THE CANADIAN HORTICULTUKIST. 



273 



is continued during the life of the 

 insect, which in its hist stages acquires 

 wings and flies from vine to vine. The 

 Delaware and other thin-leaved sorts 

 sufier more from these insects than the 

 leathery-leaved sorts. The remedy is 

 one of prevention, by gathering all the 

 vine leaves in autumn and burning 

 them, and raking the surface frequently 

 and cleaning up all rubbish where they 

 can hibernate. Syringing with tobacco- 

 water, whale oil soap, kerosene emul- 

 sion, etc., when the insects are first 

 hatched is recommended, but these ai*e 

 wholly inefficient when they have ac- 

 quired their wings. 



CATALPA SPECIOSA. 



My Catalpa has grown nicely, but it 

 has two shoots forming a fork. Would 

 you advise (1) cutting away one or let- 

 ting it grow as it is "? I planted it in 

 a tub with holes bored in the bottom 

 so that I can remove it to its proper 

 place in the spring, knock the staves 

 away, and plant it without injuring 

 the roots : is this (2) a good plan 1 I 

 have a Biguonia which has grown about 

 three feet since it was planted in the 

 spring : ought I (3) to lay it down and 

 cover it, or does it spring up afresh in 

 the spring, the old vine dying I I like 

 the appearance of the Catalpa ; its foli- 

 age is tine ; and if its bloom is as nice 

 as represented in the Canadian Horti- 

 culturist and Rural New-Yorker, it will 

 be a beautiful tree. At about what 

 (4) age does it begin to bloom \ 



R.* Kennedy. 

 Bethany. 



Reply. — (1), Cut away one of the 

 shoots when you plant it out next 

 spring. (2), Yes, your plan is a good 

 one, especially with trees that are dif- 



ficult to transplant, but we have found 

 the Catalpa speciosa, or Hardy Ca- 

 talpa, to bear transplanting remark- 

 ably well. (3), You would do well to 

 lay your Bignonia down this fall and 

 cover it lightly. It does not die down 

 in autumn and spring up afresh from 

 the root in the spring. (4), The Ca- 

 talpa speciosa often begins to bloom at 

 three and four years old. 



FERN" FROXDS. 

 Among some ferns I have just re- 

 ceived from Muskoka I found one, a 

 frond of which I enclose to you, all the 

 petioles of which were covered with 

 what appears to be a parasite, but 

 whether vegetable or animal I cannot 

 judge. I shall be greatly obliged for 

 your opinion on the subject, and for 

 any information about it which you. 

 may be able to give. I have quite a 

 collection of native varieties gathered 

 from various parts of the Province, bu.t 

 I never saw anything of the nature of 

 a parasite on any specimens before, and 

 the resemblance of the present example 

 to violet or pansy seed is so remarkable 

 as to excite wonder as to its origin. 



S. A. C. 

 Torouto, 23rd Sept., 1885. 



Reply. — That we might have the 

 opinion of an authority in this matter 

 we sent the specimen to a student of 

 Cornell University at Ithaca, N. Y., 

 with the request that he would submit 

 the specimen to the professor of botany. 

 This was done, and the pi-ofessor stated 

 that the fern was one of the Moon- 

 worts, but so very much dried up that 

 he could not identify the species, that 

 the bodies having the appearance of 

 pansy seeds wei-e not parasitic, but 

 sporangia. 



