May 29, 1884. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
425 
are thus diminished, fortunately, since eacli female deposits 
nearly 300 eggs. She is larger than her companion, and has 
wings more transparent, the tail being provided with a long ovi¬ 
positor, by which the eggs are thrust into crannies of the bark. 
In both sexes the fore wings are white, with numerous well- 
defined spots of bb ish-black; the hind wings are also whitish, 
but the spots are les3 distinct. On the thorax there are six 
large black spots arranged in three pairs. The season for the 
inoth is. from June to August, its time of appearance varying, 
but it is only upon the wing two or three weeks, though the 
caterpillar life probably continues many months. There is a 
resemblance between the caterpillar and the moth, the whitish- 
yellow body having b ack spots from head to tail. The feet are 
sixteen in number, and behind the head is a horny plate which 
aids the creature in its work of driving channels through the 
solid wood. When it is full grown, this caterpillar is led by 
instinct to form its cocoon close to the loose bark, leaving a 
mere film between this abode and the air, through which the 
emerging moth can easily push its way. The late Edward 
Newman, in his history of British moths, stated that the 
leopard caterpillar rarely feeds in trees to such an excess as to 
destroy them, and added that he had noticed infected trees 
which were producing more fruit than those quite sound. S ch 
a view would tend to remove the species from the list of the 
enemies of the Pear. But although this gentleman was a careful 
observer, general experience is against his theories; for if it 
may occasionally happen that a tree only slightly touched by 
these caterpillars yields well, ere long their persistent attacks 
exhaust its strength, and it shows sign of decline. Again, if 
the caterpillars do not kill a tree in which they are numerous 
their many burrows in the trunk or branches render the tree 
liable to suffer from the force of high winds. 
It has been recommended to thrust into such holes as are 
visible bent wires, by which some of the caterpi'lars may pro¬ 
bably be killed, or paraffin might be injected by the assistance of 
a sharp-nozzled syringe, which liiuid will destroy caterpillars 
should it reach them, and also render the wood d.sagreeable to 
them. If any objection exist to the employment of paraffin, 
either tobacco water or a solution of softsoap might be used with 
about equal benefit, and some have tried blowing the fumes of 
tobacco or of sulphur into the holes. Of course all moths seen 
should be secured. 
We proceed to notice next a moth much smaller, and which 
has a superficial resemblance to the insects of the fly tribe. It 
is called the Red-belted Clearwing, Sesia myopceformis. The 
moth has transparent wings, black-tipped, and barred with 
black. The thorax and body are black; round the latter is a 
bright red belt. It is usually out in June or July, when the 
eggs are laid upon the Apple and Pear. The trunks of Pears 
are usually attacked, but the smaller branches of Apples. 
Though the eggs are mostly distributed, a party of caterpillars 
are sometimes to be found crowded in a email block of wood. 
It is seldom, however, that they endanger the life of the trees 
in which they are bred. It should be added that this caterpillar 
is nearly colourless; the head is horny, and the body, though 
slight, is very muscular. It is to be noticed feeding the greater 
part of the year, but probably becomes partly torpid during 
very cold weather. In their season of flight the moths should 
be caught with a small gauze net, where it is wished to prevent 
the multiplication of the species. 
There is a weevil, Rhynchites alliariae by name, which, how¬ 
ever, does, so far as the evilence before me goes, not much 
mischief in Britain, though a great deal on the Continent, that 
has also been called the “ stem-borer,” from the plan pursued 
by the female insect. It visits nearly every species of fruit tree, 
and the Pear is not unfrequently chosen to furnish food for the 
la rva or grub. The emergence of the mature beetle takes place 
in the summer This little creature, hardly the sixth of an inch 
in length, is o ’ a steely-blue or a bluish-green colour, armed with 
jaws remarkably trenchant. Intent upon her work of oviposition, 
the female searches amongst the young shoots till she perceives 
one that is suitable, upon which she settles, and deposits an egg 
within an incision or small chamber which she forms. This 
done, she passes a short distance along the shoot, and by dint of 
perseverance cuts it off and pushes it to the ground. Sometimes 
.-.he follows it and deposits a second egg thereupon. She is thus 
o copied for a week or two visiting a succession of shoots until 
all her eggs aie laid. When the grub is full grown it quits the 
shoot and enters the earth to become a chrysalis. It is therefore 
evident that when this beetle is suspected to be in an orchard 
fragments of shoots lying on the ground ought to be picked up 
and burnt, and some advise spreading sheets under the trees just 
when the beetles are busy, into which they may be shaken, and 
many other insects also injurious.— Entomologist. 
EXOTIC PLANTS IN CORNWALL. 
The number of exotic plants, in addition to those named on page 381, 
which are at home in the open air in Cornwall, is very large and varied, 
so that scarcely any approximate number can be satisfactorily given. 
Those which thrive well in one district will scarcely grow in another, 
although the temperature of both districts may be much the same. The 
reason can only be assigned to soil and altitude. The various modes of 
culture (or non-culture) employed by different growers have perhaps a 
greater influence, one way or another, than most persons are aware of. 
A great number of exotic plants thrive only in situations where they are 
allowed to remain for years undisturbed, whereas others require to be 
taken up and replanted annually. It is by observing such important 
facts in plant-culture, and which are so often ignored, that success is to 
be obtained. 
Few half-hardy plants are more extensively employed than the 
ornamental Escallonia macrantha. One of its chief uses is as a hedge 
shrub at S’.illy, where protection from winds is absolutely needed. It 
seems to withstand any storm, and for such a purpose it has an excellent 
companion in the common Euonymus. Both are planted when young, 
and from about 6 inches to 1 foot in height; they rapidly form very 
excellent fences, and bear cutting well. I prefer the more decided and 
deeper scarlet flowers of Escallonia Ingrami, but this species usually 
grows to a larger state, and is not nearly so convenient a plant to grow 
as the commoner one. There is a species of Escallonia which is very 
much neglected and rarely seen in gardens ; it is E. montevidensis. It 
has a somewhat scandent habit, and is one of the most admirable of 
plants for growing against a sunny, but rather sheltered, wall ; it makes 
a somewhat irregular growth, and ics pure white flowers are borne in 
large pendant panicles. 
Aralias bear even a moderately severe frost without being at all 
seriously injured. A. papyrifera is one of the best; it is a very hand¬ 
some plant, and often grows 6 feet in height, and has its five or seven- 
lobed leaves a foot in length. The decorative value of this fine species is 
greatly enhanced when its large drooping panicles are produced. Although 
this species was first cultivated as a greenhouse plant when introduced 
into this country, it is now generally regarded as hardy. Another hand¬ 
some species, with large digitate deep shining green leaves, is A. Sieboldii; 
this I have found quite hardy even in Somerset-hire, but farther north it 
requires greenhouse protection during the winter months. A. trifoliata 
is also hardy in Cornwall. 
Three species of those curious little shrubby plants, the Colletias, are 
hardy—viz., C. cruciata, C. horrida, and raeemosa, although both 
grow very slowly ; and only one, C. horrida, has flowered among those I 
have seen. Convolvulus Cneorum. with its silvery-white broadly lanceo¬ 
late leaves and terminal clusters of pale rose flowers, which are hairy on 
the outside, thrives admirably within a few feet of the sea at St. Michael’s 
Mount, and produces blooms in the early part of spring. Two other 
most desirable plants which thrive best in well-drained soil are Eugenia 
myrtifolia and E. Dgni, the small fruits of the latter being very pleasant 
to the taste. Fuchsias, such as cordifolia, microphylla, procumbens, and 
splendens, in addition to many hybrids, are kept in the open all through 
mild winters, and apparently form sturdier plants than when confined 
to a greenhouse. These remarks apply with equal truth to the bidding 
Pelargoniums, and both must be protected from excessive rains. Amongst 
the many tropical plants grown without success, few are more striking 
than the gigantic Musa Ensete ; it survived six winters almost wholly 
unhurt, but ultimately succumbed. It was in the gardens of E. Bolitho, 
E-q., at Trewi iden, about four miles west of Penzance, and was a well- 
grown plant several feet in height when transferred to the open air from 
the conservatory. Hedychium Gardnerianum has proved thoroughly 
acclimatised in various parts of the county, but the handsome yellow- 
fl iwered species, H. flavum, is not so well known, although equally 
desirable, and would no doubt prove hardy enough in a light well-drained 
soil in di-tricts other than Penzance and Scilly. 
It would be difficult to enumerate all of what are generally considered 
as stove plants which will be found hardy, or nearly hardy, in the west 
of England. I believe that I have named the more striking examples, or 
those calling for special mention. Toe list, however, would be incom¬ 
plete if the following names were omitred ;—Abutilons Boule de 
Neige, megapotamicum. vitifolium. and vexillarium ; Ammobium alatum, 
Bentham'a fragifera ; B inksias grandi*, integrifolia, and littoralis (killed) ; 
Bougainvillea glabra, Clianthus puniceus ; Correas alba, carnea, cardinalis, 
and virens (mostly severely damaged) ; Cassia corymbosa, Coprosma 
Baueriana, Ceanothus, Chorozema macrophylla (killed or severely dam¬ 
aged), Daphne indica and its varieties, Edwardsia grandiflora, Gasterias 
