September 29, 1863. ] JOUENAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



255 



4 feet long by 2 feet wide. Is cocoa-nut fibre refuse useful 

 for such plants ? 



Is it the case that Kalmia latifolia will not blow two suc- 

 cessive yeai-s in pots ? Mine have made their fresh wood, 

 &c., very well. 



Can plants of Verbenas, Calceolarias, &c., be kept in a 

 room with a north aspect during winter V I have great diffi- 

 culty in to^vn. I have no garden where I can put out any- 

 thing even to stand. There is such a rush of wind in a 

 small yard that nothing can be left in it. House faces south, 

 but there is no spare room in ii-ont. — A Constant Eeadek, 

 Dublin. 



[We fear that with the shade you will not do much good 

 with alpines, so as to secure anything like continuous bloom 

 of distinct colom-s. For spring work you could have nothing 

 better than distinct colours of double Primroses, Polyanthus, 

 &c., and these would then be at home in your yard dni-ing 

 the summer. For anything else in summer, a stout net 

 stretched over the yard would greatly break the force of the 

 wind, and keep away those torments of gardening, the 

 cats. You might then have a fine display of Tulips and 

 Hyacinths, bringing them on in the yard or a cold room, 

 and then transferring them to the boxes. To keep them 

 green all the year round with little trouble, you might plant 

 them with succulents, such as the House Leek, Sempervivum 

 teotoiTim, which would yield piuiilish flower-spikes in July ; 

 montanum, which is dwarfer and gives reddish flowers ; 

 globifenmi ; Hen-and-Chickens Semperviviun, yellowish 

 flowers ; and other kinds as ai-achnoideum and flageilifonne, 

 aU blooming about midsummer. These planted in sandy 

 loam would scai'cely require even watering unless when 

 showing bloom, and in hot weather in summer. For a neat 

 carpet of green nothing can excel the Stonecrop, Sedum 

 acre, and its varieties ; for in May, June, and part of 

 July it is a carpet of yellow, and needs little attention 

 except pruning oft' the decayed flower-stems, and giving a 

 little firesh surfacing of sandy loam. There is also a vai'iety 

 of this with golden foliage, so that yeUow would ever be 

 present. Sedum roseum is a rich rose colom-, generally in 

 bloom from May to August, and there are twenty or thirty 

 species equally low-growing and pretty that would require 

 little attention. Then among the Saxifrages there is um- 

 brosa or London Pride, beautiful in bloom and out of it ; 

 hypnoides or Cushion Saxifrage, always a beautifid gi-een, 

 and covered ■n-ith white flowers in spring ; and the pretty 

 Cerastiums tomentosum and Biebersteini would make pretty 

 cheerful lines round the boxes, if they did not fill the latter 

 themselves. If the boxes were 9 or 12 inches deep, we 

 would plant Cerastiimi in one, fully 4 inches from the surface 

 of the box, for it would be sm'e to grow high enough, and then 

 you might gem the whole by plaeiug out of sight small pots 

 of flowei-ing jilants with only the heads seen over the Ceras- 

 tium. As your Calceolarias and Geraniums did well when 

 there was not the shade of the evergi-eens, would it not be 

 well to grow some for their foliage alone — such as a box of 

 Bijou Geranium edged with Golden Chain, and all flowers 

 removed, or the dark small horseshoe of Bai-on Hugel round 

 a box of Cloth of Gold, or Cloth of Gold or the Baron edged 

 with Cerastium ? With such shade as you speak of, the 

 foliage woidd be finer in the summer than when fuUy 

 exposed to the sun. Cocoa-nut fibre mixed with the soil 

 will do well for such plants, and so will the commonest sandy 

 loam from the roadside. If you value your evergreens in 

 pots, or tubs, you will act prudently in defending them 

 from severe frost in winter, so far as the roots are concerned. 

 They will suifer more if exijosed in pots than in wooden 

 boxes. 



The Kalmia latifolia will bloom year after year in pots if 

 well treated — that is, receives no check, has plenty of water, 

 and the suitable soil. Nevertheless, in forcing this plant 

 many turn it out and give it a season's growth, and take it 

 up again the second yeai'. If yom* shoots are so poor, there 

 is less chance of the plant blooming ; but if well ripened and 

 hardened it may do so. 



Calceolarias, Verbenas, Geraniums, and aU such plants 

 for summer decoration may be kept well in a room with a 

 north aspect all the winter, provided they have plenty of 

 light, plenty of ah-, when the outside temperature is 40°, 

 and the plants suffer neither from frost, too much wet, nor 

 too much dryness. The Calceolarias will need the most 



moistm-e. Such plants before being taken to the south 

 balcony in the middle of May, should be hardened-off in the 

 yard for a fortnight or three weeks previously, covering 

 them with a piece of calico or anything of that sort at night 

 and during stormy days. We have known cases in wMeh 

 plants kept in a north aspect all the winter did very badly 

 when at once transfen-ed to a south atmosphere outside; 

 but they did well when they had a few weeks in the outside 

 yard beforehand. If we can render further assistance we 

 will do so, and, perhaps, some fi-iends wiU also be disposed 

 to help in the matter. — E. F.] 



ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY'S MEETING. 



The September Meeting of the Entomological Society was 

 held on the 7th inst., the chair Leing occupied by Mr. F. 

 Smith, the President. 



The donations to the Librai-y received since the last Meet- 

 ing were numerous and valuable, comprising the publications 

 of the Geological and Entomological Societies of Philadel- 

 phia, Boston, Bavaria, Dublin, the Smithsonian Institute of 

 Washington, the Royal Society, Society of Ai-ts, Messrs. La- 

 oordau'e, Caudeza, Le Conte, Hagen, Jloiawitz, &c. 



The Secretary exhibited portion of a bin which had been 

 filled with Chicory, which, together with the woodwork of 

 the bin was enveloped in a closely-spun white-silken web, 

 covering the wood with a fine polished surface. It was 

 suggested that this web had been spun by Tinea graneUa. 



Ml-. S. Stevens exhibited a small collection of insects 

 captiu-ed dm-ing the recent expedition across the interior of 

 New Holland by Mi-. P. ATaterhouse. Amongst the many 

 new species which it comprised was a very brilliant species 

 of Tetracha, belonging to the family of Tiger Beetles. 



Mr. F. Bond exhibited a number of very beautifully pre- 

 served caterpillars of different kinds of Butterflies and 

 Moths prepai-ed by Mi-. Baker, of CamVa-idge ; and Professor 

 Westwood described the plan adopted in Germany for the 

 preparation of such specimens, the skin of the caterpillars 

 being inflated by a blow-pipe and enclosed in a glass tube 

 over a spii-it-lamp, the glass being defended by resting on a 

 semi-tube of thin tinware. Minute caterpDlars were also 

 preserved entire by putting them into a bottle held over a 

 spu-it-lamp for a short time. 



Ml-. Sharp exhibited a rare species of CoccineUa, C. Cabilis, 

 taken at Heme Bay. 



Mr. Waring exhibited specimens of two rare Moths, Litho- 

 stega nivearia, fi-om Suffolk ; and Stirrha sacraria, from Ban- 

 stead Downs. 



Mr. Stainton exhibited a large tabulated plan illustrating 

 at a glance and in considerable detail, the vai-ious leading 

 peculiarities in the transformations and habits of the British 

 genera of Tineidje. 



A paper by Mr. Walker containing- descriptions of a number 

 of new species of Moths belonging to the families Castniidae, 

 Agaristidae, Hylancopidaj was read ; also, a descriptive cata- 

 log-ue of the family of the Stag Beetles, by Major F. Parry, 

 containing descriptions of a great number of new species ; 

 the collection of the author far exceeding in the number of 

 species of these insects that of any other entomologist. 



WOEK FOE THE WEEE. 



KITCHEN GAKDEN. 



Fkesh plantations of Cabbages and Lettuces should be 

 fi-equently examined. Any that droop without an apparent 

 cause should be examined at the roots, where, probably, a 

 grub will be found, which if not destroyed will continue its 

 ravages. Broccoli, eai-th-up the plantations, as they wUl 

 now be growing rapidly. Caidifiowers, continue to prick out 

 the young plants under hand-glasses and in &-ames. A few 

 may be potted in small pots and placed in a fi-ame where 

 they can have abimdance of air and light, and be protected 

 fi-om excessive wet. Endive, plant out this and Lettuces for 

 spring use. If planted on the sloping sides of wide ridges 

 they win stajid better, damp being quite as destructive as 

 fi-ost. Take the precaution of securing a quantity of both 

 in pits or frames. Mushrooitis, keep out-door beds protected 

 from heavy rains by a good covering of litter. Maintain a 



