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JOFUXAL  OF  HOETIGULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
February  16,  1899. 
All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should,  until 
further  notice,  be  directed  to  “  The  Editor,”  8,  Rose  Hill  Road, 
Wandswortb,  S.W.,  and  NOT  to  12,  Mitre  Court  Chambers, 
Fleet  Street.  It  is  requested  that  no  one  will  write  privately  to 
any  of  our  correspondents,  seeking  information  on  matters 
discussed  in  this  Journal,  -as  doing  so  subjects  them  to 
unjustifiable  trouble  and  expense,  and  departmental  writers 
are  not  expected  lo  answer  any  letters  they  may  receive  on 
Gardening  and  Bee  subjects- through  the  post.  If  information 
be  desired  on  any  particular  subject  from  any  particular 
authority  who  may  be  named,  endeavour  will  be  made  to  obtain 
it  by  the  Editor.  Letters  of  inquiry  must  be  accompanied  by 
the  names  and  addresses  of  the  writers,  but  these  will  neither  be 
published  nor  disclosed  when  initials  or  nom  de  'plumes  are  given 
W  the  purpose  of  replies. 
Correspondents  should  not  nciix  up  on  the  same  sheet  questions  relating 
to  Gardening  and  those  on  Bee  subjects,  and  it  is  convenient  when 
each  question  is  written  on  a  separate  sheet.  All  articles  intended 
for  insertion  should  he  written  on  one  side  of  the  paper  only  ;  and 
the  name  and  address  of  each  writer  must  be  known  by  the 
Editor,  though  not  necessarily  for  insertion.  We  cannot,  as  a 
rule,  reply  to  questions  through  the  post,  and  we  do  not  under¬ 
take  to  return  communications  which,  for  any  reason,  cannot 
be  inserted. 
Anti-Blight  Powder  (C.  D  ,  This  preparation  may  be  procured 
from  Messrs.  Barr  &  Sons,  12  and  13,  King  Street,  Covent  Garden, 
London,  W.C. 
Lettuce  Culture  (G.  T7.). — The  practical  article  by  “  E.  D.  S.,”  on  page 
121,  will  probably  convey  all  the  assistance  you  require.  If  such  is 
not  the  case  let  us  know  what  further  details  you  require. 
Stapelia  patula  {0.  Lingard). — We  can  best  answer  your  question 
relative  to  Stapelia  patula  by  reproducing  an  article  and  an  illustration 
which  appeared  in  our  columns  some  years  back.  This  you  will  find  on 
page  123,  and  if  we  can  further  assist  in  respect  of  this  or  any  other 
plant  we  shall  be  glad  to  do  so. 
Ring  of  Eggs  from  Apple  Twig  (Sussex). — The  eggs  from  an  Apple 
twig  are  those  of  the  lackey  moth,  Bombyx  neustria,  which  appears 
rather  a  common  occurrence  this  season,  especially  in  the  South  of 
Eno-land.  For  preventive  and  remedial  measures  we  refer  you  to  last 
week’s  Journal  of  Horticulture,  “Eggs  on  Apple  Twig  (Medway)," 
page  116. 
Protecting  Buds  against  Bullfinches  (TF.  T.  F.). — The  proportions  of 
the  lime  and  soot  mixture  are— equal  parts  by  measure  of  quicklime, 
freshly  burned  light  lumps,  and  recently  swept  soot.  Slake  the  lime,  and 
when  fallen  to  a  fine  powder  place  in  the  soot,  mix  well,  and  then  add 
water  so  as  to  form  a  thin  wash  that  can  be  readily  applied  with  a  syringe. 
To  prevent  this  clogging,  the  mixture  should  be  passed  through  a  hair 
sieve.  Except  for  the  glaring  whiteness  lime  alone  acts  just  as  well  or 
better.  We  simply  procure  the  freshly  burned  lime,  slake  in  water, 
forming  at  once  into  a  whitewash,  and  apply  with  a  rose  syringe  when 
the  bushes  are  dry.  It  adheres  to  them,  and  the  birds  leave  the  budn 
alone.  Old  lime  washes  off,  birds  care  nothing  for  it,  and  it  has  little 
effect  on  lichen  and  moss.  We  have  not  kept  any  account  of  the  quantity 
of  water  necessary,  but  have  used  the  lime,  also  the  mixture  of  hoth  soot 
and  quicklime,  for  half  a  century  with  great  advantage  in  protecting  the 
buds  against  bullfinches  and  sparrows.  Some  slake  the  lime,  then  form 
into  a  limewash  consistency  with  boiling  water  in  which  3  ozs,  of  softsoap 
to  the  gallon  has  been  dissolved,  and  apply  at  a  temperature  of  130°,  or 
as  hot  as  the  finger  can  be  borne  in  it.  The  “  hot  ”  mixture  acts  better 
on  insects — the  only  advantage. 
Birdlime  (Idem). — Half  the  stuff  made  spoils  the  feathers  of  the  birds. 
One  of  the  simplest  preparations  is  resin  and  sweet  oil  melted  together  to 
the  required  consistency,  about  two  parts  resin  and  one  part  oil. 
“  Myocum,”  a  substance  obtainable  from  some  nurserymen  (Dickson’s) 
answers  well,  and  so  does  the  “birdlime  ”  to  be  had  from  birdcatchers,  and 
some  so-called  “  naturalists.”  The  best  is  made  from  either  Holly  bark 
(the  middle  bark)  or  Mistletoe  berries.  The  Holly  should  be  gathered  in 
.Tune  or  July,  and  boiled  for  six  or  eight  hours  till  it  becomes  tender  ; 
then  drain  off  the  water,  and  place  the  material  in  a  pit  under  ground  in 
layers  with  fern  (bracken),  and  surround  it  with  stones.  Leave  it  to 
ferment  for  two  or  three  weeks,  until  it  forms  a  sort  of  mucilage,  which 
must  be  pounded  in  a  mortar  into  a  mass,  and  well  rubbed  between  the 
hands  in  running  water  ;  all  the  refuse  must  be  worked  out,  then  place  the 
mucilage  in  an  earthen  vessel  and  leave  it  for  four  or  five  days  to  ferment 
and  purify  itself.  The  Mistletoe  berries  must  undergo  a  similar  process.  It 
will  stick  to  the  fingers  or  hands  of  those  preparing  it,  and  may  be  removed 
by  means  of  spirits  of  turpentine. 
Moss  on  Tennis  Lawn  (L.  S.  H.). — For  the  destruction  of  the  moss 
use  one  peck  of  unslaked  lime  and  one  peck  of  dry  wood  ashes,  and  dis¬ 
tribute  the  mixture  evenly  over  the  surface  after  this  has  been  scratched 
well  with  an  iron  rake,  removing  the  moss  disturbed  thereby.  It  ipay  be 
done  from  now  to  March  in  mild  weather,  the  earlier  the  better.  If  a 
better  growth  of  grass  is  desired  apply  a  dressing  of  decayed  manure  or 
compost  a  short  time  after  using  the  lime  and  wood  ashes,  or  soot  during 
moist  weather  when  the  grass  begins  to  grow.  A  peck  per  rod  is  a 
sufficient  dressing. 
Asparagus  for  Market  (A.  H.  E.). — The  most  popular  and  best 
variety  of  Asparagus  for  market  work  is  a  selection  of  the  Giant  as 
offered  by  leading  seedsmen.  We  have  had  excellent  results  from  the 
True  Giant,  it  being  more  productive  than  Connover’s  Colossal,  though  this 
attains  an  enormous  size.  Well  grown  heads  of  the  True  Giant  measure 
from  2  to  3  inches  in  circumference,  and  these  splendid  heads  command 
the  readiest  sale  and  most  raonej’,  as  3’ou  have  been  rightly  told.  Size, 
however,  very  much  depends  upon  cultivation,  but,  of  course,  the  better 
the  variety  the  more  satisfactory  the  result. 
Pruning  Black  Currants  (Lampeter). — These  bear  to  some  extent  on 
spurs,  but  not  nearly  so  freely  as  Red  and  White  Currants,  therefore  the 
bushes  on  walls  should  be  pruned  and  trained  on  the  young  wood  and 
spur  principle  combined,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Morello  Cherry,  laying  in 
some  young  wood  annually,  and  cutting  out  a  portion  of  the  old.  We 
should  now  shorten  some  of  the  young  growths  to  a  few  buds  of  their 
base,  and  leave  some  of  them  full  length  for  bearing.  The  short  stubby 
shoots  or  natural  spurs  will  give  fruit,  and  must  not  be  shortened,  though 
they  may  be  cut  away  when  they  become  too  long,  always  in  favour  of 
younger  growths  nearer  the  wall.  If  closely  spur-pruned  like  Red 
Currants  the  Black  produce  very  little  fruit. 
Cyclamen  Bulb  and  Maggots  (T.  T.  R.). — The  corm  has  had  its  roots 
almost  entirely  devoured  by  the  maggots,  which  accounts  for  the  flowers 
not  developing  properly.  The  “  maggots  ”  are  the  grubs  or  larvae  of  the 
grooved  or  black  Vine  weevil,  Otiorhynchus  sulcatus.  They  are  extremely 
voracious  and  very  fond  of  the  corms  of  Cyclamen,  often  eating  away 
the  lower  or  under  side  as  well  as  the  roots.  The  weevils  are  also 
destructive,  eating  the  tender  fronds  of  Adianturas  and  other  Ferns,  and 
leaves  of  Peaches,  Nectarines,  and  Vines.  There  are  few  worse  pests, 
and  not  many  harder  to  kill  in  the  larval  state.  We  have  tried  many 
specifics,  and  find  the  simplest  is  to  water  the  plants  with  water  as  hot  as 
the  hand  can  bear  for  about  half  a  minute.  The  worst  of  the  mischief  is 
that  of  their  not  being  detectable  until  they  have  greatly  injured  or  ruined 
the  plants  ;  we  therefore  make  a  practice  of  watering  the  plants  occa¬ 
sionally  with  a  weak  solution  of  Little’s  soluble  phenyle,  1  fluid  oz.  to 
3  gallons  of  water,  as  a  preventive,  commencing  towards  the  end  of 
summer. 
Fever  Fly  on  Black-seeded  Brown  Cos  Lettuce  Roots  (E.  A.). — As  you 
have  not  forwarded  specimens,  we  can  only  accept  your  description,  for 
the  disease  is  certainly  new  to  us  on  this  plant,  though  we  have  found  the 
‘•fever  fly,”  Dilophus  vulgaris,  on  the  roots  of  cereals  and  grasses,  and 
occasionally  other  plants.  The  grubs  are  only  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch 
in  length,  cylindrical,  legless,  dirty  white,  with  a  brownish  head  or 
“  snout.”  They  live  in  the  roots  or  underground  stems,  and  work  upwards 
and  inwards,  several  being  found  at  one  stem.  The  pupae  are  chestnut 
coloured,  and  the  fly  two-winged.  As  regards  prevention,  a  mild  dressing 
of  fresh  gas  lime,  1  stone  per  rod,  mixed  with  an  equal  quantity  of  air- 
slaked  lime,  has  been  found  useful.  Its  use  on  bare  ground  would  not 
affect  the  crop  taken  shortly  afterwards,  only  leave  on  the  ground  for  a 
few  days  before  turning  under.  We  have  also  found  great  benefit  from 
kainit  applied  in  February,  especially  on  light  land,  1  ton  per  acre,  1  stone 
per  rod,  this  heavy  dressing  not  doing  any  harm  left  on  the  surface  for  a 
month  or  six  weeks  before  stirring  the  ground  or  cropping.  Good  results 
on  another  plant  resulted  from  the  use  of  a  mixture  of  bone  superphosphate 
and  kainit  in  equal  parts,  7  lbs.  per  rod,  applied  to  the  surface  and  turned 
under  as  soon  as  convenient,  afterwards  using  If  lb.  per  rod  of  finely 
crushed  nitrate  of  soda,  this  being  applied  as  soon  as  the  seedlings  were 
thinned.  We  do  not  think  nitrate  of  soda  alone  desirable,  though  it 
certainly  stupefies  the  grubs  and  they  die,  while  the  crops  thrive  in 
consequence. 
Liming  Vine  and  Peach  Borders  (N.  D.  R.). — The  lime  (slaked  in  a  box 
by  air  about  twelve  months)  may  be  used  on  the  Vine  border  of  the  house 
to  be  started  next  week,  as  the  lime  will  be  quite  mild,  having  parted  with 
most  of  its  causticity  and  passed  into  the  carbonate  condition.  It  then 
dissolves  slowly  and  constantly  in  the  soil,  and  acts  on  the  organic  matter 
and  in  turn  on  the  other  mineral  constituents  of  the  soil,  besides  supply-!,^ 
ing  the  all-important  lime  directly  or  indirectly  to  the  Vines.  As  you 
say  the  soil  has  not  a  particle  of  lime  in  it,  but  plenty  of  iron,  it  would  be 
advisable  to  use  a  little  gypsum  along  with  the  short  manure  used  for 
mulching — say,  4  ozs.  per  square  yard,  sprinkling  on  the  surface.  This  will 
correct  any  tendency  to  sourness,  and  also  act  on  the  iron.  We  should 
use  equal  parts  of  air-slaked  lime  and  soot  by  measure,  and  applj'  half  a 
pound  of  the  mixture  per  square  yard,  pointing  in  lightly,  or  that  quan¬ 
tity  of  lime  may  be  used.  It  can.  of  course,  be  left  on  the  surface  and  be 
worked  in  by  the  waterings  ;  but  avoid  making  the  border  too  wet  by 
needless  applications.  The  treatment  in  other  respects  appears  excellent, 
the  results  justifying  the  procedure,  2,  Lime  is  an  excellent  dressing 
for  a  Peach  border,  and  the  air-slaked  form  much  the  better,  as,  nearly 
reverted  to  the  carbonate  state,  it  will  not  act  so  energetically  on  organic 
matter,  and  yet  yield  lime  slowly  in  solution — that  is,  it  will  be  dissolved 
out  by  the  soil  waters  and  pass  away  by  the  drainage,  except  so  much  of 
it  as  the  nitrifying  micro-organisms  have  made  available  for  taking  up  by 
the  roots  of  the  Vines  or  Peaches  as  nitrate  of  lime. 
