dations. When they thus appear, an effectual remedy is found in fumigating with tobacco, or other strong smoke, or an application of tobacco water. Either will speedily destroy all that are touched by it. But I have found that this insect can be best destroyed and prevented from attacking during summer, by washing the trees occasionally during winter with the soap-suds from the wash-house, applying it by means of the garden engine or the syringe ;-the glutinous and greasy matter of the soap-suds preventing their movements: for, in addition to the difficulty of moving upon such glutinous matter, it has a tendency to secure them in the places where they are deposited. If, however they do creep forth, the alkaline of the suds is generally fatal to them. When a remedy and preventative is employed in the winter season of the year, it not only prevents injury to the shoots, but the time can be much more conveniently devoted to the purpose of destruction or prevention in winter than in summer. I can assure the readers of the CABINET that the washing as suggested is most effectual. This washing is equally applicable to the Caterpillar and Red Spider; in fact, my fruit trees, before attending to this washing, were always pestered in spring and summer: it was contending with a constant foe, and the trees and fruit suffering severely. But now my wall trees, vines, and stove plants, are vigorous and healthy, and no trouble or injury is sustained in summer. I have not had my trees at all attacked with mildew since I washed them; but the branches and shoots are of a fine bright and healthy colour. I am fully satisfied that considerable expense, trouble, and anxiety would be saved, if a judicious and frequent application of soap-suds was used.

ARTICLE VII.

CULTURE OF THE DOUBLE POMEGRANATE.

BY A DEVONIAN.

OBSERVING a query in a former number of the CABINET, on the blooming of the Double Pomegranate, I beg to forward this extract from Evelyn's Silva, which may probably be useful to the enquirer. "There are of this glorious shrub three sorts, easily enough educated under any warm shelter, even to the raising hedges of them;

nor indeed affects it so much heat, as plentiful watering. They supported a very severe winter in my garden, 1663, without any trouble or artifice; and if they present us their blushing double flowers for the pains of recission and well pruning, (for they must be diligently pruned of superfluous wood,) it is recompense enough. It is a Perdifolia in winter, and growing abroad, requires no extraordinary rich earth, but that the mould be loosened and eased about the root, and hearty compost applied in spring and autumn; thus cultivated, it will rise to a pretty tree. 'Tis best increased by layers, approach and inarching (as they term it), and is said to marry with laurels, the damson, ash, almond, mulberry, citron; too many I fear to hold. But after all they do best being eased, the mould well mixed with rotten hogs-dung, its peculiar delight, and kept to a single stem, and treated like other plants in the winter shelter." There seems, however, to be some contradiction in the quaint writer's statement, and most assuredly the plants do not require "the winter-shelter," (at least in the South of England,) to induce them to flower abundantly, but I know from experience, that they are capricious bloomers, and very often the whole strength of the plant is apparently engaged in the formation of countless branches and foliage. I have a double red pomegranate many feet high, trained against the front of my house, which for years never produced a single blossom; to induce it to flower, I removed all the soil around it, and filled the pit with a rich compost, but this plan was not successful, as for two seasons a solitary blossom only was produced. I was then recommended by a nurseryman to have some of the principal roots cut through, to check the luxuriant growth of the plant, which, early in the ensuing spring, was done; this plan succeeded perfectly, and towards the end of the summer, numerous blushing double flowers were produced—and the tree has ever since bloomed annually. I do not, however, recommend this plan; those plants are probably too young to blossom, whereas mine is upwards of thirty years old; notwithstanding, comparatively small pomegranate trees often flower abundantly, and I have seen one not above five or six feet in height, which had fifty blossoms open at one time, the soil in which it was growing was a heavy loam, almost clay, which kind of earth suits the pomegranate better than any other. I agree with Evelyn in considering this a "glorious shrub," and its brilliant flowers are assuredly a sufficient

recompence for any trouble we may take with it. Does your correspondent know the yellow variety? it is worth having, as its blossoms are similar in size and shape to the red, but of a delicate sulphur colour; there is also a white variety, but I am not acquainted with it. I hope my hints may be useful, though, being only an amateur, I cannot give that information which a scientific gardener is capable of imparting.

ARTICLE VIII.

ON THE MANAGEMENT OF THE DOUBLE FLOWERED POMEGRANATE, PUNICA GRANATUM MULTIPLEX.

BY MR. WILLIAM HILL, OF ROCHDALE.

THE Pomegranate is an old inhabitant of our gardens, but it seems to have been known to the Africans for many ages before it came into our possession; it is mentioned in holy writ, as being in the possession of the Egyptians more than 3000 years ago; it is a native of the South of Europe and North of Africa. Dr. Sibthorpe informs us that it is found plentiful in Greece, both in a wild and cultivated state; it was introduced into this country about the year 1548. The double flowering kind is much more esteemed than the other in this country, for the sake of its large fine double flowers, which are of a most beautiful scarlet colour; and if the trees are well managed, and supplied with due nourishment, they will continue to produce flowers for four or five months successively, which renders it one of the most valuable flowering trees; this sort may be rendered more productive of flowers, by grafting it upon stocks of the single kind, which check the luxuriancy of the trees, and cause them to produce flowers upon almost every shoot. There have been various ways recommended to manage the pomegranate, so as to make it flower freely, and forty years experience has taught me what I conceive to be the most successful method. I do all my pruning in the summer season, training the branches at a regular distance, of about four inches apart, in the same way as I train a plum tree; towards the latter end of June I look over the trees, and remove all the shoots that are running to wood, at which time they are young and tender, and are easily removed without the assistance of a knife. Care must be taken

to leave all blossom shoots and spurs, these are easily distinguished from wood shoots; this I do about three times during summer, and by this treatment the tree continues to flower four or five months, making a very grand appearance, and repaying by its beauty for every care a gardener can bestow.

P. S. The knife should never be used about these trees in winter, except to remove decayed branches, &c. They are easily propagated by layers or cuttings. To accomplish the first: in March, select some of the young branches for the purpose, give a little slit at a bud underneath, they will easily strike root without slitting, and I consider that method to be the safest; lay them in the usual way, water them occasionally during the summer, and by the following autumn they will be well rooted so that they may be taken off and removed to any warm situation, to gain strength, before they are planted where they are to remain.

Cuttings. If cuttings are required in June, take some young tops of branches, select a warm place in the garden, place them under a hand-glass, shade them in hot weather, and by autumn they will have taken root.

ARTICLE IX.

ON THE CULTURE OF THE CALCEOLAREA.

BY A SUCCESSFUL EXHIBITOR AT THE LONDON SHOWS.

THE perfection in culture to which the Calceolarea is now brought, as is seen especially by the specimens exhibited at the floral shows around London, is truly astonishing; so great is the change effected, that the same kinds, as formerly grown, can scarcely be recognized under the improved mode of treatment. Being a successful exhibitor on many occasions at the shows referred to, I send particulars of the mode of treatment.

Young plants from the herbaceous and half shrubby kinds are readily increased by slips in October and November, the cool and damp of being then housed induces the off-shoots that are undermost to emit a quantity of small rootlets. Young, well-ripened shoots of the true shrubby kinds may be struck in summer, in sandy loam and peat, but with the greatest success when plants are kept in a cool and moist situation, in October and November, then rootlets are

produced; such shoots being then taken off, and potted separately, establish themselves well before the severity of winter; they should be potted into small pots, in a light sandy loam and vegetable mould equal parts. Immediately on potting, they must be placed in a close frame for about a month; this closeness very materially contributes to an immediate growth, for, when exposed to a stronger current of air, it has a tendency to dry the foliage and injure the plant. Whilst in the frame, keep the soil moist, but be careful not to wet the foliage, as it would be likely to rot the plants. At the end of November, the plants should be placed on a shelf near the glass in a greenhouse to remain during the winter. In this situation they will grow freely, and if the pots become filled with roots, they should be re-potted into larger this encourages them to grow in size, without which weak blooming shoots would in all probability push, to the injury of a proper bloom the following season.

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At the beginning of March the plants must be re-potted into twenty-four sized pots, using wide-mouthed pots, as such keep the earth in a much better state than upright ones. Have a sandy loam enriched with well rotted cow-dung: the latter is found very bene. ficial; being of a cooler nature than horse-dung, it is more suited to the Calceolarea. At the beginning of April, re-pot into twelve-sized pots, using the same kind of compost. At each potting a free portion of drainage should be given, to admit the water to run off easily upon the potsherds, lumps of loam, bog, and dung of two or three inches in diameter; this admits a greater proportion of water being applied, and affords a corresponding quantity of nutriment. Fresh water and liquid manure should be regularly used from the potting into twenty-fours, using the liquid manure every third watering. The plants should be kept in the front part of a greenhouse during the time from autumn to the close of their blooming, which is usually the end of July. In hot sun a net shading or canvas shade iз requisite over the glass. At that time, the stems being withered, I re-pot those desired for extra-sized plants the following year, by reducing the balls of earth and potting them into pots about half the size they had been growing in. After potting they should be placed in a cool frame, and shaded from hot sun for a month. Then expose them to the open air, placing them in the shade from mid-day sun till about the middle of October, when they should be removed into