September 27, 1864. ] JOUENAL OP HOETTCTJLTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



255 



producing first-class fruit, and especially Grapes. We have 

 just had another instance of their success, for Mr. Hender- 

 son, of Trentham, gained at the autumn show held at 

 Brighton on the 14th and 15th inst., the first prize for the 

 best collection of eight dishes of fruit, and the railway cup 

 as well. Such a position is not easily won at the Brighton 

 Show, which is second to no provincial show in the kingdom. 



ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY'S MEETING-. 



The September Meeting of the Entomological Society was 

 held on the 5th inst., F. P. Pascoe, Esq., E.L.S., President, 

 in the chair. 



The ravages of the Turnip grubs, or caterpillars of a 

 species of Moth belonging to the genus Agrotis, were 

 brought under the notice of the members by Mr. Dunning, 

 the Secretary, who had received a number of living speci- 

 mens from a correspondent in Yorkshire, who had suffered a 

 loss of at least .£150 by their attacks on fields of Turnips ; 

 and Professor Westwood gave an account of their attacks 

 on different kinds of vegetables in his own garden near 

 Oxford. Turnips, Beetroot, Carrots, Endive, Lettuce, Pota- 

 toes, greens of various kinds, and Sea-kale had all been 

 attacked, and so numerous were they that not fewer than 

 twenty-nine had been taken around the root of a single 

 Broccoli, and his gardener had, day after day, collected a 

 pint measure of them, which were greedily devoured by 

 fowls. Hand-picking and laying traps (by burying cabbage 

 leaves or stems), were, indeed, the only available remedies 

 against their attacks. 



Mr. Ianson exhibited four minute species of Staphylinidas 

 recently taken in this country, hitherto unrecorded as British. 



The Eev. Hamlet Clark exhibited a beautiful Beetle, 

 Buprestis ocellata, a native of central India, which had 

 been found alive on shipboard, about fifty miles from Mada- 

 gascar, and which was supposed to have been reared in 

 wood brought from India. Various instances were, however, 

 quoted of the powers of flight of insects caught at long 

 distances from land. Some have been taken 150 miles from 

 the coast of Africa; the north-east trade winds having 

 evidently had considerable influence in allowing the ex- 

 tension of their flight. 



Mr. Lowne exhibited a collection of Coleoptera and Lepi- 

 <loptera taken by himself in the spring of the present year 

 in the Holy Land, and pointed out the difference of several 

 of the species from closely allied forms found throughout 

 Europe. Amongst these was a modification of the Papilio 

 Podalirius, which was stated not to occur to the west of the 

 river Jordan. The geographical range of plants as well as 

 insects was indeed strongly marked in Syria, the plants to 

 the south of the Dead Sea being quite distinct from those 

 of more northern localities. 



Mr. Larkin exhibited a newly-invented glazed case or 

 frame for exhibiting insects suspended on the walls of rooms. 



Mr. Tegetmeier called the attention of the members 

 present to the series of letters recently published, anony- 

 mously, on the economy of the Hive Bee, in the Times, by 

 Dr. dimming, many of the statements in which were the 

 " most incorrect that could be imagined, and full of ridiculous 

 and disgraceful blunders." Many of these statements were 

 reviewed and their incorrectness shown. Thus a swarm was 

 said to consist of five or six thousand individuals, and to be 

 of the size of a bunch of Grapes, whereas a good swarm 

 •would fill a peck measure. Bees were said to be early risers, 

 whereas it is seldom that they are out of the hive before 

 eight o'clock, even if the hive be exposed to the sun. Again, 

 "they were said never to interfere with the property of their 

 neighbours, whereas the deprivation of weak hives by robber 

 tiees from strong ones, was a fact known unfortunately by 

 •every bee-master. 



Professor Westwood and the Eev. Hamlet Clark expressed 

 their regret that such a host of misstatements should have 

 appeared in a leading journal, more especially as it appeared 

 that they had been written as advertisements of a work 

 since announced for publication by Dr. Cumming. 



Memoirs by Mr. Hewitson containing descriptions of new 

 species of exotic Butterflies; by Professor Westwood on 

 new species of Sagrides and Megalopides, Plant Beetles with 

 thickened hind legs, natives of Africa, Asia, and Australia ; 



and by the Eev. Hamlet Clark on a number of new species of 

 Plant Beetles, belonging to the genus Scheniatiza, from the 

 New World, remarkable for their striking resemblance to 

 species of Lycus. 



Lieut. Beavan communicated a memoir on the natural 

 history and transformation of the Tusseh Silk Moth of India. 



PEACHES IN AMEEICA. 



One of the Tribune reporters has been among the Peach 

 men, and visiting all the railroad depots and steamboats 

 bringing Peaches to this city, and Jersey city opposite ; also 

 most of the large wholesale dealers and receivers of the 

 fruit. He has collected many statistics and items of interest 

 and value to those living outside of the city, and who have 

 faint conceptions of the magnitude of the trade. They 

 would receive considerable enlightenment by visiting Jersey 

 city about noon any day, except Sunday, and witnessing the 

 arrival of the Delaware Peach train of twenty to thirty cars, 

 completely filled with Peaches, each car containing about 

 five hundred baskets, or their equivalent in crates. We will 

 here remark that the Peach crop of Delaware and New 

 Jersey, is larger than in any former year since 1857, much 

 the largest portion of which is sent to this market, though 

 large quantities are sold in Philadelphia, and smaller 

 amounts in Baltimore and Washington. ' 



The majority of those already sent in are from Delaware, 

 where the yield is not only very large, but the fruit also of 

 fine quality. About one-half the crop of that State is now 

 in, and South Jersey is sending freely, while those from the 

 central portion of the State are just beginning to arrive. 

 The Jersey yield is generally good, though the drought 

 materially lessened the crop in some localities. 



The railroads passing through the "Peach regions run 

 special trains during the fruit season made up wholly of 

 Peaches. Freight cars, and in some cases cattle cars, are 

 fitted up with shelves for carrying four tiers of baskets, and 

 they are pressed in so closely that there is very little motion 

 to them. The baskets are generally uncovered, though a 

 few have cloth covers tied on. Some extensive growers use 

 slat crates instead of baskets, a portion of them holding 

 two Peach-baskets, or one bushel each, with a partition 

 through the middle to relieve the pressure, others holding a 

 single basket of fruit. These crates are very convenient 

 for reshipping the Peaches further north, and are gaining 

 favour among dealers. A car can be packed full of crates 

 without reference to shelves, the fruit can be inspected from 

 all sides, and pilfering boys who throng about the trains 

 upon their arrival cannot purloin the Peaches. 



As already remarked, the railroad companies drop these 

 cars along the route, where growers fill them, and at the 

 appointed time, generally late in the afternoon or at night, 

 they are picked up and taken to the city, intending to reach 

 there early in the morning. There is a great deal of complaint 

 regarding transportation this season. The crop is so large; 

 and the railways so taxed with passengers and freight, that 

 thousands of baskets are not unfrequently left behind to 

 rot, or they are subsequently sent forward in a damaged 

 condition. 



Most of the Peaches are consigned to commission dealers, 

 some of whom are interested in the orchards ; but generally 

 they merely receive and sell the fruit on commission, meet* 

 ing the trains, and either selling in lots at the depot, or 

 carting it to their stands, generally in the vicinity of Wash- 

 ington market. These large dealers seldom retail, but sell 

 in quantity to up-town grocers, and to shippers, or they send 

 direct to Boston, Providence, Hartford, or some other eastern 

 city, to fill orders on hand. Nearly one-half of the Peaches 

 now coming here are either sent up the Hudson, to the 

 various cities along the river, or to the eastern cities, and 

 more would be sent could freight or express accommodation 

 be had. The commission for handling or selling is 10 per 

 cent, on sales. The prices obtained for good fruit have thus 

 far averaged about 1 dol. 25 cents, per basket, ranging from 

 1 dol. to 1 dol. 50 cents. Some of the dealers receive one 

 to two thousand baskets per day, the carting and disposal of 

 which keeps them on such a stretch, that they feel a relief 

 when the season is over. 



The proprietor of an extensive glue factory in Philadel- 



