MISCELLANEOUS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1812, 13 August 1886, Page 8

MISCELLANEOUS.

Not only is a double scarlet phlox drummondii announced by garden journals, but also a double scarlet verbena.

Ths garden should be cut down to the smalbst space consistent with family needs, and ihen take good care of it. Thorough cultureenables us to raise more and better vegetables on a small lot than could be had from douMe the surface neglected. So of seeds. One, or at most two, unexceptionable varieties is better than an entire catalogue of names.

Professor Hoffman (in Botanische Zeitung) sajs that the proportion of male plants to female phnts in the case of dixcious plants, such as wilbws, hops, &c, depends on the closeness with which the seeds are sown. When the seeds are sown very closely together, the proportion of male io female plants is 283 males to 700 females; while, when the seeds are sown at wider distance! apart, there is only 76 males. Abcut a dozen years ago the rape butterfly and aiparagus beetle appeared at Long Island, New Tork, where they might have been hedged and <Bstroyed if taken in time. In one short year ihey destroyed 500,000d0l worth of cabbage and asparagus for the gardeners of New York.

Arbriculture is one of those rare occupations to wKch only praise can be given. If a man who ilants a garden benefits the world, how muchinore so does the man who plants trees? The fowers will last comparatively but a little time-very often one season sees them out — to be rejlaced by some fresh caprice the following year. But trees grow only more and more beautful as the years roll by, improving the landsape, and scattering seeds abroad to continuebhe good work so well begun. Saturday Reviev.

A bautiful new tulip has been sent to us (Garon) by Messrs Van Eeden, of Haarlem, who onsider it very distinct from others. The flowes are pure white, except on the outside of the p&als, which are washed with a slatey purple, wry faiut, but just sufficient to give tho

flowers a delicate tone of colour. It is one of the prettiest early border tulips we have seen, and we think it worth a name. Being flushed with a dove tint, an appropriate name would perhaps be The Dove. Very frequently Camellias are allowed to make a thin or straggling growth, whereas by judicious and timely pruning they might be made compact and well furnished plants. When old plants have thin heads, cultivators will generally find it a good plan to cut them back freely, in order to stimulate a new and stronger growth. As a matter of course, when this plan is adopted the next season's flowers must be sacrificed, but the grower will obtain his reward in the following year. The editor of the Suisun Republican has been visiting the Chadbourne ranch. He says; — "While there our attention was called to an original method of fastening up broken-down trees. During the windy weather the apricot trees especially are likely to split down when they branch out near the ground. Mr Chadbourne puts a bolt through these limbs and draws them both up together and they heal over and grow np as strong as they ever weie." . Many fruits, it appears, acquire most of their growth by night. The fruit of the cherry laurel, for instance, has been found, by Dr Krauss, of Halle, to increase at the rate of 90 per cent, at night and only 10 "per cent, by day, while apples increase 80 per cent, at night and 20 per cent, in the daytime. Fruit rooms at this time of the year as a rule do not contain much, but if a few late apples and pears have been kept back they must receive due attention. ' Air should be supplied freely in dry weather, and the temperatnre must be kept as regular as possible. Any fruit showing signs of decay should be promptly removed, as an affected specimen will soon spoil sound ones that are in contact with it.