cxlvi PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Galls. — Mr. Odell showed specimens of various galls on the following 

 plants : — Poterium sanguisorba, galled by Eriophyes sanguisorbce ; Poly- 

 gonum amphibium, galled by Cecidomyia persicarice ; Oak, Q. sessiliflora 

 and Q. pcdunculata, galled by gall-wasp, Aphilothrix ge?nmce ; Salix 

 fragilis, galled by Nematus gallicola; bud-galls on Campanula glomerata. 



Abelia rupcstris phyllotaxis. — Mr. Odell showed three stems of this 

 plant having opposite leaves, whorls of threes and whorls of fours on 

 separate shoots. 



Pyrethrum aureum, var. 1 Staghorn.' — Mr. C. T. Druery, V.M.H., 

 exhibited a plant of this variety raised by Messrs. Storrie, Dundee. It is 

 characterised by a distinct tasselling or cresting of the main and lateral 

 apices, precisely as obtains so frequently in Ferns. This form of varia- 

 tion is extremely rare in phanerogams ; the only instance known to the 

 exhibitor being the crested form of Asparagus plumosus, in which case it 

 is correlated with extremely Fern-like foliage. In the Pyrethrum shown 

 the leaves are distinctly pinnate, with stipitate pinnae precisely on Fern- 

 lines, as are the terminal. It is stated to be so far fixed that 80 per cent, 

 of the seedlings are true after five years' cultivation. 



Malformations. --Mr. Corderoy sent examples of the Wheat-ear Antir- 

 rhinum, in which no flowers were present, but short branches covered 

 with minute green bracts occupied their position. Also a Brier which had 

 a yellow variegated stem, but the leaves upon it were entirely green, an 

 unusual combination for which no reason could be assigned. And Lathyrus 

 latifolius with green flowers. These apparently had received some check, 

 so that, although nearly fully formed, the flowers dropped. The stamens 

 had full-sized anthers, which did not dehisce, the styles were arrested much 

 below the anthers, and the stigmas were immature. As the flowers of 

 Honeysuckle sometimes exhibit a similar appearance late in the season, it 

 may be attributable to the coldness of the month of July this year. 



Silver-leaf Disease. — Mr. Worsley exhibited the grafted portion of the 

 stem of a Peach on Plum showing the decayed condition of the centre. 

 He observed that below the graft the dead part decreased by degrees 

 downwards, till in the roots there was none. His impression was that 

 the disease (caused by the fungus Stereum, according to Prof. Percival) 

 proceeds upwards and downwards. The specimen was sent to Prof. 

 Percival for further examination. 



Onions and Caterpillars.— -Mr. J. Walker, Thame, sent some foliage, 

 upon which Mr. McLachlan, F.R.S., reports as follows : — " The larva is 

 that of some Noctuid moth, and probably of Mamestra Brassicce, which 

 will feed on nearly everything, from Oak to Grass. At the present time 

 hand-picking, where the plants are attacked, would perhaps be best, or a 

 good spraying with some of the paraffin preparations. Earlier in the 

 year — say two months earlier — repeated spraying with arsenical or paraffin 

 preparations might save the young plants. At this season the attacks 

 will probably not do very much harm, as the Onions will be well on 

 towards maturity. One can hardly prevent the depositing of eggs, 

 because the moths fly from a distance ; the thing is to preserve the young 

 plants by rendering the foliage distasteful by means of spraying as before 

 mentioned. Even this is uncertain, because the larvie may move on to 

 the Onions from some other contiguous crop that may have been gathered, 



