298 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  2,  1£03. 
Birds  and  Gooseberry  Buds. 
In  your  issue  of  March  19,  a  question  appears  under  the 
above  heading  as  to  the  efficacy  of  lime  being  a  preventive  of 
birds  eating  the  buds.  I  can  ^adly  answer  in  the  affirmative, 
as,  having  applied  it  tp  the  Gooseberry  bushes  here,  we  have 
the  pleasure  now  of  seeing  a  grand  promise  of  a  bountiful  crop. 
Early  last  month  we  got  the  bushes  syringed  with  lime  in  a 
liquid  form,  suitable  to  go  through  the  coarse  rose  of  a 
syringe.  It  should  be  strained  to  take  out  any  lumps  likely  to 
choke  the  syringe.  If  the  day  be  calm  and  dry,  it  soon  dries 
on  the  brnshes.  Have  any  of  your  readers  known  of  lime  being 
a  preventive  of  the  caterpillar  ?  as  I  have  been  told  of  it 
being  so.  Should  this  prove  correct,  Avhat  an  easy  remedy 
within  our  reach! — R.,  Co.  Dublin. 
The  Destruction  of  the  Winter  Moth  Caterpillar. 
I  am  a  believer  in  progress,  certainly,  but  still  conservative 
enough  to  object  to  the  strong  poisons  which  seem  to  be 
becoming  so  popular  as  insect  killers.  To  my  thinking,  they 
are  liable  to  result  in  mischief,  probably  not  always  traced  to 
its  cause,  though  they  may  accomplish  the  destruction  of  the 
insects  that  are  doing  damage.  Paris  green  will  extirpate  the 
winter  moth  caterpillarj  but  it  may  be  got  under  by  the  appli¬ 
cation  of  less  risky  poisons.  Not  easy  to  kilj,  we  allow,  this 
caterpillar  defies  a  solution  of  paraffin  strong  enough  to  injure 
plant. s,  and  one  gardener  states  it  does  not  mind  alum  at  all. 
though  that  is  scarcely  an  efficient  insect  killer.  Safe,  and 
tolerably  efficacious  applications  are  Fir  tree  oil,  suitably 
diluted  ;  also  decoction  of  cjuassia,  combined  with  soft  or  carbolic 
soap;  Gishurst  compound,  and  tobacco  in  various  forms.  One 
point  often  overlooked  by  gardeners  is  the  destruction  of  the 
insect  after  it  has  assumed  the  chrysalis  state,  when  it  lies  in 
the  earth,  at  only  a  slight  depth,  beneath  the  trees  or  shrubs 
where  it  has  fed. — Entomologist.  _ 
Morals  and  Men. 
It  does  indeed  seem  a  strange  period  through  which  we  are 
passing,  and  is  the  domination  of  the  young  man  in  any  way 
accountable  for  it?  We  are  told  that  human  nature  is  much  the 
same  at  all  periods  of  the  world’s  history,  and,  it  is  not  unreason¬ 
able  to  presume,  much  the  same  among  all  classes  of  men.  Yet 
there  are  not  w^anting  signs  that  as  far  as  business  morality  is 
concerned  we  are  either  on  the  downward  path  or  the  road  to  the 
millennium.  On  good  authority  we  hear  it  is  “  not  nece.ssarily  a 
crime  ”  for  the  gentleman  director  of  bankrupt  companies  “  to 
publish  fraudulent  balance-sheets.”  He  can  still  remain  a  gen¬ 
tleman  without  being  necessarily  poor ;  rather,  it  is  incumbent  on 
him,  having  a  substantial  balance  at  his  bankers,  or  he  will  soon 
fall  in  the  social  scale,  as  the  latter  has  to  be  iveighted  with  gold. 
The  nobleman  who  lives  to  the  tune  of  some  thirty  or  forty  thou¬ 
sand  pounds  a  year  can  make  a  will  which  proves  him  to  possess 
absolutely  nothing,  and  thereby  defraud  the  national  Exchequer 
of  thou.sands  of  pounds ;  yet  no  one  dare  hint  he  was  anything  but 
a  nobleman  and  a  patriot.  It  was  the  quality  of  nobleness  which 
impelled  him  to  give  his  entire  wealth  to  his  heir,  stipulating,  of 
course,  for  a  liberal  allowance  w’hile  he  lived,  and  which,  without 
doubt,  would  have  to  be  extended  hereafter  were  it  possible  to 
make  use  of  it.  The  Cabinet  Minister  who  is  head  of  a  depart¬ 
ment  can  be  both  a  shareholder  and  a  director  in  companies  with 
which  in  his  official  capacity  he  may  have  to  deal,  and  yet  remain, 
like  Caesar’s  wife,  above  suspicion.  Suspect  a  Cabinet  Minister, 
indeed !  One  would  as  soon  suspect  either  coxswain  in  the  Boat 
Race  of  not  “  playing  the  game.” 
In  the  lower  walks  of  life,  how^ever,  things  are  very  different. 
The  humble  gardener,  who'  unfortunately  belongs  to  that  class 
which,  on  the  authority  of  eminent  coun.sel,  are  “singularly 
devoid  of  truthfulness.”  Therefore,  honesty  must  not  accept  his 
5  per  cent,  discount,  although  it  may  not  amount  to  £1  during 
the  whole  year.  The  acceptance  of  such  at  once  places  his  in¬ 
terests  in  juxtaposition  to  those  of  his  employer,  and  the  latter, 
with  the  moral  welfare  of  his  gardener  at  heart,  should  effectually 
prevent  any  acknowledgment  in  the  way  of  “  dis.”  from  business 
houses  falling  into  his  servants’  hands.  If  one  should  be  found  to 
be  a  shareholder  in  any  of  the  firms  with  whom  he  has  tO'  tramsact 
business  on  behalf  of  his  employer,  it  cannot  be  other  than  right 
and  just  that  he  should  forfeit  the  whole  of  his  shares  on  pain  of 
instant  dismi.ssal.  It  is  true  many  a  Avorthy  gardener  might 
then  have  to  bemoan  the  unsatisfactory  state  of  his  banking 
account,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  he  would  have  the  infinite  satis¬ 
faction  of  knowing  that,  unlike  the  Cabinet  Minister,  no  tempta¬ 
tion  to  stray  from  the  path  of  rectitude  would  ever  cross  his  way. 
— Cynic.  [See  notes  last  week  on  the  Corruption  Bill. — Ed.} 
- - 
Judging  at  Flower  Shows. 
We  have  received  the  following  letter  from  a  Midland 
gardener :  “  As  the  season  has  arrived'  when  the  various  horti¬ 
cultural  societies  will  be  busily  arranging  matters  in  connection 
Avith  their  summer  and  autumn  sIioavs,  perhaps  it  is  well  to 
remind  them  of  the  importance  of  selecting  men  as  judges  who 
are  known  to  have  a  thorough  practical  knowledge  of  their  Avork. 
This  advice  is  all  the  more  important  on  account  of  the  growing 
anxiety  and  tendency  of  some  men  to  get  appointed  as  judges 
at  horticultural  exhibitions  who  never  grew  vegetables,  fruits, 
or  greenhouse  plants  in  their  lives,  and  yet  have  the  confidence 
and  impudence  to  offer  themselves  as  judges  and  lecturers  upon 
that  which  practically  they  know  nothing  at  all  about.  There¬ 
fore,  I  would  advise  committees  of  horticultural  societies  and 
others  intere.sted  in  horticultural  work  before  selecting  men  as 
judges  or  lecturers  carefully  to  inquire  as  to  their  practical  know¬ 
ledge  of  the  work  they  may  be  required  to  do,  remembering  that 
being  able  to  talk  is  not  the  only  qualification  required.  All 
quacks  can  do  that.  What  is  most  wanted  is  a  thorough  prac¬ 
tical  knowledge  of  the  difficulties  to  be  encountered  in  producing 
specimens  of  the  things  exhibited,  and  of  the  qualities  of  the 
different  varieties  placed  before  them.  To  have  things  judged 
by  good  practical  men  is  a  compliment  to  the  best  of  exhibitors, 
but  to  have  them  judged  by  horticultural  quacks  is  an  insult  to 
the  humblest  cottager.” — Amateur. 
A  Collection  of  Apples  at  Clonmel. 
Thei  Apple  is  knoAvn  as  one  of  the  healthiest  of  all  home- 
groAvn  fruit.  When  Apples,  roasted,  uncooked,  or  in  pies,  form 
a  regujar  part  of  the  dietaiy,  there  is  seldom  any  stomachic 
derangement,  no  sleepless  nights,  nor  rheumatic  troubles.  No 
AAcnder,  then,  the  new  Irish  Agricultural  and  Technical  Depart¬ 
ment  includes  fruit  groAving  among  the  subjects  deserving  of 
special  attention,  and  for  which  lecturers  are  appointed  and 
prizes  given.  During  the  present  week  the  announcement  is 
made  that  a  lady  lecturer  on  fruit  culture  has  been  appointed 
for  the  County  Louth,  Avhich  is  no  doubt  an  innovation  that 
may  result  satisfactorily.  My  present  object,  lioweA^er,  is  to 
notice  a  new  cxillection  of  124  distinct  varieties  of  Apples  I 
noticed  recently  attached  to  the  residence  of  one  of  our  city 
merchants,  Mr.  John  Russell,  Airhill,  in  the  suburbs.  He  has 
many  specimens  of  the  better  kinds,  but  all  are  young  trees,  and 
about  100  of  them  got  from  the  famous  collection  of  Messrs. 
Rivers,  SawbridgeAvorth,  and  the  other  two  dozen  through  the 
Irish  Technical  Department  and  Irish  nurseries.  As  this  collec¬ 
tion  is  carefully  labelled,  and  will  be  immediately  in  blossom, 
they  Avill  have  an  educational  effect  for  any  visitor  who  may 
pass  this  way  and  Avho'  may  care  to  ask  permission  to  see  them. 
Needless  to  say,  Mr.  Russell  has  also  fine  collections  of  Pears, 
Plums,  Cherries,  &c.,  that  now  look  promising.  We  trust  that 
his  example  Avill  give  locally  a  fresh  impetus  to  fruit  growing, 
once  so  general  all  over  Ireland. — W.  J.  Murphy,  Clonmel. 
The  Extermination  of  Phytoptns  ribis. 
When  I  began  to  read  Mr.  Fletcher’s  criticism  (page  254)  of 
my  article  on  “  Insect  Foes  and  Plant  Diseases,”  which  appeared 
in  a  former  issue,  I  thought  I  was  about  .to  find  the  key  to  the 
Currant  bud  mite  mystery;  but — there,  I  didn’t.  If  the 
remedy  lay  in  such  a  simple  operation  as  hand-picking,  it  is 
not  likely  that  score®  of  shreivd  men  who  depend  partially,  at 
any  rate,  on  Black  Currants  for  a  living  wmuld  consign  such  a 
lucrative  crop  to  the  flames.  Hand-picking  has  been  tried  by 
the  market  fruit  growers  in  Kent  and  other  places,  and  the 
best  that  can  be  said  of  it  is  that  it  puts  off  for  a  time  the  evil 
hour  when  the  bushes  have  to  be  grubbed  up ;  but  the  fatal  day 
comes  eventually  when  once  a  plantation  is  infested  Avith  the 
mite.  In  small  and  private  gardens  hand-picking  may  be  a 
practical  remedy,  and,  as  your  correspondent  suggests,  it  may 
cost  nothing  and  provide  amusement  for  children ;  but  there  is 
not  much  amusemeint  about  it  when  acres  have  to  be  dealt  with. 
I  know'  a  grower  now  wdio  spent  15s.  per  acre  for  two  consecu¬ 
tive  years  in  having  his  bushes  hand-picked  ;  but  the  pest  spread 
so  fast,  in  spite  of  the  picking,  that  practically  all  the  buds  had 
to  be  removed,  and  the  third  year  the  bushes  Avent  to  the  fire 
heap.  I  have  had  reason  to  look  at  the  mite  from  many  points  of 
