126 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  10,  1899. 
TURPENTINE  for  the  TURNIP  FLEA  BEETLE. 
I  HAVE  tried  the  effect  of  turpentine  on  Turnip  seed  for  the  preven¬ 
tion  of  this  pest,  and  have  given  it  up  as  a  failure.  “  S.  D.,”  page  72, 
seems  to  imply  that  it  has  an  injurious  effect  by  weakening  the  energy 
of  the  germination  of  the  seed.  Some  time  ago  I  put  several  seeds  in  a  tin 
and  poured  sufficient  turpentine  in  to  cover  the  seeds  entirely,  and  I  left 
them  in  soak  for  eighteen  hours.  I  then  poured  the  turpentine  off 
and  sowed  the  seeds.  At  the  same  time  I  sowed  two  rows  with  seeds 
which  had  not  been  so  treated. 
All  the  seedlings  came  up  on  the  same  day,  and  no  difference  could  be 
seen  in  the  strength  of  the  plants,  either  then  or  since.  Unfortunately, 
nearly  all  one  end  of  the  piece  was  cleared  by  the  greenfinches,  which 
seemed  to  prefer  those  which  had  been  soaked  with  turpentine.  I  pur¬ 
posely  allowed  them  to  take  half  the  piece  before  stopping  them,  to  see  if 
they  would  leave  off  in  disgust,  but  I  was  obliged  to  protect  them  then  to 
watch  the  effect  it  had  on  the  fleas.  These  commenced  the  attack  the 
second  day  alter  the  Turnips  came  through  the  soil,  and  bestowed  their 
favours  on  all  alike.  I  cannot  see  any  difference  between  those  soaked 
or  not  snaked  ;  the  trial  was  made  by  the  side  of  seme  which  were  about 
half  grown. — L,  J. 
GROWING  HOVEAS. 
All  the  Hoveas  are  very  beautiful,  but  somewhat  difficult  to  get  into 
a  sturdy,  bushy,  compact  habit  of  growth.  The  flowers  are  either  purple 
or  a  deep  purple  blue,  and  are  produced  most  profusely  on  the  young 
well-ripened  wood  of  the  previous  season,  a  fact  which  furnishes  the  key 
to  their  successful  cultivation.  Another  recommendation  is  that  they  all 
flower  freely  in  the  early  spring  and  summer  months  when  flowers  are 
comparatively  scarce  in  other  departments. 
Propagation  may  be  effected  by  seeds.  Most  Hoveas  will  ripen  their 
seeds,  but  very  few  should  be  allowed  to  remain,  and  only  those  from  the 
first-formed  flowers,  for  two  reasons  :  the  first  is  to  prevent  the  p'ant 
being  exhausted  of  its  strength  ;  the  second  is  to  enable  us  to  prune  back 
the  plant  as  early  as  possible  after  the  b*  auty  of  the  flowering  season  is 
gone.  The  seeds  being  o‘  tained  as  earl)'  in  the  summer  as  possible  mav 
be  dried  and  sown  as  soon  as  ripe,  or  they  can  be  preserved  in  a  dry  cool 
place  until  the  following  March.  In  both  cases  they  will  be  better  <or 
being  sown  in  sandy  peat,  and  then  plunged  in  a  sweet  hotbed,  giving 
more  coolness  and  air  as  soon  as  vegetation  has  taken  place.  If  not  sown 
until  the  following  spring  steeping  the  seeds  in  warm  water  of  130°  for 
twenty-four  hours  will  cause  them  to  vegetate  sooner.  As  soon  as  the 
plants  are  a  couple  of  inches  in  height  they  must  be  pricked  off  round  the 
sides  of  a  pot  in  sandy  peat  with  a  little  leaf  mould,  and  kept  close  for 
a  short  time  in  a  mild  hotbed,  or  if  in  the  heat  of  summer  merely  a  close 
frame  until  growth  has  fairly  commenced. 
Cuttings  should  be  from  the  point-  of  young  shoots  getting  a  little  firm 
in  April  and  May,  or,  better  still,  some  stubby  side  shoots  about  2  or 
3  inches  in  length  cut  clean  off  close  to  the  stem,  or  so  near  as  not  to 
injure  it.  Cut  a  cross  at  the  base  with  a  sharp  knife,  and  remove  merely 
the  leaves  there  and  one  or  two  above — success  greatly  consisting  in 
retaining  as  many  leaves  as  possible,  and  then  taking  care  that  these 
leaves  should  act  as  absorbers  quite  as  much  as  perspirers  by  keeping 
them  in  a  close  atmosphere,  and  in  as  much,  but  not  more  light  than 
they  can  bear  with  impunity.  For  this  purpose  the  cuttings  when  made 
should  be  inserted  in  white  sand  over  sandy  peat  well  drained  ;  in  fact 
in  all  these  operations  more  than  three  parts  should  always  consist  of 
drainage.  If  the  cuttings  are  placed  round  a  pot  inverted  in  the  inside 
of  a  larger  one  success  will  be  certain,  and  less  trouble  will  be  occa¬ 
sioned  for  drainage  than  by  any  other  mode. 
When  settled  and  firmed  by  watering,  and  allowed  to  get  dry  in  the 
shade,  clean  conical- shaped  bell-glasses  should  be  fixed  in  the  sand 
around  the  cutt  ngs,  and  then  the  plants  ought  to  stand  in  a  close  frame 
or  pit,  where  the  heat  will  only  be  a  very  few  degrees  higher  than  what 
the  plant  enjoyed  before  the  cut  tings  were  removed.  If  during  the  day 
the  heat  from  the  confined  air  should  become  too  high,  give  a  little 
air  at  the  back  of  the  pit  or  frame.  From  inattention  to  this  I  have 
known  valuable  cuttir.gs  so  attenuated  that  healthy  plants  from  them 
afterwards  could  hardly  be  expected  without  great  future  care  and  trouble. 
A  moist  close  atmosphere  is  of  the  first  importance  in  rooting  cuttings 
in  general,  shading  from  bright  sunbght  is  another  indispensable  ;  but 
both  may  eesily  be  carried  to  excess,  especially  if  the  temperature  is 
allowed  to  rise  to  a  great  height. 
Where  quick  rooting  is  an  object  it  is  much  better  to  remove  the 
cutting  pots  after  having  stood  three  or  four  weeks  in  the  cold  frame  to 
a  mild  bottom  heat,  say  from  75°  to  85°  ;  but  even  here  the  top  tempe¬ 
rature  should  seldom  average  more  than  50°  by  night  and  75°  by  day,  or 
in  summer  should  seldom  be  much  above  what  it  is  in  the  open  air.  If 
conical  glasses  are  used  wiping  them  will  be  more  a  matter  of  amusement 
than  necessity,  and  lifting  them  for  watering  purposes  will  be  seldom 
required  ;  tilting  up  one  side  at  night,  and  increasing  the  space  by  degrees, 
will  be  of  more  importance,  taking  care,  however,  to  shut  down  close  in 
the  morning  before  the  sun  strikes  upon  them.  By  placing  cuttings 
at  a  safe  distance  from  the  glass  shading  might  be  altogether 
dispensed  with  —  a  matter  of  importance  to  amateur  operators,  who  must 
sometimes  depend  for  assistance  in  their  absence  to  the  not  most  willing 
hands. 
if  the  plants  are  rooted  early  they  should  be  pricked  out  round  the 
sides,  say  four  of  them  in  a  4  or  5-inch  pot,  or  singly,  if  strong,  into 
3-inch  pots.  For  keeping  over  the  winter  it  is  generally  the  safest  and 
easiest  mode  to  pricK  out  such  small  plants  round  the  sides  of  medium¬ 
sized  pots,  as  the  moisture  and  temperature  of  soil  are  more  equable  than 
when  each  little  plant  has  a  pot  to  itself,  while  the  trouble  of  attendance 
is  greatly  abridged.  If  the  cuttings  are  not  ready  to  be  potted  or  pricked 
off  before  the  middle  of  September,  provided  there  is  sandy  peat  below 
the  silver  sand,  they  will  be  kept  safer  in  the  cutting  pots  all  the  winter. 
In  either  of  these  cases  the  plants  should  be  kept  on  a  shelf  near  the  glass, 
where  they  can  obtain  the  highest  medium  temperature  of  the  greenhouse 
in  winter  and  abundance  of  air  whenever  the  external  air  is  not  stormy, 
not  loaded  with  moistuie  or  below  38°  or  40°.  In  either  of  these  cases 
the  amount  of  fresh  air  (unless  heated  before  entrance  into  the  house) 
must  be  limited. — R.  F. 
(To  be  continued.) 
A  VISIT  TO  KINVER. 
Webbs  of  Wordsley  and  Ivinver  are  household  words  to  those  who 
are  interested  in  both  garden  and  farm.  Perseverance  and  integrity 
form  the  watchword  of  this  celebrated  firm,  and  it  has  been  by  its 
observance  that  the  colossal  business  has  been  built  up. 
What  farmer  has  not  grown  Webbs’  Barleys,  Wheats,  or  Oats — if  not 
directly,  indirectly  ?  For  the  finest  malting  Barleys  are  Webbs,  also 
Wheat  and  Oats  that  are  to  be  found  throughout  the  world  ;  also  of  their 
celebrated  stocks  of  Mangolds,  Swedes,  and  Turnips.  Anyone  seeing  the  care 
which  is  taken  in  the  selection  and  growth  of  any  of  these  stocks  need 
not  have  misgivings  on  this  point.  At  Kinver  trials  are  carefully  carried 
out,  and  selections  are  continually  being  made.  The  farmer  who  relies 
on  his  own  cereals  year  after  year  is  soon  left  behind  in  the  race,  as  a 
change  of  seed,  like  Potatoes,  often  makes  all  the  difference  between 
success  or  failure. 
It  is  only  by  the  aid  of  such  great  firms  as  Webbs'  that  pace  can  be 
kept  with  the  times  to  aid  the  grower  in  fighting  foreign  competition.  If 
only  one  ear  of  Wheat,  Barley,  or  Oats,  or  a  single  root  of  Mangold, 
Turnip,  or  Swede  shows  any  signs  of  improvement  over  the  old  stock, 
attention  is  turned  to  it.  It  is  a  matter  of  time  fixing  a  superior  strain, 
but  any  firm  jealous  of  its  reputation  does  not  mind  this.  To  give  an 
idea  of  the  magnitude  of  Messrs.  Webbs’  business,  it  may  be  said  that 
20,000  acres  are  required  to  produce  sufficient  seed  to  supply  their 
customers,  and  the  farms  are  scattered  throughout  the  best  seed-growing 
districts  or  counties  of  England. 
To  see  the  trial  plots  one  would  think  that  the  British  harvest  would 
be  much  above  the  average,  so  heavy  are  the  crops.  Yet  these  have  not 
received  special  treatment  beyond  what  is  requisite  in  producing  a  lull 
yield.  It  is  not  the  seeds  alone  that  account  for  this,  but  the  manures 
of  which  the  firm  makes  a  speciality,  and  trials  of  these  suitable 
for  the  various  crops  and  soils  are  carefully  carried  out.  In  one  trial 
there  were  forty  varieties  of  Mangolds,  and  forty-one  of  Swedes,  and  to 
one  variety  of  Swedes  there  were  nine  different  selections  of  manure. 
This,  then,  will  give  an  idea  of  the  labour  and  expense  that  is  incurred 
jn  order  to  insure  customers  having  what  is  most  suited  to  their  needs. 
Cereals. 
Webbs’  cereals  are  renowned  throughout  the  world,  and  it  is  only 
sufficient  to  add  the  names  of  Webbs’  Chevalier,  Burton  Malting,  and 
Universal  Barleys ;  Prolific  Black  Tartarian,  Newmarkpt,  and  New 
Hardy  Winter  Black  Oats  ;  White  Queen,  New  Standard  Red,  Windsor 
Forest,  Challenge,  and  Kinver  Giant  Wheats,  to  provide  a  guarantee  of 
excellence  in  every  respect.  Enormous  stocks  are  grown  to  meet  the 
great  and  growing  demand  of  their  customers. 
No  matter  how  good  are  Webbs’  Chevalier  and  Malting  Barleys, 
there  is  one  now  under  trial  which  is  considered  even  better.  It  ia 
intermediate  between  the  two,  and  great  results  are  expected  of  it. 
Garden  Crops. 
It  must  not  be  thought  that  agricultural  seeds  claim  sole  attention 
because  they  are  given  precedence  in  these  notes.  Precisely  the  same 
care  is  taken  in  the  selection,  cross-breeding,  and  growth  of  all  kinds  of 
vegetable  and  flower  seeds.  Who  has  not  heard  of  or  grown  Webbs 
Emperor  Cabbage  ?  Quite  two  acres  of  selected  heads  were  noted, 
specially  grown  for  the  production  of  seed,  and  there  was  hardly  a 
rogue  to  be  seen.  If  one  is  observed  show  ing  the  least  deviation  from  the  type 
it  is  destroyed  ;  20,000  packets  of  seeds  of  this  Cabbage  were  sold  last 
season.  It  is  of  compact  growth,  hearts  fn  early,  is  very  hardy,  and  of 
excellent  quality.  Lettuce  during  this  tropical  weather  na'urally  claims 
attention.  Criterion,  Summerhill.  and  Modei  are  all  Wordsley  produc¬ 
tions,  and  they  were  one  and  all  of  perfect  shape  and  solidity.  Along 
the  Celery  ridges  were  fine  examples  of  Webbs’  Exhibition  and  Monstrous 
White  Cos.  A  remarkable  point  about  the  Lettuce  was,  that  although 
growing  on  a  dry  and  elevated  ridge,  they  were  in  the  most  luxuriant 
state. 
Onions  made  an  extensive  trial.  Webbs’  Masterpiece  and  Reliance 
were  just  the  type  for  exhibition  or  kitchen  u>e.  There  is  a  notion  abroad 
that  large  Onions  are  only  adapted  for  exhibition,  but  having  to  cater  for 
one  of  the  largest  establishments  in  Britain,  1  can  say  that  large  bulbs 
for  special  dishes  are  much  called  for.  They  are  milder  in  flavour  than 
those  of  smaller  growth,  and  are  excellent  for  cookiug  whole.  Improved 
Banbury  is  a  splendid  Onion  for  growing  for  main  crop,  being  a  capital 
J  keeper  and  cropper.  Market  Favourite  is  one  of  the  finest  early  Carrots- 
