November 21, 1872. ] 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



-10'J 



members to the annual meeting of the latter. Mr. Samuel 

 Stevens exhibited a number of curious varieties of British 

 butterflies and moths, for the most part recently captured by him- 

 self, including Pieris Daplidice, and six specimens of Argynnis 

 Lathonia, from the neighbourhood of Dover ; a very beautiful 

 variety of Cynthia Cardui, and a black Callimorpha Dominula, 

 Sesia asiliformis, and Sphinx Celerio and livornica, taken near 

 Brighton. 



Mr. F. Smith exhibited a very extensive series of Formicidoe, 

 captured in the Eden Gardens, Calcutta, by Mr. Rothney, a 

 gentleman only recently arrived in India. The collection was 

 very valuable, as it contained specimens of the various sizes of 

 most of the sj^ecies, which often differed so much from each 

 other that the different members of one species might easily be, 

 and in fact had been, considered not only as belonging to dis- 

 tinct species, but even to different genera. He also exhibited 

 and presented to the Society the minute-book of the old Ento- 

 mological Society, containing records of the meetings between 

 1806 and 1822, for the most part in the handwriting of the late 

 Mr. Haworth, author of the " Lepidoptera Britannica," by 

 whom the volume had been given to Dr. J. E. Gray, who had 

 recently handed it to Mr. Smith. At the beginning of the 

 volume were also the proceedings of the antecedent Aurelian 

 Society from 1801 to 1801. Mr. Butler exhibited a fossil wing of 

 a butterfly, in the collection of Mr. Charlesworth, found in the 

 Stonesfield slate. It was very perfect, and approached nearest 

 to the South American genus Caligo. Mr. Albert Miiller read 

 some notes on the habits of a small beetle, allied to the genus 

 Anobium, which he had reared in some numbers from a large 

 gall upon the Quercus californica, formed by Cynips cali- 

 fornica, of which the beetle had taken possession. It had been 

 named Ozognathus cornutus by Leconte, and its habits were 

 quite similar to those of the Death-watch (Anobium striatum). 

 Mr. R. L. Davis, of Walton Cross, exhibited a number of very 

 well preserved caterpillars of butterflies and moths, which he 

 had made for sale. 



The President exhibited a collection of drawings of the trans- 

 formations of Indian Lepidoptera, which had been forwarded to 

 him by Major Hunter. He also made some remarks on the habits 

 of the common Gnat. From July to the present time he had 

 found considerable numbers of this insect in various rooms of his 

 house, all being females, which sex alone is capable of inflicting 

 painful bites. The windows of some of these rooms were kept 

 closed, and the rooms darkened, yet each day a fresh supply 

 appeared to replace those destroyed. During the day they 

 remained stationary, but at sunset they made their way to the 

 windows, against which they kept flying, as though endeavour- 

 ing to escape and join their companions. It is, consequently, 

 that at such time they may be most easily destroyed by persons 

 desirous of being free from their attacks during the night. He 

 had not seen a single male in his house during the four months 

 that the females abounded. 



A memoir by the Bev. B. P. Murray was read, containing 

 " Notes on the Variations of Neuration Observed in Certain 

 Papilionid*," and also " Notes on the Catalogue of Hymeno- 

 ptera," by the Bev. T. A. Marshall, of which a new part, contain- 

 ing the Ichneumonida? and allied families, has recently been 

 published by the Society. 



THE SEASON IN LANARKSHIRE. 



Fok several years prior to 1872 the rainfall had been con- 

 siderably below the average, consequently the earth became 

 too dry for healthy vegetation. This, combined with the late 

 frosts, so checked and injured the growth of trees and shrubs 

 that many of them show signs of decay, while not a few will 

 never rally. The fruit trees in many cases being so injured 

 is, I believe, the sole cause of the deficiency of the fruit crop 

 for some years past. Gooseberries this year, although well 

 bloomed and apparently set well, bore fruit only upon the 

 wood of the preceding year. Plums blossomed and set well, 

 but dropped all their fruit. What effect this wet year may 

 have upon fruit and other trees in subsequent seasons remains 

 to be seen ; but it is evident that never did trees assume 

 a more healthy appearance, while many, the first time for 

 several years, have made large growths of new wood, notwith- 

 standing the severe attacks of aphides during the early part 

 of the year. Although we have suffered much in many 

 respects from the superabundance of moisture, it is to be 

 hoped that with moderate frosts during the winter we are on 

 the eve of improvement. 



I may here mention that in 1871 I discovered in the bud of 

 the Hazel for the first time the same insect that has infested 

 for upwards of forty years the Black Currant, and which I 

 believe is not a very distant relation of that which infests 

 the Vine. I have never been able to trace the existence of 

 this insect before, or beyond the four-footed state in the bud ; 

 but that it infests the roots is evident, as can be easily seen 



on examination, and on the leaves assuming a pointed appear- 

 ance before the buds have been attacked. Although I have 

 not been able to effect a cure as yet, the experiment I have 

 tried may be interesting to those who may be experimentally 

 inclined. I placed the insect upon glass, and surrounded it 

 with paraffin oil, petroleum, and ammonia, and all had the 

 same effect of paralysing it. I am not aware that petroleum 

 is injurious to the roots of plants; if it is not, might not a 

 good quantity be applied to the roots of the Vine ? The 

 amount of rainfall has been up to November 5th no less than 

 51.71 inches — viz., 



January 11.06 inches Wintry till the 25fch. 



February 3.02 „ Warm throughout. 



March !i.66 „ Cold with east wind. 



April 0.77 „ Very cold with snow. 



May 3.08 „ Still cold and frosty. 



June 7.08 „ Still cold. 



July 5.66 „ Second week line, three frosty nights* 



August 4.40 „ About middle line. 



September ..10.03 Eain nearly every day. 



October 1.70 , A fine month. 



November. . . . 2.25 „ So far as goae stormy. 



The beginning of January was stormy, towards the 25th 

 fine, and the bees commenced carrying pollen. As the season 

 advanced we hoped against hope ; the farther the year ad- 

 vanced the less did the bees work, and by May, with early 

 breeding and the hurricanes that drove bees into strange hives, 

 many were queenless. The only good honey days the bees had 

 were in July, although three nights in that month the ther- 

 mometer sank to freezing-point, and one day it stood at 45° 

 the whole day. The heaviest rainfall occurred in this month ; 

 in the space of an hour and a half, a lj-inch rain-gauge 

 was filled, but, notwithstanding this heavy rainfall, it was one 

 of the best honey days the bees had. Up to August forty dry 

 days were about all we had for the year. The year has been 

 characterised by a generally cold atmospheric temperature, by 

 the earth being very warm, by winds with an easterly under cur- 

 rent, and by heavy rains. The wind would veer suddenly from 

 south-west to north-east or east, accompanied with great 

 darkness, the upper current continuing to blow from south 

 west and apparently settled. Fearful thunderstorms prevailed, 

 although we have had no thunder overhead, nor have we had 

 for about twelve years, or since a railway has been carried round 

 us horseshoe fashion. The loudest thunder we had was in 

 Septemb3r, when it appeared to come direct to the bend and 

 then to run first up the line, then down, but never coming 

 overhead. Prior to the railway being laid down in this 

 fashion, we had plenty of thunderstorms. 



From the foregoing it will be seen that it has been a very 

 unfavourable year for the crops. Potatoes a failure, Wheat 

 the same, in Oats much loss, of Turnips in many cases there 

 are none, and at present there is little hopes of getting in 

 Wheat for another year. I think if farmers, when they miss 

 a tid to sow Turnips, would sow Mangel Wurzel broadcast, 

 sometimes a great advantage might be had by transplanting, 

 as it does well in this way. Apples were a poor crop, the 

 blossoms suffering from the late frosts. Pears set well, but 

 did not swell, and no seeds matured in them, they evidently 

 having suffered from the frost. 



Strawberries in some places have produced heavy crops, but 

 there has been much loss owing to the heavy rains. I placed 

 about twenty varieties under trial, runners of 1871. The 

 following are their characters with me. 



Early Varieties. — Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury, good crop, 

 brisk flavour, medium size. Marguerite, large, soft, flavour 

 deficient. Princess of Wales, bad cropper, flavour good, small 

 size. Garibaldi, good cropper but not large, good flavour, too 

 short in the flower-stalk, much damaged by the rain, but very 

 hardy. Brown's Wonder, heavy cropper, rather late, runners 

 having no less than sixteen large trusses of flowers ; plant in 

 consequence of the rain did not set well ; fruit medium-sized, 

 sweet, in colour like Marguerite, shows signs of exhaustion the 

 first year. Bivers's Eliza, good cropper, medium-sized, flavour 

 good, flesh soft, yet it stood the rain better than any other 

 variety. 



Second Earlies. — Wonderful, large roughish berry, good 

 flavour. It bears well the first year, but shows signs of ex- 

 haustion ; fruit nearly all spoilt by the rain. President, large, 

 good cropper and flavour, good constitution. Sir Joseph 

 Paxton, not a single fruit destroyed by the rain ; large, firm, 

 fine form, good bearer, good constitution, flavour good , although 

 not equal to the last-named ; one of the best. Premier, good 

 bearer and firm, but from its erect habit, with so much wet, it 

 set badly. Admiral Dundas, good bearer, large, with a peculiar 



