16 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTWULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  6,  1898. 
and  is  worth  a  place  if  only  for  its  perfume,  horsy thias  should  be  repre¬ 
sented  ;  suspensa  is  perhajis  most  useful,  but  viridissima  and  intermedia 
are  also  of  service. 
For  hardy  shrubs  strong  forcing  is  objectionable,  better  results  being 
obtained  by  gentle  work.  After  flowering  the  plants  should  be  pruned, 
and  stood  in  a  cold  house  to  harden  before  being  put  outside.  About 
May  all— with  the  exception  of  Eoses  and  Cytisus-  should  be  planted  in 
the  nursery.  In  places  where  forcing  is  carried  on  to  a  large  extent  it  is 
preferable  to  grow  shrubs  for  the  purpose,  and  keep  young  plants  growing 
to  take  the  place  of  older  ones,  which  deteriorate  after  several  years' 
work.  If  taken  good  care  of  after  flowering  many  will  be  good  enough  to 
force  for  several  successive  years,  and  with  an  occasional  season’s  rest  will 
last  for  a  number  of  years.  It  is  unwise  to  keep  plants  in  pots  all  the 
year  round  ;  if  this  is  done  they  will  soon  be  worthless. — W.  D. 
EELWORM  DESTRUCTION. 
“The  clear  remarks  about  soluble  phenyle  and  its  composition” 
(page  570),  satisfactory  as  they  may  be  to  Mr.  W.  Dyke,  give  no  idea  of  its 
chemical  elements,  and  consequently  furnish  no  data  as  to  contained 
plant  nutrition  or  otherwise.  We  are  told,  however,  that  it  has  “  sonu' 
theoretical  manurial  value,  as  it  contains  1  per  cent,  of  potash.”  What  ot 
the  remaining  4  per  cent,  constituent  of  the  softsoap  ?  And  what  becomes 
of  the  “nitrogen  in  creosite”  when  treated  with  the  5  per  cent,  of 
caustic  soda  ]  Is  it  not  made  suitable  for  plant  nutrition  ?  Let  the 
answer  be  clear  and  supported  by  practice. 
So  much  for  the  “theoretical”  as  compared  with  the  practical 
manurial  value  of  soluble  phenyle.  In  the  latter  respect  Miss  E.  A. 
Ormerod  flrst  notified  the  fact,  if  I  remember  rightly,  in  1878,  when 
alluding  to  the  destruction  of  Carrot  fly  maggot,  or  larvae  of  Psila  rosae, 
as  follows  ; — “Copious  watering,  with  an  occasional  application  of  dilute 
soluble  phenyle,  stopped  the  attack,  and  threw  the  Carrots  into  vigorous 
growth.”  The  creosite  must  have  yielded  its  nitrogen,  and  the  whole 
soluble  article  speedily  converted  into  plant  food.  On  those  grounds,  and 
the  verifications  of  experience,  sohtble  phenyle  was  advised  as  giving 
“value  for  outlay  as  a  manure,”  and  because,  in  practice,  “it  acts  as  a 
fertiliser.”  Truly,  “  there  is  something  wrong  somewhere.’' 
In  the  second  paragraph  of  Mr.  "W.  Dyke  s  article  (page  59fi)  I  am 
pleased  to  notice  his  acquiescing  in  the  potency  of  lime  and  kainit  as 
eelvvormicides,  and  that  he  so  highly  approves  of  “boiling  water’’  as  to 
advise  its  use  “  to  kill  any  eelworm  living.”  But  I  must  direct  his 
attention  to  the  statement  in  1896  of  Cucumber  and  Tomato  root-knot 
eelworm  being  unknown,  according  to  his  dictum,  as  an  outdoor  infestation 
in  this  country,  and  of  its  succumbiug  when  the  soil  was  ex])osed  to  the 
weather  for  some  time.  In  1897,  “any”  eelworm  may  be  in  turf,  but 
that  he  submitted  last  year  was  root-knot  eelworm  (Heterodera  radicicola), 
not  the  blunt  root-stem  eelworm  (Tylenchus  obtusus),  page  597. 
I  may  also  congratulate  Mr.  W.  Dyke  on  withdrawing  from  the  over¬ 
shadowing  wings  of  “ aulhoifities ”  and  of  “other  persons’  experiences,” 
and  giving  us  something  tor  which  he  may  himself  be  held  responsible. 
Thus  we  get  at  the  kainit  and  basic  slag  treatment  -  [iractically  the  same 
as  the  first  and  lime.  But  even  then  he  does  not  see  the  difiference 
between  the  dry  application  of  kainit  and  that  of  it  in  solution,  between 
treating  plantless  soil  left  for  weeks  and  that  of  plants  in  the  heyday  of 
growth.  An  ounce  of  kainit  per  gallon  of  water  is  as  much  as  I  have 
found  Cucumber  plants  to  bear  without  injury  to  the  roots,  and  2  ozs.  per 
gallon  of  water  a  maximum  dose  for  Tomatoes.  What  then  becomes  of 
the  12  ozs.  of  kainit  to  a  gallon  of  water,  and  wherein  exists  the  analogy  ? 
Try  it,  and  then  write. 
Turn  we  now  to  “  unkillable  and  mysterious”  eelworm,  for  which 
“  kainit  and  lime  are  the  only  palliatives  recognised  by  scientific  experts 
as  of  any  practical  use  and  application”  (page  571).  Very  well,  the  any 
and  all  eelworms  found  in  England  live  in  its  surface  soil,  there  sustained 
by  organic  matter,  either  in  a  dead  or  living  state.  Taking  into  purview 
the  whole  surface  area— arable,  pasture,  and  other  land,  the  average  depth 
of  the  vegetable  mould  does  not  exceed  4  inches.  This,  treated  with,  in 
round  figures,  4  ozs.  of  kainit  per  square  yard,  7  lbs.  per  rod,  10  cwt.  per 
acre,  in  the  autumn  or  early  in  spring,  when  moist,  but  with  a  prospect  of 
fair  weather  for  a  time,  becomes  freed  from  eelworm,  contingent  on  its 
containing  a  fair  proportion  of  lime.  This,  however,  usually  does  not 
exist  to  a  sufficient  amount  in  the  surface  soil  for  the  essential  forming  of 
chloride  of  lime,  hence  we  must  supply  this  in  conjunction  with  the  kainit, 
and  ordinarily  as  much — 4  ozs.  per  square  yard,  7  lbs.  per  rod,  10  cwt. 
per  acre. 
By  using  basic  cinder  phosphate  with  the  kainit  instead  of  lime  we 
get  about  5  cwt.  of  the  latter,  which  acts  similarly  to  that  specially 
prepa-red,  and  in  most  cases  effectively  in  destroying  eelworm.  But  in 
Nature,  and  still  more  in  cultivation,  the  surface  soil  varies  considerably 
in  depth,  hence  no  particular  data  can  be  given  as  applicable  to  all  cases. 
The  deduction,  however,  at  which  I  have  arrived,  after  several  years' 
observations  and  experiments,  is,  that  for  eelworm  infestation,  the  kainit 
should  be  used  in  the  proportion  of  one  to  three  of  lime,  or  j  oz.  kainit 
and  3  ozs.  lime  per  square  yard  to  each  1  inch  depth  of  rich  vegetable, 
worked,  or  prepared  soil.  The  former  has  4  to  6  inches  depth  of  soil,  let 
them  use  4  to  6  ozs.  of  kainit  and  12  to  18  ozs.  of  lime  per  square  yard. 
Double  the  amounts  quoted  will  serve  for  land  under  spade  or  fork 
culture,  the  8  to  12  inches  depth  of  soil  respectively,  and  when  dealing 
with  calcareous  or  light  land,  exercise  discriminative  judgment  or 
“  brains.” 
The  chances  of  handling  the  £50,000  are  thus  extremely  small,  for 
nearly  everything  depends  for  success  on  the  avoidance  of  cultural  errors 
and  mistakes,  and  in  apportioning  the  amounts  of  kainit  and  of  lime  as 
befits  the  diversities  of  soils  and  of  the  various  requirements  of  diflerent 
crops,  thus  rendering  universal  preventives  and  remedies  practically 
inapplicable  to  all  circumstances.  However,  there  can  be  no  reason  but 
indifierence  why  foreign  growers  should  ease  consumers  of  gardtn  and 
farm  produce  in  this  country'  of  the  cash  so  much  needed  by  the  home 
growers.  This  I  consider  far  more  important  in  respect  of  prevention 
and  remedy  than  eelworm  destruction  may  be  to  foreign  growers.  The 
difference  between  a  bogus  £50,000  and  a  substantial  £5o, 000,000  a  year, 
worse  than  lost  to  British  fanners  and  gardeners,  is  that  of  the  shadow 
and  the  substance.  Scientific  men  should  be  exact,  and  not  indulge  in 
random  figures,  and  it  is  not  less  important  that  experimentalists  should 
proceed  with  caution  and  exactitude. — G.  Abbey. 
Eelworms  sometimes  attack  the  roots  of  Cyclamen,  causing  them  to 
swell  abnormally,  and  having  the  effect  of  completely  paralysing  their 
action.  For  this  reason  the  ])ans  containing  the  seed,  and  the  young 
plants  later  on,  ought  never  to  be  placed  in  near  proximity  to  Cucumbers, 
Tomatoes,  or  other  plants,  the  roots  of  which  are  liable  to  be  infestedwith 
this  neniatode.  The  remedy  is  Little’s  soluble  phenyle,  diluted  freely,  a 
wineglassful,  or  2  ozs.  as  measured  by  an  8  oz.  medicine  bottle,  proving 
sufficient  for  3  gallons  of  water.  This  applied  occasionally  instead  of 
clear  water,  proves  destructive  to  the  eelworm  and  stimulates  rather 
than  retards  the  growth  of  the  plants.— W.  Iggulde^'  (Journal  of  Hie 
Eoyal  Horticultural  Society,  December,  1897,  page  270). 
[Yes;  there  is  evidently  “something  wrong  somewhere,”  either  in 
the  material  or  its  application.  One  person  kills  his  plants  with  soluble 
phenyle  ;  another  does  not,  nor  eelworm  either,  and  so  has  done  with  it  ; 
a  third,  if  not  a  fourth,  has  no  belief  in  its  manurial  properties  ;  and  then 
comes  the  gardener  w  ith  the  largest  experience  as  a  cultivator  of  all  of 
them  (not  including  IMr.  Abbey)— a  grower  of  plants  and  produce  for 
market,  and  closely  watchful  of  his  outlay  and  its  returns,  wdio  finds 
investment  in  soluble  jihenyle  profitable,  inasmuch  as  it  is  “destiuctive  to 
the  eelworm  and  stimulates  the  growth  ”  of  his  tender  rooted  Cyclamens. 
It  is  evident  that  IMr.  Iggulden  has  found  a  “palliative  other  than  kainit 
and  lime,”  and  we  suspect  he  would  hesitate  to  apply  the  eelworm-killing 
quantities  of  these  to  the  Cyclamens  which  he  grows  so  luxuriantly.  The 
problem  of  one  person  killing  plants  and  another  curing  them  is  still 
unsolved,  and  the  less  of  bantering  or  boasting  on  either  side  the  better.] 
EOIKTNG  RHUBARB. 
The  rich,  luscious,  and  tender  stalks  of  gently  forced  llhubarb  are 
greatly  appreciated  at  the  present  time  and  during  the  next  two  or  three 
months.  Forcing  in  December  is,  under  the  best  conditions,  rather  slow. 
The  roots  do  not  respond  so  readily  to  the  stimulus  of  heat  while  the  days 
are  shortening,  but  now',  the  new  year  having  come,  and  the  days  have 
commenced  to  lengthen,  forcing  becomes  less  and  less  difficult.  A  steady 
regular  temperature  of  55“  to  65°  proves  quite  strong  enough  to  induce 
growth. 
Ehubarb  may  be  forced  in  any  warm  position,  but  the  roots  must  be 
kept  moist.  In  a  warm  but  arid  atmosphere  it  will  be  best  to  surround 
the  roots  with  soil  in  addition  to  that  adhering  to  them  when  dug  up. 
"With  frequent  watering  and  syringing  of  the  crowns  there  will  be  enough 
moisture  to  incite  the  production  of  plenty  of  white  fibrous  roots  with 
feeding  root  hairs.  On  the  other  hand,  when  the  atmosphere  is  sufficiently 
moist  and  the  temperature  high  enough,  the  I’oots  will  only  require 
frequent  syringings,  supplemented  by  one  or  two  good  waterings  as  may 
appear  necessary.  Positions  affording  conditions  of  semi-darkness  are 
best  for  forcing  Rhubarb,  but  it  will  succeed  in  full  darkness. 
In  selecting  roots  for  farcing,  let  them  be  not  less  than  two  years 
old.  Tho^e  which  have  grown  vigorously  and  been  undisturbed  for 
several  years  are  the  best.  Roots  are  generally  considered  to  force 
better  if  lifted  some  time  prior  to  taking  in  for  forcing,  leaving  them 
exposed  to  cold  weather  and  frost,  which  serves  the  purpose  of  eff  ectually 
checking  them,  after  which  growth  seems  to  recommence  better. 
Secure  the  roots  as  large  as  possible,  only  reducing  tlmm  to  a  portable 
size  by  cutting  the  large  fleshy  roots  down  with  a  sharp  sjiade  as  they 
are  dug  up.  A  few  taken  in  every'  fortnight  will  usually  meet  the 
demand. 
The  warmest  and  most  favourable  corners  should  be  chosen  for  roots 
giving  the  earliest  supplies.  The  later,  needing  less  stimulation,  may  be 
accommodated  where  the  heat  is  not  strong.  Failing  the  t'oor  oi-  under 
the  staging  of  a  warm  house,  a  warm,  dark  cellar  can  be  utilised,  though 
])Ossibly  the  temperature  may  not  be  sufficiently  high  for  an  early  crop. 
Roots  can  be  placed  in  boxes  or  tubs  and  covered  with  others  of  the  same 
size  inverted.  The  advantage  of  these  portable  receptacles  are  that  they 
can  be  placed  in  positions  w'here  bottom  heat  is  available,  as,  for  instance, 
over  hot-water  pipes,  or  in  their  immediate  vicini'y.  Always,  in  these 
case.s,  surround  the  roots  with  soil,  so  that  constant  moisture  is  present 
aViout  them,  and  not  evaporated  as  soon  as  given.  In  March  a  number  of 
roots  in  the  open  ground  may  be  covered  with  inverted  tubs,  or  large, 
deep  drain  pipes.  In  this  manner  an  early  supply  of  delicious,  well 
coloured  stalks  may  be  secured  before  the  first  natural  supplies  from  the 
open  are  ready. 
Rhubarb  can  also  be  forced  early  without  lifting,  provided  fermenting 
material  can  be  obtained.  The  crowns  should  first  be  covered  with  boxes 
or  tubs,  having  moveable  tops  for  readiness  in  gaining  access  to  the 
produce.  Round  these  pack  the  fermenting  material,  which  may  consist 
of  equal  parts  of  stable  manure  and  leaves.  Carry  the  material  over 
