Decembeb 20, 1888.] 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



763 



Morris pointed out the characters by which E. nova- 

 grauatense might be distinguished. 



Mr. Spencer Moore contributed a paper on 

 Apioscystis, which he regarded as a Volvocinea. 

 The ciliated form was described, and it was 

 shown that its zoospores may sometimes escape 

 as ccrnobia, like a degenerate Volvocinea, which has 

 exchanged the motile for the fixed condition : the 

 sexual cells being zoogametes, its affinity is rather 

 with Pandorinere than with oogamous Volvoceaj. 

 The paper was criticised by Mr. A. W. Bennett and 

 Professor Marshall Ward, who, while testifying to 

 the importance of the investigation, expressed tiie 

 hope that no change would be made in classification 

 until further examination had been made of some of 

 the stages at a critical period of development. Mr. 

 George Murray gave his warm support to the views 

 expressed by Mr. Moore. 



A paper was then read by Mr. G. B. Sowerby 

 embodying descriptions of some new species of 

 shells, of which coloured drawings were exhibited, 

 Amongst these the most noticeable were an Ortho- 

 licus from the Peruvian Andes, Pleurotoma (Hong 

 Kong), Amathina (Mauritius), Crassatella (Japan), 

 Clavigella (Mauritius), and Pectunculus (Australia). 

 An interesting discussion followed, in which Pro- 

 fessor Stewart and Professor Mivart took part, upon 

 the colouration of mollusca being possibly dependent 

 upon the colour of their natural surroundings, or 

 upon that of the host to which in many instances 

 they were found to be attached. 



The meeting adjourned until January 17. 



Entomology. 



THE RED GRUB OP THE PLUM. 



In our article on the Tortrix Wueberiana (Gar- 

 deners' Chronicle, September 6, 18*4) we detailed the 

 life-history of a small moth which lays its eggs on 

 the trunks or branches of Pear trees, the caterpillars 

 hatched from which burrow beneath the bark, form- 

 ing passages, which, when numerous, injure the tree, 

 especially killing the smaller branches, and by degrees 

 destroying the trees. This insect does not, however, 

 confine itself to the Pear, but may be found on some 

 of our stone-fruit trees, such as the Peach, Apricot, 

 and Plum. In England, however, and in various 

 other parts of Europe, more serious injury is sus- 

 tained by the crop of fruit of the last-named tree in 

 the shape of a small dirty red-coloured caterpillar, 

 which is often found in the interior of the full- 

 grown Plum or Green Gage, towards the end of the 

 month of August. 



The eggs are laid by the parent moth in the 

 early part of June upon the then formed young 

 fruit, the grubs hatched from which, in the fol- 

 lowing month, at once burrow into the fruit, upon 

 the flesh of which they subsist, feeding around 

 the hard stone, and leaving their small particles 

 of excrement within the wounds of the fruit, 

 since, being protected from rain and wind, 

 they thrive rapidly, the outer wound in the 

 skin of the fruit through which they gained an 

 entrance soon healing up, and preventing their 

 presence within from being suspected ; so that it 

 often happens that the unwary fruit-eater has his 

 mouth filled with the nauseous interior of the fruit. 

 The state of the interior of a Green Gage is shown 

 in the accompanying woodcut (fig. 108), made from 

 a drawing on August 23 last, the stone of the fruit 

 with the grub of the natural size, and the mass of 

 the insects' excrement beingrepresented of the natural 

 size. The head of the grub is black, the following 

 segment of the body is pale flesh-coloured, with two 

 small black dots near the hind margin, with black 

 markings at the sides, and the remainder of the 

 body is red, the hind part darker coloured, and 

 there are a few short fine hairs scattered over the 

 body. 



The fruit falls to the ground, and the grub im- 

 mediately creeps out of it, and seeks for a quiet 

 place in which it can pass its chrysalis state : 

 generally, however, this is effected whilst the fruit 

 still hangs on the bough, when it creeps out and 

 enters any crevice formed by loose or splintered 

 pieces of the bark and wood, penetrating as deeply 



as possible into the chink of the former, where it 

 spins a fine light silken cocoon, in which it assumes 

 the chrysalis state, the moth appearing in the 

 following spring. 



The moth is the Tortrix (Opadia) funebrana of 

 Treitschke, but it was subsequently described under 

 the name of Tortrix (Carpocapsa) nigricana by 

 Schmidtberger, being, however, quite distinct from 

 the true Tortrix nigricana which infests the common 

 Pea (see Gardeners' Chronicle, 1880, p. 360). 



The moth (as shown by the cross lines in our 

 figure) measures nearly two-thirds of an inch in the 

 expansion of the forewings, which are of a dark colour 

 varied with lighter scales, forming shades before and 

 beyond the middle, and with several short oblique 

 dark lines along the fore edge of the wing ; the hind 

 wings are paler, with a dark border. The insect is 

 represented about twice the natural size in our 

 engraving, which also represents the caterpillar of the 

 natural size suspended by a thread from a twig, witli 

 the head and two following segments of the body. 



It has been suggested that it is desirable to effect 



Fig. 108.— rLuM grub and moth (tortrix fdnekraha). 



the destruction of this insect by shaking the trees, so 

 as to cause the injured fruit, which has become pre- 

 maturely ripe from the attacks of the insect, to fall 

 to the ground, or which has already fallen, and 

 which must be at once destroyed ; all loose portions 

 of the bark of the trees should also be scraped off 

 and burnt, so as to destroy such of the insects as 

 have already made their cocoons there. 



We learn from our American correspondents that 

 the Plum Crop in the United States is very pre- 

 carious, but we find no notice in Mr. Sander's fine 

 work on Infects Injurious to Fruits (Philadelphia, 

 1883), of any Tortrix injurious to the different kinds 

 of Plums. There is, however, in that country another 

 insect which is even more injurious than our English 

 moth, namely the Plum Curculio (Conotrachelus 

 nenuphar Herbst), " the greatest enemy the Plum has 

 to contend with, for when allowed to pursue its course 

 unchecked, it often destroys the entire crop." This 

 is a small weevil, the tiny grub or larva of which 

 feeds around the stone of the fruit in the same manner 

 as the larva of our Tortrix, and measures when full 

 grown about two-fifths of an inch long, and which 

 undergoes its transformation much in the same way 

 as our Tortrix. /. O, W. 



Ireland. 



ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, GLASXEVIN. 



The following extracts are taken from the annual 

 report of the Directorof the Science and Art Museum, 

 Dublin :— 



Year by year it has been my pleasing duty to draw 

 attention to the progress and improvement in these 

 gardens. In a better climate and with a more fertile 

 soil mere conservation might do much to render a 

 similar place attractive at all times, but, circum- 

 stanced as they are, it requires both energy and fore- 

 thought to provide for all the contingencies arising 

 in consequence of uncertain and variable seasons 

 and a poor soil. While the public enjoy and appre- 

 ciate the results, it seems only just that particular 

 mention should be made here of the means by which 

 these results are obtained. It is too often the case 

 that with a limited staff an excuse is made for leav- 

 ing something undone because something else has to 

 be done ; such excuses are not and need not be made 

 by Mr. Moore, for the simple reason that everything 

 is provided for and done in advance of the pressure, 

 which it is not unanticipated before it has actually 

 come to pass. 



It is most satisfactory to note the testimony given 

 by Mr. Moore as to the success of the new Palm- 

 house, and indeed the health and vigour of the 

 plants since its completion cannot fail to impress 

 every visitor. So far as any opinion can at present be 

 formed, the new Fern-house promises to be equally 

 successful, and the arrangement by which different 

 temperatures are maintained in its two divisions to 

 suit the necessities of the two classes of Ferns which 

 they contain respectively, appears to work well. 



The new ground known as the Arboretum is 

 rapidly emerging from the raw appearance which it 

 at first presented, and there is every prospect of its 

 being fully stocked within a reasonable period. 



The gardens have been largely used by students 

 and their teachers, and the supply of plants to various 

 educational institutions has not only been continued, 

 but Mr. Moore has found it practicable to distribute 

 hardy plants to the Queen's College, Cork, and to 

 the garden attached to the Royal University, while a 

 collection of Cape bulbs has been sent to the Sydney 

 Botanic Gardens. 



Upwards of 1000 plants were received either in 

 exchange or through the munificence of donors, 

 among whom Mr. Moore especially mentions the 

 Director of the Royal Gardens, Kew, and Messrs. 

 J. Veitch & Sons, of Chelsea, to whom, as well as 

 to about eighty other donors from all quarters of the 

 globe, the thanks of the Department have been duly 

 communicated. 



The purchase of plants and seeds during the past 

 year to a small extent exceeded, both in number and 

 cost, the amounts returned for last year. In round 

 numbers, the cost has been £272 for 945 plants, as 

 against £26.3 for 834 plants purchased in 1886. 

 When the results are taken into consideration, this 

 expenditure cannot but be regarded as moderate. 



The erection of a new house for succulent plants 

 and the increased accommodation in connection with 

 the office and library remain as the two principal 

 requirements for which it is hoped provision will be 

 made in the coming year. 



Although there is a falling off in the attendance 

 of the public compared with last year, the total 

 number of persons who entered the gardens is 

 scarcely short of what may be almost regarded as 

 the present normal average of 1000 for every day in 

 the year. 



Mr. Moore in an appendix, reports as follows : — 



Conservatories. — No. 1. In my reports for 1885 

 and 1886 I drew attention to the dilapidated 

 condition of No. 1 conservatory, and in my report 

 for the latter year I further mentioned that 

 designs for a house to replace it had been pre- 

 pared. It is now my pleasing duty to report that 

 these designs were adopted, and the erection of 

 a new house sanctioned, which is now completed 

 and fully occupied. The new conservatory is an 



