March U, 1872. ) 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



233 



foliage above and below daily in order to prevent the attacks 

 of red spider and thrips, to which it is very liable. That it docs 

 not admit of coddUug I found out years ago, but was afraid to 

 plant it out until advised to do so by a friend. Its beauties 



oi'e seldom developed by pot-culture, and though I have seen 

 a few good plants grown in that way, they were not to be com- 

 pared with those planted out. The temperature in which the 

 plant is growing is that of a warm greenhouse. — Tho3i.ibEecokd. 





GYNEKIUM ARGENTEUJM. 

 The genus Gynerium comprises some five or six species, all I possessor of a good specimen is enabled to enjoy the sight of 

 remarkable for their large and showy feather-like panicles of its splendid culms, which rise to the height of from 6 to 12 feet, 

 bloom. It belongs to the tribe Aruudineiv, and the species | or even more, before the frost and ram combine to destroy their 



effect, wliich is too 

 frerjuently the case 

 when they bloom 

 very late, especially 

 "^^.j-- • .'^ ,' ®6^-^ in the vicinity of 



towns, where smoke 

 and Boot enter the 

 lists with frost and 

 rain to mar their 

 beauty. 



It is unnecessary 

 to extend these re- 

 marks to any great 

 length, as the plant 

 is so well known ; but 

 I have frequently 

 seen the plant grow- 

 ing upon poor soils, 

 where it presents a 

 starved and by no 

 means a prepossess- 

 ing appeai'ance. I 

 would, therefore, im- 

 press upon those who 

 are about to plant the 

 Pampas Grass, the 

 fact that a prepara- 

 tion for this subject 

 composed of good 

 rich loam and well- 

 decomposed manui e , 

 with some rotten 

 leaves added, wUl be 

 of the greatest ser- 

 vice, and materially 

 add to the beauties 

 of the plant by in- 

 creasing its strength. 

 In planting, it will be 

 much to the advan- 

 tage of the plant if 

 it be placed in such 

 spots as are shel- 

 tered in some degree 

 from violent currents 

 of wind, and also to 

 select the two sexes 

 if possible, for the 

 Gynerium is a diceci- 

 ous plant — that is, 

 the male and female 

 flowers are produced 

 »■ ' on separate plants; 



in the first the culms 

 Gj-ucriiuu mgouteum. j^^.g erect and pure 



white, in the second 



which our illustra- 

 tion faithfully por- 

 trays is popularly 

 known as the Pam- 

 pas Grass on account 

 of its being a native 

 of the pampas, or 

 plains of South Ame- 

 rica. 



Gynerium argen- 

 teum was first intro- 

 duced into this coun- 

 try about 184.3, since 

 winch time it has 

 bteadUy increased in 

 popularity, and is 

 now extensively cul- 

 tivated ; indeed, no 

 person can see this 

 majestic Grass for 

 the first time with- 

 out immediately be- 

 coming enamoured 

 of its beauties. This 

 plant has proved 

 itself sufficiently 

 hardy to withstand 

 our ordinary winters 

 without protection, 

 yet during excepti- 

 onally severe frosts, 

 and especially on wet 

 low-lying soil, I have 

 seen it completely 

 kiUed. My advice, 

 therefore, is, to in- 

 sure a recurrence of 

 the beauties of the 

 Pampas Grass, al- 

 ways give it some 

 sUght protection, 

 such as straw or any 

 similar material, and 

 where practicable co- 

 ver the ground round 

 the roots with some 

 short litter. The ad- 

 vantage to be derived 

 from this is twofold 

 — in the first place it 

 insm'es the life of the 

 plant; and secondly, 

 the very fact of as- 

 sisting the plant dm'- 

 iug winter enables it 

 to start into growth 



in spring without any serious injuries to restore, and with I more spreading and tinged with purple— so that a diversity 

 its vigour unimpaired, the result being that the panicles of of appearance may be produced in this way. — Expeeto 

 bloom appear much earlier than usual. Thus the fortunate | Ckede. 



SOME PREDATORY INSECTS 

 It is rather an unfortunate thing for entomologists, that 

 apart from the ridicule which attaches itself in the mmds of 

 many persons to the pursuit of paltry despicable " animals " 

 or vermin, there is much that is laughable in the methods 

 they sometimes pursue in order to secure their game. Thus : 

 fancy the amazement which overwhelms a little rustic throng 

 in a vQlage, a throng made up, indeed, chiefly of old women 

 and children, with a few gaping hobbydehoys, when they 



OF OUR GARDENS.— No. 27. 

 behold a grave-looking man, dressed like a gentleman, mount 

 a bank behind one of their cottages, and begin to assaU the 

 thatch with liis walking-stick. Had he stooped down, and 

 hunted in the thatch, they might have thought he was hunt- 

 ing for concealed treasure ; but to beat it— how extraordinary ! 

 Surely he must be mad, only mildly so, however, and the 

 villagers regard hka with pity mixed with some curiosity. 

 The truth is, however, that he is seekmg for moths of the genus 



