T'424 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
May  7,  I 
chloric  acid,  but  dissolves  sparingly  in  water.  The  smell  is  lemon-like 
and  it  is  pungent  to  the  taste.  When  saponified,  or  made  soluble, 
it  dissolves  readily  in  water  and  speedily  makes  an  end  of  infesting 
insects  on  plants  to  which  it  is  applied,  being  thoroughly  effective 
and  not  dangerous  when  used  with  proper  care. 
The  use  of  acids  is  of  recent  date,  and  unless  saponified  they 
are  not  safe  to  use  on  vegetation,  hence  they  usually  take  the  form 
of  soaps,  such  as  carbolic  soap,  which  contains  about  10  per  cent, 
pure  carbolic  acid. 
Hellebore  powder,  the  well-known  remedy  for  Gooseberry  cater¬ 
pillar,  is  a  vegetable  poison,  but  its  poisonous  properties  soon  pass 
off,  so  that  there  is  less  danger  of  misadventure  from  its  use  than 
perhaps  any  other  poisonous  substance. 
Sulphur  is  the  oldest  fungicide  and  was  first  used  as  such  in 
England,  where  also  it  had  previously  attained  some  repute  as  an 
insecticide,  especially  its  fumes,  against  arachnoides — the  red  spider 
and  similar  pests. 
Lastly,  Paris  green  obtained  celebrity  in  North  America  as  a 
destroyer  of  caterpillars,  it  being  a  virulent  poison,  and  as  such 
requiring  to  be  used  with  care  and  judgment. 
All  the  foregoing  substances  separately  are  insecticides  of  the 
first  order  and  are  well  known  to  gardeners.  Besides  those  there 
are  many  proprietary  preparations  or  general  insecticides  which  are 
as  safe  to  use  as  they  are  effective  in  clearing  the  plants  of  pests. 
There  is  no  need  to  allude  to  them  by  name,  as  they  are  kept  well 
in  front  of  cultivators  by  advertisements  in  the  gardening 
periodicals,  and  anyone  having  plants  infested  with  insects  cannot 
do  better  than  order  that  suitable  for  his  or  her  purpose  and  apply 
it  according  to  the  instructions. 
As  a  general  wash  for  fruit  trees  or  bushes  immediately  after 
the  fruit  is  set  few  are  better  than  the  following  : — Softsoap,  7  lbs., 
about  1J  oz.  per  gallon  of  water  ;  petroleum,  quart.,  about  j  gill 
(i  pint)  to  4  gallons  of  water  ;  Paris  green,  f  dr.  to  1  gallon  water 
or  5  ozs.  100  gallons. 
The  softsoap  should  be  dissolved  by  boiling  in  56  lbs.  of  water, 
and  while  boiling  hot  have  the  petroleum  added  and  stirred  in  to 
insure  thorough  amalgamation,  then  add  the  remainder  of  the 
water  and  finally  the  Paris  green,  this  being  in  paste  form  and 
mixed  with  sufficient  water  to  form  a  thin  mixture  before  aiding 
to  that  of  the  soluble  petroleum,  stirring  well  and  keeping  agitated 
whilst  being  applied.  This  is  accomplished  by  means  of  some 
approved  spraying  apparatus,  such  as  the  Knapsack  pump  Eclair, 
advertised  in  the  Journal  of  Horticulture ,  coating  every  part  of 
the  tree  or  bush  with  the  finest  possible  film  of  tbe  mixture  The 
effect  of  the  mixture  will  be  to  annihilate  all  sucking  and  biting 
insects,  the  soluble  petroleum  destroying  aphides,  chermes,  red 
spider,  scale,  thrips,  and  woolly  aphis,  while  the  Paris  green  poisons 
beetles,  caterpillars,  weevils,  and  other  biting  insects. 
In  the  case  of  bush  fruits,  such  as  Currants,  Gooseberries,  and 
Raspberries,  it  may  be  advisable  to  use  freshly  ground  hellebore 
powder  instead  of  Paris  green,  but  pounds  instead  of  ounces,  which 
is  efficacious  against  the  Gooseberry  caterpillar  and  the  beetles 
feeding  on  the  foliage  of  Raspberries.  Where  there  are  no  biting 
creatures,  an  extreme  rarity  in  gardens  and  fruit  plantations,  the 
poisons  may  be  omitted,  and  the  soluble  petroleum  may  be 
administered  by  means  of  a  fine  rose  syringe  or  garden  engine,  but 
it  is  more  economical  to  use  a  spraying  apparatus,  and  so  directing 
the  spray  as  to  reach  the  insects  on  the  under  side  of  the  leaves, 
for  the  efficacy  of  any  admixture  depends  largely  on  the  mode  of 
administration,  it  being  imperative  that  the  soluble  petroleum  be 
brought  into  contact  with  the  bodies  of  the  parasites.  Soluble 
petroleum  acts  well  against  the  surface  mildews,  but  it  is  essential 
in  every  case  to  repeat  the  applications  as  necessary,  so  as  not  only 
clear  the  trees  of  the  pests  in  the  first  instance,  but  to  keep  them 
*o,  being  guided  by  circumstances  as  to  frequency  of  use  and 
material  to  apply. 
Another  easily  prepared  insecticide  is  as  follows  : — Softsoap 
7  lbs.,  or  carbolic  soap,  7  lbs.  ;  quassia  chips  8  lbs.,  or  quassia 
extract  1|  gallon,  and  water  100  gallons. 
Place  the  quassia  chips  in  a  copper  with  about  6  gallons  of  cold 
water,  and  leave  overnight.  In  the  morning  heat  and  boil  for 
about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  then  add  the  softsoap  or  carbolic  soap, 
and  when  thoroughly  dissolved  strain  and  add  the  remainder  of  the 
water.  This  solution  acts  well  against  aphis  and  all  sucking  insects, 
but  for  caterpillars  and  all  biting  insects  it  is  necessary  to  add  Paris 
green  paste,  5  ozs.  to  the  whole  mixture.  In  the  case  of  quassia 
extract  the  soap  is  simply  dissolved  in  hot  water,  then  the  remainder 
of  the  wafer  being  added,  place  in  the  quassia  extract  and  stir  well. 
For  red  spider,  mites,  and  mildew  : — Softsoap  7  lbs.,  caustic 
soda  1  lb  ,  flowers  of  sulphur  H  lb  ,  and  water  100  gallons. 
Dissolve  the  caustic  soda  in  1  gallon  of  water,  and  boil  with  the 
sulphur  until  dissolved,  or  for  about  fifteen  minutes,  keeping  stirred 
all  the  time,  when  it  will  be  a  dark  liquid  or  sulphide  of  soda. 
Dissolve  the  softsoap  by  boiling  in  15  gallons  of  water,  then  mix 
this  and  the  sulphide  well  together,  boiling  gently  for  half  an  hour. 
Add  the  remainder  of  the  water  or  dilute  to  100  gallons,  when  the 
wash  is  ready  for  use.  It  is  advisable  to  apply  the  liquid  at  a 
temperature  of  90°  to  100°,  and  in  the  form  of  a  spray.  The 
solution  will  not  injure  the  foliage  or  young  fruit  unless  very 
tender,  and  that  must  be  guarded  against  by  trial  on  a  small  portion 
before  using  on  a  large  scale.  This  applies  to  all  insecticides  and 
fungicides,  the  foliage  varying  considerably  in  liability  to  injury  or 
otherwise  according  to  season  and  circumstances. — G.  Abbey. 
NARCISSI  AND  THEIR  ARTISTIC  USE.® 
While  fair  in  form  as  any  Orchid  or  Lily  of  the  tropics,  the 
Narcissus  is  as  much  at  home  in  our  climate  as  the  Kingcups  in  the 
marsh  aud  the  Primroses  in  the  wood.  And  when  the  wild  Narcissus 
comes  with  these  in  the  woods  and  orchards  of  Northern  France  aud 
Southern  England  it  has  also  for  companions  the  Violet  and  the  Cowslip, 
hardiest  children  of  the  north,  blooming  in  and  near  the  still  leafless 
woods. 
This  clear  fact  should  lead  us  to  see  that  it  is  not  only  a  garden 
flower  we  have  here,  but  one  which  may  give  glorious  beauty  to  our 
woods  and  fields  and  meadows,  as  well  as  to  the  pleasure  ground. 
Nothing  can  be  more  beautiful  than  Mr.  Walker’s  way  of  growing 
Narcissi  for  market,  or  such  handsome  borders  of  them  as  Mr.  Burbidge 
grows,  and  they  are  beautiful  in  all  ways,  but  in  many  cases  it  may 
not  be  well  to  have  many  of  them  in  the  flower  garden,  which  we 
want  to  be  full  of  summer  and  autumn  flowers  ;  and  therefore  we  have 
to  think  of  other  ways  of  arranging  them. 
In  our  country  in  several  places  there  is  plenty  of  room  to  grow 
them  in  other  ways  than  in  tbe  garden  proper,  and  this  not  merely 
in  country  seats,  but  in  farms  and  orchards  and  cool  meadows.  To 
chance  growth  in  such  places  we  owe  it  already  that  many  Narcissi  or 
Daffodils  which  were  lost  to  gardens  in  the  period  when  hardy  plants 
were  wholly  set  aside  for  bedding  plantB  have  been  preserved  to  us,  at 
first,  probably,  in  many  cases  thrown  out  with  the  garden  refuse.  In 
many  places  in  Ireland  and  the  West  of  England  Narcissi  lost  to  the 
gardens  have  been  found  in  old  orchards  and  like  places.  If  we  plant 
groups  of  those  kinds  we  have  to  spare  in  the  grass,  and  any  wave  of 
fashion  should,  unhappily,  affect  the  Narcissi  in  the  garden,  our 
descendants  may  find  them  faithful  as  native  flowers  in  the  grass  long 
after  the  Barrs,  and  Burbidges,  and  Hartlands,  and  others,  who  have 
done  so  much  for  the  flower  in  our  own  day,  have  left  their  Narcissus 
grounds  for,  let  us  hope,  the  Eiysian  fields. 
There  is  scarcely  a  garden  in  the  kingdom  that  is  not  disfigured  by 
vain  attempts  to  grow  trees,  shrubs  and  flowers  that  are  not  really  hardy, 
and  it  would  often  be  much  wiser  to  devote  attention  to  things  that  are 
absolutely  hardy  in  our  country,  like  most  Narcissi  to  which  the  hardest 
winters  make  no  difference,  and,  besides,  we  know  from  their  distribution 
in  Nature  how  fearless  they  are  in  this  respect.  Three  months  after  our 
native  kind  has  flowered  in  the  Weald  of  Sussex,  and  in  woods  or  the 
orchards  of  Normandy,  many  of  its  allies  are  beneath  the  snow  in  the 
mountain  valleys  of  Europe,  waiting  till  the  summer  sun  melts  the 
deep  snow. 
On  a  high  plateau  in  Anvergue  we  saw  many  acres  in  full  bloom  on 
July  16th,  1894,  and  these  high  plateaux  are  much  colder  than  our  own 
country  generally.  Soils  that  are  cool  and  stiff  and  not  favourable  to  a 
great  variety  of  plants  suit  Narcissi  perfectly.  On  the  cool  mountain 
marshes  aud  pastures,  where  the  snow  lies  deep,  the  plant  has  abundance 
of  moisture — one  reason  why  it  succeeds  better  in  our  cool  soils.  In  any 
case  it  does  so,  and  it  is  mostly  on  dry  light  soils  that  Narcissi  fail  to 
succeed.  Light,  sandy,  or  chalky  soils  in  the  south  of  England  are,  we 
should  say,  useless,  and  Narcissus  culture  on  a  large  scale  should  not  be 
attempted  on  such  soils.  We  must  not  court  failure,  and  however  freely 
in  some  soils  Narcissi  grow  in  turf,  there  is  no  law  clearer  than  that  all 
plants  will  not  grow  in  any  one  soil,  and  it  is  a  mercy,  too,  for  if  all  soils 
were  alike,  we  should  fiud  gardens  far  more  monotonous  than  they  are 
now. 
Gardening  is  an  art  dealing  with  living  things,  and  we  cannot  place 
these  with  as  little  thought  as  those  who  arrange  shells,  or  coins,  or 
plates.  At  the  same  time  we  may  be  mistaken  as  to  failures  which  now 
and  then  arise  from  other  causes  than  the  soil.  I  planted  years  ago 
some  Bayonne  Daffodils  on  the  northern  slope  of  a  cool  field,  and  thought 
the  plants  had  perished,  as  so  little  of  them  was  seen  after  the  first  year. 
Despairing  of  the  slope  it  was  planted  with  Alder,  a  tree  that  grows  in 
any  soil  or  water.  Years  afterwards,  walking  one  day  through  the 
Alder,  we  found  the  Bayonne  Daffodil  in  perfect  bloom.  The  roots 
had  doubtless  been  weak  and  taken  time  to  recover. 
If  the  soil  be  right,  all  that  need  be  done  in  planting  is  to  make  two 
cuts  with  the  spade,  raising  the  sod,  putting  a  few  bulbs  beneath  it, 
again  turning  the  sod  down,  firmly  tramping  it  down,  leaving  them  to 
take  their  own  way  ever  afterwards.  It  will  often  be  well  to  turn  up 
all  the  sods  at  first  so  as  to  see  the  outline  of  the  groups. 
Eight  years  ago  I  planted  many  thousands  of  Narcissi  in  the  grass, 
never  doubting  that  I  should  succeed  with  them,  but  not  expecting  I 
should  succeed  nearly  so  well.  They  have  thriven  admirably,  bloomed 
well  and  regularly  ;  the  flowers  are  large  and  handsome,  and  in  most 
cases  have  not  diminished  in  size.  In  open,  rich,  heavy  bottoms,  along 
hedgerows,  in  quite  open  loamy  fields,  in  every  position  they  have  been 
*  Paper  read  by  Mr.  WM.  Robinson  before  the  Daffodil  Conference  at  Regent’s  Park. 
