B60 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ DMtmber 18, 1893. 
A NOTE ABOUT GLADIOLI. 
Apeopos of “ -D,, Deal's," remarks in your last number (page 551) 
giving his experience in the culture of these beautiful flowers, 1 would 
like to add mine. I grow only Lemoine’s hybrids, both early and lately 
issued varieties, and have done so for the last ten years. I noticed 
that during the hot weather of last summer my plants flagged and 
stood still ; the flowers that came out were poor, but after the rains 
came the plants grew apace, and produced some good spikes. Nevertheless, 
on the whole the spikes were fewer than usual, and the flowers smaller. 
They grew till very late in the season, and I did not complete taking 
up my bulbs till the beginning of December. The bulbs, however, were 
the finest I have ever had, and mostly in splendid condition. 
I do not know the disease referred to by Gladiolus growers, as I have 
never seen any fungus amongst my bulbs. I find it is important to 
change the bed every year, as they do best in new soil, and that a 
medium loam, which will hold moisture, gives better results than light 
warm soil. My experience is that 20° of frost continued will kill any 
Gladioli left in the ground without protection, but that 3 inches of spent 
hops, or 4 to 6 inches of hedge cuttings or Asparagus tops, or such like 
refuse is an efficient protection, and that bulbs planted in December or 
January, and thus protected, will do better than those kept out of the 
ground till March. I therefore do feel that “ D., Deal's," experiences 
this winter in leaving his bulbs in the ground will, if he will give 
them slight protection, lead him to continue the practice in future 
winters.— Alexindee Wallace, Colchester. 
NEW MINIATURE VIOLAS. 
These very interesting dwarf-growing Violas are fast coming to the 
front, and most deservedly so, and for them we are indebted to Dr. 
Stuart of Chirnside through his seedling miniature variety “ Violetta ” in 
the first place, and for other seedlings of the same type since introduced. 
We are also specially indebted to Mr. George Steel, late of Heatherslaw, 
and now of Etal, Cornhill-on-Tweed, for so perseveringly working with 
this section, and raising so many pretty seedlings, some of which will 
be sent out in the spring. Hitherto, Mr. Steel has cultivated a general 
collection of the best Violas, but he has now discarded all excepting the 
miniature section, so as to be able to devote more attention to this 
charming type, and working for rayless varieties. Having seen flowers 
of his various seedlings to be sent out I am able to speak confidently 
about them. 
Of the miniature section, it will be as well to say for the guidance of 
those who have not grown them, that they produce an abundance of 
small, neatly formed flowers, generally with a strong Violet perfume ; 
grow close to the ground, and are of compact spreading habit, and 
the flowers are ray less—that is, free from rays or dark markings in the 
centre of the flowers, the attainment of which I was the first to advocate 
years ago, and have persistently worked for, but we have as yet not 
many of the larger section of Violas entirely free from it. The following 
new varieties of miniatures raised by Mr. Steel will be in the hands of 
various florists in the spring for distribution. 
Ethel Horsfall, —Delicate clouded lilac, of pretty form, and very 
fragrant. 
Steeli. —This, when the blooms were sent to me, I described as a 
miniature of miniatures; the lower petals are light yellow, the top 
petals cream coloured, entirely rayless, and a charming variety. 
Ethel Buchley. —Deep heliotrope colour, with a deep orange eye, and 
very pretty. 
Pare Love. —Similar in colour to Ethel Horsfall, but smaller, and 
very pretty. 
Princess May. —Delicate lilac, with a yellow blotch underneath the 
eye ; a small, well-formed flower, very fragrant and pretty. 
Beauty of Heatherslaie. —Light yellow, the lower petals a little 
deeper in colour, of good substance and form, and quite rayless; a 
charming variety. 
Picco. —Creamy white with a narrow edging or border of lavender, 
and with a small yellow eye and distinct. 
Miss Isa. —Lavender-tinted blue, distinct and pretty. 
Mabel. —A pretty flower ; white slightly flushed with cream, and 
uite rayless.—W. D. 
THE APPLE BLOSSOM WEEVIL 
(Anthonomus pomoeum). 
This insect very frequently causes much harm to the Apple and 
Pear crops, and in the last few years its injuries have much increased in 
fruit-producing districts, and have been often attributed to the cater¬ 
pillars of the winter moth. Close examination of the blossoms, how¬ 
ever, would show that the larvae, or little yellow maggots, of the weevil 
were in the centres of the flowers, destroying their powers of fructifica¬ 
tion, though at the same time caterpillars might be feeding upon the 
blossoms and leaves. The action of this weevil upon the fruit blossoms 
of Apple and Pear tree^s is also mistaken for the effects of white frosts, 
when the petals have become brown or rust coloured ; but if the 
blossoms are closely inspected, either the little yellow pupa of the 
weevil will be found in them, or a little round hole in the side of 
the withered flower bud will be noticed, showing that the perfected 
weevil has cut its way out of its cradle. 
Incredible damage is often caused by this weevil in Apple and 
Pear orchards in France. In some Departments syndicates of defence 
against it have been formed (“ Syndicate de d6fense centre I’Antho- 
nome ”), consisting of a committee in each Commune, to carry out a 
series of operations calculated to destroy this dangerous enemy, as it is 
felt that it is only by united action among cultivators that injurious 
insects of this and other kinds can be stamped out. 
Desceiption. 
The Apple blossom weevil is very small, only the fourth of an inch 
long, and the eighth of an inch in breadth. It is reddish or chestnut- 
brown, with down or pubescence of a greyish hue upon its body. 
Occasionally specimens are found almost pitchy in colour. The wing 
cases have pale marks upon them below the middle. There is a con¬ 
spicuous white mark, or scutellum, at the base of the wing cases. The 
legs are reddish ; the thighs of the first (or anterior) pair are large, and 
furnished with a formidable tooth on each ; the feet, or tarsi, are of a 
darker colour. The rostrum, or snout, is the most remarkable feature, 
being half as long as the body, slightly curved, with antennae near its 
extremity furnished with oval clubs having four joints. 
Like many other weevils it falls down when disturbed, tucks in lits 
legs and snout, and remains motionless, feigning death until the danger 
has passed. 
Life Histoey. 
In the first warm days of spring the weevils issue from their winter 
retreats, and find their way to the Apple and Pear trees. Some 
authorities consider that the females seldom use their wings, and that 
only the males fly freely. Others hold that both sexes fly equally well. 
The female, either by flying or crawling, finds its way to the blossom 
buds of Apple and Pear trees, and boring a hole either with its snout, 
as Curtis and others affirm, or, according to some observers, with a 
stylet placed at the end of its body, it places one egg within each bud, 
and carefully closes up the hole. A female lays from fifteen to twenty 
eggs, but places one only in each flower bud. The process of laying one 
egg takes about three-quarters of an hour. The egg is yellowish and 
oval. Authorities agree that oviposition in an individual female may 
extend over a fortnight at least. The eggs are hatched in from five to 
nine days. 
The larva, or maggot, is without feet, and is about the third of an 
inch long. It is wrinkled, and white at first, gradually becoming 
yellowish. It has a brown head, with two little brown spots on the 
first segment. It lies in the bud in a curved form, and attacks the 
stamens and pistils, but rarely touches the ovary. It soon causes the 
petals to wither ; the flower bud changes to a rusty hue, and decays. 
The larva in from eight to ten days turns into a pupa, which is 
nearly a quarter of an inch long, of a yellow colour, with a long beak or 
rostrum, and feet folded on the under side of its body. This state lasts 
for about ten days, when the weevil appears, and escapes through a hole, 
which it bores in the petals. 
After this, the weevils live among the leaves of the fruit trees. It is 
not known whether they feed upon their leaves. A French savant. 
Dr. Henneguy, concludes from careful observation that they do not feed 
at all, but live upon a reserve of fat, cor 2 )s graisseux, stored up in their 
bodies during their previous state. They are not seen after the end of 
September, retiring for hibernation to chinks in the bark of Pear and 
Apple trees, also in lichenous and mossy growths upon their branches, 
as well as under stones and rubbish beneath and around the trees, and 
in other similar refuges. They probably also pass the winter under the 
bark of other trees, as they have been found upon Oaks in the summer. 
ClKCUMSTANCES OP THE ATTACK. 
According to natural instinct, the weevils do not appear until the 
weather is mild and the flower buds have begun to swell. If the season 
is and continues warm and growing, the effects of the attack are usually 
of a slight character. But should the weather be cold and changeable, 
as is so often the case in Great Britain and the north and western 
parts of France, the flower buds are slowly developed, and the weevils 
consequently have time to lay their full complement of eggs, whose 
period of hatching is accomplished before the flowers are fully evolved. 
Varieties of Apple trees which blossom very early and very late are 
more likely to escape the attacks of the weevil than those of the main 
crop whose blossom comes late in May in ordinary seasons. 
Methods op Peevention, and Remedies. 
One mode of prevention is to spray the limbs and branches of Apple 
trees, between October and February, with a solution of sulphate of iron, 
to destroy the lichens and mosses which serve as harbours for this weevil 
and other insects. One pound of sulphate of iron should be put to one 
gallon of water. This can be thrown up over the trees by means of a 
garden engine with a powerful pump. 
Lichens and mosses upon fruit trees may be killed by throwing up 
freshly slaked powdered lime over the branches in damp weather in 
winter. This can be done by men having tin scoops, like small flour 
scoops, fastened upon long poles. 
All long grass, leaves, and rubbish should be cleared away under¬ 
neath fruit trees on grass land, and on cultivated land it would be 
useful to apply lime, lime ashes, or lime and soot, and dig it in around 
the trees. 
Assuming that Curtis, Schmidberger, and others are correct in their 
belief that the female weevils cannotfly, or rather do not care to exercise 
their power of flight, greased or tarred bands of paper put round the 
fruit trees wouid prevent their ascent. 
It wou’d be w ell to adopt the practice of orchardists in Brittany, who 
