332 



JOTTENAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



[ October 2a, 1884. 



vulgare crista-galli, a very fine variety, lately gathered in 

 Sheddin Clough, and a curions dwarf Polystichum from the 

 same prolific locality. 



The Society's late excursion to the Isle of Man, of which 

 the Secretary gave an interesting outline, was not nearly 

 so well attended as we had been led to anticipate ; the late- 

 ness of the season, and the miserably wet weather combined 

 having apparently damped the ardour of most of the intend- 

 ing excursionists. 



Inst of Plants Gathered on the Isle of Man Excursion : — 



Phjenogams. — Arenaria maritima, Anagallis tenella, 

 Brassica monensis, Crambe maritima, Cochlearia danica, 

 Hypericum androsasmum, Draba hirta, Saponaria officinalis, 

 Lepidium Smithii, Pinguicula lusitanica (very plentiful at 

 the bottom of Growdale), Pyrethrum niaritimum, Conium 

 maculatum, &c. 



Cryptogams. — Osmunda regalis very abundant and fine, 

 Adiantum capillus- Veneris (in great abundance on rocks and 

 in caves close to the sea to the north of Glen Mea), Asple- 

 nium adiantum-nigi'um, A. trichomanes, A. ruta-muraria, 

 Allosorus crispus, Blechnum spicant anomalum, B. spicant 

 multifurcatum, Lastrea Filix-mas producta, Polystichum 

 angulare paleaceum, P. angulare tripinnatum, P. angulare 

 subtripinnatum, Polypodium vulgare semilacerum (very 

 abundant and fine at the waterfall, Glen Mea), &c. 



PEESEEVLNG WALNUTS. 



Eemove the husk and wash the nuts thoroughly in clean 

 water. S"ow throw them into a saline solution made thus — 

 water one gallon, common salt J lb., nitre 1 oz. The nuts 

 are not to be kept in the solution longer than is required 

 to put them into it and take them out again. Place them 

 upon a sieve to drain, then wipe them with a rough cloth. 

 !Nowpack them, where you will, with cocoa-nut refuse, or 

 with broken charcoal. "When required for table they should 

 be washed and dried. Walnuts thus treated will rarely 

 become mouldy; nevertheless, kike all things of this earth, 

 they ought to be "looked to" now and then, for one rotten 

 Apple will spoil a bushel. 



As a general rule cellars are not the places to keep Wal- 

 nuts, because there are therein always the sporules and 

 germs of mould-forming plants. — Septimus Piesse, Chiswich 



FOUNTAINS. 



"A Stxbsceibee" wishes to know what kind of fountain 

 would look well in a moderate-sized garden. It is to be 

 placed in the centre, where four gravel walks meet at right 

 angles. One of the walks extends 180 feet long, and the 

 fountain will be about 90 feet from the drawing-room 

 windows. The gravel walks are 8 feet wide, and it is in- 

 tended for the walk round the fountain to be about 5 feet 

 wide. The fountain, including the basin, must not be more 

 than 11 feet in diameter. Which is thought better, iron or 

 composition of stone ? and what height should it be ? 



[The question of fountains is one chiefly of taste, position, 

 and the supply of water, and the information you give us is 

 too scanty to enable us to advise yon as we would wish to 

 do. There is a difference between a mere basin and a foun 

 tain. The one is merely a receptacle of water, giving little 

 or no indication as to how the water is to be supplied ; a 

 fountain, on the other hand, indicates more or less the out- 

 burst of water from a jet, and which presupposes a natural 

 or artificial reservoir of water at a much higher level than 

 the fountain. Such a fountain is always best placed in a 

 valley, because then the surrounding heights will always give 

 the idea of its being natural. A fountain on elevated ground 

 always shows that if that fountain is to play it must be 

 through means of water raised mechanically to a still greater 

 elevation. The command of this water ought to regulate 

 the size of the fountain or basin, and the height which it 

 appears above the ground level. For a fountain 11 feet in 

 diameter of basin, if the basin is 2 feet or 18 inches above 

 the ground level, we think it would be enough ; and a raised 

 figure in the centre in the shape of a mermaid or triton, or 

 even several smaller basins, one above the other, the water 

 coming out of the uppermost, or even out of them all, would 



look very well. The height above the basin may be from 

 3 to 10 or more feet, according to the supply of water. Iron, 

 we believe, would be best for such decorative fountains, to 

 be painted and sanded when wet. Perhaps one of the 

 best ways would be to build the tank or basin with brick 

 and cement, and have an iron coping dipping down some 

 15 inches into the water. Such fountains should either be 

 empty or covered up in winter. The best plan is to empty 

 all the supply piping at any rate. Composition will be apt 

 to trouble you after severe winters. We incline to the iron, 

 but both are good when no water is left to freeze. Even 

 stone will crack if left wholly exposed with water in it in 

 winter. We cannot recommend makers, nor is there need, 

 as there is no lack of them.l 



ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY'S MEETING. 



The October meeting of the Entomological Society was 

 held on the 3rd inst., Francis Pascoe, Esq., F.L.S., President, 

 in the chair. 



A case of insects of various orders containing many rare 

 species, especially of the genera Bolboceras, Hesperia, and 

 Mantis, collected in India by Lieut. B. C. Beavan, was pre- 

 sented to the Society by that gentleman. 



Three minute species of Beetles belonging to the family 

 of the Eove Beetles, Staphylinids, were exhibited by Mr. 

 Sharpe, as new to the British lists, and which had been col- 

 lected by that gentleman in Scotland. 



A box of insects collected on the coast of Brazil, from Eio 

 Janeiro to Monte Video, by Mr. T. Pnlliuger, E.N., was ex- 

 hibited by Mr. Ianson. 



The President exhibited two remarkable species of Beetles 

 recently received by him from Australia, belonging to the 

 genera Atractocerey and Cyphagogus. 



Mr. Wallace stated that he had captured several species 

 belonging to the former of these two genera during his re- 

 sidence in the Eastern Archipelago, and that they were 

 wood-feeders in their economy. 



Mr. Doran exhibited the rare British Moth, Botys asinalis, 

 which he had captured during the month of August last 

 near Lyme Eegis. 



Major F. Parry exhibited a box of insects collected at 

 Gibraltar by one of his sons, also a Curculio from Brazil, 

 from the body of which a number of elongated vegetable 

 filaments had been produced, belonging apparently to the 

 genus Sphasria. 



Professor Westwood stated that he had illustrated and 

 described several similar examples of these vegetable para- 

 sites in an early volume of the Society's "Transactions," 

 and that there appeared to be several very distinct, and 

 probably undeserioed, species of fungi which attacked insects 

 preserved in cabinets. One of these is remarkable as being 

 composed of very fine threads of such great tenacity, that 

 in cleaning the insects from the mould the tarsi of the spe- 

 cimens were often pulled off. The subject was very deserv- 

 ing of the attention of microscopic botanists. 



A memoir by Mr. Baly, containing descriptions of new 

 exotic species of Plant-feeding Beetles (Phylophags) was 

 read. 



Mr. F. Bond stated that he had found that several par- 

 tridges which he had lately shot, had fed upon the lame of 

 Agrotis segetum, which had this summer and autumn proved 

 so destructive to the root crops throughout the kingdom. 



CTTLTIYATOES OF THE SOIL IN ILLINOIS. 



In this prairie State are some of the largest farmers of 

 their own lands in the world, many of their corn fields con- 

 taining 500 to 1000 acres, where the reaping machine has 

 ample room and verge enough to display its powers. With- 

 out this great saver of labour, in a country rife with fever 

 and ague, the crops must otherwise be lost from want of 

 hands in harvest time. 



Among the great farmers of the State are Messrs. Jacob 

 Straun, Ike and Jemi Funch (brothers,) and others holding 

 several thousand acres, the landlord and tenant system being 

 unknown. Mr. Straun held about 30,000 acres, almost rival- 

 ling Job in the number of his quadrupeds. He used to supply 



