168 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ Angnst 20, 1891. 
will destroy the slug worms, and the earth should be removed from 
round the stems of the trees to an extent of 2 feet in winter, giving a 
good dressing of lime, and covering with soil obtained more distant 
from the trees. 
Changeable Clematises QOld Subscriber). —The specimens you 
sent are interesting as demonstrating a fact that is not recognised by 
all—namely, that all flowers are modifications of leaves. The coloured 
parts of Clematises, usually called flowers, are not even petals, but 
sepals, the normal colour of which is green, but these change in texture 
and colour into floral appendages. In your specimens the change is 
seen in operation, half, more or less, of the sepals being in the green 
leaf form, the other portions in the coloured or floral form. These 
changes are more liable to occur in dull wet seasons than in hot dry 
summers. 
Propagating Tuberous Begonias (T. E. E.). —An easy method 
of striking cuttings of these plants was described on page 145 last week, 
but this has reference to the luxuriant growths of plants in beds, not 
growths hard and exhausted by flowering, and which have no buds in 
the axils of the leaves. For increasing choice varieties by cuttings these 
should be taken when the growths are long enough and before any 
flower buds are visible, and placed in a warm pit for striking. When 
the growths are an inch or so high the tubers may be divided if desired, 
dressing the cut parts with pounded charcoal. Plants may be increased 
by any of those methods. If there are no buds in the axils of the leaves 
near the base of the cuttings the tubers are apt to “ go blind.” Subject 
to the presence of those buds, stout healthy growths, and few or no 
flowers, cuttings may be inserted at the present time. 
Peaches Decaying (fl/'. S. P.). —The decay is caused by a fungus, 
Glaeosporium lseticolor. It is by no means rare, but is rather too 
common, and becomes more so because means are not taken to prevent 
its spread, the affected fruits being left about and thrown anywhere but 
into the only safe place —a fire that will consume them speedily. The 
fact does not seem to be grasped that fungi are propagated by 
spores like other plants; but it is important that this should be 
known, and all affected fruits consigned, without loss of time, to the 
flames. That is a certain means of localising the disease, and, taken 
in time, an effective agent in preventing its recurrence. The disease 
affects Apricots, Peaches, Nectarines, Figs, and even Grapes. It usually 
attacks the finest fruits in consequence of their cuticles being extremely 
thin owing to their distension by the high swelling. Thirs highly swelled 
fruits are the most readily pierced by the germinal tubes, as seen in 
Peaches of the Early York, Bellegarde, and Violette Hative varieties, in 
Brown Turkey Figs and Muscat of Alexandria Grapes. The only pre¬ 
ventive is free ventilation in all the stages of growth, with available 
mineral elements in the soil, so that the epidermal tissues will be 
strengthened and hardened and made fungus proof, along with a free 
circulation of warm, rather dry air during the ripening process. The 
disease is most prevalent in heavy soils and damp locations, but it will 
prevail anywhere and everywhere where the conditions favouring its 
development are present along with the spores. Destroy all affected 
fruits with as little loss of time as possible. 
Yellow Thrips Infesting- Crapes (IF. J .).— The pest infesting 
the Grapes is no doubt the Heliothrips ochraceus of Curtis, which pierces 
the footstalks of the bunches and sucks out the juices of the berries, 
causing them to have a rusty and very disagreeable appearance. It is 
narrow and linear, of a bright deep ochreous colour, eyes black, horns six 
jointed and brown at the tips, three ocelli in its crown, body hairy, tip 
pointed and bristled, wings shorter than the body in the male, and 
fringed, feet dusky and bladdered. At the tip of the body a globule of 
blackish fluid may be seen, and this is frequently deposited, forming 
innumerable spots of glutinous matter, which disfigure the fruit attacked. 
There is no better remedy than fumigation with safe tobacco paper. It 
is best done on two consecutive evenings, or in the evening and early 
the following morning, then follow in two or three days, and again in 
another week, when the pest will be subdued ; but the fumigations 
must be effectual—that is, the house filled with smoke each time. Its 
prevalence is no doubt due to infection from some quarter. It is easily 
conveyed by persons with insects on their clothes, such as young men 
having care of plant houses and having to attend to the ventilation of 
vineries ; besides, the insects have wings. The pe3ts hybernate, and 
may seek and find resting quarters before it is safe to adopt measures for 
their destruction, but the chief thing is to destroy them as they hatch 
from the eggs, and this persisted in will soon effect a clearance. 
Thorough cleanliness and winter dressings must not be neglected, and a 
moist genial condition of the atmosphere acts prejudicially upon the 
insects, but it cannot always be accorded. The essential condition of its 
extirpation is to prevent its passing the winter by destroying it when 
active. Efficient and consecutive fumigations at not more distant 
intervals than a week effect that desirable object. 
Binaria vulgaris var. Peloria (J. Jt. S.). —The accompanying 
illustration (fig. 25) will convey a better idea to you than a written 
description alone. It is an example of a peculiar phenomenon that is 
occasionally observed in flowers, and is termed Peloria. This consists in 
the transformation, or, according to some botanists, the reversion, of what 
are usually irregular corollas to a regular form. For example, in the 
Linarias and Antirrhinums the corollas, as is well known, have com¬ 
monly a two-lipped form, to which the term “personate” is applied, 
the chief difference between the two being that the corollas of the 
Linarias are furnished with a spur at the base and those of the Antirrhi¬ 
num are without this appendage. In the case of the variety Peloria, 
however, this two-lipped form quite disappears, the upper part assuming 
a conical shape with the extremity five-cleft and sharply revolute, the 
base being furnished with five spreading spurs, giving the flowers a 
totally different appearance. The species itself is an attractive plant, 
but this variety is superior to it, as the flowers are produced so abun¬ 
dantly that they form a dense spike 6 to 9 inches or more in length, and 
of an extremely pleasing yellow colour. As a garden plant it is much 
appreciated both on account of its peculiarity and its beauty, and as it 
is readily increased by its roots a stock can soon be obtained. Occasion¬ 
ally fine specimens may be seen at exhibitions where classes are provided 
for hardy plants, and they form some of the most effective for such 
collections. Though not very common, this Linaria has been long 
known both to cultivators and botanists, and in the sixth fasciculus of 
FIG. 25.—LINARIA VULGARIS VAR. PELORIA. 
Curtis’s “ Flora Londinensis ” are given some interesting particulars 
concerning the history of the plant, as follows :—“ The earliest account 
that we find of the Peloria is in the first volume of the ‘ Amoenitates 
Academics’ of Linnaeus, published in 1749. It there forms a distinct 
thesis or dissertation written by Daniel Budberg, who enters minutely 
into the history of the plant, describes it fuby, and illustrates it by an 
engraving. The plant appears to have been first discovered in the year 
1742 growing in a province of Sweden about seven miles from Upsal 
by a botanical student named Zioberg, who gathered a specimen of it 
and placed it in his herbarium as a plant he had not met before.” Pro¬ 
fessor Celsius observed this specimen, and called the attention of 
Linnaeus to it, who secured plants for the Botanic Gardens at Upsal. 
Linnaeus, it is said, at first considered it a new genus, but further ex¬ 
amination proved that it was only a variety of Linaria vulgaris, or 
Antirrhinum Linaria as it ivas then termed. Plants of the variety 
Peloria have been found wild in several parts of Great Britain, but it is 
very rare. 
