32 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 14, 1892. 
- Peach Yellows.— In the Report of Mr. B. T. Galloway, 
Chief of the Division of Vegetable Pathology to the United States 
Department of Agriculture, we find among much other interesting 
matter the following :—“ Since my last report a bulletin has been 
published on Peach yellows. There are given in this bulletin the results 
obtained up to date by means of bud inoculations and excisions. The 
experiments were made with the greatest care ; they cover a period of 
years, and were repeated several times, so that the final results might be 
depended upcn. The conclusions from the work are as follows : (1) 
The disease is contagious, and may be conveyed by healthy-looking buds 
when these are taken from partly diseased trees. (2) Only a small 
amount of infectious material is necessary to produce the disease, pro¬ 
vided it is in the form of living cells which can be induced to unite 
with the actively growing tissues of the inoculated tree. In some cases 
the disease has a period of incubation extending over two years, and the 
probabilities are that additional experiments will demonstrate in some 
cases a still longer period. Many hundred experiments have proved 
these conclusions to be correct. (3) The life of inoculated trees varies 
from one and one-half to four and one-half years. In orchards the 
death of the entire tree occurs in from one to six years. In a majority 
of cases the disease is chronic, and some part of the tree may live for a 
long time.” 
-- An Unusual Occureence.— Just before midnight last Satur¬ 
day Mr. Cannell’s time-bell rang out vehemently. All those who were 
up were soon followed by many who had retired to rest to ascertain what 
was the matter, some concluding that part of the nursery was on fire. 
On entering the gates Mr, Cannell’s Cacti-grower called out, “ Wait a 
while, and I will show it to you.’’ They thought he had been hoaxing 
them, for they were not aware that Mr. Cannell had given orders that 
the next time the Night-blooming Cactus, Cereus nycticalus, was in 
flower all the employes should see it, because on a former occasion the 
opportunity was lost, and only a drooping and fast-fading flower was to 
be seen on the following morning. Mr. Gough, after attentively watch¬ 
ing for two hours, observed it beginning to open its petals, and when 
nearly at its best he concluded the best and quickest way to give notice 
of the event and draw attention, so that as many as possible could enjoy 
its beauty, was to tug away at the dinner-bell, and of course he soon 
had a crowd around him to view this wonderful nocturnal disturber, 
there was no mistaking its beauty—lovely pearly white petals with 
long-pointed outer florets tinted brown ; this, together with the great 
number of stamens in the centre of the flower, gave it a striking appear¬ 
ance. After thoroughly inspecting this wonderful flower the crowd 
hurried homewards to bed, highly pleased with their floral treat. The 
variety, together with several others, may be grown in the stove or warm 
greenhouse trained against the walls, will not take up much room, and 
does not require much attention. 
Miss Joliffe Carnation. —Where Carnations are appreciated 
the improved form of this variety should certainly be grown in quantity 
for flowering under glass during the spring months of the year, in fact 
it will continue to flower .until Carnations are plentiful outside. If 
sufficient stock has not been obtained, and this is often the case where 
a few plants have been obtained to commence with, plants that have 
practically done flowering may be utilised for that purpose. They may 
be turned out of their pots and the old balls laid amongst light soil, so 
that the growths lie close upon the ground. The plants will soon com¬ 
mence fiesh root activity providing the soil is kept moist. The grass 
can be layered in the ordinary way, and when the young plants are well 
rooted they should be potted singly into 3-inch pots. These can 
remain outside until the approach of frost, when they should be removed 
to cold frames for the winter. The stock in spring should be divided 
into two parts, one for growing in pots, and the other for planting out for 
stock again. The object is to be independent of spring-striking in heat. 
The remaining portion of the batch should be placed into 5-inch pots, 
and stood outside on beds of ashes. Once they begin to grow flower 
stems will show themselves, and if removed bushy plants for winter 
and spring flowering will be the result. The strongest of the plants 
may be placed into 7-inch pots, and from these a large quantity of 
flowers will be produced. A good compost for these plants is fibry loam 
three parts to one of sand, leaf soil, and manure in a decomposed con¬ 
dition. The soil at the last potting should be pressed firmly into the 
pots, so that sturdy growth will be made. Strong stimulants must be 
avoided, for the Carnation will not do well if these are applied. The 
syringe should be used to keep the plants free from red spider, and 
aphides must not be allowed to become established upon them.— 
A Grower. 
- Peas at Chiswick.—T he first inspection of the Pea trials at- 
Chiswick by the Fruit Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society 
took place on Thursday afternoon last week. There was a good atten¬ 
dance of members, including M. Henry de Vilmorin, who was heartily 
welcomed. The Peas, though generally very fair, are not so robust 
generally as last year, owing to the lightness and dryness of the soil ; 
earlier in the summer some, however, were very good. The Committee 
were very early in the inspection attracted to Duke of Albany, which 
was podding finely and freely, and found in that excellent and popular 
variety a good standard on which to proceed in selecting the best 
varieties. It was difficult to find any Pea that excelled Duke of Albany 
in general excellence. In addition to that variety, Essential, medium tall 
Pea, good cropper, carrying shortish stubby green pods, peas of good 
flavour ; Duke of Rutland, 5 feet high, capital cropper, rather straight 
pods, sweetish peas and fair flavour ; Boston Hero, a tall later form of 
Duke of Albany ; Consummate, dwarf, fine green, partly curved pod, a 
capital midseason Pea ; Renown, a sturdy, fine cropping Marrow ; The 
Echo, a robust growing dwarf Pea, fine pod and free cropper; 
Alderman, a 6-feet Pea, a great cropper, line straight pod, peas sweet 
and of excellent quality ; and Duke of York, a new and distinctly 
dwarf form of Duke of Albany, height about 3J feet, and reputed to- 
be several days earlier in podding, were good. These all received the 
full number of marks equivalent to the granting of certificates of 
merit. Many of the later varieties, whilst very promising, yet wanted 
to be seen again later. So good now are our best Peas that the Committee 
find it very hard indeed to detect special qualities in new ones that 
merit commendation. 
- Bedding Begonias. —There are some novelties in this class 
of plants being tested at Chiswick this season the which should attract 
attention. One large bed is filled with those hybrid forms that 
have fibrous roots and are freely propagated by cuttiDgs, of which- 
Princess Beatrice is now a well-known type. These come from Messrs. 
Sutton & Sons, Reading. They seem, both in colour of flowers and in 
habit, to present bedding plant elements which should male them 
eventually very popular. Then close by, in two or three smaller beds, 
are varieties sent to the gardens by Messrs. Vilmorin & Co. of Paris. 
These seem to be the dwarfest and most profuse blooming of all the 
tuberous-rooted forms, and belong to a section known in France as 
multiflora erecta. Some of the varieties, notably pink, scarlet, carmine, 
and yellow doubles, are now blooming profusely at from 6 to 8 inches 
high. The flowers, though below what we should call medium size, are 
very double and of good form. They are, if not absolutely erect, at 
least much more so than are those of the ordinary English varieties, 
and seem to present the most effective miniature bedding Begonias 
we have seen. Some are very early, others later, but M. de Vilmorin 
mentioned when at Chiswick the other day that these early forms 
bloomed continuously until cut down by frost. There are single dwarf 
erect varieties also in other beds, but these are evidently more robust 
and later in blooming. So evident is it that the Begonia is in for a 
long period of popularity as a bedding plant, that we cordially welcome 
any varieties which will serve to enhance that popularity and at the 
same time give such variation in habit and effect as shall draw general 
attention to what is one of the most beautiful of garden flowers. The 
new varieties at Chiswick will, no doubt, secure much notice during the 
present summer.—A. D. 
CARNATIONS ATTACKED BY HYLEMYIA GRUBS. 
In your report of the meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society of 
June 21st you alluded to Mr. McLachlan’s observations in regard to this 
insect at the Scientific Committee, and as the subject is one of consider¬ 
able importance to the cultivators of the Carnation and Picotee I again 
draw attention to what you then wrote. “ The grubs lived beneath the 
rosette of leaves forming the crown of the plant, and also bored into the 
stem below the crown. The perfect female insect having been now 
obtained for the first time it proves to be Hylemyia nigrescens, Rnd., 
allied to H. Cardui, which feeds in the flower heads of Thistles. He 
(Mr. McLachlan) suggests hand-picking as soon as symptoms of flagging 
is seen in the Carnation.” 
The ravages of this insect came under my notice last year, and in 
collections about Birmingham the grub is at work again this year, but 
as our growers keep a sharp look out for it no great amount of damage 
is done. To cultivators unaware of its existence much annoyance and 
loss may be avoided by at once closely examining their plants. 
The grub is, no doubt, the result of an egg inserted into the stem or 
grass of the plant, but the earliest stage of the operations of the grub is 
to be seen about the early part of June, and any symptoms of decay in 
the main or lateral stems of the plant should be examined, when a very 
small yellow grub will be found, changing to a nut brown colour as it 
gets older, eating out the heart of the stem, but it cannot be seen until 
