314 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  3,  190 1. 
A  Disease  Resistive. 
Might  I  ask,  through  the  medium  of  your  columns,  if  any  of  your 
readers  have  found  Messrs.  Wood’s  preparation,  Yeltha,  of  any  service 
in  the  prevention  or  cure  of  eel  worm  or  “  club  ?”  Being  troubled  with 
the  former  in  the  roots  of  Vines,  Peach  trees,  and  other  things,  and 
with  the  latter  badly  in  all  the  Brassioa  family,  I  should  be  glad  to  hear 
if  it  has  been  fonnd  to  be  as  effectual  as  its  inventors  claim  it  to  be. 
It  would  be  interesting  to  hear  also  how  it  has  acted  with  Potato  and 
other  fungoid  diseases. — R.  W. 
Indian  Corn. 
The  green  ears  of  the  above  form  an  excellent  vegetable,  which  comes 
in  very  useful  in  a  season  like  the  present,  the  heat  and  dryness  of 
which,  so  prejudicial  to  Peas,  &e.,  being  just  what  suits  the  require¬ 
ments  of  the  Indian  Corn.  We  have  had  them  in  condition  for  the 
table  since  about  August  20th  from  seeds  sown  in  the  open  ground  at 
the  beginning  of  May,  and  find  them  to  be  much  appreciated.  The 
variety  we  find  to  be  earliest  is  Ryder’s  First  and  Best,  the  plants  being 
dwarf,  and  producing  ears  freely.  The  time  for  gathering  may  be 
determined  by  the  portion  of  the  inflorescence  which  projects  from  the 
ears  turning  brown  ;  this  takes  place  when  the  Corn  is  full  grown  and 
before  it  ripens.  The  method  of  cooking  them  is  to  boil  whole  in  salted 
water  for  about  twenty  minutes,  in  which  state  they  are  served  up  to 
the  table,  to  be  taken  up  in  the  fingers,  the  Corn  being  extracted  with 
the  teeth. — R.  W.  Dean,  Wainsford,  Hants. 
- *♦*.> - 
TRe  Cult  of  the  DaRlia. 
As  a  regular  reader  of  your  paper  I  should  greatly  like  to  see  a  little 
less  space  devoted  to  Orchids  and  Chrysanthemums,  and  a  little  more 
notice  given  to  the  flower  which,  in  a  few  years’  time,  when  its  existence 
has  become  known  to  the  public,  will  drive  everything  else  into  the 
shade.  I  refer  to  the  Cactus  Dahlia.  We  are  most  of  us  sworn  slaves 
to  the  fashion,  that  contemptible  institution  of  small  minds  and  parrot 
tongues,  and  the  fashion  has  chosen  the  Orchid  and  the  Chrysanthemum, 
apparently  because  the  former  is  the  most  hideous  monstrosity  of  the 
floral  world  and  can  only  be  produced  under  purely  artificial  conditions, 
and  the  latter  because  it  blooms  at  a  season  when  there  are  no  other 
flowers  with  which  to  compare  it.  Still,  for  those  who  care  to  devote 
their  main  energies  for  six  months  of  the  year  to  a  plant  which  finally 
produces  three  blooms  and  is  t  hen  done  for,  there  is  nothing  to  be  said 
against  it.  But  what  then  of  the  Cactus  Dahlia,  which  can  be  had  in 
continued  bloom  for  a  four  months’  season,  producing  finer  and  finer 
flowers  as  the  year  advances  until  it  is  cut  down  by  the  frost,  which 
often  does  not  come  until  well  into  November.  If  a  sheltered  situation 
is  chosen  very  little  tying  up  is  required,  and  if  the  soil  is  good,  no 
manure,  only  plenty  of  pure  water.  All  that  iB  necessary  is  the  devoting 
of  a  little  time  once  a  week  to  the  careful  thinning  of  the  buds  and 
shoots,  and  the  result  will  be  from  100  to  200  grand  blooms,  per  plant, 
for  the  season — July  to  November. 
For  richness  and  variety  of  colouring,  the  Dahlia  admittedly  ranks 
foremost  amongst  flowers,  and  to  this  has  been  added  in  the  newer 
varieties  of  the  last  few  years  the  most  absolute  perfection  of  form  and 
habit  of  growth.  The  plants  are  subject  to  no  disease  that  I  know  of, 
which  is  more  than  can  be  said  for  the  Rose,  Orchid,  or  Chrysanthemum, 
and  where  one  really  perfect  Rose  can  be  cut,  there  would  be  at  least 
twenty  perfect  Cactus  Dahlias.  The  Rose  has  also  to  battle  with  the 
rigours  of  the  winter,  with  results  that  we  all  know  to  our  cost,  whilst 
the  Dahlia  tubers  are  comfortably  stowed  away  safe  and  sound  until 
the  time  for  replanting  or  striking  cuttings.  As  evidence  of  the 
ignorance  of  the  large  majority  of  the  public  to  the  very  existence  of 
the  Cactus  Dahlia,  I  commend  to  your  notice  an  article  in  the 
“  Saturday  Review  ”  of  September  21st,  in  which  the  writer  frankly 
admits  that  he  went  to  the  Royal  Aquarium  show  expecting  to  be  bored 
by  an  exhibition  consisting  mostly  of  Dahlias  of  the  old  “  Show  ”  and 
“  Fancy  ”  types,  but  on  entering  the  building  he  became  aware  for  the 
first  time  of  what  the  Cactus  Dahlia  of  to-day  really  is,  and  in  conse¬ 
quence  he  came  away  enchanted,  and  amazed  at  his  discovery.  He  is  a 
specimen  of  ninety -nine  out  of  every  hundred  existing  flower  growers, 
and  I  am  confident  that  as  soon  as  a  fair  proportion  of  the  remaining 
ninety-eight  have  made  the  same  discovery  the  Cactus  Dahlia  will  rise 
to  its  proper  position  of  the  queen  of  all  flowers,  behind  which  the 
ridiculous  fashion  fancies  of  to-day  will  take  a  back  seat. — P.  W.  Tullock. 
[In  the  main  we  agree  with  Mr.  Tullock.  We  noticed  the  article  in 
the  “  Saturday  Review.”  Truly  enough,  the  Cactus  Dahlia  is  at  present 
very  popular,  and  deserves  more  notice  than  it  at  present  receives. 
Our  correspondent’s  hints  have  not  fallen  on  stony  ground.] 
Is  the  Loganberry  Wortl}  Growing? 
I  noticed  a  letter  in  one  of  the  Yorkshire  papers  early  in  August 
from  a  lady  who  seemed  unsuccessful  with  the  above  hybrid.  She  had 
grown  the  Loganberry,  and  has,  both  this  year  and  last,  had  the  fruits 
attacked  by  a  maggot.  Last  year  only  some  of  the  berries  contained 
a  maggot,  and  it  would  be  interesting  to  know  whether  differences  of 
season  and  of  locality  have  anything  to  do  with  this  enemy  of  the  new 
fruit.  The  fruit  makes  an  excellent  jam,  with  a  distinct  and  agreeable 
flavour  all  its  own,  but  as  it  ripens  very  irregularly,  and  will  not  keep 
long  after  being  plucked,  a  considerable  number  of  plants  are  necessary 
to  give  a  sufficient  quantity  at  a  time  for  preserves.  The  Loganberry 
bears  freely,  and  blackbirds  and  thrushes  leave  it  severely  alone  so 
far  in  the  history  of  its  short  existence. — M.  H. 
— - 
Straying*  Swarms  of  Bees. 
As  an  expert  under  the  Worcestershire  County  Council,  I  meet  with- 
some  colonies  of  bees  besides  those  in  the  usual  skep,  or  bar-frame 
hive.  In  one  cottager’s  apiary  of  sixteen  stooks  I  found  some  in 
butter  buckets,  others  in  tea  chests,  old  skeps,  and  two  home-made- 
bar-fiamed  hives  of  the  roughest  type,  with  bars  here  and  there  several 
inches  apart,  and  paoked  with  combs  of  various  widths  between.  On 
the  top  of  bars  and  rough  old-clothes-packiDg,  the  bees  had  gone  up  and 
built  new  combs  upwards,  not  suspended,  and  about  a  dozen  lbs.  of 
beautiful  honey.  At  a  farmhouse  I  tackled  a  colony  of  bees  which  had 
had  undisputed  possession  at  least  twenty  years,  I  was  informed  ;  taking 
down  brickwork  with  hammer  and  chisel  as  far  as  the  combs  extended, 
5  feet  long  and  nearly  5  feet  wide,  which  was  paoked  with  combs,  honey,, 
and  bees,  some  of  the  combs  were  4  feet  6  inches  long,  and  I  estimated 
the  weight  of  combs  and  honey  about  cwt.  I  used  neither  veil, 
gloves,  or  jacket,  and  kept  the  bees  under  control  with  smoke  and 
oarbolic  cloths.  I  have  some  of  the  bees  and  hope  to  winter  them.  I 
know  of  five  colonies  in  hollow  trees,  where  I  fear  they  must  stay,  ae 
the  owners  objeot  to  cutting  into  the  trees  to  get  out  the  honey. — 
James  Hiam,  Astwood  Bank,  Redditch. 
Tea  Rose  Marie  Van  Houtte, 
No  words  can  be  too  strong  in  describing  the  beauty  of  this  Rose, 
particularly  at  this  season  of  the  year.  Here  (Dorsetshire)  it  grows 
like  a  weed,  puts  forth  great  shoots  erect  in  growth,  thiok  firm  wood, 
and  at  the  end  of  each  shoot  are  four  fine  flowers,  while  down  the  stem 
of  each  strong  shoot  are  many  other  blooms.  I  took  a  large  shoot  or 
spray  of  this  Rose  (which  contained  ten  fine  blooms  and  as  many  buds) 
to  a  dinner  party,  and  presented  it  to  the  hostess. 
The  combination  of  oolours  in  this  Rose  is  th>  most  delightful  that 
can  be  imagined — pale  primrose  or  lemon-edged,  and  shaded  with 
peach.  At  a  small  exhibition  I  showed  a  stand  of  six  Roses  (the 
regulation  number),  and  a  more  beautiful  one  I  never  staged.  The  six 
contained  magnificent  specimens  of  three  splendid  varieties  of  Teas  : 
Souvenir  d’JElise,  Catherine  Mermet,  and  Marie  Van  Houtte.  These 
oreated  quite  a  furore.  I  was  asked  by  many,  and  entreated  by  some 
strangers,  to  sell  them  a  plant,  and  to  give  them  buds  of  Mari <  Van 
Houtte.  My  reply  was,  I  cannot  buy  enough  of  it. 
Catherine  Mermet  is  very  beautiful  here  in  the  autumn,  mor?  so,  I 
think,  than  in  the  summer.  The  Teas  scarcely  recover  from  the  spring 
frosts  in  time  for  the  summer  shows,  but  by  the  autum  i  have  made 
fresh  bloom-bearing  wood.  They  then  give  me  most  charming  blooms, 
and  are  most  valuable  for  the  late  shows. — W.  S. 
WRy  not  Hops? 
When  visiting  town  a  few  weeks  ago,  among  other  places  of  interest 
I  inspected  the  parks,  my  objeot  being  to  obtain  a  few  up-to-date  ideas, 
in  respect  to  bedding.  Of  course  one  cannot  help  doing  so  when  such  as 
Hyde  Park,  St.  James’,  and  Battersea  are  visited.  That  they'  fully 
maintain  their  reputation  is  amply  testified  to  by  your  genial  corre¬ 
spondent,  “  Wandering  Willie,”  in  last  week’s  issue.  A  question  came 
to  me  while  strolling  through  Battersea  Park  with  a  typical  cockney, 
anxious  to  show  the  “  yokel  ”  the  beauties  of  his  own  park,  why  the 
cockney  always  takes  back  to  town,  if  he  can  procure  them  when 
visiting  the  oountry,  a  bunch  of  Hops  P  I  have  often  wondered  why  ; 
now  I  can  understand.  It  is  because  among  all  the  beautiful  plants 
used  to  embellish  his  park  there  are  no  Hops ;  but  perhaps  the 
authorities  are  afraid  he  would  be  after  them  in  order  to  brew  his  own 
“  four  ’arf !  ”  Anyhow,  he  does  not  mutilate  the  Castor  Oil  plants  I 
saw  used  with  such  good  effect,  and  as  there  are  several  suitable 
positions  in  which  the  Hop  (Humulus  lupulus)  and  its  golden  and  silver 
variegated  varieties  could  be  used  with  effect  in  the  sub-tropical  gardens, 
perhaps  in  due  course  he  will  get  his  free  Hops  to  admire,  if  not  to 
gather. — Geo.  Hagon. 
[Our  correspondent  should  have  visited  Regent’s  Park  and  Victoria 
Park.  In  each  of  these  places  the  Hop  is  used  extensively  and  with 
splendid  effect.  No  doubt  other  superintendents  will  ultimately  employ 
this  handsome  climber.] 
