March 10, 1870. ] 



JOUBNAL OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



183 



been received with their freshness and bloom unimpaired, and 

 not a drop of water was found spilled. The flowers are placed 

 in water and secured firmly in an upright position, and whether 

 the case is placed on its side or bottom upwards, when it is 

 closed, they suffer no injury, and no water escapes. Further 

 particulars may be seen in our advertising columns. 



HARDINESS OF PLANTS IN SOME PLACES. 



I enclose a twig of a species of Fuchsia cut in the open air 

 February 26th at Colwyn, in North Wales. Can you tell me 

 the specific name? 



There is something singular in the way many tender plants, 

 such as Zonal Pelargoniums, Veronica speciosa variegata, and 

 this Fuchsia (which, however, is evidently much hardier than 

 any of the varieties usually grown, and of which there are several 

 close to it), have survived the recent cold weather, in which 

 such hardy plants as the common single "Wallflowers only a 

 few feet from the Pelargoniums have suffered severely. Up to 

 this last frost none of the abovementioned plants had been at 

 all injured, although the thermometer had registered 11° of 

 frost, but the accompanying north-east wind of the 13th ult. 

 has scorched the leaves of most of them, though without kill- 

 ing the plants, except in the most exposed situation. The 

 thermometer has also on this occasion been as low as 19°, and 

 nearly all the older plants of Wallflower present such a melan- 

 oholy appearance that I have pulled them up. 



Now, what is the cause of this ? In my garden here (Chester) 

 6° or 8° of frost will effectually dispose of my Pelargoniums. 

 Colwyn is certainly on the coast, and the winter temperature 

 is, of course, somewhat higher than here ; but even 11° of frost, 

 to say nothing of 13°, would have destroyed very much hardier 

 plants than Pelargoniums. Is it the salt or the moisture in the 

 air, or the dryness of the soil, which is a decomposed clay 

 slate (Wenlock shale), and full of stones, causing the plants to 

 make short hard growth, instead of long juicy shoots? My 

 own impression is that the latter is the cause, but why do the 

 Wallflowers suffer so much ? They are certainly rather more 

 exposed, but very little, and the soil has hitherto seemed to 

 suit them remarkably well. The garden is about three-quarters 

 of a mile from, and about 100 feet above, the sea. 



If you think the above of sufficient interest to be worth 

 publishing, I shall be glad if any of your correspondents will 

 give their opinion and experience on the subject. By-the-by, 

 it is right to mention that the garden is on a sharp Blope to 

 the E.S.E., all the plants mentioned being on the same level, 

 and a hill opposite partly breaking the force of the wind. — 

 Alfred 0. Walker. 



[We mentioned lately some very singular circumstances as 

 to plants withstanding cold, although others generally more 

 hardy gave way. In your case, we think the dryness of the 

 soil and the stunted character of the growth had much to do with 

 the Fuchsia keeping its foliage. It is Fuchsia microphylla, 

 and it is not usually so hardy as some of the other species.] 



ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY'S MEETING. 



The second February meeting of this Society was held on the 21st 

 alt., the President in the chair. The two following celebrated con- 

 tinental entomologists were elected to supply the two vacancies in the 

 very limited Hat of honorary members — namely, Professor Schiodte, 

 of Copenhagen, and Professor Von Siebold, of Munich. 



The Secretary exhibited a specimen of the migratory Locust, taken 

 in Yorkshire, and Mr. J. Hunter a specimen of a Plusia, captured in 

 the New Forest by Mr. Stock, and supposed to be the P. Ni, a rare 

 continental species ; a figure of the insect had already appeared in 

 the " Entomologist's Annual.'' 



Mr. Albert Muller exhibited some heads of the flowers of the com- 

 mon Tansy (Tanacetam vulgar e), several of the florets of which were 

 abnormally deformed and elevated, forming a kind of calyx-shaped 

 gall, produced by the puncture of a Dipterous insect, probably belong- 

 ing to the genus Trypeta, as the enclosed larvaB did not exhibit the 

 peculiar formation of the Gall midge larva) of the genus Cecidomyia ; 

 the whole floret had become hypertrophied, and at the same time the 

 stamens, style, and ovule bad entirely disappeared. Mr. Midler stated 

 that hitherto he had not been able to find any kind of galls on the 

 species of Orchidacea?, and the Ferns seemed equally free from their 

 attacks. 



Mr. Pascoe exhibited specimens of a singular minute Beetle from 

 Australia (Nepharig alata of Castehiau, recently republished by King 

 under the name of Hiketes thoracicus in the "Transactions" of the 

 Entomological Society of Now South Wales, the publication of which 

 has recently been resumed. Mr. Pascoe considered the real affinity of 

 this curious Beetle to be near Monotoma. 



A long discussion took place amongst the members on a question of 

 zoological nomenclature, arising from the correction of a generic 

 name (Biurus), having a false orthographical formation, which had 

 resulted in the corrected form Diurns becoming a synonym, the latter 

 name being already employed in another family. 



Mr. A. G. Butler read a paper " On Butterflies recently received by 

 Mr. Swanzy from West Africa," including several new species " 

 ing to the genera; Romaleosoma, Philognoma, and MycalesU. 



FEBRUARY AND ITS CONSEQUENCES. 



The old proverb says — 



" February fill dyke, be it be black or be it white, 

 But if it be black, it's better to like." 



Last year the month of February was remarkably warm, this year 

 it has been remarkably cold. During the past month the winds have 

 been piercingly cold and from every point of the compass, with some 

 of the most sudden changes in the temperature that could possibly be. 

 At times there was sharp frost, driving showers of bail, rain, snow, or 

 sleet. For several days together the wind was blowing very fresh from 

 east-north-east, with dry frost and showers of hail, in many places 

 blowing the soil with the dry snow into the roads and ditches in a 

 very peculiar manner, in some parts several feet deep, leaving quite a 

 bed of soil when the snow had melted away. 



Vegetation has suffered in many places to a very great extent ; to 

 all appearance Wheat has suffered very much, Cabbage plants in 

 many places appear to have suffered very severely, but the greatest 

 destruction is among Lettuces and Cauliflowers. Of BroccoUs, aa 

 Snow's and Backhouse's Winter Protecting, many becoming fit for nse 

 have been destroyed where not protected. Onions have suffered con- 

 siderably. Endive has been partially destroyed, Borecoles and Kales 

 have suffered very much ; Silver Beet and Spinach, too, have the ap- 

 pearance of being scorched. The late spring Broccolis have a miser- 

 able appearance ; but I hope they will in some measure recover. 

 Hollyhocks and many border plants are very much cut up, and some, 

 I fear, are altogether destroyed. Fruit trees are well set with bloom, 

 and up to the present time they have been well kept back, I trust to 

 their advantage afterwards. Some of our old weather prognosticatora 

 tell us we shall have no better weather yet, but I hope for the best. 



The few plants in beds and borders that were attempting to cheer 

 ns with their varied colours have in most instances been ruthlessly 

 swept away, yet those enumerated below I noticed as interesting. 



{Mioili-.l.-inlnm .lauricum 

 Galanthus nivalis 



Daphne Mezereum 

 Bellia perennis 

 Eranthia hyemalis 

 Cyilouia japonica 



Double White Daisy 



Corylus Avellana 



11. Helleborus niger 25. Anememe hoi'tensis 



fffltidus Double Primroses 



Ranunculus Ficaria Viola odorata 



Crocus Sieberi tricolor 



TJlex europaeus Hepatica triloba 



— M. H., Acklam Hall, Middlesbrough-on-Tees, 



Linnm flavum 

 Dorronicam cancasicum 

 Primula acaulis 

 Viburnum Tinus 

 Cheiranthus fruticulosuH 

 Taxus baccata 

 Foraythia viridiasiraa 



GALLS. 



A coRRESPONDEifr enclosed to u3 galls from three different 

 trees, and although not many of our readers would call them as 

 she does, "fruits," yet as she asks for relative information, we 

 string together some extracts from various works which are upon 

 our library shelves. 



Galls are morbid excrescences, originating from the most 

 vigorously growing parts of plants, in consequence of the attacks 

 of insects, chiefly of the Hymenopterous order, and of the genus 

 Cynips. The parent insect is provided with a sharp sting, serv- 

 ing to perforate the branch, leaf, or bud, in which its egg is to be 

 deposited, and in some cases the puncture made is very deep. 

 Ab soon as the egg is hatched, the young larva or maggot, 

 stimulating the vital principle of the plant, causes the part in 

 which it is lodged to assume a great degree of luxuriance, dis- 

 played in various whimsical excrescences, foreign to the nature 

 of the plant in itself, but each appropriated to the particular kind 

 of insect from whose operations it springs. The original per- 

 foration is soon closed up and entirely obliterated. At length, 

 the maggot, having fed on the juices of the plant, copiously 

 directed to the injured part, undergoes its changes to a chrysalis, 

 and, finally, to a winged fly, like its parent, when it immediately 

 escapes from its confinement by a fresh perforation, and the gall, 

 being left empty, soon dries or hardens. The main stems of 

 some of the large shrubby kinds of Hawkwecd, Hieracium 

 sabaudum and umbellatum, are often thus stung, and swell into 

 oval knots, in which, while growing, young insects may be 

 found latent. The two British species of Oak bear several 

 different kinds of gall, as the light spongy bodies vulgarly 

 nam ed Oak Apples, growing from the stalks of the leaf or flower 



