September  24,  1896. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
copper,  but  the  advertised  fungicides  in  powder  are  usually  safe 
and  effective.  If  this  form  be  used  the  plant  infested  must  be  held 
upside  down  in  one  hand,  and  the  powder  distributed  on  the  under 
side  of  the  leaves,  not  giving  more  than  enough  to  coat  the  surface 
with  the  finest  possible  and  even  amount.  The  powder  is  best 
distributed  by  a  bellows,  the  thing  being  to  do  it  very  lightly  but 
thoroughly.  This  will  kill  the  spores  pushing  germinal  tubes  and 
those  the  cells  of  which  are  not  hardened,  as  well  as  the  growing 
cells  of  the  fungus.  It  is  advisable  to  keep  the  fungicide  from  the 
soil,  as  sulphate  of  copper  is  certainly  not  a  plant  food,  and  an 
excess  of  it  in  the  soil,  or  even  on  the  plant,  is  poisonous  to  the 
higher  plants  as  well  as  to  the  lower  forms  of  vegetable  life. 
For  this  reason  it  is  always  advisable  to  employ  a  substance 
that  is  not  deleterious  to  the  diseased  plant,  and  if  anything 
fortifying  it  against  its  enemy,  whilst  of  not  a  dangerous  nature  as 
a  poison.  This  is  had  for  this  particular  parasite,  and  all  red  or 
orange  rusts,  in  permanganate  of  potash,  using  the  solution  known 
as  Condy’s  red  fluid,  and  diluting  with  an  equal  amount  of  clear 
rain  water,  applying  this  solution  with  a  spraying  apparatus  and  to 
the  under  side  of  the  leaves,  coating  them  with  the  finest  film 
possible.  In  not  very  bad  cases  the  leaves  may  be  sponged  with 
the  solution  on  their  under  sides  carefully,  having  special  regard  to 
the  pustules. 
A  more  wholesale  method  is  to  form  a  solution  of  the  fluid 
of  a  deep  rose  colour,  and  dip  the  whole  plant  (not  root)  therein, 
shaking  lightly  after  immersion  whilst  held  upside  down  to  free  the 
leaves  of  superfluous  solution,  and  then  place  in  position  as  before. 
It  may  be  necessary  to  repeat  the  application,  and  also  employ  it 
in  future  as  a  preventive,  say  when  the  plants  are  potted  off  as 
seedlings  or  offsets,  and  at  each  time  of  shifting  into  larger  pots. 
Besides  thrips  and  aphides  on  the  leaves  there  are  small  worm-like 
orange-coloured  creatures,  about  an  eighth  of  an  inch  in  length, 
that  may  not  be  so  well  known.  They  are  the  larvre  of  a  Hawk- 
fly  and  feed  on  the  aphides,  forming  one  of  the  greatest  helps  to 
growers  of  softwooded  plants.  Ordinary  fumigation  with  tobacco 
will,  as  every  gardener  knows,  destroy  the  aphis  and  the  thrips, 
but  it  may  not  be  so  well  known  that  the  Syrphus  fly  larvae  are 
practically  proof  against  tobacco  smoke  as  ordinarily  applied,  and 
so  live  on  to  pursue  their  useful  work,  becoming  pupae,  and 
ultimately  flies,  that  dart  over  gaudy  flowers,  then  pair,  and  the 
females  shortly  after  depositing  their  eggs  amid  the  aphis  hosts, 
from  which  issue  the  orange  grubs,  that  feed  on  the  aphis  enemies 
of  plants. — G.  Abbey. 
AT  LAST! 
It  has  always  been  a  puzzle  why  we  who  live  in  this  favoured  village 
should  never  have  attempted  a  horticultural  show.  Here  we  are  with 
so  many  advantages — more  than  our  share  of  really  first-rate  gardens, 
with  skilled  professors  of  the  gentle  craft,  and  large,  well-cultivated 
cottage  plots.  We  have  for  ages  been  garden  lovers,  and  are  proud  of 
the  men  who,  leaving  us.  have  gone  forth  into  the  great  world  and  taken 
the  first  places  among  their  horticultural  brethren.  However,  we  have 
at  last  made  a  start,  and  it  will  take  many  lions  in  our  path  to  turn  us 
back. 
Our  village  feast  occurs  in  the  days  of  "  chill  October,”  when  outdoor 
pleasures  and  sports  are  at  a  discount.  This  year  the  villagers  organised 
a  fete  whose  leading  features  were  a  sale  of  work,  singing  contests, 
sports,  and  our  small  show.  This  was  successfully  carried  out  on 
September  16th.  After  days  and  days  of  almost  tropical  rains,  Wednes¬ 
day  broke  fair  though  windy,  and  it  was  not  till  late  in  the  evening 
that  the  gusty  breeze  brought  a  heavy  shower. 
The  notion  of  the  show  was  first  mooted  in  July,  so  this  year  there 
has  not  been  much  time  for  preparation.  The  season,  too,  was  very 
early,  and  garden  flowers  and  soft  fruits  were  much  dilapidated  by 
storm  and  rain.  The  idea  was  received  most  favourably,  and  although 
the  prizes  offered  were  not  extravagant,  we  had  a  capital  entry,  and  got 
hold  of  the  right  people  as  exhibitors — i.e.,  the  working  men. 
We  knew  good  Apples  were  grown  here,  but  had  no  idea  that  we 
should  see  such  beauty  and  quality.  It  had  been  supposed  that  this 
soil  did  not  exactly  suit  Pears  ;  however,  this  year  must  have  been 
wonder-working,  for  there  they  were  fit  for  any  dessert  table.  One  dish 
of  Bed  Currants,  the  last  survivors,  was  there ;  how  it  had  been  kept  to 
this  time  was  a  marvel.  Only  a  few  Plums  were  shown,  those  very 
good,  the  rest  had  fallen  victims  to  the  preserving  pan.  Of  course  we 
expected  first-rate  Potatoes,  as  their  cultivation  (wholesale)  is  a  great 
source  of  wealth  to  the  parish,  and  there  they  were  sound  and  well 
grown,  plenty  of  variety. 
As  for  Vegetable  Marrows,  well  Cinderella  could  have  supplies  for 
her  coaches  for  a  long  time — they  were  colossal.  The  Cauliflowers  took 
our  eye,  filled  it  we  may  say,  and  the  good  Celery  suggested  bread  and 
-cheese  as  a  lunch  for  a  king.  Carrots  and  their  white  brother,  the 
Parsnip,  made  a  good  show. 
Among  our  flowers  were  some  first-rate  Dahlias  and  Asters  that  had 
somehow  kept  their  colour,  notwithstanding  the  soakings  they  had  had . 
The  children,  too,  were  remembered,  and  their  bonny  bright  bouquets 
were  a  credit  to  them.  What  struck  a  visitor  the  most  was  the  neatness 
and  tidiness  of  the  exhibits,  and  we  think  a  great  impetus  has  been 
given  to  our  villagers  to  strive  after  further  successes,  and  we  fancy 
that  Scawby  Show  will,  in  a  few  years,  have  risen  into  enviable 
notoriety.  Mr.  E.  Semper,  head  gardener  at  The  Hall,  proved  a  most 
efficient  secretary. 
GARDEN  EXAMINATION. 
A  GOOD  deal  is  heard  of  gardeners’  examinations  in  these  days, 
but  not  so  much  about  the  critical  inspection  of  gardens.  Every 
department  in  a  large  garden  should  be  thoroughly  examined  periodi¬ 
cally,  and  its  exact  condition  noted,  with  the  object  of  registering  any 
failures  or  mistake,  and  recording  impressions  in  respect  to  desired 
improvements.  Small  gardens  should  also  be  similarly  inspectel,  with 
the  view  of  rendering  them,  if  possible,  more  satisfactory  in  the  future 
than  they  have  been  in  the  past.  It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  this 
care  is  not  necessary  in  the  case  of  small  and  medium  sized  gardens. 
As  much  thought  is  needed  in  the  conduct  of  these  as  in  the  manage¬ 
ment  of  large  establishments  ;  and  even  more  planning,  scheming,  and 
forecasting  are  often  requisite  where  the  demands  of  the  owners  are 
great  and  the  resources  limited,  than  are  called  for  under  differing 
circumstances,  where  the  space  is  fully  equal  to  meet  every  want  and 
with  a  considerable  margin  to  spare. 
No  better  time  than  the  present  can  occur  this  year  for  a  general 
examination  of  gardens.  Everything  of  a  structural  nature  should  be 
brought  under  close  inspection  for  ascertaining  any  possible  deficiencies 
or  dilapidations,  and  putting  right  anything  that  may  be  found  wrong 
in  the  best  manner  and  with  the  least  inconvenience.  Doing  work  out 
of  season  is  always  costly,  and  seldom  satisfactory  to  anyone  concerned. 
Owners  of  property,  builders,  painters,  glaziers,  and  gardeners  are  often 
irritated  during  the  progress  of  repairs,  when  all  would  have  gone 
smoothly  had  not  the  work  been  commenced  a  month  too  late.  There 
has  been  a  tendency  of  late  to  ?.  greater  extent  than  formerly  to  let 
small  faults  pass,  with  the  object  of  restricting  expenditure  ;  but  small 
faults  thus  left  quickly  grow  into  large  ones,  and  the  liabilities  that  are 
being  incurred  for  future  eventualities  grow  faster  still,  and  no  long 
time  elapses  before  we  have  a  great  ruin  and  a  great  reckoning  day.  No 
plan  is  so  good  and  economical  as  rectifying  small  evils  and  making 
good  small  omissions  with  promptitude,  every  week’s  delay  adding  to 
the  ultimate  cost  and  inconvenience.  There  is  nothing  so  cheap  as 
paint  when  applied  at  the  right  time  for  preserving  woodwork,  nor  of 
timely  pointing  for  preserving  masonry.  In  the  general  overhaul,  then, 
do  not  forget  the  pointing  and  painting. 
Let  the  heating  arrangements  be  subjected  to  a  rigid  examination. 
Boilers,  pipes,  and  flues  should  be  cleansed  and  tried,  and  the^e  with  all 
valves  tested,  as  in  no  other  way  can  assurance  be  felt  that  they  will  be 
fqual  to  the  demands  upon  them  when  the  time  of  trial  comes.  A  little 
labour  devoted  to  this  work  now,  and  a  trifle  expended  in  putting  any 
little  wrongs  right,  is  as  nothing  compared  with  the  loss  attending  a 
breakdown  three  months  hence,  and  nothing  should  be  omitted  that  can 
be  done  for  the  aversion  of  such  a  calamity.  All  drains  should  bs 
operative  and  supply  pipes  in  order,  so  that  future  trouble  may  be 
avoided,  and  outlay,  the  result  of  neglect,  prevented.  Nor  should  the 
winter’s  fuel  supply  be  overlooked,  as  stores  can  be  replenished  or 
contracts  completed  now  at  much  less  cost  than  may  have  to  be  endured 
in  a  few  months  time,  for  it  seems  to  be  the  “  custom  ”  to  raise  prices 
in  winter,  and  vendors’  stores  are  filled  to  overflowing  in  readiness  for 
the  harvest  they  hope  to  reap  from  their  own  foresight  and  the  habitual 
procrastination  of  their  supporting  friends. 
thorough  examination  should  be  made  of  pleasure  grounds,  planta¬ 
tions,  and  trees  now  in  connection  with  projected  alterations.  This 
overhauling  is  too  often  left  till  the  foliage  has  fallen,  and  consequently 
neither  the  thinning  of  trees  that  are  getting  too  crowded  nor  the 
arrangement  of  others  that  are  to  be  planted  is  well  done.  The  extent 
to  which  trees  should  be  thinned  cannot  be  so  well  determined  at  any 
other  period  of  the  year  as  just  when  their  season's  growth  is  completed. 
The  full  extent  of  the  crowding  can  then  be  seen  ;  but  in  midwinter, 
when  the  leaves  are  down,  the  crowding  is  not  apparent  to  the 
inexperienced,  and  thus  gardeners  and  foresters  are  not  allowed  to  do 
what  is  needed,  and  trees  and  plantations  are  spoiled.  Let  the  trees  for 
removal  be  marked  now,  and  the  decisions  arrived  at  adhered  to  when 
the  time  arrives  for  doing  the  work.  It  is  deplorable  to  see  thousands 
of  trees  spoiling,  and  ornamental  plantations  going  to  ruin,  because 
owners  of  pleasure  grounds  and  directors  of  public  parks  are  afraid  to 
thin  the  trees.  This  policy  of  fear  is  a  fatal  policy,  and  the  sooner  it  is 
reversed  the  better.  Large  sums  are  expended  on  trees,  shrubs,  and 
labour  in  producing  a  jungle ;  the  magnificent  spscimens  that  adorn 
many  parks  and  pleasure  grounds  in  various  parts  of  the  country  are 
the  reward  of  a  very  different  system.  Modern  planters  might  advan¬ 
tageously  take  a  lesson  from  the  old-fashioned  arboriculturists  and 
landscape  men  of  the  past.  If  they  commence  at  once  they  may  learn 
the  alphabet  of  the  subject  before  the  leaves  fall ;  they  will  not  be  able 
to  see  the  letters  afterwards. 
Equally  in  the  disposition  of  trees  for  picturesque  effect  the  key  to 
the  work  should  be  mastered  now.  At  no  other  time  can  such  a  clear 
conception  be  formed  as  to  what  is  best  fitted  for  certain  positions  as 
when  trees  are  studied  in  their  autumn  garb.  All  planting  arrange¬ 
ments  should  be  settled  now  clearly  and  definitely,  and  when  the  period 
for  carrying  out  the  plana  comes  round  the  work  will  proceed  with, 
alacrity. 
