Joly 7, 1870. J 



JOUBWAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



11 



received eight medals in gold, silver, and bronze from Hamburg, Italy, 

 and France. None was given this time. 



Vases, reservoirs, flower cases, fountains, &c, made on a new patent 

 system of cement and iron were shown. The iron part is merely wire- 

 work in squares, to which the cement is put on both sides ; it appears to 

 be very solid, as several cisterns were sent that bad been in constant 

 nse for sis years, and from which water had been taken out with water- 

 ing pots, but these samples appeared as solid as ever. 



The fly trap, spoken of in the English horticultural journals, was 

 again brought to notice by the inventor himself — viz., M. L. Rommetin, 

 Quai de Valmy, 93, Paris, and although it was not awarded a medal 

 this time, it had already received several. 



Imitation china was well shown by Lebourg, 43, Boulevard du 

 Prince Eugene, Paris, in the shape of vases, <fcc, and was such an 

 excellent imitation of old china-work that it was well worth the silver 

 medal that was awarded. Vases and other ornamental articles for 

 halls and rooms manufactured in delph were well brought forward by 

 Barbizet fils, 17, Place du Trone, Paris, and who deserved well the 

 silver medal that was awarded. M. M. J. Lenne et E. Leune, Rue 

 des 2 Ponts, 29 et 31 (lie St. Louis), Paris, received a medal in bronze 

 for the same. 



This ends the description of the principal articles of interest, and 

 although there were many things to interest a visitor, the Exhibition 

 cannot, certainly, in some of its parts be said to be a fair illustration 

 of French horticulture in general. — Aiksi. 



INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE PEAR TREE. 



No. S. 



Spilonota cynosbatella — Bed Bud-Catebpillab. It has 

 also been named by entomologists Toetbix ocellana, Penthtxa 

 ocellana, Pyralis luscana, and Tinea cynosbatella. 



The moth is about three- quarters of an inch from tip to tip 

 of the expanded wings. Fore wings white, tinged with brown ; 

 brownish black at the base, and blotched with bluish black. 

 Hind wings brownish grey. The caterpillar is dirty flesh- 

 colour, with darker lines down the back and sides ; the head 

 and neck brownish black, with pale spots. It passes into the 

 chrysalis state in the flower bud it has attacked. The cater- 

 pillar appears at the time of the Pear bloom opening, and the 

 moth is found early in July. The eggs are laid in the buds, 

 and remain through the winter nnhatched. A drop of sap 

 often appears on a bud that is attacked. The bud seems glued 

 so as to be unable to open. The caterpillar feeds on the young 

 fruits as well as on the buds. It is fall grown in about a 

 month, and then spins a white cocoon, in which it changes 

 to a chrysalis. 



To prevent future ravages, the buds attacked should be de- 

 stroyed with the ravagers they contain. 



WATERING. 



1st. Is it necessary to water newly-planted subjects, such as 

 bedding plants, or kitchen garden crops ? To this 1 reply — No, 

 and in support of my opinion I advance the following facts. 

 This spring and summer, so far, have proved remarkably dry, 

 and, as usual, I see, as an every-day-affair, watering plants as 

 soon as planted, and that it is followed np for weeks. Now 

 india-rubber tubing is to be had at such a low rate, there 

 seems to be no end of the work, and yet instead of plants look- 

 ing better they look the contrary. 



In the third week of May I turned out my bedding plants ; 

 it was very cold and dry, but as there were no signs of rain, and 



being anxious to have less every-day-watering, I planted out. 

 The plants having been in the trenches intended for Celery for 

 a month, they were well hardened-off, and though since they 

 were planted there have been but two parts of days rain, of 

 which to-day (June 24th) gave the heaviest fall, I could not 

 wish to see plants better, either as regards bloom (they are to- 

 day a mass of flowers ; Christine, Stella, Tom Thumb, Madame 

 Vaucher, and Lord Palmerston Pelargoniums, and Lobelia 

 speciosa, being lovely), or for foliage, and that, too, although 

 they have had no water excepting the rain and dew. A friend 

 called here on May 28th, and remarked how well the plants 

 were doing, and said there must be root action. I lifted a 

 plant that had been put in on May 23rd, and there were new 

 white roots three-quarters of an inch long. 



Now, I think there is nothing very remarkable about this. 

 In March I manure and deeply dig the beds, which then remain 

 bare till May. Between March and May we have much cold 

 wet weather, but then we have much sunshine, which warms 

 the ground by the time it is ready for planting. 1 thoroughly 

 water in the morning the plants which I intend planting in the 

 afternoon ; I then plant them, and to me it seems like planting 

 them in a gentle hotbed, as though the soil may be cold on the 

 sutface, it is not so underneath. The plant then being in a 

 moist state, and the ground warm, the roots commence growing 

 at once, and, of course, the tops will not be far behind. 



The points in favour of a plant not being watered are — First, 

 by thoroughly watering the plant some few honrs before plant- 

 ing, it fills or feeds the plant, and, therefore, when it is planted 

 out the ground, as I have tried to explaiD, being warm, it grows 

 at once. Secondly, I lay the plants as near the ground as pos- 

 sible ; by doing so, while the wind does not break them, the 

 sap is equalised, causing the plant to become bushy. Thirdly, 

 When it rains the plants grow very faBt. 



I will now take a case of watering. A plant is planted out ; 

 most likely it is very dry, as I have heard men say, Well, we 

 are planting out so-and-so to-day, it will not require watering. 

 Well, it is planted and then watered ; in fact, I may call it 

 watering the ground, as the plants receive very little of the 

 water, especially if it is dry before planting, and the conse- 

 quence is the plant is at a standstill. It cannot grow, the 

 water given taking the warmth out of the ground, and once 

 watering does not serve, and when it rains, having plenty of 

 water before, they do not grow very fast. Let anyone try the 

 two methods, and he will see the difference. 



I may add, that in 1868, when plants in general suffered so 

 severely, I had no occasion to water, and yet I had a most 

 beautiful show, though I must say that deep cultivation has 

 much to do with the well-being of plants. 



The points against the watering are these : — 



1st. By watering you starve the plants and prevent the roots 

 pushing, as they will not grow in cold ground. 



2nd. Extra labour, which though one may have, still it is 

 loss of time ; and then once water always water, and the ground 

 must be often stirred or it becomes hard. 



3rd. Watered plants will not stand the wind and weather, 

 the water causing the tops to be tender. 



With regard to kitchen-garden crops, I never water them, 

 Celery excepted, and healthier growth I could not wish to see. 

 In planting both summer and winter crops, I plant in drills. I 

 cut Cauliflower which had received no protection since March 

 1st, on June 4th ; I gathered on June 18th, Bingleader Peas, 

 sown on March 9th, and Myatt's Prolific Potatoes, on June 

 22nd. This I consider early for my neighbourhood. — Stephen 

 Castle, The Gardens, Bent Hill, Prestwich. 



CROSS FERTILISATION AND THE LAW OP 



SEX IN EUPHORBIA. 



Mb. Chaeles Darwin's interesting observations on cross fer- 

 tilisation have opened a new world for original discovery. The 

 list of plants which seem to avoid self-fertilisation is already 

 very large. I think Euphorbia may be added to the number. 

 Certainly this is the case with Euphorbia fulgens, Karw. (E. 

 jacquiniseflora, Hook.) which I have watched very closely in my 

 greenhouse this winter. Several days before the stamens burst 

 through the involucre, which closely invests them, the pistil, 

 with its ovarium on the long pedicel, has protruded itself be- 

 yond, exposed its stigmatic surfaces, and received the pollen 

 from the neighbouring flowers. The way in which the pollen 

 scatters itself is curious. In most flowers a slight jar or a 

 breath of wind will waft the pollen to the stigmas, but I have 



