108 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  30,  1896. 
Prices  for  Digging  and  Trenching:  (IF  Lake'). — Tables  of 
prices  for  digging  and  trenching  (also  several  others)  are  given  in 
the  “  Horticultural  Directory,”  which  can  be  obtained  for  a  shilling 
through  booksellers,  or  Is.  3d.  by  post  from  this  office.  They  are 
average  prices  for  average  soil,  and  allowance  has  to  be  made  in 
dealing  with  hard,  stony,  and  weedy  land  which  is  being  brought  into 
a  cultivable  state  after  years  of  neglect.  We  have  known  3s.  per  rod 
paid  for  trenching  recently,  and  the  men  had  to  work  hard  to  earn 
2s.  6d.  a  day. 
Repotting  Ccelogyne  crlstata  (Anxious). — If  your  plants  of 
Coelogyne  cristata  are  at  all  crowded  so  that  the  new  growths  have  not 
room  for  their  full  development,  by  all  means  cut  out  any  exhausted 
pseudo-bulbs;  These,  however,  will  not  include  all  that  have  begun  to 
shrivel,  for  with  some  varieties  of  this  plant  even  the  last  made  bulbs 
frequently  shrivel  a  little  at  this  time  of  year.  It  is  not  a  good  plan 
for  anyone  inexperienced  in  Orchid  growing  to  cut  their  plants  about  at 
all,  but  you  will  be  quite  safe  in  removing  any  that  are  leafless  if  they 
happen  to  be  in  your  way.  If  not,  leave  them  alone. 
Crafting-  Camellias  ( J .  G.).  —  The  best  method  of  grafting 
Camellias  is  by  the  old  fashioned  splice  or  tongue  process,  commonly 
called  whip  grafting,  and  the  proper  time  to  do  it  is  in  early  spring, 
as  soon  as  growth  commences.  In  the  case  of  old  trees  it  is  the  better 
plan  to  operate  on  all  the  growths  at  one  time,  cutting  back  the  plants 
to  the  extent  necessary  for  forming,  when  the  grafts  are  inserted  and 
taken,  a  good  head.  This  heading  down  should  be  done  without  much 
further  delay,  and  when  the  sap  flows  freely  insert  the  grafts,  and  as  the 
growths  will  be  much  larger  than  the  scions  two  may  be  placed  on  each, 
taking  care  that  the  bark  coincide  exactly,  at  least  on  one  side,  binding 
securely,  and  covering  with  grafting  wax  or  clay,  so  as  to  exclude  the 
air.  As  the  house  canriot  possibly  be  kept  close  enough  to  maintain  the 
scion  fresh  until  union  has  taken  place,  it  would  be  safest  to  proceed  by 
bottle  grafting — that  is,  the  scion  below  the  junction  inserted  in  a  phial 
containing  and  kept  replenished  with  rain  water.  In  that  case  you 
may  operate  on  a  portion  of  the  branches  one  season,  and  another 
portion  the  following  year  ;  but  the  grafts,  as  a  rule,  take  better  when 
all  the  juices  are  concentrated  on  the  scions,  there  not  being  any  outlet  or 
means  of  drawing  the  sap  from  them  by  growths  being  left.  The  main 
point  is  to  keep  the  scions  fresh,  and  then  there  is  no  difficulty.  This  is 
effected  by  having  them  long  enough  for  the  lower  part,  divested  of 
leaves,  to  be  in  water  as  suggested,  one  or  two  leaves  being  sufficient  at 
the  top  of  the  healthy  young  growths  that  are  chosen  for  attachment. 
HlppeastrumBuib  Shrinking  (IF.  S.). — The  bulb  of  Hippeastrum 
has  by  some  means  got  into  a  bad  condition,  and  probably  you  will  have 
a  difficulty  in  bringing  it  round.  The  present  is,  however,  a  good  time 
to  set  about  it.  Turn  the  bulb  out  of  its  pot,  and  carefully  clear  away 
all  loose  scaly  portions  from  the  upper  part,  and  if  there  are  any  insects 
about  it  dust  a  little  sulphur  and  tobacco  powder  about  the  scales. 
Keep  the  bulb  out  of  the  pot  long  enough  to  get  thoroughly  dry,  and 
then  repot  into  a  suitable  size,  using  as  a  compost  equal  parts  of  peat 
and  fibry  loam  with  a  little  well-decayed  manure  or  leaf  mould,  and  a 
good  dash  of  sharp  silver  sand.  Place  a  little  sand  under  the  bulb,  and 
let  about  half  the  latter  peep  out  of  the  soil  when  finished.  Use  the 
soil  in  a  fairly  moist  condition,  but  not  wet  enough  to  bind  firmly  when 
pressed  into  the  pot,  as  it  must  be  to  keep  the  bulb  secure.  If  you  can 
plunge  the  pot  where  there  is  a  little  bottom  heat  so  much  the  better, 
but  if  not  place  it  in  the  warmest  position  you  can,  and  unless  the  soil 
get3  dust  dry  give  no  water  for  a  week  or  two,  the  plant  having  a  chance 
to  make  fresh  roots  in  the  meanwhile.  A  thin  layer  of  moss  over  the 
surface  will  check  evaporation  to  some  extent,  and  this  may  be  left  on 
until  the  growth  is  well  on  the  move.  If  all  goes  well  this  will  be  in 
about  a  month,  when  the  moss  may  be  removed,  and  the  water  supply 
increased.  Grow  it  as  strongly  as  possible  through  the  summer,  and  as 
the  foliage  dies  off  again  diminish  the  water  supply  by  degrees,  until  by 
the  middle  of  winter  the  bulb  must  be  kept  quite  dry. 
The  Codlln  Moth — Spraying — Arsenic  (R.  C.  A.). — One  good 
old-fashioned  way  of  decimating  the  Codlin  moth  is  to  pick  up  every 
Apple  the  day  it  falls  (not  a  few  days  afterwards),  giving  these  fruits  to 
the  pigs,  burning  or  burying  them.  This  prevents  the  emergence  of 
moths ;  leaving  the  larvte  to  hybernate  in  the  ground  insures  a  swarm. 
Mr.  S.  T.  Wright  of  Chiswick  has  stated  in  his  prize  essay  on  “  Com¬ 
mercial  Fruit  Culture,”  that  spraying  with  Paris  green  1  oz.  to  twenty 
gallons  of  water  “  completely  ousted  the  Codlin  moth  from  the  Glewston 
plantations.”  You  say  you  have  often  seen  spraying  advised,  but  no 
form  of  sprayer  mentioned.  That  is  scarcely  our  fault,  since 
Yermorel’s  Eclair,  of  which  you  have  read  in  a  catalogue,  has  been 
frequently  advertised,  also  often  otherwise  mentioned  as  well  as  at  least 
once  illustrated  in  our  columns.  It  is  a  knapsack  and  well  suited  for 
your  purpose.  No  injury  has  ever  been  known  to  result  from  the  careful 
and  intelligent  use  of  Paris  green  conveyed  in  the  form  of  spray  about 
and  for  a  little  time  after  the  flowering  period  of  fruit  trees,  for  poisoning 
the  destructive  larva?  of  the  winter  moth.  Tons  have  been  used,  and  in 
America  the  most  searching  investigations  made  and  experiments  con¬ 
ducted  for  arriving  at  the  truth  about  the  matter  by  State  chemists.  It 
is  safest  to  use  the  poison  in  paste  form.  With  Strawberries  ripening 
between  fruit  trees  we  would  rather  let  a  few  stray  caterpillars  that 
might  then  linger  have  a  “  feed  ”  on  the  leaves  than  spray  them  and 
ourselves  run  the  risk  of  taking  ever  so  little  of  the  falling  arsenic  with 
the  fruit,  useful  as  it  may  be  in  medicine,  in  cases  well  known  to  you  as 
a  medico.  We  have  not  heard  of  the  use  of  sulphite  of  sodium  as  an 
anti- parasitic  in  the  garden,  and  if  you  try  it  we  shall  be  obliged  if 
you  will  favour  us  with  the  results.  The  help  you  are  giving  locally 
ought  to  be  highly  appreciated. 
Destroying-  “Fairy  Rings  ”  on  Lawn  (ft.  R.). — Water  the 
ground  where  the  rings  are  with  a  solution  of  Jeyes’  fluid,  a  wineglassful 
to  3  gallons  of  water,  or  a  solution  of  corrosive  sublimate  (a  terrible 
poison),  1  oz.  to  30  gallons  of  water.  These  solutions  will  kill  the 
spawn,  but  we  do  not  recommend  either,  except  in  extreme  cases,  but  a 
“lawn  manure”  as  advertised,  telling  the  vendor  in  ordering  what 
purpose  it  is  for,  or  you  may  use  4£  parts  kainit  and  2J  parts  nitrate  of 
soda,  crushed  fine,  mixed,  and  employ  7  lbs.  per  rod  when  the  grass 
begins  to  grow,  or  in  February. 
Boiler  Furnace  not  Drawing  (One  in  a  Fix).  —  There  is 
probably  something  wrong  in  the  setting  of  the  boiler  and  in  the  con¬ 
struction  of  the  flues,  and  as  the  soot  door  gets  hot  the  flue  is  probably 
throttled  where  it  enters  the  upper  part  or  chimney.  Raising  the 
chimney  would  not  do  any  good  in  such  a  case,  and  without  seeing  the 
boiler  and  examining  it  we  could  not  possibly  tell  you  what  is  wrong. 
Could  you  not  consult  a  bricklayer  experienced  in  such  work,  explaining 
matters  to  him  and  letting  him  see  the  thing  at  work  ?  You  will  require 
a  good  draught  to  burn  anthracite — indeed,  that  is  one  of  the  points  for 
its  satisfactory  use — and  then  it  is  very  good  and  economical . 
Hyacinth  Spike  Disconnected  in  the  Bulb  (Old  Subscriber). — 
The  cause  is  probably  due  to  the  spike  being  formed  in  embryo  low  down 
in  the  bulb,  and  the  leaf-growth  collapsing  before  it  was  perfectly 
formed,  causing  the  top  of  the  scales  to  contract  tightly  over  it  at  the 
crown.  The  disconnection  is  caused  by  the  leaves  pushing  through  the 
neck  of  the  bulb,  and  as  these  grip  the  spike  they  force  it  through  the 
crown  orifice,  and  being  unable  to  bear  the  strain  the  spike  stem  snaps 
inside  the  bulb,  generally  at  the  base.  Such  occurrences  are  not  unusual, 
being  common  in  some  years.  You  will  find  an  illustration  of  it  in  the 
Journal  of  Horticulture,  February  14th,  1895.  page  144.  There  is 
nothing  wrong  in  the  treatment.  It  is  in  the  bulbs. 
Plants  for  North  Aspect  (J.  F.). — Few  plants,  either  annuals 
or  perennials,  thrive  on  a  north  sunless  aspect,  especially  amongst  Ferns, 
as  these  usurp  most  of  the  space  by  their  fronds  and  the  soil  by  the 
roots,  thus  impoverishing  it.  If  there  is  sufficient  soil  you  might 
enliven  the  corner  by  planting  a  few  bulbs  of  Winter  Aconite,  Snow¬ 
drops,  and  Daffodils  in  the  openest  places,  which,  with  Christmas  Roses 
(Helleborus  niger  and  H.  maximus)  and  ^Tepaticas,  would  give  you 
some  interest  and  pleasure  during  the  early  spring.  Hypericum 
calycinum  also  does  well,  and  the  Periwinkles,  especially  the  variegated, 
thrive  in  the  shade ;  but  they  would,  perhaps,  grow  too  freely  for  the 
Ferns.  The  blue  Wood  Anemone  (A.  apennina  and  its  variety, 
A.  a.  blanda)  is  charming  in  the  early  spring,  also  the  common  Wood 
Anemones  (A.  nemorosa  and  its  double  variety  plena).  Lily  of  the 
Valley  would  do  if  the  situation  is  moist  enough.  Gorydalis  lutea  would 
give  its  yellow  spikes  from  June  to  September,  and  Cyclamen  hederre- 
folium  flower  in  autumn.  Then  there  is  the  charming  Squills  (Scilla 
bifolia  and  S.  sibirica),  followed  by  the  Wood  Hyacinths  in  white,  blue, 
and  pink  forms.  Mimulus  luteus,  also  the  more  robust  growing  Prim¬ 
roses  and  Polyanthuses,  flower  well  in  shaded  positions.  Some,  or  all  of 
these,  would  make  the  corner  cheery  in  the  dull  months,  and  contrast 
well  with  the  Ferns  in  summer  time  ;  but  avoid  crowding,  not  attempting 
to  grow  two  things  where  there  is  only  room  for  one. 
Names  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  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  fruit  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.  (Novice).  —  1,  Bramley’s  Seedling  ; 
2,  Catshead  ;  3,  Dumelow’s  Seedling  ;  4,  Cox’s  Orange  Pippin. 
(C.  H.  F). — 1,  Nec  Plus  Meuiis  ;  2,  Josephine  de  Malines  ;  3,  Chau- 
montel  ;  4,  Jersey  Gratioli ;  5,  Winter  Hawthornden ;  6,  Alfriston. 
(G.  27.). — 1,  Gloucestershire  Costard;  2,  probably  a  local  variety,  with 
no  recognised  name;  3,  Queen  Caroline.  (31.  P).  —  1,  Bramley’s 
Seedling ;  2,  Red  Winter  Calville ;  3,  Golden  Winter  Pearmain. 
(JF«7.  G.). — A  pale  fruit  of  Lane’s  Prince  Albert.  (Dalgairn). — Probably 
a  seedling  from  the  Blenheim  Pippin,  but  inferior,  and  the  name  you 
mention  may  have  been  given  to  it  by  the  raiser.  ( IF  C.). — Resembles 
Tower  of  Glamis,  but  we  cannot  be  certain  from  a  solitary  specimen. 
Names  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  Btate  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. 
(B.  D.  K.). — 1,  Geonoma  gracilis  ;  2,  Aralia  Veitchi ;  3,  Asplenium 
bulbiferum  ;  4,  Cyperus  alternifolius ;  5,  Araucaria  excelsa.  (31.  A.  F.). 
