408 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GAKDENEB. 



[ June 4, 1868. 



Marmion. Mr. Mann exliibited fine specimens of his Zonal Pelargo- 

 ninm Lord Derby, and several otlier very fine seedliuj^s ; but Lord 

 Derby has brought up the standard of merit so high, that the others 

 coold not attain it. Mimas is a beautiful flower, and received a first- 

 class certificate last year. Prince of Wales, a rosy salmon : and The 

 Baron, a bright scarlet Nose^'ay, were also shown. Mr. Cannell sent 

 two seedling Zonal Pelargoniums, also Verbena Beauty of Kent, but 

 not in condition, 



SciENTiFio Committee. — Dr. Thomas Thomson, F.R.S., in the 

 chair. A conversation took place on the nomenclature of plants, 

 arising out of the names given to the seedling varieties of Coleus 

 raised in the Society's garden at Chiswick, between C. Verschaffeltii, 

 Veitchii, Gibsoui, and Blumei, in which the custom of giving to 

 varieties names which are usually employed in distinguishing species 

 was deprecated. On the question as to whether either or any of tho 

 above were really species though found growing in indigenous locali- 

 ties, Mr. Bentham stated, that the only one he knew to he a species 

 was C. Blumei, which he himself had founded. 



George Pollock. Esq., sent pieces of the wood of Scotch Fir attacked 

 by an insect, of which specimens were not provided, and which is re- 

 ported to commit such ravages in his plantations at Bagshot, as to 

 destroy a great amount of timber. The further consideration of the 

 finbject was adjourned till the next meeting for more detailed in- 

 formation. 



Dr. Gilbert gave notice of a subject which he had placed on the 

 agenda paper, and which ho truly stated was one of vast importance 

 ijoth to horticulturists and agriculturists, and that is, the effect which 

 certain manures exercise on different j'lants in various soils. After 

 giving an outline of the elaborate experiments in which Mr. Lawes 

 and he are engaged on this subject, the consideration of it was re- 

 ferred to the Chemical Sab-Committee, with power to associate some 

 eminent physiological botanists with them. Dr. Gilbert stated in the 

 course of his remarks, that whereas on some soils certain manures 

 caused some plants entirely to disappear, by the encouragement of tho 

 growth of others of a totally distinct kind ; by a change of tho manure 

 the original plants may be restored, and those which displaced them 

 in their turn are supplanted. Dr. Gilbert, however, said, that in all 

 the experiments hitherto instituted, no agent had yet been discovered 

 to remedy the defect in land known to farmers as "clover sickness." 



Gener.^l Meetixg. — G. F. Wilson, Esq. F.R,S., in the chair. 

 This meeting was merely formal, the business being confined to the 

 election of eleven new Fellows, and the admission into union with the 

 Society of the liyde (Isle of Wight) Horticultural Society. 



Messrs. "Waterer & Godfrey's Exhibition of Americ.\n Plants. 



■ — To this allusion has already been made ; but it would not be just to 

 pass over such a splendid exliibition with a mere casual mention, for 

 it deserves all lliat can be said in its praise — indeed it is the finest 

 exhibition of what are known as American plants that has ever been 

 witnessed. The entire internal arrangement of the tent has been 

 changed, monnds having been thrown up here, little vallies created 

 there, and the formal character which the planting exhibited in former 

 years has given place to a most picturesque appearance, and when 

 viewed from certain points the scene which the huge masses of brilliantly 

 coloured blossom present is lovely ; indeed the most lively imagination 

 would fail to form any conception of its beauty. 



Among the finest of the newer kinds to be seen here are Mrs. John 

 Clutton, a remarkably fine white ; Charles Bagley, cherry red Sir T. 

 Sebright, puiqile with a bronze blotch; H. W. Sargent, with very large 

 trusses of crimson flowers ; Caractacns, with fine trusses of purjdish 

 crimson flowers ; H. H. HunneweU, dark crimson ; Stella, pale rose : 

 and Purity, a fine white, with lemon-coloured spots. 



LARGE BROCCOLI. 



I EXHIBITED two heads last week that must have weighed at 

 least 7 lbs. each, and on May 16th I cut two dozen and a half 

 that averaged 7 lbs. each, many being over 9 lbs., and some 

 lew 10 lbs. each, when closely trimmed. I certainly never saw 

 such a lot anywhere else, perfectly white, firm, compact, and 

 circular. The only objection raised was, that the pots were not 

 large enough to cook them. — C. C. E. 



Mr. John Wateeee's American Show. — This is held in the Koya 

 Botanic Society's Gardens, Regent's Park, and as usual presents a 

 charming spectacle. The undulations of the ground in the tent, to 

 which we have frequently referred in previous reports, greatly tend to 

 enhance the beauty of tlie display, which is always one of great merit, 

 and on a very extensive scale, as may be judged from Mr. Waterer's 

 Btatement that between *20UO and 3U00 plants, many of them of the 

 largest size, are employed to produce it. 



Among the varieties which are the most recent we noted the follow- 

 ing — viz., Mrs. .Tohn Penu, ro.sy crimson, luiautifuUy spotted ; Princess 

 Mary of Cambridge, light centre edged with rosy puiq)le, fine both in 

 the truss and the individual flowers ; Mrs. Thomas Longman, lively 

 rose ; Duchess of Sutherland, white, edged with rosy purple ; Lady E. 

 Cathcart, blush, finely spotted ; Minnie, white, with orange spots ; 

 Michael Waterer, rosy scarlet ; La 'Viyaudicre, large snowy white 



trusses ; and Henry Bohn, rosy crimson. Besides these we might 

 enumerate many, more brilliant varieties, and specimens remarkable 

 for their size. 



INSECTS. 



{Continued from page 387.) 



Thrips. — These long, narrow, active insects, mostly confine 

 their attacks to the under sides of the leaves of plants. The 

 insect whilst young is white, and almost stationary, but when 

 mature is of a bright brownish black, and remarkably active. It 

 is a great plague to the Fern. grower., and equally so in almost all 

 departments under glass. In hot, dry seasons it attacks plants 

 in the open air, but is not general on these. The plants chiefly 

 attacked are those with smooth leaves ; the Myrtle, Azalea, 

 Humea, Ferns, Melons, and Cucumbers, are great favourites 

 with it; indeed, there are but few plants which at some time 

 do not suffer more or less from it. 



The leaves of the plants on which it has made its appearance 

 are spotted with whitish green, and the spots enlarge with the 

 spread of the insect, the leaves ultimately becoming white, and 

 falling off. It is one of many insects which are in a great 

 measure preventible, being fostered by a close, dry, hot atmo- 

 sphere, which tends to enfeeble the plant. In a moist, well- 

 ventilated house, plants are mostly proof against the attacks of 

 thrips ; but there are periods when it is hardly possible to 

 escape it, as at a time when water and cold cannot be brought i 

 into play against it; thus the plants may have arrived at such- 

 a stage of growth that water cannot be used as a destructive 

 agent, on account of the greater evil likely to arise from a damp 

 atmosphere. When, however, plants can be syringed, water is 

 the beat preventive and remedy, the plants being syringed 

 forcibly with water directed against the under sides of the 

 leaves. The next best course to adopt is to afford no more fire 

 heat than is necessary for the well-being of the plant. Another 

 good way of keeping the insect in check is furnishing air early, 

 and yet not inducing cold currents, or by lack of water causing 

 a stunted, hard growth ; and, above all, see that the night tem- 

 perature is considerably lower than the day, and that the 

 plants are not kept constantly exhaling, but shut up early, and 

 with considerable moisture, especially during the growing-,; 

 Beason. 



Thrips is a very fast-breeding insect, it requires a watchful 

 eye to be kept on the plants liable to its attacks. Whenever a 

 plant exhibits any white specks on the under as well as the 

 upper surface of the leaves, look for the cause of their sickly 

 appearance ; and if a long, narrow, black, dark-coloured, or 

 even white insect be found, lose no time in proceeding with the 

 work of extermination, for delay will only allow the enemy to 

 increase its hold, and destroy the foliage, if not the plant itself. 



The best remedy for thrips is tobacco. Whenever I find one 

 thrips I do not strive to find its companion, but decide to 

 fill the house with tobacco smoke on the first calm evening, 

 taking care to have the foliage of the plants dry, which is liked 

 by the thrips, and it preserves the plants from being scorched 

 or injured by the fumigation. The house is, of course, shut up 

 closely, and if convenient the glass is covered with mats or 

 canvas, so as to keep in the smoke. The house is filled so full 

 of smoke that a plant cannot be seen from the outside. In the 

 morning the floors, walls, and other surfaces, but not the leaves 

 of the plants, are syringed or sprinkled with water, and the 

 house is kept as close as possible consistently with the safety of 

 the plants. In the evening following the fumigation, the 

 plants are syringed, the water being forcibly directed against 

 the under sides of the leaves, and in the morning this is 

 repeated. In the afternoon the plants are examined, and if 

 any thrips are found, as there assuredly will be if the plants. 

 were much infested, fumigation is repeated to the same 

 extent as on the preceding evening but one. Next morning 

 the plants are thoroughly syringed, and again in the evening. 

 This will be found an effectual means of destroying thrips 

 which are hatched, but no amount of fumigation with tobacco 

 will kill the eggs, and in cases of severe or rather continued 

 attacks, eggs will be plentiful, and the insect will appear in a 

 few days as if no means had been taken to ward off its attacks. 

 In such cases I usually syringe the plants with 2 ozs. of soft- 

 soap in a gallon of soft water, applying the liquid especially 

 to the under sides of the leaves, and turning the plant round, 

 it being laid on its side in the first instance. The foliage, 

 stem, and every part of the plant should be thoroughly wetted. 

 It must be borne in mind, that all plants cannot endure the 

 wetting of their foliage with soft-soap solutions, and among; 

 these are the Vine, Cucumber, Melon, Pelargonium, Azalea, 



