November 1, 1883. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
375 
^ era ^ey are so numerous here, the gardens being almost sur¬ 
rounded by woods. Could your readers inform me of any method of 
destroying them, or any way in which I could poison them in which 
there would be no danger to dogs ? I have had one-third of my Straw¬ 
berries destroyed by the same pest, cutting them off before they were 
ripe, and gathering them in heaps under the leaves. It will be a great 
<boon to learn any plan by which I can destroy the worst of all garden 
pests.—B. S. b 
The Apple Show at Manchester which commences to morrow 
(Friday), and will continue to the 9th inst., will doubtless he very in¬ 
teresting, as it will give growers in the north of England an opportunity 
of comparing the varieties chiefly cultivated there. We understand that 
the entries are fairly numerous. 
We are informed that Mr. J. G. Baker of the Kew Herbarium, 
is preparing a Flora of the English Lake District for publication 
this winter. Mr. Baker is President of the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union, 
and has previously issued Floras of North Yorkshire, Durham, and 
Northumberland. 
- Mr. J. C. Stevens announces that an importation of a new 
Vanda, will be sold at his rooms, King Street, Covent Garden, to-day, 
and it will probably bring a good number of orchidists together. The 
plant is one of Mr. F. Stevens’ introductions, and is from the island 
of Bali, one of the Javanese group, and is thus described:—“This 
splendid Vanda produces as many as twenty-four flowers on the spike, 
and is extraordinarily free-flowering. In habit it resembles V. coerulea, 
but the flowers are near V. insignis. The colouring is chaste and 
•striking, sepals and petals being carmine, spotted and striped on a 
white ground, and the lip violet.” If the plant corresponds to the 
description it will be a most valuable acquisition, and will form a rival 
to the superb V. Sanderiana, which has attracted so much attention. 
- Relative to the late well-merited Presentation to Mr. 
Barron, a correspondent, Mr. Colvile Browne, writes—“From this 
week’s Journal I gather that a watch and chain have been presented to 
the prime mover of the Apple Congress. I for one feel rather aggrieved 
that, as far as I am aware, no opportunity was presented to us who have 
taxed the Committee so much to add our names to the list of subscribers. 
We are not all ungrateful.” We are quite sure that our correspondent 
and many others fully appreciate what has been done at this Congress, 
and can quite understand their generous feelings, but anything like a 
public appeal for funds would not have been agreeable to a man of Mr. 
Barron’s retiring disposition, and it was necessary to surprise him with 
the gift. Any spontaneous offerings that may be sent to us will be added 
to the presentation fund, if it is not yet closed. 
- “How very lovely are the different species of Pancratium, with 
their broad flat umbels of white, delicately cobwebbed and sweetly 
fragrant flowers. Of all these Pancratiums, or Hymenocalli, as they are 
now called, we give the palm to Hymenocallis macrostephana. 
The great size of the corona or cup justifies the specific, and gives a 
character to the plant when in flower that is unmistakeable. The flowers 
are deliciously fragrant, and no collection of those plants should be 
without it, or, indeed, the other species of the genus. It may not be 
generally known that a flower in the embryo stage, and not thicker than 
a quill, if removed with a sharp knife, will expand in water, and, at least 
under a glass shade, will keep for ten days or so .—(Irish Farmers' 
- Gazette .) 
- Messrs. Collins Brothers and Gabriel, 39, Waterloo 
Road, London, have submitted for our examination the finest Home¬ 
grown Bulbs of Lilium auratum we have ever seen. One of them 
weighed 1 lbs. 6 ozs., and measured 1 foot 4 inches in circumference, and 
the others closely approached the same size and weight. We know that 
the largest of the imported bulbs of this plant do not as a rule answer 
so well as moderate-sized examples ; but so solid and fresh are the fine 
specimens above referred to that it is difficult to imagine that they will not, 
in good soil, produce wonderful plants. It is quite clear that the best o 
bulbs of this beautiful Lily can under favourable circumstances be raised 
“ at home” just the same as Snowdrops can, and fine crowns of Lily of 
the Valley for forcing. Why not grow them well and more largely ? 
- We have pleasure in directing the attention of our readers to 
a series of ten lectures on the diseases of field and garden 
CROPS that will be delivered by Mr. Worthington G. Smith, F.L.S., 
before the Institute of Agriculture at the British Museum, South Ken¬ 
sington, during the week November 12th to 17th. These lectures are 
sure to be most interesting and instructive, and embrace—1, Clover 
Sickness, Clover Mildew, Peronospora trifoliorum, D. 2, New 
Disease of Potatoes—Peziza postuma, B. <§• Wils.; and Fusisporium 
Solani, Mart. 3, New Disease of Onions—Puccinia mixta, Ichl. ; 
Peronospora Scheideniana, TJng.; and Mucor subtilissimus, B. 4, New 
Disease of Grass — Isaria fuciformD, B. ; Straw Blight. 5, Diseases of 
Turnips—O'idium Balsami, Mont.; Peronospora parasitica, Pers. ; and 
Finger-and-Toe, Plasmodiophora brassicas, TV. 6, Ear-cockle, Tylenchus 
tritici, Bart.; and Dodder, Custcerta Trifolii, Bah. 7, Grass Blight, 
Erysiphe graminis, B.C. ; Corn Mildew, Puccinia graminis, Pers.; 
iEcidium berberidis, Pers. 8, New Diseases of Wheat, Barley, and Rye¬ 
grass—Fusisporium sp. ; Ergot, Claviceps purpurea, Tul. 9, Potato 
Disease, Peronospora infestans, Mont. —its active state. 10, Do., do.— 
its passive state. The lectures will be illustrated with actual examples, 
and new drawings of all the diseases from Nature enlarged uniformly 
to 1000 and 5000 diameters. Tickets for the course are 10.?. &d., to be 
obtained at the Institute of Agriculture, South Kensington. 
- At the meeting of the Linnean Society to be held to-night 
(Thursday) at 8 P.H. the following papers will be read:—“Changes 
in the Fauna and Flora of New Zealand,” by Dr. S. M. Curl; “ On 
a Fossil Fruit from the London Clay,” by J. Starkie Gardner; and 
“ Origin of the Placentas in Alsineae,” by G. Lister. 
- We are reminded by a further sample of Gishurstine of the 
approach of winter, and we know by past experience how effectual it 
will be in keeping the leather of boots soft, and the feet encased in them 
dry during the period oE slush that is sure to come, and when copse, 
farm, and garden have to be traversed. To all who are engaged in out¬ 
door operations during the winter this excellent dubbing is highly 
commended. 
- Gardening Appointments.—M r. Denning, lately of the Royal 
Botanic Gardens, Regent’s Park, succeeds Mr. Robert Abbey as gardener 
to the Earl of Chesterfield, Holme Lacy, Hereford. Mr. W. A. Walter, 
late gardener to Roger Eykyn, Esq., Gay ton House, near Northampton, 
has been appointed gardener to Alfred B. Loder, Esq., Lillingstone 
Dayrell, near Buckingham. We are informed the following appointments 
have been made through Messrs. John Laing & Co., Forest Hill, S.E.— 
Mr. J. Slater, late foreman at Lord Foley’s, Ruxley Lodge, Surrey, as 
gardener to Mrs. Hulse, Ewell House, Surrey ; and Mr. Geo. Yoell, lately 
gardener to Mrs. Standring, Crystal Palace Park, S.E., as gardener to 
J. Lainson-Nasb, Esq., Colley Lodge, Reigate. 
-- On the 17th inst, in accordance with annual usage, the Master 
Wardens, and Court of ^ the Fruiterers’ Company waited by appoint¬ 
ment on the Lord Mayor at the Mansion House, and presented to him 
their customary tribute of the finest and choicest fruits of the season. 
Formerly the present consisted of twelve bushels of Apples of various kinds, 
and of the best description which could be procured, and it was brought 
in white baskets, covered with napkins, by gaily-decked porters, who 
marched with it through the streets from Farringdon Market to the 
Mansion House, preceded by the Company’s beadle. Then the Apples 
were presented, and according to the old ceremonial, the Lady Mayoress 
used to place a bottle of wine in the empty baskets for the use of the 
carriers. “ The men were next regaled with a dinner (so the book of 
ceremonies stated), and, having satisfied themselves, retired, taking with 
them the fragments for their evening supper.” Of late years the old 
usage has been varied, and instead of Apples only, the present of the 
company to the Lord Mayor has included all the choice fruit in season. 
- “ R. B., Essex," writes as follows on spelling plant names :— 
“There appears to be plenty of room for improvement in the knowledge 
of plant-nomenclature amongst gardeners, as I recently saw in a public 
establishment some examples of misspelling of an extraordinary nature 
and a few of them will indicate how erroneous names are multiplied. 
Silene aucaulis, Ramonda pyrendica Folygalachemaebuxa, Cortusa 
