400 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  22,  1896. 
to  keep  them  in  their  proper  season,  otherwise  the  usual  Cattleya 
temperature  and  treatment  is  suitable. 
One  of  the  species  still  unfinished  is  C.  Lawrenceana,  and  it  is 
important  that  the  growth  of  this  is  not  checked.  It  is  one  of 
those  Cattleyas  that  delight  in  a  brisk  moist  beat  and  abundance  of 
sunlight,  without  which,  in  fact,  it  cannot  be  satisfactorily  grown. 
Keep  the  plants  well  up  to  the  light  then,  and  encourage  them  by 
all  means  to  swell  up  large  healthy  bulbs,  as  only  these  can  produce 
good  flowers  in  quantity.  In  watering  this  and  other  Oattleyas 
at  this  season  avoid  wetting  the  sheathing  basis  of  the  pseudo¬ 
bulbs,  or  they  are  apt  to  decay  and  the  incipient  buds  are  ruined. 
Consequently  back  breaks  from  the  older  bulbs  have  to  be  relied 
on  for  carrying  on  the  economy  of  the  plant,  and  these  do  not 
as  a  rule  make  lo  strong  a  growth  as  the  leads.  In  addition  the 
size  of  the  plant  is  of  course  diminished,  and  consequently  also 
the  value. 
It  is  surprising  how  quickly  the  scale  insects  get  the  upper  hand 
in  Cattleyas  if  not  often  destroyed  by  syringing.  Whenever  an 
opportunity  arises  the  plants  should  therefore  be  gone  through 
and  examined.  It  is  not  enough  that  the  leaves  and  pseudo-bulb 
are  clean  ;  the  stronghold  of  the  insects  is  more  often  than  not 
about  the  rhizomes,  where  it  is  very  difficult  to  get  at  them.  It  is 
often  necessary  to  remove  a  little  of  the  top  compost  in  bad  cases, 
and  when  plants  from  an  outside  source  are  brought  into  a  clean 
collection  this  should  always  be  done  or  the  healthy  plants  will  soon 
be  overrun.  It  is  best  in  such  cases  to  remove  all  the  sheaths  from 
the  pseudo-bulbs,  for  this  is  also  a  favourite  hiding  place  for  them, 
and  if  only  a  few  insects  are  left  behind  their  fecundity  is  soon 
apparent.  In  all  cases  it  is  best  to  use  a  weak  solution  of  sof  tsoap, 
and  syringe  afterwards  with  clean  water  ;  strong  doses  of  insecticide 
doing  far  more  harm  to  the  plants  than  to  the  insects. — H.  R.  R. 
HOT  WATER,  MUSTARD,  AND  LIME. 
Eelwoem  Remedies. 
I  MUST  admit  I  smiled  when  reading  “A  Single-handed  Gardener’s” 
article  re  eelworm  on  page  368,  It  is  now  too  late  for  me  to  try  his 
remedies  this  year,  but  I  will  do  so  next,  and  report  results.  I  should 
like  toaskhim,  Supposing  mustard  would  kill  eelworm  in  the  soil,  how  he 
would  kill  those  in  the  tissues  of  the  plant  ?  I  think  this  is  where  your 
correspondent’s  first  difficulty  would  appear. 
There  is  nothing  very  wonderful  in  his  recommendation  of  half  a 
pound  of  salt  to  the  square  yard,  for  after  all  it  only  amounts  to  a  little 
over  one  ton  per  acre — not  100  tons  of  lime — and  if  applied  in  the 
autumn  would  be  nearly  all  washed  out  of  the  soil  by  the  following 
spring.  He  might  have  been  more  precise,  however,  with  regard  to  his 
application  of  gas  lime,  for  he  does  not  say  what  quantity  his  books 
recommend  or  he  himself  used.  Perhaps  it  may  interest  him  to  know 
that  1  lb.  of  fresh  gas  lime  in  100  lbs.  cf  soil  made  Tomato  plants  sickly 
when  potted  in  it,  but  1^  lb.  of  gas  lime  in  tbe  same  amount  of  soil  did 
not  kill  eelworm. 
What  does  your  correspondent  mean  when  speaking  of  5,  10,  and 
15  per  cent,  of  lime  being  used  1  The  latter  “  being  the  most  profitable 
to  apply.”  Will  he  answer  the  following  questions  ?  1,  What  kind  of 
lime  was  used  1  2,  To  what  kind  of  soil  was  it  applied  ?  3,  Upon  what 
he  based  his  conclusions  that  15  per  cent,  was  the  most  profitable  ?  Can 
he  explain  why  Tomato  plants  refused  to  grow  in  a  soil  treated  with 
only  5  bushels  of  quicklime  per  rod,  or  why  others  did  not  grow  freely 
when  1  per  cent,  of  very  fine  chalk  was  added  to  the  soil  ? 
Tour  correspondent  is  very  near  hitting  the  nail  on  the  head  when  he 
says,  “  I  am  a  diligent  student  anxiously  searching  for  truth  !  ”  That  is 
just  what  I  am  trying  to  do.  But  allow  me  to  inform  him  that  everyone 
who  talks  about  science  may  not  be  as  ignorant  about  practice.  I  am 
only  a  young  gardener,  but  for  the  past  fourteen  years  I  have  been  con¬ 
stantly  engaged  in  garden  or  nursery  work.  When  one  has  to  work 
from  6  A.M.  to  6  P.M.,  and  perhaps  later,  there  is  not  much  time  for 
study,  but  my  leisure  hours  were,  and  are,  always  spent  either  in 
attending  lectures  or  with  my  books,  and  the  three  things  I  get  tbe 
most  pleasure  from  are  : — 1,  The  wee  discussion  in  our  Journal ;  2,  a  few 
hours’  work  with  the  microscope  ;  and  3,  some  chemical  experiments  with 
soils,  plants,  &c.,  and  yet  I  am  a  working  gardener.  Perhaps  after  all  I 
should  be  able  to  stand  my  twisting,  and  yet  not  break,  in  a  day’s 
digging  in  the  ”  Norfolk  cheese.” 
As  Mr.  J.  Shalford’s  remarks  are  directed  to  Mr.  Abbey  I  must  leave 
them  to  him  to  answer,  only  hoping  he  may  point  out  that  the  nodules 
formed  on  Bean  roots  are  not  caused  by  eelworm,  but  by  the  influence  of 
micro-organisms  for  the  assimilation  of  free  nitrogen. 
I  must  thank  "  By  the  Sea  ”  for  bringing  forward  his  practical 
experience  with  phenyle,  nitrate  of  soda,  and  kainit.  It  begins  to  be 
gratifying  to  find  that  perhaps  after  all  I  am  not  very  far  out  about  the 
Iminit  remedy  being  effectual  in  killing  root  eelworm.  Allow  me  to 
inform  “  By  the  Sea  ”  that  the  “  chemical  signs  ”  and  ”  euphonious 
names”  have  always  a  definite  meaning,  but  to  explain  them  every 
time  they  occur  would  exhaust  the  patience  of  everybody.  Take 
Captain  Cuttle’s  advice — i.«.,  “  when  information  is  found  make  a  note 
of  it.” 
In  conclusion,  permit  me  to  thank  Mr.  Abbey  for  proving  that  the 
roots  sent  contained  the  root  eelworm,  Heterodera  radicicola.  I  may  also 
add  that  Tomato  roots  were  sent  as  I  could  not  get  Cucumber  roots- 
Anyone  referring  to  page  376  will  find  Mr.  Abbey  says,  “  The  roots  sent 
were  more  like  Tomato  than  Cucumber,”  thus  proving  how  thorough  his 
knowledge  of  plant  anatomy  is. — W.  D. 
Youk  facile  correspondent,  “  A  Single-handed  Gardener,”  offers 
(page  369)  hot  water,  mustard,  and  lime  for  Mr.  A.,  &c.,  and  com¬ 
mences  a  remarkable  article  with  the  astounding  statement,  ”  I  know 
nothing  about  eelworm.”  Albeit  “A  Single-handed  Gardener”  has 
hot  water  (got  from  ”  Phenyle  Adviser,”  Journal  of  Horticulture, 
April  30th,  1896,  page  397,  and  spoils  it  by  not  having  the  water 
“  boiling  ”)  ;  also  mustard,  but  does  not  say  whether  it  is  seed  for 
sowing  to  secure  a  green  crop  for  ploughing  under  and  banishing  wire- 
worm  as  done  by  farmers  and  gardeners  from  time  immemorial  or 
”  ground  ”  for  making  into  a  condiment  with  the  hot  water  to  make  the 
“  Norfolk  cheese  ”  tasty  ;  likewise  lime  (“  cribbed  ”  from  Mr.  A. ’a 
article  in  the  Journal  of  Horticulture,  October  8th,  page  348). 
“  A  Single-handed  Gardener  ”  has  the  courage  to  back  a  10  per  cent, 
lime  dressing,  so  has  everybody  since  Columella  wrote  of  its  being  used' 
by  the  Roman  farmers  2000  years  ago,  and  your  correspondent  is  no 
doubt  confirmed  in  this  view  by  finding  it  an  excellent  thing  for 
making  “  Norfolk  cheese  ”  crumble.  There  is,  therefore,  nothing  like 
knowledge  gained  by  “  digging  ”  in  realities  and  drawing  “  hot  water  ”■ 
from  the  well  of  experience. 
That  your  correspondent  has  had  experience  of  killing  various 
insects  by  means  of  hot  water  is  clearly  shown  on  page  369.  He  also 
says,  “  it  cooks  worms  and  grubs  in  soil,  especially  if  seasoned  with 
mustard.”  Here  is  a  cheap  and  simple  remedy,  for  what  ?  Worms  and 
grubs  !  What  worms,  and  what  grubs?  It  cannot  be  eelworms,  for  of 
those  “A  Single-handed  Gardener”  knows  “nothing.”  Perhaps  the 
worms  are  those  of  “Norfolk  cheese,”  and  the  grubs  are  probably 
capable  of  a  similar  “  twisting.” 
In  face  of  knowing  nothing  about  eelworms  “  A  Single-handed 
Gardener”  advises  mustard  and  water.  No  mention  is  made  of  the 
amount  of  mustard  to  be  used  to  a  certain  quantity  of  hot  water ;  alL 
we  know  of  this  wonderful  prescription  is  that  the  mustard  is  to  he 
mixed  with  the  water  at  a  temperature  of  120°  and  another  dose  at  130°.- 
Nothing  is  said  of  the  amount  of  the  mixture  to  be  administered  per 
plant  or  area.  Indeed,  “  A  Single-handed  Gardener  ”  knows  nothing  of 
the  result  on  eelworm,  but  the  operator  is  to  “  watch.”  Watch  what  ? 
Time  fly,  labour  lost,  material  (if  only  mustard)  wasted. 
But  there  may  be  something  in  the  mustard  after  all,  for  it  bites,, 
blisters  the  thick  cuticle  of  man.  What  must,  therefore,  be  the  effect 
of  a  mustard  plaster  on  eelworm,  a  tiny  thing,  at  largest  one-twenty- 
fifth  of  an  inch  in  length  ?  How  “  A  Single-handed  Gardener  ”  intends 
to  get  hold  of  such  a  small  creature  and  put  a  plaster  on  the  back  of  its 
head  for  executing  vengeance  is  more  than  I  can  make  out.  Perhaps  he 
means  to  bathe  the  eelworm  all  over.  If  so,  how  ?  Will  the  mustard, 
even  if  it  were  soluble,  pass  through  the  cuticle  of  the  Cucumber  and 
Tomato  root  and  blister  the  eelworm  inside  the  nodosities  ?  Nor  is  that 
all,  for  the  mustard  would  assuredly  “  click  ”  at  the  soil  or  the  soil  at 
it,  so  that  the  surface  would  get  a  “  twisting  ”  dose  of  the  mustard  and 
the  parts  below  merely  the  drainings.  No  doubt  the  water  is  intended 
to  do  something  towards  killing  the  eelworm,  for  what  creature  will  not 
“  cook”  in  a  temperature  of  120°o  or  if  not  quite  done  enough,  in  one  of 
130°?  Taking  the  mean  of  the  two  we  have  125°,  and  that  is  just  the 
exact  temperature  that  will  kill  eelworm.  Where  did  “  A  Single-handed 
Gardener”  get  that  from?  Was  it  not  by  “digging”  in  the  pages  of 
the  Journal  of  Horticulture  ? 
There  is  the  mustard  1  What  will  it  do  ?  Does  “  A  Single-handed; 
Gardener  ”  wish  to  convey  the  impression  that  rape  cake  or  mustard 
cake  does  more  than  “  cook  ”  grubs  by  bringing  them  to  the  surface  for 
birds  to  prey  on  ?  If  so,  what  is  there  in  ground  mustard  seed  to  kill 
eelworm?  Potash,  25  78;  soda.  0-33  ;  lime,  19-10  ;  magnesia,  6-90 ; 
iron,  0  39  ;  phosphoric  acid,  44-97  ;  sulphur,  2  19  ;  silica,  1-31 — analysis 
of  ash  of  a  first-class  mustard  !  Is  it  some  vegetable  principle  ?  Are 
not  eelworm  proof  against  vegetable  poisons?  Let  your  correspondent 
ponder  over  these  things  as  he  wields  his  precious  spade. 
On  page  369  Mr.  J.  Shalford  opens  a  pithy  subject  by  reference  to 
French  Beans.  Does  your  correspondent  mean  that  the  nodules  on  the 
roots  of  the  Legume  were  caused  by  eelworm,  or  that  they  in  decay  were 
occupied  by  these  creatures  ?  This  is  a  simple  but  very  important  point, 
for  in  turf  there  are  always  nodosities  on  some  roots  of  leguminous 
plants.  I  am  very  much  obliged  to  Mr.  Shalford  for  mentioning  thia 
matter,  for  on  August  27th,  1896,  1  found  both  root  eelworm  and  root 
mite  on  Kidney  Bean  nodules,  and  that  explains  how  the  pests  are 
introduced  in  soil.  It  is  only  right  to  say  that  during  the  formation  of 
the  nodosities  there  are  no  eelworms,  nor  are  they  the  cause  in  any  way 
of  nodules  on  leguminous  plant  roots,  but  the  eelworms  and  mitea 
utilise  the  nitrogen  they  contain,  rapidly  converting  it  into  matter 
suited  for  the  food  of  plants. 
But  I  am  at  a  loss  to  account  for  Cucumbers  failing  in  a  pit,  the  soil 
and  surroundings  of  which  were  treated  with  a  strong  solution  of  phenyle.. 
What  phenyle — carbolic  acid  (CeHeO),  or  soluble  phenyle  (Cb.Hs)  ?  The 
former  is  very  hurtful  to  vegetation,  and  for  a  long  time  after  the  soil  i» 
treated  while  the  latter  is  not  injurious  to  plant  roots  but  a  valuable  ferti¬ 
liser.  Another  thing,  phenyle  is  not  so  efficacious  for  killing  eelworm  as 
soluble  phenyle,  not  being  taken  in  by  the  plant.  Why  do  all  your 
