin  layer  of  lime.  This  combination,  when 
dry,  can  be  kept  for  a  long  time  without  appreciable  change.  Apply  as 
before  advised,  after  making  quite  fine.  Loosen  the  surface  a  little 
after  applying,  and  wash  in  moderately. 
Grape  Wine  {Houseioife). — A  very  good  wine  can  be  made  from 
Grapes  which  do  not  attain  their  perfect  maturity  in  the  open  air  in  this 
country.  The  fruit  should  be  allowed  to  hang  as  long  as  it  is  likely  to 
derive  any  benefit  in  the  way  of  ripening,  and  when  it  is  ready  the 
bunches  are  to  be  gathered  and  laid  carefully,  so  as  not  to  bruise  the 
berries.  The  berries  are  to  be  picked  separately  from  the  stalks,  dis¬ 
carding  all  that  are  in  any  way  decayed.  Measure  the  fruit  as  it  is  put 
into  the  fermenting  tub,  and  to  every  fifteen  gallons  of  fruit  add  one 
gallon  of  soft  water.  Stir  and  bruise  the  fruit,  and  after  standing  for 
twenty-four  hours,  strain  and  press  the  fruit  through  a  hair  cloth  or 
coarse  canvas  bag  subjected  to  pressure.  Now  test  the  liquor  by  the 
saccharometer  and  bring  up  the  gravity  to  120  by  the  addition  of  sugar, 
every  pound  of  sugar  raising  the  density  35  or  36.  Let  the  whole  be 
well  stirred,  and  add  one  ounce  of  argol  to  every  three  gallons  of  must. 
Stir  the  must  every  day,  morning  and  evening,  and  when  the  density 
falls  to  80,  and  the  fermentation  becomes  languid,  the  cask  is  to  be 
bunged  up  and  the  wine  bottled  off  ia  the  month  of  March  following. 
Argol  can  be  had  from  chemists,  and  perhaps  a  saccharometer  too,  or 
from  Messrs.  Cetti,  Glass  Merchants,  Lambeth. 
Hames  of  Fruits. — Notice. — We  have  pleasure  in  naming  good 
typical  fruits  (when  the  names  are  discoverable)  for  the  convenience  of 
regular  subscribers,  who  are  the  growers  of  such  fruit,  and  not  col¬ 
lectors  of  specimens  from  non-subscribers.  This  latter  procedure  is 
wholly  irregular,  and  we  trust  that  none  of  our  readers  will  allow 
themselves  to  be  made  the  mediums  in  infringing  our  rules.  Special 
attention  is  directed  to  the  following  decision,  the  object  of  which  is 
to  discourage  the  growth  of  inferior  and  promote  the  culture  of  superior 
varieties.  In  consequence  of  the  large  nuniber  of  worthless  Apples  and 
Pears  sent  to  this  office  to  he  named,  it  has  been  decided  to  name  only 
specimens  and  varietws  of  approved  merit,  and  to  reject  the  inferior, 
lohich  are  not  worth  sending  or  growing.  The  names  and  addresses  of 
Benders  of  fruit  to  be  named  must  in  all  cases  be  enclosed  with  the 
specimens,  whether  letters  referring  to  the  fruit  are  sent  by  post  or 
not.  The  names  are  not  necessarily  required  for  publication,  initials 
sufficing  for  that.  Only  six  specimens  can  be  named  at  once,  and  any 
beyond  that  number  cannot  be  preserved.  They  should  be  sent  on  the 
first  indication  of  change  toioards  ripening.  Dessert  Pears  cannot  be 
named  in  a  hard  green  state.  {W.  M.).  —  Kotten.  {H.  N,).  —  2, 
Northern  Greening  ;  5,  Dutch  Mignonne  ;  6,  Yorkshire  Greening.  The 
numbers  had  become  displaced  from  the  remainder.  {J.  M.). — Golden 
Winter  Pearmain.  (IF.  J.  P.). — 1,  Beurr6  Diel ;  2,  Marie  Louise 
d’Uccle  ;  3,  Warner’s  King ;  4,  Queen  Caroline  ;  5,  Dutch  Mignonne ; 
6,  Nelson’s  Codlin.  {C.  TF.  P.). — Possibly  a  small  fruit  of  Verulam. 
(IF.  (t.  B.). — 1,  Golden  Reinette ;  2,  Hoary  Morning;  3,  Fearn’s 
Pippin  ;  4,  Cellini ;  5,  Possibly  a  small  Blenheim  Pippin.  {B.  C.). — 1, 
There  are  two  Apples  grown  under  the  name  of  Harvey’s  Wiltshire 
Defiance,  and  this  is  the  better  of  them,  but  is  not  the  older  form 
described  in  the  Fruit  Manual  ;  2,  almost  certainly  a  local  variety. 
{G.  G.  K.). — The  small  Pears  were  quite  hard,  the  larger  one  is  Flemish 
Beauty.  {J.  TF.). — 1,  Dutch  Mignonne  ;  2,  Northern  Greening. 
IVames  of  Plants. — We  only  undertake  to  name  species  of  plants, 
not  varieties  that  have  originated  from  seeds  and  termed  florists’  flowers. 
Flowering  specimens  are  necessary  of  flowering  plants,  and  Fern  fronds 
should  bear  spores.  Specimens  should  arrive  in  a  fresh  state  in  firm 
boxes.  Slightly  damp  moss,  soft  green  grass,  or  leaves  form  the  best 
packing,  dry  wool  the  worst.  Not  more  than  six  specimens  can  be  named 
at  once,  and  the  numbers  should  be  visible  without  untying  the  ligatures, 
it  being  often  difficult  to  separate  them  when  the  paper  is  damp. 
(jF.  j,  TF.). — 1,  Tillandsia  setacea  ;  2,  Panax  laciniatum;  3,  Salvia  ruti- 
lans,  {C.  P.  F.). — Coccoloba  platyclada.  {Amateur). — 1,  Adiantum 
concinnum ;  2,  Asplenium  formosum  ;  3,  Adiantum  trapeziforme. 
{B.B.B,.). — 1,  Luculia  gratissima ;  2,  Helleborus  niger  maximus.  {J.  TF, 
Howden  Dene). — 1,  Abies  amabilis  ;  2,  Retinospora  ericoides  ;  3,  Abies 
Clanbrasiliana  ;  4,  Cephalotaxus  Fortunei ;  5,  Osmanthus  ilicifolius  ; 
6,  Cupressus  Lawsoniana  aurea.  {F.  C.  6-'.).  —  Specimen  totally 
insufficient. 
COVENT  GARDEN  MARKET.— October  23rd. 
FRUIT. 
Apples,  per  bushel  . .  . . 
„  Nova  Scotia,  per 
barrel . 
„  Tasaianian,  per 
case . 
Gobs,  per  lUO  lbs . 
Beaus,  per  buslie  ..  .. 
Beet,  Red,  dozen . 
Oarrots,  bunch . 
Cauliflowers,  dozen  . .  . . 
Oelery,  bundle  . 
Ooleworts,  dozen  bunches 
Oucumbers,  dozen  ..  .. 
Endive,  dozen  . 
Herbs,  bunch  . 
Leeks,  bunch  . 
Lettuce,  dozen . 
Mushrooms,  punnet  ..  .. 
AVERAGE  WHOLESALE 
Arum  Lilies,  12  blooms  .. 
Asparagus  Fern,  per  bunch 
Asters  (English)  dozen 
bunches . 
Bouvardias,  bunch  ..  .. 
Carnations,  12  blooms 
Ohrysanthemum,  dozen 
blooms . . 
,,  doz.  Dunches 
Dahlias,  dozen  bunches  . . 
Eucharis,  dozen . 
Gardenias,  dozen  ..  .. 
Geranium,  scarlet,  doz. 
bunches . 
Lilac  (French)  per  bunch 
Lilium  lancifolium,  twelve 
blooms . 
„  longiflorum,  12  blooms 
Lily  of  the  Valley,  dozen 
sprays . 
s. 
d. 
s.  d. 
s.  d. 
a. 
d 
1 
3 
to  3  0 
Filberts,  per  100  lbs .  35  0  to 
0 
0 
Grapes,  per  lb . 0  6 
1 
6 
0 
0 
0  0 
Lemons,  case  ..  ..  ..10  0 
15 
0 
Peaches,  per  dozen  , .  . .  1  0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0  0 
Plums,  per  half  sieve  ..  2  6 
4 
6 
35 
0 
40  0 
St.  Michael  Pines,  each  .,2  0 
6 
0 
VEGETABLES. 
s. 
d. 
8.  d. 
e.  d. 
s. 
d. 
1 
0 
to  2  0 
Mustard  and  Cress,  punnet  0  2  to 
0 
0 
1 
0 
0  0 
Onions,  bushel . 3  6 
4 
0 
0 
3 
0  4 
Parsley,  dozen  bunches  ..20 
3 
0 
3 
0 
6  0 
Parsnips,  dozen . 1  0 
0 
6 
1 
0 
1  3 
Potatoes,  per  owt . 2  0 
4 
0 
2 
0 
4  0 
Salsafy,  bundle . 1  0 
1 
6 
0 
9 
1  6 
Seakale,  per  basket  . .  . .  0  0 
0 
0 
1 
3 
1  6 
Scorzonera,  bundle  ..  ..  1  6 
0 
0 
0 
3 
0  0 
Shallots,  per  lb . 0  3 
0 
0 
0 
2 
0  0 
Spinach,  bushel . 1  0 
1 
6 
0 
9 
1  6 
Tomatoes. per  lb.  ..  ..  0  3 
0 
4 
0 
9 
1  0 
Turnips,  bunch . 0  3 
0 
FRIGES.— OUT  FLOWERS.— Orchid  Blooms  in  variety. 
B. 
d 
B.  d. 
B.  d. 
a. 
d. 
4 
0 
to  6  0 
Maidenhair  Fern,  doz.  bchs.  4  0  to 
6 
0 
2 
0 
4  0 
Marguerites,  12  bunches  . .  16 
3 
0 
Orchids,  various,  dozen 
4 
0 
8  0 
blooms  . 16 
18 
0 
0 
6 
1  0 
Pelargoniums,  12  bunches  4  0 
9 
0 
1 
0 
3  0 
Primula(double),  doz.spys.  0  6 
1 
0 
Roses  (indoor),  dozen  . .  10 
2 
0 
1 
0 
4  0 
„  Tea,  white,  dozen  . .  10 
2 
0 
3 
0 
6  0 
„  Yellow,  dozen  (Niels)  3  0 
6 
0 
2 
0 
4  0 
„  Safrano  (English), 
3 
0 
5  0 
dozen . 1  0 
2 
0 
2 
0 
3  0 
„  Yellow,  dozen  blooms  0  6 
0 
9 
„  Bed,  dozen  blooms  ..10 
1 
6 
4 
0 
6  0 
,,  various,  doz.  bunches  4  0 
8 
0 
4 
0 
5  0 
Smilax,  per  bunch  ..  ..  2  6 
4 
0 
Stephanotis,  dozen  sprays  2  0 
4 
0 
1 
6 
2  6 
Tuberoses,  12  blooms. .  ..  0  2 
0 
4 
4 
0 
6  0 
Violets,  dozen  bunches  ..  16 
2 
0 
Violets  Panne  (French), 
1 
0 
2  0 
per  bimch . 3  6 
4 
6 
