THE CULTURE OF VEGETABLES AND FLOWERS FROM SEEDS AND ROOTS TEXT

to put several in one large pot. After the flowering is ended, instead of allowing the bulbs to become quite dry, keep them moist enough to prevent the fibrous roots from perishing, and they will start with all the greater vigour when the time arrives for repotting next season. Lily of the Valley.—The forcing of this favourite flower generally begins in November, and it is important to secure roots which are thoroughly matured for the purpose. They must be finished in a high temperature, and if managed with judgment there will be plenty of foliage to set off the long spikes of charming white bells. When planted in the open ground a shaded spot should be chosen, which must be freely enriched with leaf-mould, and the plants will not need to be lifted for four or five years. Ranunculus.—On a light dry soil, where there is no danger of the roots sustaining injury during winter, this is a suitable time for planting all the varieties. To do them justice the land must be liberally dressed with decayed manure, and the longer the bed can be made ready before planting, the better will it answer. Put the roots in drills drawn six inches apart and two inches deep and cover with fine soil. For retentive land it is advisable to defer planting until February. Tritonia.—Perhaps the best way of treating this flower is to pot the bulbs now or in December, and keep them in frames until April, when they may be transferred to the open ground. A dry soil and a sunny spot should be found for them. Tulip.—There is no better time for planting Tulips in beds than the first half of this month. The bulbs should be covered with four or five inches of soil according to size, and it is important that each kind should be put in at a uniform depth to insure a simultaneous display. On a heavy soil draw deep drills, and partially fill them with light compost, on which the roots should be planted. The late single varieties are the Tulips which were formerly so highly prized by florists. For these bulbs it was the custom to prepare the soil with extraordinary care when the Tulip craze was at its height. After the amazing folly of paying 300l. for a single bulb, the minor folly of extravagance in preparing the soil may be readily pardoned. Happily that phase of the business has passed away, and handsome Tulips are now grown without such a prodigal expenditure of money and labour. The site for this flower should be sunny, the soil fairly rich, and the drainage good. With these conditions insured, and roots which are sound and dense, it is easy to obtain a magnificent show of Tulips. Zephyranthes Candida can be grown in any soil, and if possible the bulbs should be planted in some spot where they may remain unmolested through several seasons. The flowers appear about the end of July, resembling a White Crocus in form, and the blooming continues until cold weather sets in. Planting may be done between November and March. DECEMBER Only the idle or the half-hearted gardener will complain that he has no work to do in the short dark days of this month. Although there may be little or nothing to plant or sow, and few flowers need repotting, yet there are soils to obtain and store for future use; former heaps to turn over and remake; dead leaves to remove from plants in pits and houses; stakes and neat sticks to prepare for subjects which will need support by-and-by; beds and borders to enrich, and many other duties to perform. In the evenings, too, there are new combinations and fresh harmonies in colour to be designed for beds and groups in borders; the requirements for the coming season to consider while experience gained during the closing year is still fresh in the memory; the position of plants in pits and frames and houses to forecast, so that the plan of the summer campaign may be clearly understood, and all the resources of the garden be under intelligent control. The fluctuations of the thermometer have also to be watched, and means adopted to save plants from injury by a sudden fall of temperature. Altogether, there are abundant sources of profitable employment for those who have a mind to work. Bulbs, such as Hyacinths, Tulips, Crocuses, &c., which have not been planted, will have commenced growing, notwithstanding the precautions taken to prevent it, thus showing that they ought to be in the ground. The growth has been made at the expense of the bulb itself, for there are no fibrous roots from which to draw support. Therefore it can scarcely be expected that the flowers from very late plantings will be quite so good as the same bulbs would have produced had they been put in at an earlier period. Still there are cases when the delay is unavoidable, and it is reassuring to know that sound bulbs carefully set at the proper depth will produce flowers only in a degree inferior to those from earlier plantings. Bulbs in store, such as Begonia, Dahlia, Gladiolus, and Gloxinia, should be passed in review. Examination will almost certainly reveal some unsound specimens, and their removal may save valuable companions from their contaminating influence. This practice should be followed up about once a fortnight until all are eventually planted. THE PESTS OF GARDEN PLANTS The life-history of plant pests and ground vermin, with the best means of saving various crops from their ravages, are dealt with in a series of valuable leaflets issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. These leaflets embrace a very large number of subjects, several of which belong to the farm and the orchard and are beyond the scope of the present volume. Others are rarely met with, but concerning those which are common to the majority of gardens we offer information which will, we hope, enable readers to safeguard their crops from disaster. When adverse weather operates injuriously on vegetation the plagues that infest garden plants usually acquire increased power in proportion to the degree of debility to which vegetation is reduced. This circumstance perfectly accords with the general law of Nature, and is full of instruction as to the means of saving plants from serious injury by vermin. The keen, dry east wind that so often jeopardises fruit crops is usually followed by visitations of fly and maggot, and in this case the cause is beyond human power or forethought. But neglect of watering and air-giving to pot plants can be avoided. Good cultivation not only insures fine specimens, but is often the means of preventing the plants from failing under the attacks of Aphis, Mealy Bug, and other enemies against which the gardener has to fight an unceasing battle. Insects are among the frailest of living creatures and they perish at a touch. As they breathe through the pores of the skin, water alone—the promoter of life and cleanliness—is death to them; and they are still more subject to sure destruction when to the water is added an active poison, such as tobacco, or a substance that adheres to them and stops the process of breathing, such as glue, clay, sulphur, soft soap, and the numerous preparations that are specially made to annihilate insect hosts. The various stages through which the larger insects pass place them within our power at some period of their existence. The butterfly may float beyond the reach of harm, but in the caterpillar or the chrysalis state it can be dealt with effectually. Again, we may be powerless to destroy the Chafer grubs as they feed or hibernate beneath turf, but in their perfect state as Cockchafers or Rose Chafers many may be beaten down during quiet evenings, and others can be shaken from Roses at dawn or sunset. A knowledge of the life-history of injurious insects will suggest what is to be done and the right time for doing it, so that often by simple treatment they may be destroyed. The expense of preparing mixtures and washes may be in some degree lessened by economy of application. A drenching-board fitted on a firm frame, should be provided in every place where plant-growing is carried on to any extent. The board should slope from a resting ridge at the base. The plant in its pot may be laid on the board, with the bottom of the pot against the resting ridge, and a pail should be put to catch the liquid used as it drains from the plant after syringing. Every general washing or fumigating should be followed by another at an interval of from a week to a fortnight, because, although the first operation may kill every insect, there will be many living eggs left, and these renew the race, and very soon bring the plants into as bad a state as ever, unless consigned to a happy despatch as their parents were. In some cases it will be more economical to feed than to destroy the vermin; and, as a rule, feeding vermin does not add to their numbers, in the same or any future season, for insect life is so strangely dependent on certain conditions of temperature, &c., that if the season is not favourable to a particular kind it will be scarce, no matter how plentiful it may have been in a previous year. In the case of the Turnip Fly, feeding is frequently the cheapest and surest way of saving the crop. It is customary with Dahlia-growers, and, indeed, with the growers of florists’ flowers generally, to sow Lettuces where the flowers are to be planted, for so long as Lettuces are on the spot Slugs and Snails will prefer them to other food. As the Lettuces themselves serve the purpose of traps, the Snails and Slugs congregated about them may, towards evening, be caught and destroyed. In using a mixture for the first time, it is advisable to try it on one plant only, and that, of course, the worst in the collection affected. If the preparation is too strong, the truth will be declared by the state of the plant within twenty-four hours; thus a little caution may prevent a great loss. Another good rule is to employ the several remedies in a rather weak state until experience has been gained, for not only has the strength of the medicine to be considered, but the management of the patient before and after it is administered. It is above all things important to be thorough in the cleansing of plants, because they succumb rapidly to the attacks of insects, and should be effectually and promptly cleaned or consigned to the fire. If left in a foul state they spread the infection to all around. In the space at our command it is only possible to notice a few of the garden pests, and we begin with one of the most frequent and troublesome of plant foes. Aphis in some form or other is the most persistent and perplexing of plant pests. The Green Fly is the enemy of the softer kinds of vegetation, and the Blue and the Black Fly are common plagues of the Peach-house and the orchard. The tender body of the Aphis is instantly affected by conditions unfavourable to its life, and it is therefore easily killed; but its marvellous power of reproduction renders its extinction impossible, for in every instance a few escape, and very soon re-establish their race. Two methods for the destruction of Aphis are in vogue. One is fumigation by tobacco, either pure or in some of the numerous preparations offered, including several popular insecticides which have nicotine as a basis. These are both clean and effective. When a houseful of plants is infested no time should be lost, and the evening is most suitable for dealing with the pests. The plants ought to be quite dry and the house closely shut. A dense cloud of smoke without flame is required. Allow the smoke to do its deadly work during the night. Early next morning syringe the plants freely, and in the course of an hour or so give air. The other remedy is to use one of the many liquids which are inimical to the life of Aphis and other insect pests. To economise the liquid it is advisable to fill a pail or tub and immerse the plants individually. Take one in the right hand and spread the fingers of the left hand over the surface of the soil to prevent an accident; then turn the plant over and plunge the foliage in the liquid, moving it up and down briskly two or three times. If this is not practicable syringe the plants, taking care to wet the leaves on both sides. On the following day syringe with pure soft water. Rose trees may generally be cleansed of fly by means of the garden engine and pure water only, the essential point being to direct the water on the trees with some amount of force for several evenings in succession whenever the fly threatens to obtain the mastery. Soft soap dissolved in water makes a cheap and effectual wash for exterminating all kinds of Aphis, and to these ingredients quassia may with advantage be added. One pound of soft soap will suffice for ten gallons of water, into which stir the extract obtained by boiling one pound of quassia chips in water. Pot plants can be dipped in it as already advised, or the solution may be applied by means of the syringe. On the following day the plants should be cleansed with pure soft water. The Bean Aphis, also known as the Bean Plant Louse, or Black Dolphin _(Aphis rumicis)_. Our illustration shows the wingless female and pupa natural size and magnified. The pupa is black with greyish white mottlings, while the female is deep greenish black in colour. This insect commonly attacks the young shoots and tops of Broad Beans. It is well to cut off the infected tops and burn them. Should the attack be repeated spray the Beans with a solution of soft soap and quassia. [Illustration: Bean Aphis] BEAN APHIS _Aphis fabæ_ (pupa and female) The Pea Siphon-Aphis (_Siphonophora pisi_, Kalt).—Among the aphides peculiar to vegetables this is one of the most common. [Illustration: Pea Siphon-Aphis] PEA SIPHON-APHIS _Siphonophora pisis_ Our illustration shows the natural size and an enlarged figure of the greenish-winged and green-tinted wingless females, as produced, not from eggs, but alive and developed. This insect is occasionally very destructive to Pea crops. American Blight, or Woolly Aphis, generally appears first on trees grafted on dwarfing stocks, particularly the bad forms of the Paradise Apple. Rapidly the mischief spreads, healthy trees become infested, and unless checked an orchard is speedily ruined. Andrew Murray says that in bad cases of American Blight it is sometimes necessary to root up and burn all the trees, and let the ground remain unplanted for a year or two. Fruit trees should be examined periodically for this pest, and immediately the woolly spots are detected small tainted boughs should be pruned away, and from the mainstems and large branches diseased spots can be pared off. The operation may need a bold and vigorous hand if the trees are to be saved, and it is important that every scrap should be burned. There is almost certain to be a further appearance of the Blight, which should be destroyed by one of the many remedies known to be effectual. Fir Tree Oil Insecticide has proved to be an excellent remedy. Gishurst Compound, in the proportion of eight ounces to a gallon of water, with sufficient clay added to render it adhesive, makes a capital winter paint for Apple trees. But there is no cheap remedy equal to soft soap for smothering American Blight in the crannies of the bark. The soap may be rubbed into the diseased spots, or as a wash it can be brushed into the boughs. [Illustration: American Blight] AMERICAN BLIGHT _Schizoneura lanigera_ Our illustration shows a piece of Apple twig with the aphides and their woolly material natural size. The enlarged figures represent the winged female and the wingless larva of the Apple Blight Aphis _(Schizoneura lanigera_). The insect is deep purplish brown in colour, and the well-known bluish white cottony material naturally exudes from it. The Carrot Fly (_Psila rosæ_, Fab.), with its larva, pupa, and perfect insect, is illustrated natural size and enlarged. The ochreous shining larvæ live upon the tap-roots of the Carrot, and by eating into them cause them to rot. In colour the body of the fly is an intensely dark greenish black, with a rusty ochreous head. The presence of the larvæ in the root is made known by the change in the colour of the leaves from green to yellow, and the attacked plants should be promptly forked out entire and burned. [Illustration: Carrot Fly] CARROT FLY _Psila Rosæ_ (with maggot and chrysalis) It is well to dig the ground in autumn, so that the earth may be exposed to the frosts of winter and the pupæ to the attention of birds. After sowing, spray the Carrot bed with paraffin emulsion. Spray again after germination, and a third time when thinning is finished. The emulsion to be made by dissolving half a pound of soft soap in a gallon of boiling water. While still boiling, pour the liquid into two gallons of paraffin and churn thoroughly until a buttery mass results. This will keep for a long time in tins. Before use, dilute with twenty times the quantity of water—soft water if possible. This is an excellent preventive. After the work of thinning, the fly may also be kept off the plants by scattering over them ashes, sand, or earth, impregnated with paraffin. Carbolic powder and soot are both disagreeable to the insect. It has been observed that when singling the disturbance of the soil is favourable to the operations of the Carrot Fly. A copious watering when the task is ended will firm the earth round the remaining roots, and prevent the fly from easily getting down to deposit eggs. Carrots and Parsnips are often attacked by the larva of a Carrot Moth (_Depressaria cicutella_), which spins webs for security while feeding, and sometimes works havoc among the foliage. A simple remedy is to shake the caterpillars from the leaves of the plants, when they can be destroyed by the use of lime. Celery Fly.—The apparent blisters in Celery leaves are spots deficient of leaf-green, which the larva of the Celery Fly has eaten. Dusting newly-planted Celery with lime or soot may do something to prevent the fly from laying its eggs, but the most certain preventive is to boil half a pound of coal tar in one gallon of water for twenty minutes, add fifty gallons of clear water, and syringe the plants about noon once or twice from the middle to the end of June. When once the grub has made a home, it should be crushed by pinching the leaf between the finger and thumb, or the injured portions of the leaves should be cut out and burned. In doing this it must always be remembered that the leaves are as much needed by the plant as the roots, and every leaf removed tends to diminish the vigour of the plant. Our illustration shows the Celery Fly (formerly known as _Tephritis onopordinis_, but now called _Acidia heraclei_) natural size and magnified. This fly is also destructive to the leaves of Parsnips, and is named _onopordinis_ from its habit of frequenting the Cotton Thistle (_Onopordon Acanthium_). The larva is white to very pale green, the fly is shining tawny. An Ichneumon Fly detects the larva of the Celery Fly in the Celery and Parsnip leaves, and lays its eggs in the body of the larva. These parasites, named _Alysia apii_, assist in reducing the numbers of the Celery Fly. [Illustration: Celery Fly] CELERY FLY AND LARVA _Tephritis onopordinis_ All Celery refuse should be destroyed by fire. Infested ground may, if suitable, be trenched, bringing the subsoil to the surface and burying the top soil containing the pupæ. Frequent rough digging and the exposure of fresh surfaces to be searched by birds will also do something to abate the number of this pest. But in bad cases it will be necessary to resort to gas-lime, which poisons the pupæ and eventually benefits the soil, although in the season immediately following its use crops may be less satisfactory than usual. Onion Fly.—Onions are frequently attacked by the larvæ of the Onion Fly, and in some instances the entire crop is destroyed. Our illustration shows the natural size of the fly and maggot, with