i 
+ 
This is a genus of slender-bodied 
HYBERNIA. 
_moths, which are frequently destructive, as larvæ, to the 
foliage of trees and shrubs. In all species, the female is 
almost wingless, while the male has wings from 1tin. to 
lyin. in spread. The males have the antennæ more or less 
pectinated. In colour they are all some shade of brown, 
often verging to reddish, with darker bars crossing the 
front wings. Their larve belong to the group of Loopers ; 
they are slender, and are always inconspicnous (shades - 
of green or brown) in colour. The moths emerge between 
October and March, and the females crawl on to the 
food-plants to lay their eggs. H. leucophwaria (Spring 
sher) lives on Oak; H. rwpicapraria (Early) on Haw- 
thorn, Oak, &c.; H. aurantiaria (Scarce Umber) on Haw- 
Fig. 250. HYBERNIA DEFOLIARIA (MoTTLED UMBER MOTH)! 
showing Male, Female, and Larva. 
thorn ; H. defoliaria (Mottled Umber,see Fig. 250) on Oak, 
Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Hazel, and many other trees. The 
pups of all the species lie in the ground near the trees off 
which the larve have’ dropped: hence, an occasional dress- 
ing of gas-lime around the trunk, from October onwards, 
will be beneficial; but care is required, to avoid 
injuring the tree. To prevent the ascent of females 
to lay their eggs, various applications to the trunks of 
< the trees have been recommended, e.g., cart-grease and 
Stockholm tar, in equal parts; or a rope dipped in a 
mixture of tar and oil, and tied round the trunk. The 
larve may be cleared off by shaking the branches over 
cloths spread on the earth around the trees. Care must 
be taken to remove those hanging by threads, as well 
as those that have dropped on to the cloths. 
HYBRID. A cross between two species. 
HYBRIDISING. Most of the so-called Florists’ 
Flowers have been brought up to their present standard 
of excellence by careful and systematic Hybridisation. 
The mere operation is easy enough; it is simply neces- 
sary to convey the pollen, by means of a camel-hair 
brush, or otherwise, from the male parent, and place it 
on the stigmatic surface of the flower of the female, or 
seed-bearer. Of course, unless the latter is receptive, 
this proceeding would be ineffective. As a rule, when it 
1s fit to be acted upon by the pollen, the stigma becomes 
more or less glutinous; in some plants, this condition 
occurs before their own anthers are ready to discharge 
the pollen, and in others after the pollen has been shed, 
Vol. 12” 
* * 
AN ENCYCLOPADIA OF HORTICULTURE, 
161 
HMybridising —continued. 
Tn both these cases, the arrangement is evidently to pre- 
vent self-fertilisation. Not a few plants, however, de- 
velop stigma and anthers at the same time, and with 
them it is necessary to remove the anthers before they 
burst, and, at the same time, by means of fine gauze or 
otherwise, to prevent the visits of insects, which might 
convey pollen from another flower, and thus effect an 
undesirable cross. Continuously working with pollen of 
certain flowers not unfrequently conduces to sterility, 
and then a fresh strain must be used, possessing one 
or more of the qualities it is wished to perpetuate 
and improve. For instance, a flower of good form, but 
defective in colour, is, perhaps, crossed with another 
which is faulty in shape, but of a novel and desirable 
shade. A weakly-growing variety, of good babit, may be 
used with effect in combination with a stronger grower 
lacking the particular qualities present in the former. 
Sometimes, the florist’s ideal has been kept so constantly 
in sight, that the pollen of a particular strain becomes 
more or less abortive. More than one very successful 
raiser of Cyclamens and Gladioli habitually call in the 
aid of the microscope to determine the state of the pollen 
in highly-bred seedlings. If this is uneven—not plump, 
clean and regular—in size and outline, the plant is dis- 
carded as a male parent, and another chosen (with perfect 
pollen) which promises to attain the desired results in 
size, form, or colour of flower. y 
, Hybrids between two distinct genera are by no means 
common. A good example is Philageria (a cross between 
the beautiful climbing Lapageria rosea and the bushy 
Philesia buvifolia), which is intermediate in character 
between its two parents, thongh not nearly so desirable 
as either. Species of the same genus frequently refuse 
altogether to cross with each other, and some, again, 
will only cross one way. No definite rules can be laid 
down, and exceptions can only be learned by experience. 
The following remarks, anent double flowers, are taken 
from a lecture by the Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, de- 
livered before the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, 
some thirteen years ago. The gentleman in question is 
a well-known and very successful hybridiser. “In my 
experiments, I have discovered that, for the production 
of double flowers, it is important that the pollen used 
for impregnation should be borne on a petaloid anther— — 
that is, an anther bearing a small petal—and that this 
is still better if from a double flower. I also observed, 
that the larger and better developed this petaloid anther, — 
the better chance for a fine double offspring; for, as 
might have been expected. the anthers being connected — 
with the corolla, the number of petals would be increased — 
by such an operation. I found, also, that, for the most 
perfect and symmetrical flowers, it was better to select 
single flowers, which were the most perfect in their 
petals, for seed-bearers; and that single or semi-double 
sorts with perfect corollas, when impregnated with peta- 
loid pollen, will produce donble flowers of a regular 
symmetrical formation. Of this I have the most conclu- 
sive evidence in the Camellia Wilderi, and many other 
fine double varieties in my collection, which were pro- 
duced from the single red and single white Camellias, 
fertilised by pollen from a petaloid anther of double 
varieties.” : 
; 'UM (from Hydnon, the old Greek name used 
by Theophrastus for the Truffie). A genus of about 200 
species of hymenomycetous fungi, varying greatly in size 
and substance, but all distinguished by the fructifying 
surface (hymenium) consisting of prickles projecting from 
the cap (pileus). The species are found in all climates, 
but are most frequent in temperate regions. H. repandum 
(see Fig. 251) is not uncommon in Britain; it oceurs in 
woods, in scattered patches or large rings, and, if pro- 
perly cooked, affords an excellent article of food. The 
specimens, which must be perfectly fresh, after being 
