72 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ January 28, 18t6. 
broods yearly, and the insect does still haunt various fruit trees, 
the Apple among them, as it once did about Kent, and probably 
other English counties, but now it occurs here solely on Black¬ 
thorn and Whitethorn. For another reason it is a caterpillar 
unwelcome in gardens or orchards. At every moult a number of 
loose hairs are sent floating which cause irritation to the human 
skin. 
The lackey moth (Bombyx neustria, fig. 13; see page 71) lays its 
eggs e very year upon the Apple, though this is not its sole food, and 
the colonies of caterpillars are numerous some years, their webs 
being hidden often in the fork of a branch, whence they issue 
forth to feed ; called lackeys, perhaps from their going forth 
in a sort of procession, but it has been also said that they 
may have been likened to the striped garb of livery servants— 
far-fetched this. It is a limp caterpillar, unmistakeable from its 
blue head with two black spots resembling eyes, and stripes or 
lines down the back, a central one of white, on each side of it 
others of orange, blue, and black. After the third moult, about 
the middle of summer, the caterpillars scatter. The best time 
for clearing away their nests is during May, if previous 
measures have not been taken against them while young, as by 
syringing the trees. Also the bead-like circles of eggs may be 
detected on the branches in winter.— Entomologist. 
HORTICULTURE IN 1885. 
I have for some years been accustomed to review at the com¬ 
mencement of each year the principal points in connection with 
our favourite pursuit which have struck me during the past year ; 
and although the same course has been adopted by your correspon¬ 
dent who signs himself “ A Thinker ”—are not most of us thinkers ? 
—yet I do not depart from my usual custom, as we do not travel 
on the same lines or discuss the same subjects. My task is much 
more commonplace, and in truth I have to deal more with a narration 
of facts than the discussion of questions which do not fall within 
my ken. I am but an “ individual ” who, in a humble way, tries 
to bring forward some facts which, ere the year grows much older, 
may as well be gathered up and not forgotten. I have written 
“ individual,” to which my friend Harrison Weir objects rightly. 
One is reminded of the story of O’Connell, whose vocabulary of 
abuse was very extensive, and who undertook that he would silence 
one of the Dublin “ fish fags,” who were as celebrated in this way 
as the Billingsgate fish wives. After they had been firing away at 
each other for some time, and the “ Liberator ” began to be in 
despair, he turned to his opponent and in thundering tones cried 
out, “ You’re nothing but an individual.” This finished the battle. 
She succumbed, and left O’Connell victor. 
It is an age of Congresses, and the past year has witnessed two 
very successful ones in connection with horticulture. Orchids and 
Peare have both been considered worthy of being so honoured, and 
there can be but little doubt of their usefulness and success. 
Orchids are, it is true, the aristocrats of Flora’s kingdom, but their 
extended culture, consequent upon the better knowledge of their 
requirements, has given them an interest to thousands who never 
formerly dreamt of the possibility of growing them, are now keen 
in their culture. We have often wondered what is the state of those 
habitats from whence come the immense importations to which 
every year witnesses, and by many it has been thought that they 
must be denuded of plants ; but I believe this is a fallacy. The 
richness of tropical vegetation, the ready manner in which seeds 
are produced and scattered, the rapidity of growth in tropical 
climes prevent this ; and it is a curious fact, that although Orchids 
are wonderfully developed under cultivation, their flowering stems 
increased in number and the individual flowers in size, yet that they 
are difficult to seed, while in their natural condition they seed very 
freely. The stories that are told about collectors burning what 
they could not take away is one of those delightful inventions which 
amuse some and horrify others. The Orchid Congress has probably 
suggested the idea which is now put forward of an Orchid Society. 
We all know how special societies tend to encourage the growth of 
the flower they take in hand, as witness the National Rose and 
National Chrysanthemum Societies. Orchid growers, as a rule 
would not care a great deal for large money prizes, but medals for 
excellence of cultivation rather than the introduction of new varie¬ 
ties would be greatly prized. It would not be difficult to work it 
out on the lines of the Societies named, but it should be regarded 
as a sine qua non that it should be connected in its metropolitan 
doings with South Kensington. Whether it would do much as far 
as our provincial towns are concerned is questionable. The exhibi¬ 
tion of Orchids at the Whitsuntide Show of the Manchester 
Botanical Society far exceeds anything we have in London, and it 
is a matter of doubt as to whether any extra encouragement would 
bring more Orchids forward. However, these are things connected 
with the future, not the past, although the past has led me into 
this digression. 
The Pear Congress did not excite so much interest as the Apple 
Congress of last year, probably because the commercial value of the 
latter is greater, and it is more everybody’s fruit than the Pear ; 
yet a good Pear is a highly prized fruit, and when we read that 
upwards of 740 varieties were exhibited, there is surely work for 
the experts to do in weeding out a vast quantity of worthless sorts 
and in fixing the synonyms of “ too-much-alike ” Pears. 
The past year has produced, as every year does, many new 
plants, both introductions from other countries and hybrids raised 
in our own country. These have been in all departments of horti¬ 
culture—in stove, greenhouse, and hardy plants. It is becoming 
every year more and more evident that there is an immense variety 
in the plants of the same species in their native habitat, almost as 
great as is to be found in the cultivated flowers of our gardens, and 
hence even amongst Orchids there are continually appearing novel 
and beautiful forms, thoroughly distinct from those we already 
possess. We get white Odontoglossums, as in 0. vexillarium 
Measureanum ; while the hybridiser gave us the same results, as in 
Mr. Seden’s Calanthe Sedeni candidibulum. Yet, taking all things 
into account, I do not think that anything calling for extraordinary 
notice has made its appearance—nothing so sensational as Anthurium 
Andreanum or Yanda Sanderiana. 
Florists’ flowers (properly so called) have held their ow n t 
although it was a very trying year. The prolonged period of 
drought was a prolific cause of thrips and aphis in a great many 
plants; hence the Dahlia Show at the Crystal Palace showed a 
great falling off in quantity and, indeed, in quality also. I heard 
one very experienced grower say that he thought each bloom of 
Show Dahlias must have cost half a guinea to produce! the 
labour of watering, &c., had been so great. Of the Rose season 
I have already written, and have stated that it was not remark¬ 
able for the production of any very great novelties. Gladioli 
have been more largely shown, and many new varieties have been 
certificated A good deal has been said about Lemoine’s seed¬ 
lings, but as yet they do not seem likely to elbow out the varieties 
of the Gand ivensis breed They are deficient in the length of 
spike, and there is at present no great brilliancy of colour. 
With me, too, they have the disadvantage of not blooming until 
very late, so that many of the blooms succumb to the frost, 
much m the same way as Schizostylis coccinea does. They are 
planted in the border in front of my greenhouse, are left there 
through the winter, and so can come up when they like. When 
I mentioned this to Mr. Gumbleton, who grows them lai’gely, 
he was much surprised; but then Cork is much warmer than 
Kent, and not only will things flourish out there which we cannot 
attempt, but those that do flourish are much earlier. But of all 
florists’ flowers, that which has during the last few years made 
the most rapid progress is the Chrysanthemum. In all parts of 
the country it has been fostered. Societies have sprung up and 
exhibitions held, while the National Society, formed on the same 
lines as the National Rose Society, has been greatly developed, 
and has done much to encourage their growth. This is not to 
be wondered at—it is everybody’s flower. It comes at a season 
of the year when flowers are scarce, and now what with early 
and late-flowering varieties its season is prolonged for many 
months. In the Japanese section there has been a very large 
accession of new varieties—so large as to be bewildering—and I 
daresay, as in most florists’ flowers, they will require consider¬ 
able weeding out. Amongst the incurved varieties the novelties 
have been sports from other flowers and not seedling varieties ; 
indeed, taking the prescribed model as a standard, it is hard to 
say where any improvement is possible, unless brighter colours 
could be introduced. Amongst reflexed flowers the palm must 
be given to Cullingfordi, very bright in colour and excellent in 
habit. In the Pompon sections there has not been much of 
novelty; indeed, this is most to be found in what are called 
Japanese Anemones; but whether the novelty is accompanied 
by beauty is, I think, very questionable. 
Notwithstanding the depression which has been so universal, 
the interest in horticulture has been well kept up. Unfavour¬ 
able seasons have been fatal to many societies, but others have 
taken their place. The increased number of horticultural publi¬ 
cations evidences an increased interest in the pursuit, and also a 
wider area over which that interest is spread These penny 
periodicals are marvels of excellence and cheapness, and those 
of us who can look over half a century of horticultural life may 
well expatiate upon the advantages which lovers of gardens now 
have. It can be from no lack either of teachers or teaching that 
mistakes are made in gardening, although I daresay it will be a 
matter of question when it is true that “in the multitude of 
counsellors there is wisdom,” and when “ too many cooks spoil 
