136 
[ February 12, 1886. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER . 
cr. £ s.a. 
By Balance of Revenue Account brought forward 1st January, 1884 .. .. 2,508 10 9 
„ Annual Revenue Account—Balance for the year 1884 . 28 6 9 
£ 2.596 17 6 
We have examined the above Account with the Books and Vouchers, and we find the 
same correct. 
29th January, 1883. 
JOHN LEE, 
JAS. F. WEST, 
W. RICHABDS, 
Auditors. 
PLUMBAGO CAPENSIS OUT OF DOORS. 
In a recent issue of the Journal (see page 70) appeared an account of 
an interesting flower border by Mr. Thomas Record, in which Plumbago 
capensis is highly spoken of as an outdoor summer decorative plant. I 
am desirous of trying this, but unfortunately I have no plants that can be 
removed. I therefore propose to insert cuttings now, and grow the plants 
until the beginning of next June, when, alter being duly hardened, I 
presume they could be safely placed out. But the plants spoken of by 
Mr. Record were perhaps two or three years old, and this, as he rightly 
suggests, was no doubt the cause of their flowering so abundantly. I 
should be greatly obliged to Mr. Record, or any other of your correspondents 
who may have had experience with this plant, if they would inform me 
whether plants so young as those I propose to prepare would be likely to 
flower freely the first year, or whether it would be more advisable to grow 
them during this coming summer, and use them where required another 
season. 
The plants can, I presume, be lifted in autumn and stored in any place 
secure from frost for the winter without occupying valuable house room 
—A. E., North Devon. 
ROYAL BOTANICAL AND HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF 
MANCHESTER. 
The annual report of the Council of this Society states that the amount 
received from proprietors and subscribers of £2 2s. per annum is £50 less 
than was obtained last year. The income from life members also shows a 
decrease over the year immediately preceding. The second source of 
income—that from exhibitions—although above the average, is about £300 
less than that of last year. This item of revenue is subject to influence 
over which the Council has, and can have, no control. It may not occur to 
the lovers of plants, flowers, and fruits how great is the debt they owe to 
these exhibitions, which are carried out at great cost of money and anxiety. 
It may be mentioned that the Society has paid upwards of £1000 for prizes 
alone at this year’s exhibitions. The long list of certificates of merit 
awarded to the exhibitors of new or improved plants and flowers is some 
iudex of the energy of the cultivator, which such awards are intended to 
stimulate. The special exhibitions of novelties must not be considered 
simply from a commercial point of view; the pleasure and gratification 
reaped by the members of the Society and their friends, although not 
expressed in figures, is an element of great importance. During the past 
season over 1000 trees and shrubs have been planted in various parts of the 
grounds, and improvements have been effected in the arrangement of the 
gardens generally. A considerable number of medicinal, economic, and 
other plants have also been added to the collections during the year, and 
these are a source of interest to the scientific student as well as to the 
general public. A new range of glass houses has been erected during the 
year. This, with several other extraordinary items of expenditure, amounting 
to about £500 altogether, has been paid out of the revenue of the year. 
Additional seat accommodation for about 800 persons kas been provided, and 
is much appreciated on fete days. Owing to the very great interest taken in 
the cultivation of Chrysanthemums, the Council desire, if possible, to hold 
an exhibition on a much larger scale during the current year. The sug¬ 
gested arrangements for the year 1885 are :—Floral meetings at the Town 
Hall, 17th and 18th March, and 28th April; National Horticultural Exhibi¬ 
tion at the Gardens, 22nd and 29th May inclusive; Rose Show at the 
Gardens, 11th July ; Chrysanthemum Show, 17th and 18th November. In 
addition to the above, the exhibitions of the National Auricula, Tulip, and 
Carnation and Picotee Societies will be held during the season. 
The exhibits of the year were eminent for their quality, more especially 
those of the Whitsun week show. The receipts during the year fell con¬ 
siderably below those of the preceding twelve months. But he thought 
there were circumstances which satisfactorily accounted for the falling off, 
or at any rate afforded some consolation to them for the addition of £800 to 
their debt. In the preceding year great efforts were made by the Curator 
(Mr. Bruce Findlay) and the Treasurer (Mr. Joseph Broome) to obtain money 
to cover the outlay on the new exhibition house, and they received £1897. 
When this special effort is taken into account it is not very surprising that 
there should be a falling off last year. The falling off really amounted to 
£1726. The bulk of it was in the life members’ fund, which was only £300 
as against £1900 in the preceding year. There was a slight falling off in 
the receipts from the floral meetings in the Town Hall, but there was a 
slight increase in the receipts from the Rose Show. The visitors to the 
gardens during the year including subscribers and their families, numbered 
about 50,000. 
THE INSECT ENEMIES OF OUR GARDEN CROPS. 
THE FILBERT OR COB-NUT. 
Time was when the few and scattered inhabitants of this island 
subsisted chiefly upon the food provided for them by Nature, and 
amongst the vegetable products of the woods and forests the wild 
Nuts were of no small importance. The fruits of the Oak and Beech 
were doubtless abundant, and that of the Hazel more plentiful than 
it is now, owing to the frequent lopping of the underwood in coppices 
where the tree would flourish if left alone. The extended list of 
articles of diet which we have at command has made Nuts oc all 
kinds to become of minor value as foods, although they are not lacking 
in nutriment, but we look upon them rather as relishes than as 
necessaries of life. Hence modern horticulture concerns itself but 
little with these, and indeed only three home-grown species are ex¬ 
tensively sold—viz., the Nut of the Hazel, with its varieties, and that 
of the Walnut and the Chestnut. 
Plantations of Filberts and Cobs are not uncommon, particularly 
in the south of England, the Kentish Cobs have long had a well- 
deserved repute. The crop from these escapes some.of those atmo¬ 
spheric perils which are apt to affect many fruits, but it is sometimes 
deteriorated by the attacks of a prolific though small insect. . To 
most of those accustomed to eat Nuts, the larva or grub of Balamnus 
nucum is an object only too well known, a creature that has often 
been seen, and perhaps tasted unwillingly. It occurs on the wild 
Hazel and the cultivated varieties also. There appears to be an 
impression on the minds of some growers that it is undesirable iO 
have a Filbert plantation near a place where wild Hazels abound, 
because the weevils may travel from one to the other. But the female 
insect is rather sluggish as usually noticed, although the male insect 
does fly with some degree of briskness. 
The Nut weevil (B. nucum), fig. 24, has the beak which is character¬ 
istic of that tribe, and which is nearly as long as the body, having the 
antennae in the middle ; this is of a bright chestnut colour. . On the 
body is a double row of points or punctures, and it is covered with a fine 
down, which gives the wing-cases a tawny appearance, but when this 
is rubbed off the surface is found to be black. During the winter 
months the insect is in the chrysalis stage, about May the winged 
condition is assumed, the females crawling along the twigs and de¬ 
positing a solitary egg in each young Nut they visit. This, habit of 
theirs has led to the trial of beating the branches just at their seasoq, 
something being put beneath the trees to secure them. Unless this 
is done very cautiously not a few of the weevils escape, and the trees 
are likely to suffer from the process. Weevils have not uncommonly 
been found in July or August, hardly a second brood, but a part of 
the usual brood later out it would seem ; if they do not deposit eggs 
then, they may live through the winter for that purpose, and if seen 
should be destroyed. As the Nut grows the larva or grub within 
increases its size ; by instinct it avoids biting the fruit in a way that 
would at once destroy it, but quits its abode just at the season of 
ripening. By decomposition in the body of this grub the agreeable 
pulp of an ordinary Nut is converted into a bitter substance, which 
immediately disgusts the palate. It is plump, muscular, but legless, 
the general colour being a dull white, though the horny head is 
brownish. Occasionally the infected Nuts fall before fully ripe if the 
grub is matured, but commonly this descends from the Nut while it is 
on the branch, and falling to the ground, there buries itself. As the 
insect winters in the earth it is advantageous to turn over the surface 
soil where the species have been troublesome. Some of the immature 
weevils being thus exposed will die or be eaten by birds, others will 
be buried deeper ; this, it has been found, tends to prevent their after 
emergence to deposit eggs. And about the time the weevils are 
likely to appear the ground may be dressed with soot, or with soot 
and lime, or watered with a solution of petroleum. In Kent the 
owners of plantations believe it is important to strengthen the 
Filbert against the attacks of this insect, and others of the caterpillar 
kind, by applying abundant manure, that from farmyards is avoided 
usually. 
Of the caterpillars that prey on the leaves of the Nut, some are 
minute, and their operations are of no consequence, only they some¬ 
what disfigure the trees. Two species of the geometrine tribe have 
been noticed as injurious to Filbert plantations; one of these is the very 
abundant and well-known caterpillar of the winter moth (Chimatobia 
brumata). In the dull winter days the wingless females place their 
clusters of green eggs on trunk or branches, and no sooner have the 
leaves begun to show themselves than the young caterpillars are at 
work. Their habit of drawing the tivigs together with threads makes 
