February  8,  1898. 
JOURN'AL  OP  UORTIGULWRE  AUR  COTTAGE  GARRPMPR, 
115 
Cockchafer  Grub  ((7.  C.  H.'). — The  specimen  •ent  is  the  grub  of  the 
cockchafer  (Melolontha  vulgaris),  that  feeds  on  the  roots  of  various 
shrubs  and  trees  for  about  three  years,  when  it  becomes  pupa,  from 
which  it  emerges  in  the  spring  in  perfect  form — the  familiar  May  bug 
or  cockchafer.  The  larva  is  very  destructive  of  tender  roots  and  partial 
to  vegetable  matter,  such  as  that  of  the  deca3’ed  parts  of  manure  and 
the  roots  of  grasses,  and  the  perfect  insects  feed  on  a  great  variety  of 
trees,  sometimes  wholly  denuding  Hawthorn,  Hazel,  Elm,  and  Willow 
of  foliage.  It  also  attacks  Oali  s,  and  a  great  variety  of  other  trees  and 
shrubs.  The  grubs  are  stupefied,  if  not  destroyed,  by  a  dressing  of 
nitrate  of  soda.  If  lb.  being  used  per  rod,  it  being  best  applied  after 
the  ground  has  been  dug  level,  so  that  the  nitrate  gets  washed  into 
the  soil  evenly.  It  is  best  applied  in  the  late  winter  or  early  spring, 
alike  for  acting  on  the  grub  and  benefiting  the  land  as  manure.  Soot, 
at  the  rate  of  1  peck  per  rod,  is  also  distasteful  to  the  grubs  and  benefits 
the  plants. 
Cocoa-nut  Fibre  as  Plunging  Material  (P.  M.  C.'). — The  sample  is 
cocoa-nut  fibre  from  the  mat  manufacturers,  not  the  dust  or  fibre  refuse 
commonly  used  for  plunging  purposes.  We  have  used  it  since  1860.  and 
found  excellent  in  most  cases.  We  agree  with  you  in  its  being  superior 
to  either  leaves  or  tan  bark  as  a  plunging  material  for  Amaryllises,  to 
which  water  should  be  supplied  very  sparingly  until  the  flower  scapes 
show,  and  then  more  freely.  Danger  lies  in  overwatering.  The  rooting 
of  the  plants  from  the  bottom  and  over  the  rims  of  the  pots  into  the  fibre 
is  the  secret  of  fine  leafage  and  a  large  storage  of  matter  in  the  bulbs,  only 
the  growth  must  be  ripened  by  judiciously  reducing  the  watering,  and 
eventually"  drying  off  completely'.  Hippeastrums  so  treated  far  excel 
those  on  which  foliage  has  been  retained.  The  ordinary  cocoa-nut  refuse 
—  the  dust  or  satvdust-like  material  resulting  in  separating  the  fibre  from 
the  husk — is,  however,  the  article  commonly  used  for  plunging  purposes, 
and  quite  different  from  the  hair-like  fibre  which  you  use  in  being  lighter, 
and  holding  less  water. 
Insects  on  Celery  (P.  (?.). — The  insects  are  Collembola  (“spring 
tails  ”),  but  this  particular  one  does  not  “  jump,”  It  is  Lipura  fimetaria, 
very  common  in  damp  earth,  and  feeds  on  decaying  or  even  living 
vegetable  matter,  such  as  Carrots,  Celery,  Potatoes,  or  other  roots ;  but 
the  animals  are  rather  the  consequence  than  cause  of  decay,  especially  in 
this  case,  as  the  real  agent  that  had  been  at  work  was  the  maggot  of  the 
Celery-stem  fly  (Piophila  apii).  This  pest  burrows  in  the  Celery  leaf 
stalks,  and  causes  decay.  There  are  some  pupse  in  the  stems  as  well 
as  maggots,  therefore  it  would  be  desirable  to  burn  all  infested  parts, 
and  dress  the  land  with  gas  lime  to  kill  any  pests  left  in  the  soil,  using 
5  stones  of  the  lime  per  rod,  freshly  had  from  gasworks,  and  leaving  it  on 
the  surface  for  a  few  weeks  before  turning  under.  If  that  be  unattainable 
use  kainit,  7  lbs.  per  rod,  after  clearing  away  the  crop  and  levelling  or 
digging,  letting  the  rains  wash  it  in.  Spraying  with  paraffin  oil  is  the  best 
preventive  of  attack,  using  very  moderately  when  the  plants  are  established 
after^lanting  out,  repeating  occasionally. 
Measuring  Timber  (W,  M.  G.'). — The  contents  of  a  tree  “can  begot 
by  multiplying  the  quarter  girth  by  the  length  ”  by  simple  multiplication  if 
you  go  to  work  properly.  You  multiply  feet  by  inches,  giving  as  an 
example  “a  tree  20  feet  long  and  6  inches  quarter  girth,  20x  6=120, 
and  you  ask  what  is  the  120  ?  ”  Then  you  saj'  “  no  other  true  waj’  can 
be  given.”  Please  bring  the  20  feet  into  inches,  multiply  by  the 
6  inches,  and  divide  by  the  inches  in  a  cubic  foot,  then  you  will  find  the 
contents  m  a  woodman-like  manner.  Rut  the  woodman  would  not  go  so 
far  about  in  the  case  of  round  numbers.  Your  next  example  is  even 
worse  :  “Suppose  a  tree  to  be  36  feet  long  and  the  circumference  6  feet. 
You  will  take  the  quarter  of  6  feet,  which  will  be  18  inches,  and 
multiply  the  quarter  girth  so — 18  x  18  =  324  x  36  feet  =11,664  ;  divide  by 
12  and  12  =  81  feet,”  That  shows  a  strange  way  of  using  the  multipli¬ 
cation  table.  Our  w'ay  would  be  to  multiply  the  length  by  the  quarter 
girth,  or  36  feet  by  1 J  foot  =54  feet,  or  for  keeping  our  school  work  in 
exercise,  bring  the  length  into  inches  and  multiply  by  the  quarter  girth 
in  inches,  and  then  divide  by  the  inches  in  a  cubic  foot.  This  is  verj' 
desirable  exercise  for  a  man  that  aspires  to  teach  others  but  who  has 
forgotten  what  the  schoolmaster  taught  him. 
Names  of  Fruits.  —  Notice, —  We  have  pleasure  in  naming  good 
tj’pical  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  number  of  worthless  Apples  and  Pears 
sent  to  this  office  to  be  named,  it  has  been  decided  to  name  only  specimens  and 
varieties  of  approved  merit,  and  to  reject  the  inferior,  which  are  not  worth 
sending  or  growing.  The  names  and  addresses  of  senders  of  fruits  or 
flowers  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  towards  ripening.  Dessert  Pears  cannot  be  named  in  a  hard  green  state, 
(Z>.  Williams'). — The  Pear  has  ))een  closely  examined  by  several  experts, 
and  the  majority  are  of  opinion  that  it  is  the  Spanish  Bon  Chretien.  It 
is  described  in  the  “Pruit  Manual”  as  an  excellent  culinary  Pear,  with 
a  pleasant  brisk  flavour  and  musky  aroma.  Pruit  covered  with  cinnamon 
coloured  russet,  and  with  a  lively  red  cheek  next  the  sun.  Tree  a. 
vigorous  grower  and  abundant  bearer,  succeeding  well  as  a  standard  on 
the  free  stock.  (Z.  0.). — 1,  Nouvelle  Pulvie  j  2,  Beurre  Ranee.  (J.  31,). 
— 1,  Scarlet  Nonpareil  ;  2,  Boston  Russet  ;  3,  Wyken  Pippin.  (^Inquirer), 
— Winter  Pranc  Real. 
COVENT  GARDEN  MARKET.— Feb.  2nd. 
FRUIT. 
Apples,  J  sieve  ... 
Cobs  . 
Filberts,  100  lbs. 
Asparagus,  per  100  ... 
Beans,  ^  sieve . 
Beet,  Red,  doz . 
Carrots,  bunch . 
Cauliflowers,  doz.  ... 
Celery,  bundle . 
Coleworts,  doz.  bnchs. 
Cucumbers . 
Endive,  doz . 
Herbs,  bunch  . 
Leeks,  bunch  . 
Lettuce,  doz . 
Mushrooms,  lb . 
Arbor  Vitrn,  var.,  doz. 
Aspidistra,  doz. 
Aspidistra,  specimen 
Azalea,  per  doz. 
Cineraria,  per  doz.  ... 
Cyclamen,  per  doz,  ...  • 
Dracaena,  var.,  doz. ... 
Dracaena  viridis,  doz. 
Erica  hyemalis,  per  doz 
,,  gracilis,  per  doz. 
,,  various,  per  doz. 
Euonymus,  var.,  doz. 
Evergreens,  var.,  doz.  , 
AVERAGE  WHOLESALE 
Anemone,  dozen  bunches 
Arum  Lilies,  12  blooms  ... 
Asparagus,  Fern,  bunch... 
Azalea,  dozen  sprays 
Bouvardias,  bunch . 
Carnations,  12  blooms  ... 
Chrysanthemums,  12  bnchs. 
Daffodils,  doz.  bunches  ... 
Eucharis,  doz.  ...  . 
Gardenias,  doz . 
Geranium,  scarlet,  dozen 
bunches . 
Hyacinths  (Roman)  dozen 
bunches . 
Lilac  (French),  bunch  ... 
Liliumlongiflorum,  12  blms 
Lily  of  the  Valley,  12spi’ays 
Maidenhair  Fern,  dozen 
bunches . 
Marguerites,  doz.  bunches 
Mignonette,  doz.  bnchs. ... 
s.  d. 
8.  d. 
S.  (]. 
8.  (1. 
1  6  to  4  0 
Grapes,  lb . 
1  6  to  2  0 
21  0 
22  6 
Lemons,  case  . 
11  0 
14  0 
0  0 
0  0 
St.  Michael’s  Pines,  each 
2  6 
6  0 
VEGETABLES. 
8.  d. 
s.  d. 
a.  d. 
s.  d. 
0  0  to  0  0 
Mustard  and  Cress,  punnet 
0  2  to  0  4 
0  0 
0  0 
Onions,  bushel . 
3  6 
4  0 
1  0 
0  0 
Parsley,  doz.  bnchs....  ... 
2  0 
3  0 
0  3 
0  4 
Parsnips,  doz . 
1  0 
0  0 
2  0 
3  0 
Potatoes,  cwt . 
2  0 
4  0 
1  0 
0  0 
Salsafy,  bundle . 
1  0 
0  0 
2  0 
4  0 
Scorzonera,  bundle . 
1  6 
0  0 
0  4 
0  8 
Seakale,  basket . 
1  6 
1  0 
1  3 
1  6 
Shallots,  lb . . 
0  3 
0  0 
0  3 
0  0 
Spinach,  pad  . 
0  0 
0  0 
0  2 
0  0 
Sprouts,  1  sieve  . 
1  6 
1  9 
1  3 
0  0 
Tomatoes,  lb . 
0  4 
0  9 
0  6 
0  8 
Turnips,  bunch . 
0  3 
0  4 
PLANTS 
IN  POTS. 
6.  d. 
8.  d. 
s.  d. 
s.  d. 
6  0to36  0 
Ferns,  var.,  doz . 
4  0tol8  0 
18  0 
36  0 
Ferns,  small,  100  . 
4  0 
8  0 
5  0 
10  6 
Ficus  elastica,  each . 
1  0 
7  0 
30  0 
42  0 
Foliage  plants,  var.,  each 
1  0 
5  0 
9  0 
15  0 
Hyacinths,  doz.  pots 
8  0 
12  0 
9  0 
18  0 
Lilium  Harris!,  doz . 
12  0 
18  0 
12  0 
30  0 
Lycopodiums,  doz . 
4  0 
6  0 
9  0 
18  0 
Marguerite  Daisy,  doz.  ... 
6  0 
9  0 
9  0 
15  0 
Myrtles,  doz . 
6  0 
9  0 
6  0 
9  0 
Palms,  in  var.,  each . 
1  0 
15  0 
8  0 
12  0 
,,  specimens  . 
21  0 
63  0 
6  0 
18  0 
Pelargoniums,  scarlet,  doz. 
4  0 
6  0 
4  0 
18  0 
Tulips,  various,  doz.  bulbs 
0  9 
1  6 
PRICES.- 
-CUT  FLOWERS.— Orchids  in  variety. 
s.  d. 
p.  d. 
s.  d. 
s.  d. 
2  0  to  4  0 
Mimosa  or  Acacia,  bunch 
2  0 
3  0 
(French)  . 
0  9  to  1  0 
1  0 
2  6 
Narciss,  white  (French) 
0  6 
0  9 
dozen  bunebes  . 
2  6 
5  0 
0  6 
0  9 
Orchids,  var.,  doz.  blooms 
1  6 
12  0 
1  0 
3  0 
Pelargoniums,  doz.  bnchs. 
6  0 
9  0 
8  0 
15  0 
Roses  (indoor),  doz . 
0  6 
1  0 
5  0 
9  0 
,,  Tea,  white,  dozen  ... 
1  0 
2  0 
3  0 
5  0 
„  Yellow,  doz.  (Perles) 
1  6 
4  0 
3  0 
6  0 
,,  Safrano(English;doz. 
1  0 
2  0 
.,  ,,  (French)  per  doz. 
1  0 
1  6 
6  0 
9  0 
„  „  „  per  100... 
5  0 
7  0 
,,  Pink,  dozen  . 
2  0 
3  0 
4  0 
8  0 
Smilax,  bunch . 
1  6 
2  0 
3  0 
4  0 
Snowdrops,  12  bunches  ... 
0  9 
1  6 
4  0 
6  0 
Tuberoses,  12  blooms 
0  6 
0  9 
0  9 
1  6 
Tulips,  dozen  blooms 
0  6 
1  6 
Violets,  dozen  bunches  ... 
1  6 
2  0 
4  0 
8  0 
„  Parme  (French), 
2  0 
3  0 
bunch  . 
3  0 
4  0 
2  0 
4  0 
A  MODEL. 
{Continued  from  page  565,  last  vol.) 
The  dairy,  if  properly  managed,  should  be  the  most  profitable 
section  of  the  home  farm,  and  for  two  reasons — firstly,  the  production 
of  milk  and  butter  of  good  quality  is  probably  the  most  remunerative 
thing  in  connection  with  agriculture;  secondly,  as  a  large  proportion 
of  the  produce  in  this  case  would  be  consumed  at  home  the  middle¬ 
man’s  profit  would  hardly  count,  for  the  surplus  would  easily  find  a 
retail  market  in  the  neighbourhood. 
The  breed  of  cattle  to  be  kept  w'ould  greatly  depend  upon  the 
locality  and  the  soil,  but  as  a  rule  nothing  beats  a  good  milking  breed 
of  Shorthorns,  if  you  go  in  for  a  pedigree  choose  the  Bates,  as  they 
are  much  the  best  milkers;  and  when  selecting  a  bull  get  one  from  a 
milking  herd.  There  are  plenty  of  owners  now  who  make  milking 
properties  a  speciality,  and  it  is  to  one  of  these  we  must  go  for  a  bull 
