March  9,  1899. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  (FXRDENER. 
205 
Definition  of  a  Professional  Gardener  {Coventry). — Yes,  “  a  gentleman’s 
gardener  is  a  professional  gardener  where  there  is  no  other  gardener 
employed,”  and  must  rank  as  such  for  every  purpose— duty  or  annual 
licence,  and  competing  at  horticultural  shows.  The  term  professional, 
however,  has  no  more  than  a  relative  significance,  for  gardening  is  not  a 
profession,  but  an  occupation,  and  applies  to  any  and  every  “  one  whose 
occupation  is  to  make,  tend,  and  dress  a  garden.”  Where  but  one  person 
is  so  employed,  he  or  she  is  called  a  sinyle-handed gardener  ;  if  more  than 
one,  there  arise  the  terms  head  and  under  gardeners.  When  a  person 
works  his  own  garden,  he  is  an  amateur  gardener. 
Eggs  on  Apple  Twigr  {C.  C.  E.). — The  reddish  minute  knobs  appear 
to  us  nothing  more  than  russety  excrescences,  possibly  due  to  a  minute 
fungus  of  which  we  find  the  perithecia-like  bodies,  but  there  does  not 
appear  any  substance  in  them,  or  at  least  nothing  that  we  can  define  as 
either  vegetable  or  animal  organisms.  The  few  black  eggs  in  the  crevices 
are  those  of  the  Apple  aphis  or  fly,  Aphis  malus.  There  may  be  other 
bodies,  but  we  failed  to  discover  them.  Nothing  of  which  we  are  aware 
will  destroy  the  aphis  eggs  but  hot  water,  though  caustic  soda  and 
commercial  potash  have  been  used  with  good  effect,  the  solution  being 
sprayed  on  at  a  temperature  of  130°  to  140°.  One  ounce  each  to  a  gallon 
of  water  is  a  proper  strength.  The  solution  must  be  used  whilst  the  trees 
are  quite  dormant. 
Silk  Cocoon  Liquid  Manure  (  W.  E.). — We  are  not  aware  of  the  article 
being  now  in  commerce,  but  there  can  be  no  question  of  its  efficacy  for 
destroying  mildew,  as  the  cocoons  are  boiled  for  unwinding  the  silk  in 
a  copper  vessel  heated  by  charcoal,  and  the  water  thus  more  or  less 
impregnated  with  copper  and  containing  the  gummy  matter  of  the 
cocoons  imparts  an  adherent  consistence  to  the  liquid.  Perhaps  a  letter 
addressed  to  the  Manager  of  the  Lister  Silk  Mills,  Manningham,  Bradford, 
Yorks,  would  result  in  your  obtaining  the  necessary  information.  We, 
however,  have  no  personal  experience  of  the  article,  but  the  gentleman 
mentioned  in  the  article  on  “Grape  Vine  Mildew”  in  the  Journal  of 
Horticulture,  December  21st,  1876,  is  a  guarantee  of  its  safety  and  efficacy 
for  destroying  mildew  on  Roses. 
Treatment  of  Vine  for  Introducing  to  House  {C.  G.). — The  Vine 
should  be  pruned  to  one  or  two  buds  of  last  year’s  wood,  selecting  the 
best  of  the  three  shoots  for  this  purpose,  preferably  the  central  one,  and 
cutting  the  other  two  away  close  to  the  cane  or  stem.  The  wounds  should 
be  carefully  dressed  with  patent  knotting  or  styptic  to  prevent  bleeding. 
We  presume  the  ^"ine  has  been  planted  out  in  the  position  it  is  to  occupy. 
If  not,  it  would  be  advisable  to  do  so  as  soon  as  the  weather  becomes 
mild,  spreading  out  the  roots  carefully,  and  not  planting  much  deeper 
than  it  has  been  before.  It  will,  or  ought,  to  break  strongly  from  the 
two  buds  left,  and  when  they  are  fairly  in  growth  remove  the  least 
promising,  and  secure  the  other  to  a  stake,  pinching  the  laterals  to  one 
leaf,  and  you  will  secure  a  strong  cane,  which  may  be  introduced  into 
the  house  when  long  enough,  and  preferably  as  soon  as  convenient,  so  as 
to  secure  well  ripened  wood. 
Manure  for  Narcissi  and  Daffodils  (A'.  L.). — Of  animal  fertilisers  the 
best  for  a  light  soil  is  cow  manure  well  decayed,  for  a  “  sandy  clay  ”  farm¬ 
yard,  and  for  clay  land  horse  droppings.  The  two  latter  also  should  be 
well  decomposed,  as  fresh  has  a  tendency  to  “flush”  the  bulbs  into  too 
much  leaf.  We  do  not  know  in  what  way  Narcissi  can  be  iniured  by  the 
ammonia  of  horse  manure,  unless  it  were  used  fresh.  We  have  used 
sweetened  horse  droppings  as  a  mulch  over  Narcissi  beds  with  satisfactory 
results,  the  whole  family  growing  in  places  where  they  get  a  rich  sur¬ 
facing  of  vegetable  mould,  and  thriving  accordingly.  Of  course  it  is  not 
fresh,  but  results  from  decaying  vegetable  matter  ;  therefore  use  the 
manure  well)  decayed.  For  Lilium  candidum  and  L.  speciosum  (lanci- 
folium)  album,  we  have  not  found  any  better  manure  that  that  of  cows  for 
light  soil,  as  it  is  cooler  and  more  moisture  holding  than  horse  droppings, 
the  two  mixed  for  medium  textured  soil,  and  horse  alone  for  heavy  land. 
Pruning  Dwarf  Hybrid  Perpetual  Roses  (5.). — There  are  always 
different  opinions  about  pruning  Roses,  simply  because  those  having 
them  have  different  objects  in  view.  The  gardener  no  doubt  had  that  of 
fine  blooms  with  stout  stems  for  cutting  purposes,  and  keeping  the  bushes 
dwarf,  strong,  and  healthy  as  long  as  possible,  hence  his  advice  to  prune 
the  weak  wood  to  two  or  three  eyes  and  the  strong  to  four  or  five.  Our 
practice  nearly  approximates  to  this,  but  we  cut  away  all  the  weak  wood, 
as  it  never  flowers  or  the  blooms  are  poor.  The  healthy  hut  weak  shoots 
are  cut  back  to  a  bud  of  their  base,  the  medium  or  moderately  strong  to 
two  or  three  buds,  and  the  strong  to  four  to  six  eyes.  This  is  the 
practice  we  have  followed  for  many  years,  and  found  satisfactory,  our 
object  being  to  secure  good  trusses  of  flowers  for  cutting  and  fine  blooms 
for  specimen  glasses.  The  pruning  is  best  deferred  until  the  end  of 
March  or  beginning  of  April,  or  even  later,  as  the  young  growths  at  the 
extremities  of  the  shoots  attract  the  sap  and  induce  root  action  without 
starting  the  basal  buds,  and  thus  kept  back  they  start  strongly  when  the 
bushes  are  pruned  and  the  growths  from  them  escape  the  late  spring 
frosts.  The  other  plan  you  menticn  has  for  its  object  the  production  of 
what  are  called  garden  Roses,  or  an  abundance  of  flowers,  and  against  it 
we  offer  no  objection,  provided  the  trees  grow  sufficiently  vigorous  each 
year  to  produce  strong  shoots  and  ripen  them.  By  the  long  pruning 
system  the  old  wood  must  be  cut  out  when  it  becomes  weak  in  order  to 
secure  strong  growth.  In  some  cases  the  shoots  are  left  almost  entire, 
only  the  unripe  tips  being  cut  off,  and  the  shoots  are  sometimes  pegged 
down. 
Names  of  Plants  ((7.  D.,Kent). — Allium  neapolitanum  {T.H,  B.  and 
J.  P.). — Not  yet  identified,  see  next  issue.  (L.). — Through  having  been 
packed  in  cotton  wool  the  flower  was(iuite  dead  and  no  one  could  possibly 
identify  it.  Send  another  properly  packed,  and  we  will  do  our  best  to 
assist  you. 
COVENT  GARDEN  MARKET.— Margti  Sth. 
FRUIT. 
8.  d. 
8.  d. 
8.  d. 
s.  d. 
Apples,  J  sieve . 
1  3  to  3  6 
Lemons,  case  . 
30  OtoGO  0 
Cobs  . 
30  0 
35  0 
St.  Michael’s  Pines,  each 
2  6 
5  0 
Grapes,  lb . 
1  6 
2  6 
VEGETABLES. 
B.  d. 
8.  d. 
8.  d. 
8.  d. 
Asparagus,  per  100 . 
0  0  to  0  0 
Mustard  and  Cress,  punnet 
0  2  to  0  4 
Beans,  J  sieve  . 
0  0 
0  0 
Onions,  bushel . 
•  •• 
3  6 
4  0 
Beet,  Red,  doz . 
1  0 
0  0 
Parsley,  doz.  bnchs.... 
•  •  • 
2  0 
3  0 
Carrots,  bunch . 
0  3 
0  4 
Parsnips,  doz . 
1  0 
0  0 
Cauliflowers,  doz . 
2  0 
3  0 
Potatoes,  cwt . 
2  0 
4  0 
Celery,  bundle . 
1  0 
0  0 
Salsafy,  bundle . 
•  •• 
1  0 
0  0 
Coleworts,  doz.  bnchs.  ... 
2  0 
4  0 
Scorzonera,  bundle... 
1  6 
0  0 
Cucumbers . 
0  4 
0  8 
Seakale,  basket . 
1  6 
1  0 
Endive,  doz . 
1  3 
1  6 
Shallots,  lb.  . 
0  3 
0  0 
Herbs,  bunch  . 
0  3 
0  0 
Spinach,  pad  . 
0  0 
0  0 
Leeks,  bunch  . 
0  2 
0  0 
Sprouts,  J  sieve 
1  6 
1  9 
Lettuce,  doz . 
1  3 
0  0 
Tomatoes,  lb . 
•  •• 
0  4 
0  9 
Mushrooms,  lb . 
0  6 
0  s 
Turnips,  bunch . 
... 
0  3 
0  4 
AVERAGE  WHOLESALE  PRICES.- CUT  FLOWERS. 
6.  d. 
8. 
d. 
s.  d. 
s.  d. 
Arums  .  3  Oto  4 
0 
Lilyofthe  Valley, 12  sprays 
0  6  to  1  0 
Asparagus,  Fern,  bunch...  2  0 
2 
6 
Marguerites,  doz.  bnchs. 
4  0 
5  0 
Azalea,  white,  doz.  bnchs.  3  0 
4 
0 
Maidenhair  Fern,  doz. 
Bouvardias,  bunch .  0  4 
0 
6 
bnchs . 
6  0 
8  0 
Carnations,  12  blooms  ...  16 
3 
0 
Narcissus,  doz.  bnchs.  ... 
1  0 
2  0 
Daffodils,  single  yellow. 
Orchids,  var.,  doz.  blooms 
1  6 
9  0 
bch.  12  blooms  .  0  6 
1 
0 
Pelargoniums,  doz.  bnchs. 
6  0 
10  0 
Daffodils,  double,  bunches  0  4 
0 
6 
Roses  (indoor),  doz . 
2  0 
3  0 
Eucharis,  doz .  2  0 
3 
0 
„  Red,  doz . 
6  0 
8  0 
Freesia,  doz.  bnchs.  ...  2  0 
4 
0 
,,  Tea,  white,  doz. 
2  0 
3  0 
Gardenias,  doz .  4  0 
6 
0 
,,  Yellow,  doz.  (Perles) 
2  0 
3  0 
Geranium,  scarlet,  doz. 
,.  Safrano,  doz . 
2  0 
2  6 
bnchs .  6  0 
8 
0 
Smilax,  bunch . 
2  0 
3  0 
Hj'acinths,  Roman,  bunch  0  6 
0 
8 
Tulips,  bunch . 
0  6 
1  0 
Lilium  lancifolium,  white  0  0 
0 
0 
Violets  doz.  bunches  ... 
0  6 
1  6 
„  longiflorum,  12  blooms  4  0 
6 
0 
„  Parme,  bunch 
2  6 
3  0 
Lilac,  bunch  .  3  0 
4 
0 
PLANTS  IN  POTS. 
8.  d. 
8.  d.  1 
8.  d. 
8.  d. 
Arbor  Vitae,  var.,  doz.  ...  6  0to36  0 
Ficus  elastica,  each . 
1  0  to  7  0 
Aspidistra,  doz . 18  0 
36 
0 
Foliage  plants,  var.,  each 
1  0 
5  0 
Aspidistra,  specimen  ...  5  0 
10 
6 
Lilium  Harrisi,  doz. 
24  0 
36  0 
Crotons,  doz . 18  0 
24  0 
Lycopodiums,  doz.  ...  ... 
3  0 
4  0 
Dracaena,  var.,  doz . 12  0 
30  0 
Marguerite  Daisy,  doz.  ... 
6  0 
8  0 
Dracaena  viridis,  doz.  ...  9  0 
18  0 
Myrtles,  doz . 
6  0 
9  0 
Erica  various,  doz .  9  0 
24 
0 
Palms,  in  var.,  each 
1  0 
15  0 
Euonymus,  var.,  doz.  ...  6  0 
18 
0 
,,  specimens  . 
21  0 
63  0 
Evergreens,  var.,  doz.  ...  4  0 
18 
0 
Pelargoniums,  scarlet,  doz. 
8  0 
12  0 
Ferns,  var.,  doz .  4  0 
18  0 
Solanums,  doz . 
6  0 
12  0 
„  small,  100  .  4  0 
8  0 
HORSES  FOR  PLEASURE  AND  PROFIT. 
In  these  days  of  darkness  and  depression  (agriculturally  speaking) 
— a  darkness  that  may  be  felt — it  is  a  serious  question  as  to  what 
industry  will  make  any  return  to  the  farmer.  So  much  is  labour  in 
vain,  and  worse  than  that,  so  much  of  enterprise  spells  “loss.”  Indeed, 
it  may  be  accepted  as  a  fact  that  no  old-fashioned  plans  are  of  any 
avail,  each  farmer  must  have  some  speciality — something  over  and 
above  his  ordinary  routine  work.  Only  one  string  to  the  bow,  or  all 
eggs  in  one  basket,  will  never  answer,  and  the  question  must  be  decided 
by  each  individual  as  to  what  outside  branch  or  “  extra the  farm  and 
the  man  are  best  fitted  for. 
Every  man  by  birth  and  education  has  a  bias  ;  that  bias  must  be 
turned  to  account.  As  a  general  rule,  it  will  be  found  that  Yorkshire 
men  have  kept  in  the  same  groove  for  generations,  and  that  the  groove 
is  a  good  and  profitable  one  has  been  fully  proved  by  the  success  which 
has  attended  their  efforts  in  that  direction.  We  refer  to  the  breeding 
of  light  horses.  In  old  days,  say  the  time  of  our  grandfathers,  it  was 
a  case  of  coach  horses.  Now  hunters  and  harness  horses  generally  have 
come  to  the  fore. 
Happily  no  substitute  has  been,  or  can  be,  found  for  a  weight¬ 
carrying  hunter,  and  he  may  safely  breed  carriage  horses  for  8om= 
