296 JOURNAL OF THE KOYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Carnations, Effect of Gas upon. By W. Crocker and Lee J. 

 Knight \Bob. Gaz. vol. xlvi. pp. 259-276, October 1908 ; 4 figs.).— A series 

 of experiments has been made illustrating the fatal effect of coal-gas 

 upon carnations. Young buds of ' Boston Market ' and ' Pink Lawson ' 

 may be killed by three days' exposure to an atmosphere containing 

 only one part of coal-gas to 40,000 of pure air. Open flowers of these 

 varieties close after twelve hours' exposure to one part in 80,000. 



Ethylene is still more dangerous, for one part in a million prevents 

 the opening of buds (three days' exposure), and one part in 2,000,000 

 causes the closing of flowers already open. The ethylene in coal-gas 

 may determine the " toxic limit " in the case of these flowers. 



G. F. S.-E. 



Caseara Sagrada (Gard. Mag. No. 2887, Vol. lii. p. 161 ; February 

 27, 1909). — This drug, so largely used in medicine, is furnished by the 

 bark of Bhamnus Purshiana and B. califomica, natives of North-west 

 America. Seeds planted at Kew produced trees which withstood severe 

 frosts without protection, while the extract from the bark gave tabloids 

 of the drug which were pronounced equal to those obtained from the 

 usual sources. The possibility of cultivation on the west coasts of 

 the British Isles for commercial purposes is suggested. — E. B. 



Catalpa Sphinx, The. By L. O. Howard and F. H. Chittenden 

 (U.S.A. Dep. Agr., Bur. of Entom., Giro. 96 ; December 1907 ; figs.).— 

 Description and life history of a hawk moth (Ceratomia catalpae Bdr.), 

 the caterpillar of which lives exclusively on Catalpa bignonioides and 

 C. speciosa. — F. J. C. 



Chestnut-Borer, The Two-lined (Agrilus bilineatus). By F. H. 



Chittenden (U.S.A. Dept. Agr., Bur. Ent., Giro. 24, revised ; January 1909). 

 — Wherever timber is grown in quantity there will be found injurious 

 forest insects. It is not only the chestnut that has suffered severely in the 

 United States, east of the Rocky Mountains, but various species of 

 oak have also been attacked. 



There is a good description of the insect, of the damage done and 

 manner of work, and preventive and remedial measures. — A. D. W. 



Chicory Parasites : Hadena oleracea. By C. Dublesel (Le Jard. 

 xxii. 523, p. 366, December 5, 1908; 1 fig.). — Chicory is extraordinarily 



subject to caterpillar plagues, and Hadena oleracea seems to be on the 

 increase. The caterpillar is green or grey brown, with white dots, while 

 each segment bears warty spots. On the upper surface of the body there 

 are three longitudinal white lines, with a lateral yellow line at the origin 

 of the feet. The chrysalis is rusty brown. The moth, which comes out 

 from May onwards, is reddish-brown above, with lighter colour in the 

 median half. An M- shaped white line extends along the outer border. 

 Spraying with soap water is the usual remedy, but seems to destroy only 

 the smallest caterpillars. Otherwise they may be shaken off, and then 

 crushed on the ground. — F. A. W. 



Chlorophyll. By J. d'Arbamount (Ann. Sc. Nat. vol. ix. Nos. 4-5, 

 pp. 197-229.) — Chlorophyll bodies may be divided into chloroplasts 



