558 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[November i, 1883. 



be warm in the morning. The preparation of sotf food 

 is undoU'tuiUy troublusumc, ;iiid tliusc who have but little 

 time should feed entirely with Indian corn. A constant 

 supply of fresh, clean water is essential, and a moderate 

 quantity of green food, such as cauliflower, cabbage, lettuce, 

 broccoli leaves, aud tiu'uip tops should be thrown into 

 the yard daily, otherwise it will be difficult to keep the 

 occupants in a thoroughly healthy condition. — Fanitei'f 

 J^ield, ti/id Fireside. 



THE BOUGAINVILLEA. 



[This splendid flower ought to be more common in 

 Ceylon than is now the case. A couple of plants brought 

 by us from Howi-ah (received through Dr. King's kindness) 

 in April 187(3, have long been sights of glory at Abbotsford, 

 at 4,81 '0 feet elevatio]i. A recent e.Kperiment has shewn 

 that it will succeed iu Colombo. It surely ought, for 

 Batavia, with a similar climate, blazes with the beautiful 

 bracts. — Ed.] 



This magnificent climber is now common in many parts 

 of India, and as it can be obtained without any difficulty 

 from any public gardens, no garden, however small, shoidd 

 be considered complete without it. In some of our large 

 public gardens it has been so extensively planted that it 

 completely overshadows everything else, and after a casual 

 visit, one is apt to leave with the impression that it con- 

 taiUL'd little besides the Jjovyainxillca. I strongly advise 

 owners of small gardens to guard against this mistake. 

 A few plants judiciously disposed, will produce a much 

 better effect than when large numbei^s are employed. 



^i'here are several species and varieties, all natives of 

 tropical >South America. The most of them have been 

 introduced into this country, but only two of them are 

 as yet common. Bov.gainvillea glabra., a species with stiff 

 straight spines, and bright shining leaves is the one most fre- 

 quently met with, and as it is the only one that flowers 

 all the year round, it may be considered to be the best. 

 As is well known, the flowers of the Jiougainvillea are 

 small and inconspicuous, and their whole beauty lies in 

 the coloured leafy bracts surrounding the flowers. Those 

 ( f B. ijlubra are of a bright mauve, faintly tinted with 

 pink, and are i>roduced all the year roimd, but in greatest 

 profusion during the cold season. An inferior and almo.st 

 spineless %'ariety of B. ylaltra, with pale pink bracts is 

 sometimes met with. It is a handsome abject when covered 

 with its delicate looking bracts, but as it only produces 

 them during the months of February and March, it is 

 greatly infei'ior to the moi'e common variety which flowers 

 all the year round. Bouf/ainvillea speciahilis is the other 

 species frequently met with, and is easily distinguished 

 from B. glabra by its formidable hooked spines and rough 

 hairy shoots and leaves. Its bracts are somewhat larger 

 than those of B. glabra, and are of a purplish mauve. 

 They are only produced during the months of February 

 and March, and although of a more pleasing colour than 

 those of B. glabra, it is not to be compared with the 

 latter for general usefulness. Bougainvillea speciosa is one 

 of tho uncommon species we possess. Its bracts are of 

 even a deeper mauve than those of B. spectabilis, and 

 when more abundant aud better known, it will no doubt 

 prove a favourite variety. It flowers during the greater 

 part of tho cold season, and may bo placed next to B. 

 •lahra for general excellenco. A species named B. lateritia 



as been lately introduced. Its leaves are slightly hairy, 

 and the bracts of a bright brick red. It is a very dis- 

 tinct species and, as it flowers profusely from September 

 until the following April, it is well worthy of a place 

 in every garden. 



The BougainviUeas fortunately flourish in this country 

 with little care and attention. They will grow in almost 

 any soil, but attain greatest perfection in a light, rich 

 and open loam. They appear to greatest advantage when 

 planted beside a large open-branched tree, and allowed 

 to ramble over it at will. ^Mien this situation can be 

 given, it should always bo used in preference to any 

 other. It also looks very well trained up against a wall, 

 or when grown on a bushy shrub in the centre of a 

 grass plot or lawn. AVhen planted beside a tree tho pruning 

 knife is seldom or ever required, but when planted in 

 either of the two last-named situations, it may be used 

 with advantage. Circumstances often require them to be 



hi 



kept withii* due bounds, and as the use of the pruning 

 knife does not in the least iuterfere wif.h their flower- 

 ing propensities, no one need feel any scruple in removing 

 surperfluous wood. The Boi'gainviileas are propagated by 

 layers made in the rains or by cuttings made from ripened 

 wood in the cold season. Both methods answer very well 

 for B. glabra, but for all the other species I have mentioned, 

 layering is the only certain method of obtaining a stock 

 of young plants. I have raised all the other species by 

 cuttings, but never was able to get above fifteen per 

 cent of them to strike root. As far as I am aware the 

 Bougainvillea never ripens seed in this comitry. All the 

 flowers I ever exaniined seemed to be perfect, and I 

 cannot give any satisfactory reason for its nouproduction. 

 — W. G. — Indian Forester. 



THE PHYLLOXERA.* 



In a French entomological periodical cited by the 

 Vigne Ami-ricaine occm's a succinct statement by a very 

 eminent authority, M. Lichtenstein, as to the Phylloxera 

 in France, from which it may be of interest to extract 

 some portions. It is generally known that the disease is 

 occasioned by a small homopterous insect of American 

 origm, observed fri-st in 186B. The genus Phylloxera is 

 one of the best known, and the seven species of which 

 it consists have the most curious difference in their re- 

 spective hte histories. Adapting itself to altered circum- 

 stances of climate and food the Vine louse. Phylloxera 

 vastatrLx, which in America feeds on the native Vines, 

 such as r. Lahrusca, )'. iestivalis, J', riparia,^ aud other 

 species, has here completely altered its habits of hfe. 

 Instead of rmming its career in the space of a year, partly 

 in the galls of the leaves, ijartly below ground on the 

 roots, terminating the cycle in the form of an egg, in 

 which state it remains during the winter, the Phylloxera 

 iu Europe remains attached to the roots for a long series 

 of years, perhaps indefiuitely, thiis brmging about, if un- 

 checked, the complete destruction of the Vines. 



The very fact that the Vine louse is American, that 

 it lives in America on the Vine, and yet that the Vine 

 in that country is not destroyed, led observers to say — 

 If there are Vines in America, it must be because the 

 Phylloxera does not kill them as it does the European 

 Vines. Nevertheless, in spite of this obvious fact, learned 

 men proscribed the American Vines, and dnectod against 

 our microscopic enemy all the batteries of chemistry. The 

 entomologists for the most part merely shrugged their 

 shoulders, at this senseless struggle of man against the 

 insect. If the destruction of hui-tful insects— even much 

 larger and more easily attacked than the Vine louse — 

 were possible, there would have been no snch things for 

 years past as ffies, gnats, fleas, &c. j\J1 that can be done 

 in the way of war against such enemies must be on a 

 small scale and within limited areas. We may close our 

 doors and windows, fumigate our houses, sprinkle insect 

 powder over our clothes, and use other insecticides ; when 

 the enemy attacks om' crops we may substitute one crop 

 for another; when the Wheat is destroyed by midges, 

 &c., we may substitute forage crops, which the Wheat 

 insects will not attack and vice rersd. The trees of foreign 

 origin in our gardens and promenades, as, for instance, 

 the Plane, do not suiter in the same way as the Poplars, 

 the Ehns, or the Ash, which, being native trees, are at- 

 tacked by native insects. This, however, is a statement 

 that must be acceptCLl with a considerable amount of re- 

 serve, for it is but too tru<: that the introduction of new 

 plani-s sirems to whet the curiosity and stunulate the 

 appetite of some of our garden pests. Slugs, of course, 

 come to mind first ami foremost, but M. Lichtenstein is 

 specially speaking of insects. He mentions, however, the 

 Ailantus and tho Horse Chestnut, both foreigners, and 

 which, accoriling to his theory, should be free, comparat- 

 ively at least, from insect visitations. 'We fear, however, 



* The Phylloxera was first observed in this country by 

 Profe.ssor AVostwood in 1863, but was not described by 

 him till 18(19, when it was figured at p. 109 of our volume 

 for that year, and again at p. (587. The leaf-galls were 

 figured at p. 185, vol. viii, 1877. Incidental notices as to 

 apiicarance and treatment have repeatedly been given in 

 our columns and in those of our contemporaries. — Ed. G. C. 



