26 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ July 14, 1870. 



Archimedean was so easy and so very perfect. Secondly. 

 "D. A." says, "It will cut any length of grass with ease." 

 Now, as I have used it on short and long grass, I say it will not 

 cut it with ease. 



I can truthfully say tbe Archimedean is not to be compared 

 with Green's machine for excellence. It is very inferior to 

 that very excellent machine. An Archimedean that cuts only 

 14 inches requires two strong men to work it, and it is then 

 hard work, for it muBt be worked with great speed to get it to 

 cut at all, for if worked slowly it slips over the grass, and leaves 

 it uncut. Again, it quickly gets clogged, through the cut grass 

 working itself through the rollers and getting in between the 

 driving gear. It frequently occurs that I am compelled to stop 

 mowing on purpose to take the machine to pieces to clean it 

 before I can go on mowing, and the smallest stick or stone 

 coming in contact with the cutters leaves a large notch in them ; 

 then, of course, it cuts in such places no more. The blades of 

 my machine are notched and look like a saw. It ribs the grass 

 badly, and it does not cut nearly so evenly as Green's or 

 Shanks's machines, while it slips over and leaves uncut such 

 things as Daisy and Clover flowers. Then you cannot cut 

 close to any path or flower bed, or cut verges at all, while you 

 can do so with all tbe other machines that 1 know. If there is 

 the smallest breeze it scatters the grass all over the beds and 

 flowers. 



In conclusion, I say, putting together the time it takes to 

 clean and grind the Archimedean, and that spent in sweeping 

 the lawn, which you do not want to do with Green's and Shanks's 

 machines, the mowing occupies double the length of time. — 

 Vms, Mighgate. 



PORTRAITS OF PLANTS, FLOWERS, AND 

 FRUITS. 



Vanda Cathcakti (Mr. Cathcart's Vanda). Nat. ord., Orehid- 

 acese. Linn., Gynandria Monandria. — "By far the noblest 

 species of the noble genus." Flowers large, yellow ground, 

 barred very numerously with bright brownish red. Native of 

 the Himalayas. — (Bot. 2Iag., t. 5845.) 



Dracj:na cylindrica (Cylindric-spiked Dracana). Nat. ord., 

 Asparaginacea. Linn., Hexandria Monogynia. — Native of the 

 banks of the Old Calabar River, West Africa. Flowers white, 

 bracts brownish purple. — (Ibid., t. 5846.) 



Iris Ieeeioa (Iberian Iris). Nat. ord., Iridacese. Linn., 

 Triandria Trigynia. — A gigantic-flowered dwarf. Outer perianth 

 leaves white ; inner perianth, yellow ground densely barred with 

 purple, humped bases of stigmas dark purple. Native of the 

 Iberian provinces of the Caucasus. — (Ibid., t. 5847.) 



Anthubium oenatum (White-spathed Anthurium). Nat. ord., 

 Orontiacea?. Linn., Tetrandria Monogynia. — Native ef Vene- 

 zuela. Spadix dark purple, dotted with white ; spathe large and 

 white.— (Hid., t. 584S.) 



Saxifeaga aretioides (Aretia-like Saxifrage). Nat. ord., 

 Saxifragaceaa. Linn., Decandria Digynia. — Native of rock- 

 crevices in the Pyrenees. It is hardy. Flowers yellow. — (Ibid., 

 t., 5849). 



Beodlea oocoinea. — " A beautiful new hardy bulb imported 

 by Mr. W. Thompson, of Ipswich, from the Trinity Mountains, 

 California, and by whom it was exhibited at South Kensington 

 on the 8 th ult., when it received the well-merited reward of a 

 first-class certificate from the Royal Horticultural Society's 

 Floral Committee. 



" This Brodijea coccinea produces a flower-scape of from 2 to 

 3 feet in height, and accompanied by channeled leaves of nearly 

 the same length. The flowers are nodding, and borne in a 

 terminal umbel of from five to twelve, or even fifteen to twenty, 

 when established and vigorous. The flowers themselves are 

 about 1J inch long, on pedicels nearly an inch in length, and 

 are ventricosely cylindraceous and obscurely ribbed, the tube 

 for about an inch at its base being of a rich magenta-crimson, 

 while the upper part and the six recurved limb segments are 

 externally pea-green, somewhat paler internally. The three 

 exterior petaloid stamens are greenish white, much broader 

 than the perianth segments, and forming a kind of coronet at 

 the mouth of the tube. The three perfect stamens and the 

 trifid stigma are about as long as the perianth. 



" As regards its cultivation, we learn from Mr. Thompson 

 that it appears to be perfectly hardy when planted deep enough 

 to be beyond the reach of frost, and, moreover, that when 

 planted in a clump of five or six roots it has a most striking 

 appearance. With him it has hitherto been grown with very 

 good success in loamy soil, but it should be well drained. The 



flowering season is May and June. It promises to increase 

 freely, and unlike some of the allied genera, its bulbs do not 

 dwindle, but with ordinary care increase in vigour annually." — 

 (Florist and Pomologist, 3 s., iii., 145.) 



ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY'S MEETING. 



The last meeting of the present season was held on the 4th inst. 7 

 the President, Mr. A. R. Wallace, in the chair. The Secretary an- 

 nounced that the second part of the Transactions of the Society for 

 the present year was ready for delivery to members. 



Mr. Meek exhibited specimens of Noctmdae, Dianthcecia conspersa 

 and allied species, from Ireland and the Isle of Man, together with 

 what appeared to be a very remarkable variety of G-lnppisia crenata 

 from the latter locality. The Hon. T. De Grey exhibited Oxyptilus 

 laetns from Suffolk; and Mr. Moore a portion of the stem of a creeper, 

 Cocculus microcarpus, from Bombay, deformed with a large swelling, 

 within which was a cavity containing three contiguous cases or cocoons 

 enclosing the perfect beetles of a species of the curious thick-legged 

 genus Sagra. 



Mr. Blackmore exhibited several boxes of insects collected by himself 

 during the past winter and spring in Tangiers, amongst which were a 

 series of specimens of Anthoeharis Eupheno, and a monstrous speci- 

 men of Pimelia seabrosa with one of the antennse bifurcate from the 

 second joint. Mr. J. J. Weir sent some further observations on the 

 relation between the colour and edibility of Moths and their larvse. 

 Thus the remarkably coloured caterpillars of Cucullia Yerbasci, one of 

 the Spark Moths, were not only eaten as soon as their colour was 

 developed, but the perfect moths were eaten. Hairy larvae were 

 avoided by birds, but other coloured larv£e appeared to enjoy immunity 

 on account of their colour. 



The President read an extract from a letter from Borneo detailing 

 instances of protective mimicry in two species of Spiders, one of which 

 closely resembled the dropping of a bird. The Hon. T. De Grey 

 stated that he had observed that the caterpillar of tbe Cinxia Fritillary 

 not only resembled the leaf of the Narrow-leaved Plantain, on which 

 it feeds, but the chrysalis is just like the seed of the same plant. 



Mr. Albert Miiller exhibited some imbricated galls ou Ammophila 

 arundinacea from Aberdeen, made by an unknown insect. Mr. Teget- 

 meier exhibited some impressions of Lepidopterous insects, made by 

 transferring the scales to paper and colouring the body, and which had 

 been sold as a new species of lithographic printing. 



Professor Westwood made some observations on some minnte Acari 

 found in the unopened buds of Biack Currant trees, with an elon- 

 gated cylindrical body and only four legs, and another species which 

 forms small pustules on the leaves of Pear trees ; these, with a third 

 species which inhabits galls on the leaves of Lime trees, described 

 some years since in France, he regarded as constituting a distinct tribe 

 in the Acaridas, and for which he proposed the name of Acarellus. 

 [The Professor has, however, subsequently ascertained that Da Jardin 

 (not Dejean, as stated by Mr. A. Miiller), has formed these insects 

 into the genus Phytoptus, regarding them as full-grown animals, whilst 

 a still more recent writer has described them as the larvae of an 8-legged 

 cenus of Mites named Typhlodromus.] 



The Secretary exhibited the woolly Oak galls of Cynips Ramnli, 

 with the Gall-flies bred therefrom, communicated by Sir J. C. Jervoise 

 from Horudean. 



Mr. Bates communicated a memoir, being the continuation of his 

 " Enumeration of the Longicorn Beetles of the Amazons, containing 

 the family Cerambycida3. : ' There were also read a memoir " On a Col- 

 lection of Butterflies seut by Mr. Ansell from South-western Africa," 

 by Mr. A. G. Butler; and " A List of the Hymenoptera captured by 

 Mr. J. K. Lord in Egypt and Arabia, with descriptions of the new 

 species," by Mr. F. Walker. 



THE AMATEUR GARDENER. 



(CHAPTERS NOT IN WALTON.) 

 No. 3. 



Rusticus. — See here, Civis, these poles and festoons of Ivy 

 have an admirable effect ; they are quite a new feature to me 

 in garden decoration. 



Hoetatok. — Nothing can be more simple. The poles, you 

 see, are made of Larch wood, with the bark upon them. 

 Before their insertion in the earth they should be partially 

 burnt at the bottom, and have a painting of gas tar to prevent 

 their rotting in the ground. A slender iron chain, which can 

 be purchased at any ironmonger's, is then fastened upon them, 

 letting it hang down in festoons between the poles, which 

 should be about 10 or 12 feet apart. Plant your Ivy against 

 them — prefer strong plants of the Dish — in good rich loam, 

 and supply them during the growing season with plenty of 

 water; if a little quano be added to it twice a-week all the better. 

 The Ivy will then soon run up the poles, and can be trained and 

 tied to the chains. 



Sxlvia. — Should you be tempted to imitate suoh an orna- 

 ment, Civis, I would venture to suggest an improvement by 



