■October 31, 1889. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
373 
shaded in some examples with purple, leaving a clear white mar¬ 
ginal border. In some varieties the whole flower is very much 
paler. This species was first described by Dr. Lindleyin 1844 from 
Hartweg’s plants, hut we find no record of its flowering in this 
country until 1855. Native of woods in Columbia and Peru and 
on the Rio Grande ; from the latter locality the finest varieties 
lave been introduced.—T. 
A VINE ENEMY. 
THE COOHYLIS. 
The cochylis unfortunately has been known in France for some 
time, but this year it has done much mischief. At the last meeting of 
the Society of Agriculturists of France, M. Benoist stated that on 
account of the cochylis three-quarters of the champagne harvest would 
be lost. There is perhaps a little exaggeration in this prophecy, but it 
proves that so dangerous an insect must not be lost sight of. The 
■cochylis winters under the bark in the chrysalis state shut up in a silk 
•cocoon of a whitish grey ; it is then a little creature of 7 millimetres in 
length, the male is bright yellow, the female darker. They are found 
under all shelters which can protect them against the inclemency of the 
■weather. 
At the end of April or in the course of May, according to the lati¬ 
tude, the moth appears. It is a yellow straw colour, with a bar of deep 
brown on the superior wings. The female lives from ten to fourteen 
days, the male not so long. After pairing the female deposits on the 
buds of the Vine thirty eggs or more, which are hatched about twelve 
or fourteen days afterwards. The caterpillars of this first generation 
are very small, but grow quickly, and attain almost 12 millimetres. 
■Of greyish colour they assume in growing a violet rose tint with a 
brownish red head. They envelop the shoots with silk threads and some 
of the parts they gnaw greedily. Their development terminated, they 
■suspend themselves on one of their threads, and hide under the leaves 
or in their cotton to be metamorphosed into a chrysalis. They remain 
in this state about two weeks. At the beginning or towards the middle 
of July the moth is developed and prepares a new generation. The 
caterpillars of this second generation show themselves in August or 
September, in consequence at the moment when the Grape is approach¬ 
ing maturity, these are the most dangerous. They penetrate into the 
interior of the berry, feed on its pulp and its seeds. They thus pass 
from one grain to another, attacking successively whole bunches. The 
■Grape being perforated ferments, becomes brown, and later on gives a 
bad taste to the wine when it is in a great quantity. This caterpillar, 
when it arrives at its full development, is suspended on a thread like 
4hat of the first generation to form its cocoon, and passes the winter in 
the chrysalis state. 
The double generation of which the cochylis is susceptible, and the 
two epochs when it appears under the form of a caterpillar, make it a 
Tedoubtable enemy. What means have we to conquer this great pest ? 
Several have been put forward, but none give absolute results. In 
■winter, when it sleeps in its silken envelope in the state of chrysalis, 
the war must be begun by removing the bark and colouring all the 
parts with a strong insecticide. The same should be done with the 
props, and the bark collected burnt where the chrysalises may be hidden. 
■Various insecticides may be employed. First, that extolled by M. 
Balbiani to destroy the winter egg of the phylloxera with a base of 
thick oil and naphtaline ; in the second place the Bohart mixture com¬ 
posed of carbon, petroleum, and phosphorus. Dr. Nessler has proposed 
■a solution composed of sulphate of copper one part, soda, one part of 
ammonia, half fusel oil (a kind of oil residuum from the manufacture of 
Potato alcohol) four parts, ordinary soap, water 100 parts. 
It is a good plan to water the plants with petroleum or sulpho- 
■carbonate of potassium dissolved in water, so as to get at the chrysalises 
■concealed in the earth. When we find the cochylis in the caterpillar 
state we can better combat it. Divers methods are eulogised to this 
effect. M. Vincendon-Dumoulin, proprietor in Dauphin^, advises two 
treatments with a solution composed of 100 litres of water, 3 to 4 
kilogs of softsoap, 2 to 3 litres of petroleum. He spreads this insecti¬ 
cide, inofEensive it seems to the leaves of the Vine, once before the 
flowering, and again before the “ veraison.” M. Vincendon-Dumoulin 
•declares that he destroyed a large quantity of larva; and caterpillars, 
not only of the cochylis but of other pests. Dr. Nessler recommends the 
following solution ;—100 grammes of soap melted in a litre of water, 
50 grammes of fusel oil, 200 grammes of spirits of wine, GO grammes of 
essence of tobacco. One or two drops injected with any instrument 
against the insect destroys it. 
The method adopted against the caterpillars of the second generation 
are the same as for those of the first. One has in addition the oppor¬ 
tunity of destroying the berries attacked, by sending women and chil¬ 
dren through the Vine rows. M. Folx recommends a more energetic 
remedy—the immediate gathering of all the crop in order to destroy at 
■one blow all the caterpillars. But in addition to this remedy being very 
radical, if all the neighbours do not agree to do the same thing, the 
cochylis of the vineyard close by will return the following year to 
recommence its ravages, and a crop is lost without marked results.— 
{ Cosmos , 10th August, 1889.') 
[In the earlier portion of the above paper the cochylis is said to winter 
under the bark of the Vine. Later in the autumn larva; are said to 
involve themselves in cocoons on the branches. Probably the places of 
concealment are various. It is known to be found sometimes at the 
roots of the Vines. The insect seldom troubles Vines in houses, pre¬ 
ferring those on walls, espaliers, or slopes of hills. Its proper scientific 
name is Onectra pilleriaine. It has not been proved to occur upon the 
Vine here.] 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
October 22nd. 
Scientific Committee. —Present—Mr. McLachlan, in the chair 
Mr. Morris, Mr. Veitch, Dr. Oliver, Mr. Symons, Dr. Scott, Dr. Muller, 
Mr. Michael, and Rev. G. Henslow (Hon. Sec.) 
Rhododendron and Azalea bigener (fig. 44). —Mr. Veitch exhibited two 
plants raised from a cross between Azalea indica, Stella (male) and Lord 
Wolseley (female), a Rhododendron of East Indian parentage. [R. jasmini- 
florum x R. javanicum = Princess Royal; Princess Royal x R. Brooke- 
anum var. gracile = Duchess of Teck ; Duchess of Teck x R. javani¬ 
cum = Lord Wolseley]. Both plants were from the same pod, but 
while one was about a foot in height the other was scarcely 3 inches, 
though six years old. The former bore a truss of orange-coloured flowers 
of about the same colour as those of Lord Wolseley. The corolla was 
somewhat smaller with not so broad a limb, and in texture approximated 
the Azalea. Mr. Henslow undertook to examine and report upon the 
anatomical structure of the leaves to see if there were intermediate 
characters. A botanical certificate was unanimously awarded to Mr. 
Veitch for this interesting cross between two genera. 
Peas Diseased. —Dr. Oliver reported upon the plants sent by Mr. 
Pownall to the last meeting, but having insufficient specimens he was 
unable to assign a cause for the injury. Fresh material having been 
received with roots attached, he undertook to report further upon it at 
the next meeting. 
Change of Sex Induced by a Parasitic Fungus. —Mr. Plowright for¬ 
warded an interesting communication upon the effect of Ustilago 
violacea on Lychnis vespertina. He artificially impregnated a female 
plant with spores from the anthers of a male plant of Lychnis diurna 
infested with the Ustilago. Although the hybrid offspring raised were 
perfectly healthy, yet the female parent plant itself (L. vespertina) bore 
nothing'but male flowers in the following year, every one of which was 
affected with U. violacea. A fuller account will appear in the Journal 
of the R.H.S. It was observed by members of the Committee that the 
explanation is that the change of sex is due to compensation. Whatever 
tends to lessen the vitality or vigour of the pistil may heighten 
that of the stamen, as occurs frequently in hermaphodite flowers, and 
when they are normally unisexual then the lost sex may reappear, when 
the energy is diverted from the one usual present Moreover, if the 
constitution be weakened, as was possibly the case in the present 
instance by the fungus, then the plant may be only capable of forming 
stamens, for it is well known that the male sex is often correlated with 
a lessened degree of vitality. 
Oranges Attached by the Fly.—A communication was received from 
Malta stating that, “The Orange fly, Ceratitis citriperda, has of late 
years done much damage to the fruits of the Orange and Mandarin trees 
in Malta. It has also attacked the fruit of the Pear, Peach, Nectarine 
