160 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ March 4, 1869 



"be able to grow their own knotted sticks. Major Clarke had snggested 

 it might be propagated in a similar manner to the Olive, and if so, 

 every one of the nodes might be made to fjrow. Passing to the 

 Orchids he would take the worst lirst, that being Oucidium abortivnm, 

 ■which makes coutinual aboriivo attempts to flower, jiroduciug nothing 

 ■bat filaments, the buds falling off. Mr. "VVilliamg, however, had suc- 

 ceeded in making it x'rodnce flowers, as seen by the specimen before 

 the meeting, but the plant was not worth cnltivating. Not so the 

 beautiful variety of Lyca^te SUinneri alba, which with its bridal colours 

 of white and gold, well deserved its distinctive name, and he only 

 wished names would be withheld when varieties were not equally dis- 

 tinct. Odontoglossum Alexandra:, of which specimens much finer 

 than those shown were to be found at Mr. Rucker's, and in other 

 private collections, Mr. Marshall's Odontoglossnms, Mr. Salt's Odon- 

 toglossum Hallii ; Dendrobium macrophyllum, and the white variety 

 of Epidendrum macrochilum, from Earon Rothschild's, were then 

 briefly noticed ; likewise the fine specimen of the new Dendrobium 

 lasioglossum, from J.Iessre. Veitch, which showed what a treasure it 

 •would he. From his own gardener came flowers of Dendrobium 

 luteolum, one of the most desirable of its race, and which remains in 

 perfection for two or three months, and of Ipsea speciosa, which, 

 though it had been in the country for nearly thirty years, bad never 

 flowered with him till last year, and had only flowered in one other gar- 

 den. He had the bulbs from Kow, where, he was glad to say, owiug to 

 the liberality of the Government, a new Orchid house had been erected 

 that would enable Mr. Smith to do justice to this class of plants. Of 

 Rletia Sherrattiana his (Mr. Bateman's) gardener had also sent a 

 branch of a spike, proving it, however, to be really the prettiest of all 

 the Bletias. Mr. Bateman next asked if any of, the Fellows present 

 had succeeded in grafting the Kumquat (Citrus japonica), as he had 

 been informed that success is hopeless unless Limonia trifoliata is 

 nsed as a stock. Mr. Bateman said, as a solemn silence prevailed, he 

 must infer no one present had succeeded ; but he had learned that 

 Major Clarke, wbo generally met with success where no one else did, 

 had sown the pips and bo raised plants. The plant, grown not in a 

 pot, but turned out in a border, was from 8 to 10 feet high, and 

 covered with delicious fruit. Mr. Bateman concluded by directing at- 

 tention to the Packington plant-ti-ainer, which he thought would be 

 yeiy useful. 



ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETYS MEETINGS. 



The anniversary meeting of this Society was held on January 25th, 

 ■when Mr. H. "W. Bates was re-elected President, and the other oflicerB 

 were re-elected. The President's anniver8ai7 address was read in his 

 nnavoidable absence by the Secretary, and was ordered to be printed. 



The first meeting of the Society during the past month was held 

 on the 1st ult., the President being in the chaii". After returning 

 thanks for his re-election, he nominated Messrs. Stainton, Smith, and 

 A. R. Wallace as the Vice-Presidents for the ensuing year. 



Amongst tie entomological works presented to the Society since the 

 last meeting, were the second volume of the gi-eat Bibliographical 

 work undertaken by the Royal Society, the eighth volume of M. La- 

 cordaire's work on the genera of Coleoptera, containing the first half 

 of the Longicorn Beetles, &c. The President's address delivered at 

 the anniversary having been printed, was distributed among the 

 members. 



The Secretary read a letter from Mr. Butterfield, of Intlianopolis, 

 desiring to enter into communication with English Lepidopterists. 

 Mr. Edward Saunders exhibited a fine specimen of the rare Moth, 

 Pachetra leucopba'a, taken at Redhill, near Reigate, by Mr. N. E. 

 Brown. Mr. l*ascoe made some observations on the exotic Coleop- 

 terous genera, Aprostoma, Mecedanum, and Gempylodep, contending 

 that tho first of these insects, considered by Professor "VVesfwood as a 

 Colydian, belonged to the Brenthidre. The Professor reiterated his 

 Opinion, which he had formed upon a dissection which he had made 

 in Paris, of M. Gueriu's original type specimen. 



Professor Westwood gave an account of the habits of a species of 

 Aphidip, which ho had already described under the Jiame of Peritymbia 

 •vjtisaua, and which has subsequently received in Franco the na"me of 

 Rhiziiphis vastatrix. This insect has only quite recently appeared in 

 some vineries in this countiy, where it attacks tho young leaves, causing 

 them to swell into round protuberances, or galls, tho upper side of 

 which split into fimbriated divisions, beneath which the small female 

 insect is buried, and where she deposits her eggs. Other specimens, 

 which can in uo wise be distinguished from those on the leaves, suck 

 the rootUts beneath the surface of the gi-ound, and cause the death of 

 the plants, the latter process having occurred to a ruinous extent in 

 some jiarts of Franco. Mr. F. Small, with reference to this double 

 habit, mentioned that ho had once found in Bishop's "Wood, Hamp- 

 stead, a mass of barnacle-like galls upon tho bole of an Oak tree a 

 foot above the ground, from which a number of wingless Gall tliea 

 had been produced, which be could not distinguish from the ordinary 

 Cynips aptera, which he had reared from Currant-like galls on the 

 rootlets of the same tree. 



Mr. Butler exhibited a drawing and read the description of a new 

 Indian Butterfly, belonging to the genus Hestma, "Westw., named 

 H. zella, resembling Daiiais juventrt. 



Mr. Home exhibited the stings of two Indian Scorpions, which had 

 teen killed by a rat, at Benares, these animals having" been placed for 



observation under a bell-glass. After considerable fencing the rat 

 suddenly made a spring and bit the stings through the middle, thns 

 disabling the scorpions, which it then leisurely began to pnll to pieces 

 and devour. 



PACKING FRUIT. 



In your Journal of the 23th ult. there is a letter from 

 "H. K. F., Floors Gardens," on the pacliing of fruit. His 

 remarks on paper shaviugs may be good, but in many localities 

 they cannot be obtained even at 28s. per c-,\t. ; therefore I contend 

 that my plan, with the Grapes wrapped in thin tissue paper, 

 moss top and bottom, with a division for each bunch, is far 

 preferable. Peaches, Nectarines, Figs, &c., have a small divi- 

 sion for each fruit ; and when a little cotton wool or wadding 

 is used there is uo fear of bruising, as only one tray is used for 

 each layer of fruit. 



There seems to be a great diversity of opinion as to packing 

 fruit to he conveyed long distances ; but when you take into 

 consideration that no cord, nails, &!., are required in my cases, 

 as shown in the woodcut in your advertising columns, 1 think 

 they meet the objections of many of your correstjondents. — 

 W. F. CnAr:o;AN, Llandudno. 



THE PORTABLE ORCHARD. 



(Continued from page 1'12.) 

 I WILL begin with Apples, and first say what I know about 

 the stocks, or "subjects," as they are sometimes caDed. Every- 

 one knows what the common Crab is, and in soils where it 

 thrives it is commonly used for hedges, as in this district ; it is 

 a very good stock for most varieties of Apples, but not for all. 

 One of the reasons why the Golden Pippin and Pibston Pippin 

 are scarce, and when seen are generally unhealthy trees, is 

 because Ihey liave been worked iipon tbe Crab, which docs not 

 suit either of these varieties. The Crab is of moderate growth, 

 and where the scion is fron* a very small- wooded variety, or 

 from a very vigoroxis one, there is not the uniformity of growth 

 above and below the jimction of the graft to keep the tree in 

 health ; also in all likclibood there is something in the sap that 

 disagrees writh the digestion of the scion. 



Apple seeds sown, produce what are called "fi'ee stocks," and 

 from amongst the seedlings all sorts of growths may ho found, 

 some very feeble, and others most vigorous, and no doubt these 

 ofler to an experienced man a most useful range, so far as growth 

 is concerned. A stocl: slightly more vigorous in its habit than 

 the variety to be grafted on it can easily he selected from a bed 

 of free stocks ; but we cannot be sure that we have one that 

 will agree with its scion, or that will not affect the fruit to its^ 

 detriment. These offer the widest field for experiment. 



Then there are Paradise stocks; and of these, again, there 

 are several varieties ia tho market. The true French Paradise 

 is a very small fine- wooded tree, snd, as might be expected from 

 its habit of gro^rth, it dwarfs the scion ; but the result is to 

 make the tree prematurely fi'uitful, and at the same time the 

 fruit is excellent in qualit)'. 



There is a stronger-growing variety called tho English Para- 

 dise, and a similar one in France called the Douciir, and probably 

 several varieties of these Paradise stocks will be found under 

 one name. 



Many disputes have been maintained about the success o£ 

 trees worked on the Paradise stock, but it is only within a few- 

 weeks that careful comparison has been made of the stocks 

 themselv s, and then it has been found that the disputes were 

 caused by supposing stocks .sold rmder the same name to he 

 reallv the Siimo variety. I have had four or five different varie- 

 ties under the name of Paradise, and have found some excellent;- 

 and others so delicate that the fu'st severe frost killed them^ 

 Great caution, therefore, is needed in using the Paradise stocks;, 

 a couple of years' growth before they are grafted will show what 

 their nature" is better than anything. With all of them, how- 

 ever, the final result.^ — the Apples, are good. 



We owe to Mr. Elvers the introduction of two new seedlings 

 of his own raising, that promise to be imiversally available. 

 He has named these the Broad-leaved Paradise and Nonesuch 

 Paradise. 



With these stocks is to be classed the old Burr Knot, for liie 

 the whole of these Paradise Apples it glows freely from cuttings, 

 and puts out roots from any portion of the stem placed in the 

 ground ; it oven shows its tendency to mate roots in the air by 

 forming Imots every here and there on the branches, and if a 

 branch he cut off, leaving one of these knots at its base, and 



