NOTES AND ABSTRACTS. 



445 



The larvae are small legless green maggots, which have the habit of 

 feeding and resting in a cm^led-up position. When full-fed they enter 

 the ground and spin a cocoon. In about fourteen days they emerge 

 as full-grown weevils, which feed on the alfalfa, and hibernate during 

 winter. 



It is recommended that the alfalfa be disced in early spring to 

 stimulate the growth, that the first growth be cut when most of the 

 eggs have been laid (middle of May), and then the fields brush-dragged 

 thoroughly. 



Sheep may be pastured at this time for two weeks, and after well 

 watering the alfalfa, a good crop will usually be assured. Alfalfa 

 should not be laid down for more than seven or eight years in infested 

 districts.— y. G. J. 



Amepiean Red Oaks and Copper Beeches. By Schiller Tietz 



{Oester. Gart. Zeit. vol. vi. pt. 1, pp. 30-33). — The Eed Oaks Quercus 

 rubra and Qu. coccinea owe their names to the striking colour of their 

 autumnal foliage. They grow more rapidly than the European oaks 

 and are less fastidious as regards soil and situation. They form a 

 beautiful feature in the landscape. The swamp oak Qn. palustris forms 

 a straight slender trunk. In the young trees the branches stand out at 

 right angles but they droop as the trees grow older. The wood is soft, 

 and this probably accounts for the growth of mistletoe on this species. 



S. E. W. 



Ammonia, Absorption for Atmosphere. By A. D. Hall and 

 N. H. J. Miller [Jour. Agr. Sci. iv. pt. 1, pp. 56-68). — A number of 

 experiments by which it was sought to ascertain whether ammonia w^as 

 lost or gained to the soil by way of the atmosphere are detailed. The 

 experim.ents are not quite conclusive, however, and it would appear 

 that for some time after applying ammoniacal manures, ammonia is 

 given off into the air from the soil. It is shown that in any event the 

 amount of ammonia absorbed by the soil from the air is extremely 

 small, and is negligible in estimating gains and losses of nitrogen by 

 the soil.— F. J. C. 



Angraeeum Sanderianum. By 0. N. Witt {Orchis, vol. iv. 



pt. 4, pp. 120-123 ; 1 plate). — This orchid is shown in a photograph. 

 It bears white, sweet-scented flowers, opening in September, which 

 last six weeks. — S. E. W. 



Anguloa Ruckeri Lindl. var. By F. Ledien {Orchis, vol. iv. 

 pt. 4, pp. 119-120; coloured plate). — This orchid resembles A. Ruckeri 

 var. sanguinea, described in the Bot. Mag. 1863, A. 5384, but is 

 much more beautiful, as the accompanying plate shows. — >S'. E. W. 



Antirrhinums, New, By Ph. de Vilmorin {Rev. Hort. March 16; 

 pp. 131-134; col. plate). — A reference to a giant form cultivated in the 

 Upsala Botanic Gardens, which reaches a height of 3 metres = 10 feet, 



