August 20, 1874. ) 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAIiDfiNER. 



167 



suoh grotesque ehapee, that do open the jaws and attempt to 

 bite the pkin. This has never been noted as the habit of the 

 species before us. 



Having reached maturity, the caterpillars of this moth lose 

 theii' bright tints, cease to eat, and, becoming of a livid hue, 

 they excavate a chamber in the earth, the interior of which is 

 beautifully smoothed-off so that no rough particles of soil can 

 annoy the chrysalis. The case or shell iu which the proboscis 

 is enclosed is distinctly seen folded round ou the breast of the 

 chrysalis. In some years, instead of the emergence taking 

 place during the following season, the chrysalis stage lasts on 

 tlirough another summer and winter, the moth coming out in 

 the second year. There have — so some report — been instances 

 where it has been the third year ; but even this is surpassed 

 by the small Egger Moth, which has been known to pass six 

 winters in a etiite of dormancy. 



I will end this paper with a few words on a moth of very 

 different size and appearance, which is produced from a cater- 

 pillar which feeds on the Hawthorn, and the perfect insect is 

 therefore often seen flying about gardens where the Hawthorn 

 grows in the vicinity. In the day a tap of a stick given at 

 intervals along a Hawthorn hedge duriug August will bring 

 out one after another of these, each falling like a snowflake 

 amongst the grass. This is popularly known as the Chinese 

 Character (Cilix spinula), and the beauty of it lies especially 

 in the silvery scales which are arranged along the wing-rays, 

 and which have been thought to bear a resemblance to Chinese 

 letters or characters. But there is also much elegance in the 

 greyish band and spots as they are set out on the pure white 

 of the wings. All the wings are thickly clad with scales, and 

 when at rest the moth folds these over the body in a roof-like 

 manner. The caterpillar is of a singular shape, having a 

 double row of small humps or warts along the back, and the 

 pointed head is cleft on the crown. At the tail there is a spike 

 or point, which the caterpillar lifts iu the air as it crawls, 

 much iu the fashion of the caterpillar of the Puss Moth. 

 When it forms the cocoon it usually fastens on the outside a 

 leaf, or a part of one, iu such a way as to give concealment, 

 and then weaves behind that a close abode of silk, in which it 

 only continues two or three weeks. The species has been seen 

 in all parts of England. — J. K. S. C. 



LEEK CULTURE-CABBAGES CLUBBING. 



The following, in answer to " Aoeicola," may be useful to 

 other readers as well. 



To grow Leeks to a full size the highest cultivation must bo 

 given. Instead of planting them out on a border of rich soil, 

 as many do, and with good results, for " Agkicola's " special 

 purpose I would advise him to make preparation for them the 

 same as for Celery, and grow either one or two rows in a trench. 

 For one row the trench will do about IS inches wide, but for 

 two it should be not less than 18 inches in width ; and in either 

 case uotless than a foot in depth, filled up with good substantial 

 manure, afterwards covered over with about three inches of 

 soil. First of all, however, fully 6 inches of manure ought to be 

 dug-in at the bottom of the trench, as the Leek is a vigorous 

 and deep-rooting plant. It also requires full time to develope 

 itself ; therefore the seed ought to be sown by the middle of 

 March on a bed of deeply-worked rich soil. When the plants 

 are 6 or 8 inches high select the best of them and trim 

 back the long weak roots a little, cut the loose leaves off, 

 and dibble into the trench^not deep, but just sufficient to 

 hold the plant in its place ; water them every day, if the 

 weather is dry, untU they have established themselves, and 

 once or twice a-week afterwards according to the state of the 

 weather. When the soil is dry enough, after every second 

 watering it should be stirred to promote the free growth 

 of the plant, and to keep down weeds. In about a month 

 after planting another 2 inches of soil may be added to the 

 surface, and again once or twice afterwards ; and when they 

 have nearly attained their full growth the plants may with 

 advantage be earthed-up a little. 



By the above treatment " Ageicola " will perceive that the 

 plants will produce enormous leaves as well as large stems ; 

 but in order to increase the size of the latter he must keep the 

 large leaves trimmed back to half their length according as 

 new ones are produced, and I doubt not he will realise what 

 he desires. 



In reply to " Agkicola's " second question, I think his 

 system is as good as any other, for I have never known any 

 remedy prove effectual for a series of years. For years we have 



been little troubled with the disease called clubbing, and this 

 season, so far, I have not seen one plant affected by it. I rely 

 as much upon cultivation as I do on a remedy ; and if I had a 

 sandy loamy soil I should apply manure in lieu of salt, but 

 with lime and soot, and that, too, in the bed where the seed 

 is sown, because it is there that the plants are first attacked. 

 The following is my practice : Prepare the seed bed by working 

 the soil fully a spit deep, adding rich half-decomposed manure 

 and lime about 1 inches under the surface, and when raking 

 this down also work-in a quantity of quicklime and soot in 

 equal proportions. Sow the seed and rake it in. The lime 

 and soot act as a preventive to the attack of the insect, and 

 the manure from the time the seeds are up acts as a stimulant 

 for the plants to grow out of the way of its ravages. Again, 

 we see more of this clubbing iu dry summers than in wet ones i 

 therefore from the time the seedlings are up do not r.llow the 

 soil to become too dry : the frequent waterings cause the insect 

 to leave the ground, as it does not thrive iu wet places. The 

 next thing I do is to prick-out the plants also in well-prepared 

 soil, and both at this moving and when the plants are trans- 

 ferred to their final quarters each is examined and the warty 

 substance cut off : the plant is none the worse, and is seldom 

 attacked again. Should any affected plants escape notice at 

 the time of planting-out they may soon be discovered by their 

 pallid appeai-ance and by flagging under the sun ; then by 

 moving away the soil and cutting off the protuberance the 

 plant recovers if supplied with plenty of water. I ought to say 

 that at every transplanting lime and soot are worked-in with 

 the soil. — Thomas Eecoed. 



SEEDLING BRIAR STOCKS. 

 In reply to "P.," page 138, seedling Briars can be raised 

 from English seed, but the French seeds are much better, and 

 they can be purchased in Paris. Briars are extensively culti- 

 vated in France for stocks by the French rosarians. I would 

 recommend " P." to purchase the stocks in the season. I 

 usually get mine over iu December. Any amateur requiring 

 either stocks or plants can be supplied with any quantity by a 

 Rose-grower with whom I am acquainted. — John Mayo, Oxford. 



MELONS SPLITTING. 

 The same rational method which " Vrris " recommends to 

 prevent Grapes cracking, a plan I know to be effectual, is 

 equally useful in arresting the splitting of Melons. In houses 

 it is comparatively easy to prevent Melons flying to pieces by 

 withholding water soon enough, but it is not so easy to do so 

 in the case of ordinary frame and manure- bed culture. Towards 

 the end of the season the roots are apt to pass into the then- 

 decayed manure of the bed, and the result is a splitting of 

 the fruit. This is perhaps more common than the world is 

 aware of, and numbers of Melons are every year thrown away 

 " on the quiet," because they are " not fit to send in." At 

 this season splitting often follows the cutting of a few fruit 

 from each plant, those left having a double influx of sap to 

 deal with, and give way under the pressure. Cut the stem 

 half through, or even the fruitstalk, when there are signs of 

 splitting, and the evil will be averted. — Cucumis Melo. 



ROSES AT WORCESTER. 



I AM going to add an appendix to " D.," of Deal's, interest- 

 ing account of the Cheshunt Roses by saying a few words with 

 i-egard to Koses at Mr. Smith's at Worcester, where " D." and 

 I went after the Birmingham Show on the 7th of July, but 

 whence " D." had to depart before we had half gone through 

 the Roses there. I cannot, and do not pretend, to give an 

 adequate description either of the Roses or the nurseries, still 

 less of Mr. Richard Smith's kindness and hospitality. I can 

 only say that meeting Mr. Smith for the first time at Birming- 

 ham when the Judges and Committee were lunching together, 

 he pressed me most hospitably to come on to Worcester that 

 night to stay with him and see his nurseries the next day, and 

 that I was by no means prepared to see the state of perfection 

 to which the whole of the arrangements of the large nursery 

 grounds, propagating pits, vineries, orchard houses, &a , had 

 been carried. 



I had not time to make many notes, but I went carefully 

 over about seven or eight acres of Boses ; one-third on Briar, 

 about two-thirds on Manetti, at a rough guess. I can quite 

 endorse " D.'s " opinions about the new Roses of 1872 ; there 

 are none Uke Etieune Levet or Fran(,!ois Michelon of the pre- 



