822 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 2\ 1893. 
common progenitor, and in the several groups [of the parasitic mites] 
they are formed by the modification of the fore legs, of the bind legs, of 
the maxillae or lips, and of the appendages on the under side of the hind 
part of the body.”—(“Origin of Species,” page 143). Now, without 
these hair-claspers the mites would make little progress over a hairy 
surface, as that of a shoot, intervening between its old domicile and a 
newly formed bud, which it has to form into a new habitation for itself. 
When this migration from an old withered gall takes place varies, some¬ 
times in May, often much later, always by the time the buds are formed, 
for it must take advantage of their swelling or formation, otherwise it 
cannot produce a gall, and the hair-claspers facilitate its progress from 
one part of the tree to another, or from one bush to its neighbour. 
Whether the mite can and does derive nourishment from the tree hairs 
is not known, but it cannot live long outside the gall, and it is pitiful 
to see the frantic endeavours of the mite to find something to clasp by 
rearing itself erect and moving its legs and maxillm, and it soon dies. 
It may be different on a young growth—I have not found one—and it 
is questionable if the mites do more than pass from an old gall to a new 
bud. That certainly occurs by midsummer, and the growth of the bud 
attacked is then abnormal, by August as large as a field Pea, and a gall 
as large as a Marrow Pea is formed by September. 
The mite always attacks the wood and catkin, or fruit buds, passing 
over the small wood buds at the base of the shoots, A h, and G i. Some¬ 
times the extremity bud, A j, is not attacked ; in other shoots the ter¬ 
minal bud, G h, is infested, whilst a wood bud, G I, has been passed. 
Mites evidently can make a mistake by destroying the bud, A m, a cat¬ 
kin bud, of no value for making a gall, while the wood bud, A n, remains 
intact. This is no doubt a consequence of the mite or mites having 
dropped a drop or drops of poison into the centre of the wrong bud 
and killed it, for, as before stated, no catkin bud ever is made to produce 
a gall, but the wood bud may before that and the catkin bud become 
distinct parts, and this is determined by midsummer, if not sooner, and 
it goes to prove that the mites pa.ss direct from their old habitations and 
commence at once to form new out of the young buds then receiving 
the assimilated matter abundantly by the leaves. The galls are con¬ 
sidered to be due to irritation—a mere guess—for no irritation will 
produce a chemical change in the juices of the plant, and that certainly 
takes place, the green colouring matter (chlorophyll) being abstracted, 
and red first, then brown, and lastly black is the colour of the excre¬ 
scences or galls. Poison, a minute drop or drops, is unquestionably the 
exciting cause of the galls, and the progressive growth of the excre¬ 
scences may be due to the same cause, for until the growth ceases there 
is no exuviae in the gall, afterwards abundance, and the mites soon clear 
out of such a fouled nest—old and young emigrating together. 
A clean growth, H, is easily detected in spring from infested A and G. 
The remedy is to cut off and burn the affected growths, say at the 
bars, O, not later than the vernal equinox or the decay of the catkins, by 
which time the flowers will have been fertilised, not deferring it later 
than the time the healthy shoots are pushing growth with the clusters of 
nuts, H p. The mites and eggs are then in the galled buds, and the 
remedy is sure.—G. Abbey. 
SOUVENIE DE LA MALMAISON CARNATIONS. 
In the course of remarks on these Carnations a writer on page 284 
makes statements to which I would like to refer. First, as regards 
Madame Arthur Warocqud, which I recommended shortly after the 
introduction of this variety from Brussels. It is a good Carnation, but 
it has no right to be classed as a Malmaison, and it is time that it should 
ceajse to be termed one. If I recollect rightly, plants in flower were 
presented to the Floral Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society, 
but were passed, while some time after the thirty-year-old pink Mal¬ 
maison was honoured with a certificate. 
The second point I wish to refer to is that cool treatment suits the 
Malmaisons best. Cool treatment has one serious drawback, inasmuch 
as the period of flowering has to be left to the time natural to the plant. 
In these days this is a matter to which most gardeners cannot confine 
themselves. The present year all my plants are autumn layered, yet I 
am now able to cut flowers from the central spike. Under cool treat¬ 
ment I should have been obliged to wait for another year until I could 
obtain flowers from the side growths; but the latter in my case will 
follow close on the central growth, and yield flowers throughout summer 
and autumn. Under such circumstances, I should be unwise not to 
keep the plants in a growing temperature, which I am inclined to 
believe is not inimical to the health of the plants, and which gives 
conditions by which the best blooms are produced. 
With regard to which variety is the best, my opinion is that the old 
blush Malmaison, when produced in good form, is superior to the others. 
Then the deep pink, or Rothschild variety, as so many now term it ; 
next Lady Middleton ; and then one which I saw exhibited in London 
as a pink form, but which I consider unworthy of cultivation.—B. 
A TRIP TO RENFREWSHIRE. 
^ On the 2.5th ult. 1 paid a visit to the residence of the late “ Renfrew¬ 
shire Bee-keeper ” for the first time since his death. The thermometer 
stood as high as G8°, and a short distance from the mansion lay a large 
wreath of snow. I scanned many old favourites, amongst which were 
Plum trees sadly scourged by the blue tits. Although everything was 
there as usual that pleased the eye, the absence of our true friend made 
sadness that not even the lovely flowers could dispel, ilepaticas in 
various shades were charming, Croci in millions made a feast indeed to 
the eyes of those who can appreciate, while the Scillas in variety, from 
the pure white to the pink and blues of different shades, added richness 
to the scene. The huge clumps of Leucojums, large in flower and 
foliage, with their sweet fragrance, showed well amongst the shrubbery, 
and how well adapted they along with the Scillas are for woodland 
decoration. Daffodils and Snowdrops were very attractive, and are in 
this quarter widely distributed, the latter being mostly of the double 
varieties. 
I observed one single Snowdrop, having flowers not unlike Blwesi, 
but the foliage was from 1 foot to 16 inches long, by 1 inch broad. Can 
Mr. Arnott name it ? Those that interested me most were some of the 
Crimean form I sent him some fifteen years ago. Each flower, including 
the seed pod, measured IJ inch long, being three-eighths of an inch 
larger than they grow with me. When I saw them it recalled to my 
mind the large one mentioned by Mr. Arnott as being found at Galston, 
and suggested that soil and situation may account for all the extra size. 
The great contrast in size of these flowers when compared with my 
own gave me hopes of some of my own hybrid seedlings. They are 
larger than the Crimean, or any other variety I have, with the additional 
property they do not, reflex their petals to the same extent as moat 
other varieties, remaining intact, more bell-shaped, while the inner 
tubes remain impact, the petals never separating while the flower lasts. 
—W. T., Blantyre, 
SHOW OF CAMELLIAS AT WALTON LEA, 
WARRINGTON. 
On Sunday and Monday, April 9th and 10th, the grounds surrounding 
this beautiful residence were, through the kindness of John Crosfield, 
Esq., thrown open to the public that they might spend a pleasant 
afternoon and view the Camellias which are now in full bloom. 
Brilliant sunshine prevailed on b ith days, and thousands of persons, 
young and old, made their way to Walton, either on foot or by means of 
conveyances, which ran to the entrance of the gardens. The number of 
visitors on Sunday was e-timated to be about seven or eight thousand, 
and on Monday over two thousand, and not the slightest damage was done. 
What a treat to those hard toilers must this feast of Camellias have 
been I And if to them it is equally so to the practical gardener, who 
hears in these days the cry that Camellias are out of date. 
I will in as few words as possible try and describe the house in 
which Mr. Kipps, the gardener, grows the plants so well. Originally it 
was a three-quarter span 50 feet in length, but this becoming so crowded 
the house was enlarged to 100 feet in length, 15 feet 6 inches in width, 
and about the same in height, the back wall being about 10 feet, and 
facing east. A path runs down the i entre of the house with a border 
along each side. Here are planted the Camellias, and I would like your 
readers to picture in the border next the back wall a row of perfect 
pyramids some 14 or 15 feet high, clothed from bottom to top with the 
most luxuriant foliage, every shoot carrying perfect flowers, and the row 
next the front of the house about 10 feet high, all superbly flowered, 
and then they have only a faint idea of the gorgeous display they make. 
Viewed from either end the sight is grand. 
In the back border the fo'lowing varieties are grown :—Lavinia 
Maggi, Elegans, De la Reine, Hendersoni, Ochroleuca, Imbricata, two or 
three specimens of the old Double White, Commandatore Batti, and 
Jeffersoni. The front bed contains the following ;—Jenny Lind, Can- 
didissima, two Lady Hume’s Blush, Jubilee, Due de Bretagne, Fimbriata, 
Tricolor, Auguste Delfosse, the gorgeous Carolina, with its deep crimson 
flowers 6 inches in diamefer, and the red and white varieties of Matho- 
tiana, the former having many flowers over 8 inches in diameter, and an 
unnamed pink variety. On the back wall are Reticulata (so very seldom 
met with, but how beautiful with its large rose-coloured flowers I), Alba 
plena, Pelaskea, Madonna, Saccoi Nova, and a fine white variety with 
rose marbling. No insects are to be seen, the garden engine playing an 
important part in their extermination. The borders are well drained, 
and good sound loam forms the compost. 
Credit is due to Mr. Kipps for the excellent condition of the plants ; 
but throughout the grounds the same conditions are observable. A large 
number of ripe Strawberries were to be seen in various houses, plenty of 
flowers alike in conservatory and plant houses, and vegetable ground 
and pleasure grounds neat and trim.—R. P. R. 
THE GHENT SHOW. 
We did not send a reporter to Ghent this year for two reasons:— 
1, Because the usual Press ticket did not come to hand; 2, because much 
smaller interest appears to have been manifested in the event than has 
been evident on former occasions in this country. We could only ascertain 
that two or three of our home firms would enrich the Show by their 
produce, the majority not contributing, though several would attend to 
see the general exhibits. 
We have often described the quinquennial shows. They are always 
great, as they should be after five years of preparation, always 
picturesquely arranged, always very much like each other in general 
character, and visitors always receive a pleasant reception. There is 
always an imposing display of lofty Palms and Cycads, with luxuriant 
foliage plants, floriferous masses of Indian Azaleas, such as cannot be 
seen elsewhere, glowing banks of hardy Azaleas, with an extensive 
