AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HORTICULTURE. 



347 



Cochlearia, continued. 



C. officinalia (officinal). Common Scurvy Grass. /. white. 

 Spring. . - L, radical ones stalked, cordate ; cauline ones ovate, 

 toothed, angular, h. 2in. to 12in. Cold regions of northern hemi- 

 sphere. A pretty early spring-flowering biennial. It is a valuable 

 anti-scorbutic. See Fig. 480. 



COCHLEATE. Twisted, BO as to resemble the shell 

 of a snail. 



COCHIiIOSTEMA (from kochlion, spiral, and sterna, 

 a stamen; in allusion to the spirally curved stamens). 

 OED. ComrnelinacecB. This genus contains bnt a single 

 species, as the two plants described below are mere forms 

 of one. A very handsome stove perennial. It thrives in 

 a compost of peat, leaf mould, and loam, in equal parts, 

 with the addition of a small quantity of sand. Perfect 

 drainage and a copious supply of water both to the roots 

 and overhead are essential. Propagated by seed, which 

 are obtained in abundance by means of artiiicial fertili- 

 sation. The anthers will be found inside the large 

 stamen-like organs in the centre of the flower. The seed 

 should be sown as soon as ripe, in sandy soil, in well- 

 drained pots, and placed in a hotbed. 



C. Jacobianum (Jacob's), fi. blue, delicately sweet, numerous, 

 pedicellate, crowded at the ends of the stalks in a rather short, 

 simple, scorpioid cyme ; three outer segments of the perianth un- 

 equal, oblong, obtuse, hooded at the apex ; three inner segments 

 equal, obovate, their margins fringed with long, delicate, rich 

 purple hairs. September. L rich dark green, edged with a 

 narrow margin of purple, oblong-lanceolate, 1ft. to 3ft. long, 

 and 6in. to 8m. broad, sheathing at the base. Andes of Ecuador, 

 1867. This is one of the finest introductions of late years, and 

 equally as valuable from a horticultural point of view as it is 

 interesting from its peculiar structure. (B. M. 5705.) 



Cochlospermum continued. 



C. Gossypium (cottony), fl. yellow, large. May. 

 lobed ; lobes acute, entire, tomentose beneath, h. 50ft 



L throe to flve- 

 , h. 50ft India, 



1822. SYN. Bombax Oossypivm. (B. F. S. 171.) 



The other two species reputed to have been introduced are orino- 

 eente and vittfolium. 



COCKCHAFERS (Melolontha vulgaris). The Cock- 

 chafers, or May Bugs, are very destructive, both in the 

 larval and the perfect state. In the latter condition, they 

 are found during the spring, generally towards the end of 

 May. They are rarely seen out in the day, choosing night 

 to carry on their depredations. They feed chiefly on the 

 leaves of the Oak, Hazel, Elm, and Willow, sometimes 

 wholly denuding them of their foliage. Cockchafers belong 

 to the order Lamellicornes, the antenna? of which are 



FIG. 482. FEMALE AND MALE COCKCHAFERS. 

 lamellated, or consisting of a series of plates (see Fig. 482). 

 The female lays her eggs in the earth, several inches below 

 the surface, placing them one by one in a little heap until 

 some eighty or ninety have been deposited. The eggs are 

 somewhat oval, and of a white or pale 

 yellow colour. They are hatched in 

 about a fortnight. As soon as the larva 

 has reached its full length (see Pig. 483), 

 it measures IJin. or more, and is dirty 

 white, with brown head, and blackish at 



Fio. 481. COCHLIOSTEMA ODORATISSIMUM. 



(sweetest-scented). ./I., outer perianth seg- 

 ments yellowish-green at the base, reddish above ; inner segments 

 large, deep blue, with a large white claw. I. pale green above, 

 long, sheathing, gracefully recurved ; margins bordered with 

 red ; under surface red, marked with deep red-violet lines. 

 The scent in this form is much more powerful than in C. Jaeobi- 

 anum. See Fig. 481. 



COCHLOSPERMUM (from cocWo, to twist, and 

 eperma, a seed; in allusion to the form of the seed). 

 ORD. Bvrinece. Magnificent stove evergreen trees or shrubs. 

 Flowers yellow, large, panicled, with the peduncles articu- 

 lated at the base. Leaves alternate, stipulate, palmatifid 

 or digitate ; petioles jointed at the base. They thrive well 

 in a compost of loam and peat. Cuttings of ripened shoots, 

 taken in April, will root in sand, if placed in bottom heat, 

 under a hand glass; but plants raised from seed make 

 finer trees. 



Fie. 483. GRUB OF COCKCHAFER. 

 the tail end. By this time, it is three 

 and a-half years old, and has subsisted 

 on the tender roots of the plants. It 

 then takes the pupa form, remaining 

 in the earth nntil winter is past, and 

 the perfect beetle emerges, as previously 

 stated, in spring. 



The following are a few of the nu- 

 merous remedies recommended for the 

 extermination of this troublesome pest. 

 Where they abound in large quantities, 

 they may be shaken down on to cloths 

 spread under the trees, and afterwards collected and 



^Starlings. In some nurseries and other large establish- 

 ments, it is customary to hang nesting boxes around, for 

 the benefit of the starlings, who soon take to the nests. 

 As soon as the mature Cockchafer appears above ground, 

 the starlings are ready to receive him, and the result i 

 comparative freedom from the insect. Ecoks, partridges, 

 and some other birds, should also be encouraged, for 

 when the soil is dug, particularly in a slight frost, they 

 will clear off all the grubs they can reach. 



Colza. The French sow colza on the ground infested with 

 Cockchafer grubs, and when there is a good crop, it is dug 

 or ploughed in. We have found rape, used in this manner, 

 very serviceable. . 



Nitrate of Soda and Soot. This, sown at the rate of 



