Weekly Mail

BY MR. J. MUIR, Jlargam Abbey, Gianiorganshirtp. AXbVVKRS iu CORRKSPUMtENiS. Name of riant, Sc.—"Halt."—Your plant Li the trades cantiii, or epider won. The best. time tn tiw.splant a clematis is in November, or during the wlr.ter. Uct as much soil us pO<t'ihle to the root. mid water it well uftenvards. You should aLso nail it carefully up as soon as it is moved. I>cnias for Grave.J. Johnson.—As vou desire to plant a paeouia on a grave, I think u. white flowering sort would be most appropriate, and I advise vou to pknt the variety tviiled alhiflonv wliitievi. It is\ lier- twceoiis sort, and will only require to be planted once, wlen it w-ill take care of itsflf. Any nureernnan wul bupply it. Insect Pests.—"B. G.You should mix paraffin oil alitil water, at the rate of two wineglass-fulls of the icmic-r to a gallri of the latter, and damp all the parts where the little suits and ,inf«o.t« are'with the You must stir it well in putting it in, and it will scon destroy them. This ie t.he best remedy I can suge^st. Insects on Plants end Animals.—Mr. J. Jones chemist, Penrhiw, Hryngwran Valley, Anjdesev, Euro- pean ag-ent for "Kymeiii e" pciroieuni jelly,' writiva thlt Hieing; many reader complain of pests and :n- ^ects injuring their plants and pets, a certain cure will be found in the "Kymeline." One application only is needed, and it is quite harmless to all but the pests. When to Plant Ivy.I). M.The best lime to plant all ti-ees and bushes is November, and frllm then till March. Ivy may be very successfully traua- plartetl an wintpr. The. Virginian creeper is not easily rooted from cuttings. You can tiy some now in a light, sandy io-il and more in the spring. If you can pit them under a h?.iidlight cr a little protection it will help them. Old Virg-in Cork in Cona?)-vatorv.—"A Constant Kf ader."—I dare spy besides being "dirty the cork j* olso jyirfeOly decayed, end the only remedy is to lfrew it. If any of it ? tound you might get, -ollle thin bark, a.nd nail it on over the old surface, or, probably, if you were introducing a few new pieN16 here and thm-e to tupport the old, you could a.lhw t'lli latter to remain as it is, especially if vou can in- duce some trailing plants to grow to hide it. Ivy Fpil'ng.—1"Hea-ton."—As it is growing in a box, and has 1 een there for four or the vea.rs, I think the cause of its weak growth this reason is that the soil is becoming exliansted. You should not dirfuib it at the root this season now, but in March next transfer :.t to ai larger box. Drain the bottom of it well, and give it a coarse, gritty soil in which there is rome manure. Crushed bonfs are a good manure for ivv. It giows freely in many eases without any manurp, but that is where it is less artificially treated than in your case. Young Parrot—"J. A. C."—You would, I think, have more f-ucness with an older bird, and one tliat had been some time in this country. Those sold by sailors, and sold soon aftipr being imported, are oftei, difficult to manage ill the hanflr, of those not eXlJe- rieneed in pcrrots. Their guaranteeing them to talk in a certain time, or, indeed, at all, is also often mis- leading. How can it be otherwise? And some of tt em are never able to speak. They certainly require wider to drirk, or, belter still, milk, and biscuit and milk is a very good food for tlieui. Indian coniM too fattening an I lvabng, and should only be used to a verv limited extent. A Small Dairy Farm.—"C. C. H."—Your eapitaJ is euflic:fnt to take a .nidi farm, but you would require one larger than "w^ukl keep only four or five oows. You cuglit to keep double thnt number. I do not. know of any <lairy company who take; in new milk, sepa- rate* the. orean ftnd ret-imii the milk to the cow owner. I do not think tics would answer. When cream is separated from milk it ought to be put through the pwea immediately it is milked, or he- fore the cream set?, and it would not suit to take it a long diftane/3 to xej>anite. I do not know of any farm vacant at present that would suit yoti, but were you to advertise in this paper you would be pure eoon to hear of one, and I think you cannot do better than invest your money in this way. Parrot Infested with Insect.—"J. S. M."—The very h"t wr at her we had in the forepart of the summer tjeneiated insects (n inviv hinfc, t'nd where thev were not checked then they will have increased since. Where birds are so much infested as vou re is. insect powder will often full to dmy them, but I have known ihem to be thoroughly 'cleaned by washing ttj.m with a lotion of carbolic acifl-niie part carbolic to fifty of w: t.'r 's the quantity to use. You should try this, hut wash it off Cgiin with warm water and eixip in half an ihour aftervvy.r'ds. The bird will enjoy both h-nths, especially if the water in hoth cases it warm. At the .some time vou must also wash the cage with the carbolic mixture, and you can use it stronger than on the bird. lie sure, you brush it well into the ivevicrs. Fowls T)ying.—"A. T.Your run is evidently all right, if it is not too damp, but it, can hardly be this, a* you grow so many crops in the rtelik, and land that nill grew potatoes or fruit trees ought to be healthy for fowls. There arc ot,hc.r two reasons that mav cause, it. or-p is that YO" inay he giving too much Indian corn and Indian meal; both are very fattening, ewd apt to produc°. internal disease. You should dis- continue if altogether. I have also known fowls die in H13 same way when they drank the manure and dirty water in the farm yard or about the cowsheds and other stock places. Do yours do so? I think v«»ry likely they do, and they will never be free from disease until you prevent it vrliooly. Wheat, crushed and whole, end pome of Spratt's poultry food, together with purs water a, comfortable rcosting place, will ensure gooil health and exemption from disease as b nile. Clover Field Failii W. H. Mabtett-. — Whnn you bid down vmir cloveir field you must. I think, have made the mistake of not sowing it with permanent, pasture gross seed. It. must liave been seed for what is tamed t,wo years' lay. This gives gnod gi-aes or Ilistiirp awl lwy for two years only, when the field should again be cuiyvnted and sown again. I feel euro you will have to do this before you can make a ge cd grcss field cf it, and next time be sure you get rnmrr.ent 'pasture sc-ls to sow. I know Messrs. tYheelcr, of your country tcowl1, would supply tlK-se in ft, trustworthy form 10 you. Basic slag manure, which you could also get from the same firm, will improve all grass land if applied in Xovember, at the rat^ of 5cwt. per acre, but it l1'm not cause t'rp.«s to grow on bare placs where the roots have died out, as in vorr case. When you take, up the graes cr plcugh it over, as you will he obliged to do before rou can C'i}(,d grass, Q dressing of lime will 02 very beneficial, if worked into the soil, as it will sweeten the ground, and destroy moss, tc. t-hanks for your great appreciation of these notes. Removing Fruit Bushes, &c.—T). Rogers.—The lv=Kt tln-e to tr.\nsplant -aapherrlM, currants, gooseberries, &c., is affer the middle of October and on till March. November is a very good month for sueli work. You may have to cut some of the rods in lifting them, but it is be'ter to do this than break them. You should lift each plant, with a quantity of soil attached to the rrnta. or with a little ball of it round the bottom of t.}:,o stem. If the plants are o'd you may not 1c able to get much soil to the roots, but you pliould be or caref il of t).em as you can. Any long projecting root inay he cut in. I supjjoge the young iioplar trees you write of Are the suckers that have bom sent up fpm the old 41rre roots. T'nese ,11 make plants if you lift and transplant t.hem in November. You should trv (1,1](1 get a. little soil to tlieir roo. and do not break, but. cut, any important root that requires severing. You should allow your voung ger.miuiM to remain in the. box all winter. You mav winter them very we'l in the. room upstairs, hut keep ihem as much' in the light as you ran. Exclude front, and do not. let them become very demp, as this would rot them. Storing Apples and Pears. September is the month in which the greater part of this will be done: Generally the crops are very good this year, and will re- quire a, good deal of storing. Tile proper time to gather both apples and pears is just ■when tk.v fire sufficiently ripe to drop (if the trees with a gentle pressure. If Withered quite green they will shrink in ripening. Care must be taken that in' no case the fruit ha bruised, as this will result in decay. Choice sorts shonui be handbd individually, as if they were eggs. The early kinds for immediate use m;ty be put away in a rough t it,p- if time and space will not admit of tvttor attention; but the lat2r sorts, whidh will be maturing \vhen apples are. more valu- able than thev are in the autumn, should be •well looked after. Th-ey should be stored in a drv room where the temperature will not fluctuate very mrrcSi. and they should not be laid out more than two deep on the shelves or flooj. Shelves a little distance up from the flo-Jr are the best for them. These may be fortmed of close; boards or narrow strips of w(}od a little di^fc-aice from each other. The letter are the bast, as they allow the air t,) cr/rculat^ amongst the fruit, which is an advantage in rHmp weather. Whe<n first stofed they should be looked over frequently to remove all decayed, fruit; but after a few w<3eks the sound ones only wall remain, and fey will not require much attention. Plenty (J air mav be given theIr. for a week or two rAt. first, but after that they may h" kept clcvss. Where 0torape moon i!'1 deficient, tv quantity of tfhe S'ound fruit may be put in WL,-kq and closed iUp like the American apple* Late Melons. Tita mekm ■ • wn-kmng fnut. Ik k. therefore, quite unsuitable for winter culture, and in the autumn, when the days are shorten- ing and the sun declining in brightness, late melons also decline in flavour and general condition. A well-flavoured melon is a, very acceptable fruit, but one that is deficient in flavour is Vill; indeed, the worst flavoured of all fruits; and fruit that ripens after Sep- tt'iirbei^can never be regarded as very satis- factory, f.cpeciaHy if they are grown in a frame or any place where plenty fit fire he-at and a high temperature cannot be applied to thin. No melons should be grown in frames a<fter September, and those which are still to ripen in position yet should ba fully exposed to the sun, and submitted to as much dry air a.s possible. The foliage should be kept clean and healthy until the fruit is ripe, but no more u ater than will just keep the plants fresh should be given at the root, as when the roots are saturated at the time the fruit is ripening the flavour will be deficient in consequence of this alone. if for no other reason. Where the fruit is full grown, but not ripe and only beginning to mature, it is often best to cut it otf t'he plant and let it ripen in a dry room or any pla.ce where the temperature is about 70deg. Such fruit will often be better flavoured in October than that which is allowed to remain on the plant until ripe. Melons which are still swelling, and will not be ready for some weeks, need hardly 1)8 kept on if they are meant for dessert, as they will never be worth eating, and will only be fit to make a little display as dlessert. Where their quarters are well heated;, they may be ripened considerably by keeping the fire on and #diriittft.g plenty of ventilation. Farm Crops in Scotland. A rawler otf these notes in Midlotliien— one of tills most genial and fertile counties in Scotland—takes 100 points as the maxi- mum of condition in his crops, and the fol- lowing figures show the yield this season:- Wheat, 90; barley, 90; oats, 90, potatoes, 100. Roots: Turnips, &c., 95; grass, 80. The aibove is certainly more satisfactory than can be shown in the South this season, as few of the crops, excepting grass, would reach 90, and the majority, I think, would not exceed 75. Lawns in Autumn. Lawns have been peculiar this season, and not generally satisfactory. In the forepa.rt of the summer they were scorched up, until there was hardly any green on them; then they grew rapidly and could hardly be kept closely cut or smooth. This, I doubt not, is the Condition of many at present, and some may thin., it dioes not matter now, as the season is nearly over, but the season for a good ktwn is never at an end, and there is no reason why they should not be as trim and plea,sing in winter as they are in summer. They wiH not be thus, however, if they are neglected at present, and they should be as often and closely cut now as in summer, and this should be continued till the grass ceases to grow. Poor lawns are always much im- proved by frequent mowing, and it is an advantage to have them short in winter, as when the tree leaves are falling they can be much easier cleaned from a close surface than a rough one. Tlwjy are also much better for walking on, especially when it is wet, and I feel sure a little extra attention now will be fully compensated for during the winter. Lawn mowers also act as rollers, and are good in this way; but where the grass is cut with a scythe tlie roller should be run over tine; surface weekly. Earthing Up Celery. Celery is a favourite vegetable crop, as it can be used both raw and cooked. It is not a summer vegetable, and is little used' till the autumn, and most in winter. It is, therefore, deicable to have it as hardy as possible to bear the cold weather, and it is best not earthed up too fully very early. If allowed to remain exposed it be comes hardened, and when earthed up does not readily sufter. In October is quite eflrly enough to earth up the main crop, or that which is desired for winter use. The small side-leaves should be removed before earthing. The soil on each side of the trench should be made fine with a spads, and it should thien be drown round the plants with the band's. In dining this care should 00 taken that none of it falls into the middle .of the plants, as, if it does it will spoil it. To avoid this it is a good plan to tie each plant closely together before earthing, a.nd cut the tie afterwards. Tlie sosl should never be raised1 higher than t]!18 short leaves in the centre of the plants. It should be made very firm, and the sides of the ridge should be nmde quite smooth and firm, so that it may allow the rain to run down the. sides and not into the plants. Plymouth Rock Fowls as Layers. Mr. W. G. French. 38, Afghan-mad- Clap- ham Junction, London, writes:—"I have two young Plymouth Rock hens of 1894 which commenced to lay on January 21 this year, and from that date till the 6th of September they have laid 244 eggs. I have bad eggs every month from them, the greatest number being 46 in Junlf. Several of my friend's who keep fowls have not had anything like my success from any two of their liens. I have a book on poultry, which states that the average laying of the Plymouth Rock is ten dozen in the year. I have just exceeded that number in seven months and a half. Mr. Carr, of Liverpool, stated in your notes some time ago that he) had some light breeds of fowls which would lay 150 eggs in the year. I should think mine will reach that number by the end of the year, and I have not the best of places to keep them in, as I have only a small back-yard, which I let them run in each dlay c when fine. This run is 14ft. long and 3ft. widte, 'without the roosting house. I give them every attention a.s regards feeding and cleanliness. I shall be pleased to know if you think the alxive a good result?" Yes, I do --very good, indeed and you have done very wisely in not trying to crowd too many fowls into your small run. Many would attempt to keep eight, ten, or a do/en in such a run, but the results would be much less satisfactory in proportion to the number of fowls kept. Shading on Glass Houses. When plants are growing, and green and tender in the foliage, it is very necessary to shade them from the sun if they are kept in glass-houses, a-R, if fully exposed, they will soon be burned or discoloured. Ferns espe- cially. are very lia-ble to this, and all plants suffer frorn it in very hot weather. Flowers, too, dislike a. scorching sun, as it takes the colour out of them and causes them to decay sooner than when they aae not fully exposed. But too much brightness only occurs in the summer time. and from October till April all yilants and flowers under glass should be fully exposed to the sun. Every particle of shad- ing should be removed from the glass, and none put on again, even if some of the days in Octoher should be very bright, as this will benefit the plants in maturing the growth n a..id preparing them to pass through the short days in good condition. Winter Spinach. This is one of the choicest of all vegetables that exist in the open air in the winter time, and affords an agreeaoble change to the very few green crops available in winter. I knw,f' it will not remain robust throughout a severe frost, but that may not occur till well into winter, and ordinary winter weather will not hinder it from being useful. If the leaves are injured and shrink, the roots are not easily killed: and. if the bulk of the 1 irge leaves are gathered or disappear, the new ones will spring up again in. March or April, and prove a very acceptable crop at that time. Spinach seied germinates freely, a.nd, as it is often sown very thick, the plants are. as a role, grown vert close together. This is not a guoa: position for them at the beginning of Km winter or now, aa it mahee then tender and more easily injured by frost; and one of the main points in its cultivation for winter is to thin the plants out to six inches apart in September or early in October, and let. in the sun and air freely about them. Bedding for Stock in Winter. Redding for stock (writes "Yorkshireman'') is likely to be scarce this winter. The straw is thin and short, and will all be needed for feeding to make up for the deficiency in the root crops. It will, therefore, be necessary for those who need bedding to try and secure something else, and this ought to be done before the season goes further. There are very few farms on which there is not land that produces rushes, bracken, or some rough manual that would be well suited for bedding if dried, and I advise all who have access to such to cut it at once, dry it. like hay, and then store it in a rick or sheds. Bracken is stored largely in some places, and a mixture of this and rushes will make very good bedding, or each kind can be kept separate and' used by itself. But in many cases storing such bedding is never thought of till it has withered too much to cut or store it in condition, as when bracken, especially, matures it falls to pieces, and only the stems remain, and they are too hard for bedding. Neither this or the rushes make such good manure as the straw bedding, but both will keep the stock clean and dry in winter, and this in itself is a great advantage. I have just completed storing a large rick of this e'ass of bedding. Messrs. Daniel Bros., the well-known bulb merchants, Norwich, ,opnd us their exedhnt iH¡:tra:te.J catalogue of flower roots for the autumn.