570 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. L December 23 , mo. 
oblong leaves, about G inches in breadth, and strongly recurved at 
the points, in the style of D. voluta. The colour is a deep bronzy 
green with a rosy margin, becoming crimson in the older leaves, 
and the stout leafstalks are similarly coloured. In addition to 
these qualities the firm thick texture of the foliage renders the 
plant more than ordinarily durable—a character of inestimable 
value as regards its employment for the decoration of houses. 
Six as handsome Draemnas as could be desired of the type under 
consideration is the subject of the engraving, D. Knausei, D. Bar- 
roni, D. Gladstonei, D. Elizabeths, and D. Imperator. 
HARDY FRUITS—PEARS AND APPLES. 
As an old fruit-grower I have been greatly interested in the 
articles which have recently appeared in your paper, especially 
those by “Wiltshire Rector,” Mr. Luckhurst, and “Cheshire 
Rector.” The report of Mr. Luckhurst on thirty-six varieties or 
more of Pears during the past season cannot fail to be highly 
instructive to the willing learner. 
I grow most of those Pears, and several others also, and I am 
glad to have the opportunity of comparing the experience of other 
gardeners or amateurs with my own. It is, however, important 
in all fruit-growing to bear in mind the effects of locality and 
soil on the produce. Take, for instance, that beautiful Pear the 
Chaumontel. In Mr. Rivers’ catalogue it is stated that in 
some gardens it is little better than a baking Pear when grown as 
a standard. “ It evidently requires the warm sea air.” Judge of 
my surprise when asking a neighbour of mine, a lady who with 
her husband takes a great interest in her garden, which was her 
favourite Pear of all they grew. She replied, The Chaumontel. 
But, I asked, “ Can you depend upon a crop ?” knowing that in 
spite of the high authority which declared warm sea air to be. 
necessary for it, this Pear was grown by my friends in a garden 
as an espalier many feet above the sea in dry mountain air—in 
short, on the eastern slope of the Malvern Hills. The lady replied 
that they generally had a crop, and she attributed it partly to 
the precaution that was taken of giving the trees while in bloom, 
and especially if frost appeared to be coming, a bucketful eaeh of 
hot water after sunset. There grew in this garden of my friends 
two years ago a Pear tree, standard or pyramid, the fruit of which 
was to my taste the richest I ever met with. I was not singular 
in my choice, for the dozen fruits which Were sent me as a present, 
together with several varieties that were familiar to me, were quickly 
selected from all by members of my family, who unanimously 
declared them to be the best they ever tasted. The varieties with, 
which they were mixed included Marie Louise, Pitmaston Duchess, 
the Lemon Beurre, the Pine Pear, Seckle, and others ripening 
about the same date—November. Unfortunately all the dozen 
but one were consumed before I thought of learning the name of 
this treasure. Its shape was between that of an Orange and a 
Lemon, and it had the peculiarity of being somewhat evenly 
divided on the surface into segments like a Melon—not, of course, 
so deeply or evenly marked as that might imply, but this descrip¬ 
tion illustrates my meaning. 
Last year I visited my friend’s garden too late, and this year 
too early, to discover the fruit and make out its name, but I have 
obtained grafts of all his best Pears, and they are becoming 
strong enough to fruit ere long, when I shall carefully watch the 
fruits. The only specimen that I saved I took to Mr. Smith 
of Worcester, and his foreman of the fruit department could not 
name it with any certainty, but thought it resembled Zephirin 
Gregoire. I purchased several trees of this kind, one with nume¬ 
rous buds, and fruited it, but unfortunately the Pears were stunted 
and of a different shape from the curious specimen which I have 
described. 
One of my friends, an enthusiastic admirer of Gansel’s Berga¬ 
mot, declared it must be of that variety. My friend, however, has 
no wall for his Pears ; all are standards, pyramids, or espaliers, 
and most persons seem to agree that Gansel’s Bergamot will 
only succeed against a wall. If any of your readers can suggest 
what this Pear can be I shall be deeply grateful. I should be 
very glad also to know the experience of others with regard to 
Knight’s Monarch and Beurrd Ranee. I have healthy trees which 
I have had in Cheshire, Warwickshire, and now in Worcestershire. 
They have never fruited with me. They are pyramids, and I 
believe on the Quince. 
I was in London last month, and on passing through Covent 
Garden Market and to some of the fruit shops at the West End I 
lasted both Pears and Apples. Decidedly the best Pear at the 
time—about November 28th—was the Chaumontel. In this 
selection I was supported by five friends. If it had been only a 
trifle more melting it would have been perfect. In flavour, and 
juiciness, and size it was everything that could be desired. 
In a shop in the West End I saw a round basket of Apples beauti¬ 
fully displayed. They were ticketed “ Calville Apple.” They 
were, to use the expression of my gardener, “pretty as paint,” of a 
rich semi-transparent golden pink, and the modest price asked 
was l.v. each. As the finest Newtown Pippins were on sale in the 
same shop for less than half the money I was curious to learn why 
these should command so high a price. I was politely informed 
that they were greatly esteemed at dessert, and having to be 
brought from the south of France the carriage was expensive. I 
thought how it would gladden the hearts of my parishioners in 
Worcestershire if they could sell Apples for 1.9. each, and I care¬ 
fully brought the name, and also bought a single fruit to show to 
my neighbours. I see English catalogues describe the Calville 
Blanche as an Apple for tarts unless grown under glass, when it 
becomes a first-class dessert fruit. Surely it would pay to grow it 
in this country under glass, and it would be not only more profit- 
sble but a more certain crop than Peaches or some other fruits. 
A word about an Apple called The Malster. “ Cheshire 
Rector ” describes this in your issue of, I think, December 2nd, 
as hardly inferior to the Newtown Pippin. As I look upon this 
American Apple as the no plus ultra up to the present time I 
turned immediately after reading the Journal to the “ Fruit 
Manual ” to see the description of it. No such Apple as Malster 
appeal's in that book. That which I possess is the fourth edition, 
published 1875, and which I have usually found so full and com¬ 
plete. I turned to catalogues. In several it is omitted, unless it 
lias some synonym which I do not know. At last I found it. The 
description is not inviting for a rival of Newtown Pippin. Here 
it is'—“Malster, K.D., large-sized,greenish, of good quality, either 
for cooking or eating, and will keep well until January.” This is 
only feeble praise compared with that given to many others in 
the same catalogue. 1 shall certainly try this Apple, and hope it 
will answer the high opinion expressed of it. Is it known by 
any other name ? 
One more Apple I will allude to—the Ribston Pearmain. It is 
described as having the true Ribston flavour and tender flesh. If 
this Apple really answers its description it will prove a valuable 
acquisition. Have any of your readers tried it ? I intend to do 
so, and. if you will allow me, to report on results.— Worcester¬ 
shire Vicar. 
THE BEST TEA ROSE. 
We grow many Tea Roses here, and we are annually increas¬ 
ing the stock, which affords an opportunity of comparing the 
merits of different varieties at all times of the year, and for a 
perpetual bloomer of the finest description there is none to equal 
Niphetos. Some of our plants of it produced a constant suc¬ 
cession of buds since last December, and- they are growing and 
budding now in a cool house as if it was June. This is their 
continual habit—they never rest or stop growing or flowering. 
The buds are of that choice creamy white colour, and long, 
tapering, delicate shape which please all arrangers of cut flowers. 
Next time I plant a dozen Tea Roses half of them will be Ni¬ 
phetos, and I shall always employ them in this proportion.— 
J. Muir, Margam. 
CHAPTERS ON INSECTS FOR GARDENERS.—No. 16. 
NEW SERIES. 
To the young student of natural history, and to some of our 
gardeners who take an interest in entomology, the circumstance 
is notably singular, that some larvae attain their full size with 
rapidity, while others are very tardy in their growth. The huge 
caterpillar of the Privet Hawk Moth is ready to become a pupa 
in nine or ten weeks after it has chipped the egg-shell, and there 
are other similar instances amongst the Lepidoptera. But beetle 
grubs not a few, which live concealed in wood or earth, require 
two or three years to pass before they enter on their period of 
quiescence. Hence, in the case of some species the history may 
at first seem perplexing. Take a species that occupies three years 
to complete its growth—that is, eggs deposited in 1877 produce 
perfect beetles in 1880, we might then assume that beetles come 
forth only triennially. It is not so actually, because in any par¬ 
ticular year we should discover larvae of various stages, and each 
year a brood is produced, in numbers varying doubtless according 
to the weather and other influences. 
The duration of life sometimes shows considerable differences 
in the same division of beetles. We have noticed the hard-bodied 
beetles, such as the Elaters in the division Priocerata, and these 
are generally longer-lived than the soft-bodied species called the 
Aprosterni, a few of which we now mention. Many of these 
beetles are both abundant and conspicuous in gardens, and as a 
group they may be spoken of favourably, since they are rather 
