410 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ May 22, 1873. 



means mitnerous, and to some of tbem we have already referred. 

 Messrs. Veitch exhibited a grand specimen of OdoutO{,'lossum 

 vexillarinm, which we figured last week. This, however, bad 

 ten flowers, and it received a cultural commendation. The 

 same firm had also first-class certificates for Gloxinia Mrs. 

 Haines and Prince Leopold, the former splendid glowing ma- 

 genta, scarlet in the throat, shading off to scarlet and rose ; the 

 latter carmine, suffused with magenta. Anthui'ium erystal- 

 linum with broad white-veined leaves also came from Messrs. 

 Veitch, and will doubtless be heard of hereafter. Mr. J. MiU, 

 gardener to Lord Eendlesham, Rendlesham Hall, Suffolli, sent 

 fine specimens of Masdevallia Harryana, and had a cultiu'al 

 commendation, as did Mr. Denning for a remarliably fine spe- 

 cimen of Utricularia montanain his collection, and Mr. Strahan, 

 gardener to P. Crowley, Esq., Croydon, for Anthurium Scher- 

 zerianum. Mr. May, gardener to J. S. Bockett, Esq., sent a 

 very well-gi"own collection of Orchids, in which were Cypri- 

 pedium niveum with fourteen flowers, and Oncidium coucolor, 

 which latter was certificated. 



Mr. C. Noble, Bagshot, exhibited a number of new Clematises, 

 all excellent, and of which the following were distinguished by 

 first-class certificates — viz., Charles Noble, blue ; Undine, double 

 lilac, of the John Gould Veitch type ; Mrs. Cholmondeley, bluish 

 lilac ; Elaine, double lilac blue ; and May Queen, Ulac edges 

 with light bands. Messrs. Lane had a first-class certificate for 

 Eose Madame George Schwartz, large and fine rose. A similar 

 award was made to Mr. G. Smith, Edmonton, for scarlet Gera- 

 nium Scarlet Gem, a large very well-shaped flower. 



Messrs. Paul & Son, Cheshunt, sent several boxes of cut 

 Boses, also theu- variegated Otaheite Orange ; Mr. W. Paul, Tri- 

 color Pelargoniums ; Mr. Ware, a collection of hardy plants; and 

 Mr. Dean, Ealing, Mauve Beauty Stock, an excellent pyramidal 

 variety. After the Committee had risen, Napoleona imperialis 

 in flower was sent in by Mr. Bull. 



Rapid progress is being made with the preparations in the 

 Victoria Park for the Koyal Horticultural Society's Show in 

 June next. The model garden, which has been skilfully laid 

 out by Mr. Eyles, is nearly completed, and a large portion of the 

 space for horticultural buildings and implements has been 

 already applied for. The Committee, who find their office no 

 sinecure, are working zealously upon the many details which an 

 extensive undertaking of this character involves. They have 

 made arrangements with Mr. W. Edgcumbs Rendle for the 

 supptly of his patented glass pavilions for the Exhibition; as 

 the pavilions are waterproof, and are elegant in appearance, 

 they will do excellently well for the reception of pictures, art 

 treuKures, musical instruments, stationery, jewellery, sewing 

 machines, fancy goods, &c. A limited space will be available 

 for exhibitors. Arrangements can be made for erecting paviUons 

 of any design for special pm-poses. Lord Chelsea, M.P., who 

 has become one of the patrons of the Exhibition, has promised 

 to aid in securing the presence of His Royal Highness the Prince 

 of Wales, at the opening ceremony. — (J3a(/( iJ.rjjrcss and County 

 Herald.) 



MRS. PINCE GEAPE v, LADT DOWNE'S GEAPE. 

 I WAS glad in last week's number (page 393), to see Mr. 

 Pearson's opinion of Mrs. Pince's Muscat was so good. It quite 

 coincides with my own. In fact, so much do I think of it and 

 so little of Lady Downe's after a trial of them, both growing 

 side by sido in the same bouse and fruiting for three years — I 

 say so much do I prefer it to Lady Downe's, that I have pulled 

 up all the latter and made the liouse entirely Mrs. Pince. I 

 may also state that my friends who have tasted both at my 

 house, are of the same opinion as myself. With me Mrs. Pince 

 sets well, the bunches and berries are large, and the flavour 

 delicious. WhUst writing on Grapes I may mention another 

 new Grr.pe, the Muscat Champion, whose only fault, if fault 

 it be, is that it is not black but a dark red ; I consider it the 

 finest-flavoured Grape that I have. I submitted a bunch of 

 it a short time since to the Editors of our Journal, who pro- 

 nounced it to be " good, very good." I know it has a bad 

 name, but soil makes a difference in fruit as well as flowers, 

 and it may be that my soil is suited for it, as also Mrs. Pince. 

 Tho Champion is with me early, the berries very largo, with 

 thin skin and much pulp, with few stones, sometimes only one. 

 My advice is, Try it. — Hakeison Weik, WeMeigh, Kent. 



SEVERE FROST. 

 One of those disastrous May frosts, to which vegetation in 

 this country is subject, occurred on the morning of Tuesday 

 last, the 20th. At Ohiswick the thermometer registered 22°, or 

 10° of frost. The result there is that the Strawberry blossoms 

 are entirely destroj'ed, the pistils being perfectly black. The 

 Apple blossom is also very seriously injured, though not en- 



tirely destroyed, and Potatoes are black to the surface of the 

 ground. It is curious to observe in some of the rows of Pota- 

 toes one or two plants quite green and untouched, while all 

 the others have suffered, and in some cases the shoots from 

 the same set have some destroyed and some quite safe. At 

 Ealing the temperature was 2i°, and there Roses and Planes 

 have been severely hurt, and the young buds of Peaches and 

 Nectarines in the nurseries are quite destroyed. At the Ches- 

 hunt nurseries Mr. George Paul informs us the Roses have 

 suii'ered severely ; the same is the case with Mr. Keynes at 

 Salisbury ; and both Mr. Standish, of Ascot, and Mr. Noble, of 

 Sunniugdale, inform us that the Rhododendrons have suffered 

 very severely. No doubt we shall hear of serious damage 

 having been sustained in many other parts. 



ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY'S MEETINGS. 



The .\pril meeting of the Society was held on the 7th of April,, 

 at Burlington House, H. T. Stainton, Esq., occupying the i hair 

 in the absence of the President, owing to his recent se vere in- 

 disposition. 



Mr. Champion pointed out the distinctions between Tribolium 

 testaceum and confusum, and between Ptinus testaceus and fur^ 

 small domestic Beetles, which had been confused in collections^ 



Mr. Verrale exhibited specimens of several new British species 

 of two-winged Flies belonging to the families Asilidje and Syr- 

 phidffi, not hitherto recognised as natives of this country, in- 

 cluding Laphria flava, imn. ; Syrphua annulatus, .^e<i. ; S. ni- 

 gricornu, &c. 



Mr. McLachlan stated that he had been informed by Lord 

 Walsingham, that he had observed that Dragon Flies in Cali- 

 fornia and Texas were occasionally preyed upon by other large 

 predaceous insects (evidently some species of AsUus), which, 

 seized them whilst flying through the air. Hitherto it had been 

 supposed that the Dragon Fhes were free from the attacks of 

 other insects. 



Mr. F. Smith made some remarks upon a field Bug, of the 

 genus Peutaloma, sent from Calcutta by Mr. Eothney, found in 

 great numbers on the bark of trees, with which it is so entirely 

 assimilated in its colours as to be scarcely visible. Mr. F. Bates. 

 suggested that this mimicry had for its object the safety of the 

 insects from the attacks of lizards. 



A memoir was read by Major F. J. Parry upon seven new 

 exotic species of Lucanidie, including notes on the synonymy 

 of the species of Lissotes, Figulus, and Nigidias. Mr. F. Bates 

 also communicated descriptions of new genera and species of 

 Tenebrionidie from AustraUa, New Caledonia, and Norfolk Island. 



Mr. Albert Miiller read some notes on the habits of Gall Flies 

 (Cynipidte), contained in a letter from Mr. H. F. Bassett, of 

 Waflferburg, U.S. 



The May meeting of this Society was held on the .'jth inst., 

 H. T. Stainton, Esq., Vice-President, in the chair, in the absence 

 of the President from continued illness. 



Mr. Higgins exhibited a fine specimen of Langia zeuzeroTdes 

 (one of the Sphingidae), bred by Major Buckley, from the Hima- 

 layas. He also exhibited a female specimen, the first that he 

 had ever seen, of Goliathus albosignata. 



Mr. McLachlan exhibited a coloured plate of Butterflies from 

 Turkistau. This he had been requested to show to English 

 entomologists as a sample of the manner in which the forth- 

 coming work on the natural" history of Turkistan {to be published 

 at the expense of the Government of Turldstan), is intended to 

 be illustrated. The extensive entomological collections from that 

 Government had been chiefly made by M. Alexis Tedtscheuko, 

 in various expeditions during the years 1SG9-71, and were being 

 gradually worked-out by various entomologists, each order being 

 submitted to some one who had made it an object of special 

 study. The work is to be published in the Russian language, 

 with Latin diagnostic descriptions of the new species. 



Mr. Bates pointed in the plate to a figure of Cocandica, a 

 variety of Cohas Nastes, an insect belonging to Lapland, and 

 noticed as an interesting fact that many species of insects belong- 

 ing to Ai'ctic regions were found also in mountainous districts 

 much farther south, though not in the intervening jjlaius. He 

 mentioned also Colias Pal^eno, which was found near the snow- 

 line in tho Alps, and in Lapland. 



Mr. Albert Miiller said that he felt much interested in the 

 remarks offered by Mr. Bates, as they confirmed his own con- 

 clusions concerning the very close connection, or perhaps even 

 identity, between the Arctic and the Alpine insect-faunas. He 

 refen'ed to one remarkable instance — namely, to the genus Par- 

 nassius, and in particular to P. AiJoUo, which occurred in most 

 I)arts of northern Europe and Asia; but which in Central 

 Europe — i.e., in Switzerland, was confined to the Alps and the 

 opposite Jurassian range, carefully avoiding the intervening 

 alluvial pluin*^. which in the glacial period had been covered by 

 the glacieis of the R.houe, the Reuss, the Rhine, and minor tii- 

 butaries. He adCed, that if the actual stations of the species 



