October 18, 1883. ] 
841 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
question to the late Mr. H. Hooper of Bath, whose decease I am sure 
will be lamented bj many florists who had the good fortune to know 
him, but his answer was not at all satisfactory. The same subject has 
also occupied the attention of more than one Lancashire botanical 
society with which I am acquainted, and the decision arrived at being— 
how a packet of seed ; call the good large flowers Pansies, the poor ones 
Violas.— Wm. Plant. 
CONGRESS APPLES. 
BRAMLEY’S SEEDLING. 
About seven years ago fruits of this Apple were sent to us by Mr. 
H. Merryweather, Southwell, Notts, and we then predicted that it would 
prove to be a valuable variety. This prediction has been to a great 
extent verified, for the Apple has increased in public favour, fruits 
have been highly commended by the Fruit Committee of the Koyal 
Horticultural Society at South Kensington, and at Chiswick last week it 
was one of the only two varieties honoured with certificates amongst the 
numerous seedlings submitted. As the woodcut (fig. 64) shows, the fruit 
is of good size, somewhat like Ecklinville Seedling, but, very dark green 
in colour ; it also varies in shape and size, some being larger and others 
smaller than the specimen represented, more oblate and angular. It 
is heavy, the flesh being white, juicy, and melting, with a brisk but not 
too sharp acidity. 
The variety was raised from seed by Mr. Bramley of Southwell 
some years ago, and was obtained from him by Mr, Merryweather 
Fig. G4.—Bramley’s Seedling Apple. 
who distributed it to his customers in the neighbourhood, giving great 
satisfaction. The tree is strong in habit, quite free from canker, and 
is especially noteworthy for the character of bearing freely during bad 
seasons; in fact it is a very constant and abundant bearer. It is said 
by the exhibitor to be “ ready for use when gathered, but can be kept 
until the following June, and cannot be surpassed as a kitchen variety.’’ 
THE INSECT ENEMIES OF OUR GARDEN CROPS. 
No. 8. 
The greatly increased culture of the Strawberry throughout 
Britain has of late made us better acquainted with its insect foes, 
although we find that in some important points in their history we 
have still much to ascertain. As was to be expected, new enemies 
have appeared, tempted to attack the plant by the circumstance that 
now it is often cultivated, not in the limited area of the old-fashioned 
Strawberry beds, but upon extensive tracts of land. Other enemies 
we notice are doubtless species that have long frequented the plant, 
which, however, were scarcely observed when Strawberries were less 
grown, and gardeners perhaps less intelligent than they are in our 
day. The older writers upon gardening, in fact, hardly allude to any 
insects occurring upon the Strawberry, though they mention that the 
fruit is particularly liable to the visitations of snails, slugs, and the 
like, as it offers attractions to the molluscous tribe. It is likely that 
some of the damage charged upon slugs was really the work of an 
insect managing to keep itself concealed. 
The majority of the insects that infest Strawberries are beetles of : 
the order Coleoptera, but rather diverse in ske and habit. Before 
referring to these I have to speak of a species belonging to the Lepi- 
dopterous order, which has been briefly mentioned in this Journal by 
one of its weil-known correspondents, Mr. Raitt of Blairgowrie. 
Having placed in my hands sundry particulars regarding its habit,, 
this gentleman requests me to do what he himself could no doubt have- 
done far better, and also to express his regret that from various causes 
he has been prevented from giving the account of it which he once 
promised to the readers of these pages. Mr. Raitt remarks very truly 
that this has the power to prove itself a serious enemy, the loss caused 
thereby in the vicinity of Blairgowrie during the last few years 
amounting to many hundreds of pounds. Fortunately no instance 
quite as bad has been reported elsewhere, but the insect has been? 
found moderately mischievous in other districts, more in the north 
than in the south, I think. About May, when the new leaves are 
expanding, it is perceivable that a proportion of them continue folded,, 
and appear to be spotted also, or pierced. Upon opening these we 
find generally a single “ worm,” or small larva, then seldom exceeding 
one-sixth of an inch in length. (From Mr. Raitt’s use of the 
qualifying word “ generally,” it would seem that at times more than 
one larva is found resident in a fold of young leaves.) If these are 
left undisturbed they grow during some months, becoming adult in 
August, or possibly rather earlier, depending on the season. The bulk 
of the larvae, at least, are fully grown in the summer ; some, however,, 
are to be detected upon the plants as late as September or 
October. The moth appears on the wing towards the end of the 
summer, and continues out till November. Both the leaf and the 
flower-buds are objects of attack, no doubt ; where the leaves have been 
greatly checked in their development the plant subsequently puts; 
forth few flower-buds, if any. 
The circumstance is specially noted by Mr. Raitt that no moths 
are seen in spring ; it is therefore highly probable, he thinks, that the 
species passes the winter months in the egg state, the egg being well 
hidden within the buds of the Strawberry. At the same time it is to 
be remembered that some of the moths allied to this species are known 
to hybernate and lay their eggs in the spring, but 1 hardly think it 
likely that if these insects did so they would have escaped the obser¬ 
vation of this careful naturalist. That we should fail to discover the- 
eggs is not surprising, they must be minute objects and usually 
scattered. Assuming, Iherefore, that the eggs are laid upon the 
plants during the autumn, Mr. Raitt thinks that a hopeful method of 
prevention is to clear the plants about October or sooner, then cover 
the crowns with earth to check the deposition of eggs. A less hope¬ 
ful experiment has been tried, dressing heavily with some solid or 
fluid that might be supposed to kill the larvae. But in May, 1882,. 
one patch was well sooted, and another syringed with a solution of 
soft soap and paraffin, yet the insects survived, owing to their being- 
protected by the wrappings of leaves. 
Supplementing wffiat is stated by Mr. Raitt, I may add that the 
insect in question has no familiar English name, but we might call it 
the Strawberry Moth ; its Latin name is Peronea comariana. In Britain 
it appears only to have been recognised as a distinct species about 
thirty years ago, previous to which date it had been passed over as a 
variety of P. comparana. That insect is common throughout these 
islands, the larva feeding upon Sallow and Willow. Like most of the 
genus, these species are difficult to discriminate, from their markings 
being apt to vary, and specimens of two or three other species of 
Peronea have been taken for P. comariana. The wings are greyish 
or reddish brown, with a dark patch, sometimes lengthened into a bar ; 
head and thorax also brown, the abdomen paler. The larva or cater¬ 
pillar has the usual aspect of its brethren in the Tortrix tribe, greenish 
yellow, transparent, having the outer skin so loose that it overlaps 
the divisions of the body when the creature contracts itself. It has 
been taken upon the wild Strawberry as well as upon our garden 
varieties of these. Some naturalists report that it prefers the white- 
fruited kinds. Mr. Hodgkinson informs me that he has noticed the 
larvae by hundreds in the middle of June, and a few weeks after¬ 
wards on examination he found that the sparrows had cleared many 
away, the marks of their bills upon the leaves being sufficiently 
visible. 
The Strawberry is grown pretty freely in North Kent districts; 
which I frequently visit, but the cultivators have not, to my know¬ 
ledge, had to complain of this insect. Hence it happens that I ara> 
unable to say anything about it from my own observation, not having 
seen the spiecies in life as yet. My friends who are entomologists do 
not appear to be satisfied that the deposition of eggs takes place 
during the autumn ; it might even prove to be the case that some of 
the eggs are laid in autumn and some in spring. Mr. Raitt is positive 
that the flower-buds are infested as well as the leaf-buds ; then, 
unless the larvae migrate from one to the other, it is natural to con- 
