THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, May 10, 1859. 
account of the variegation being so profuse and distinct, 
it is well worthy of a place in a collection. It thrives 
best in a moderately warm stove. 
Begonia Grijjithsii, var. picta. —A handsome medium* 
sized plant from South America. Leaves nearly round, 
and of a dark-green colour; with a zone in the middle of 
a greenish-whife. The zone shows through the leaf. 
Underneath, the colour is crimson. Increased by cut¬ 
tings ; though there is little doubt it would increase by 
laying a leaf on sand in close heat, dividing it in many 
pieces in the same way that the beautiful Begonias raised 
from Begonia rex are increased. 
Ancectochilun slriatus, var. pictus. —A distinct lovely 
species, supposed to have been brought by Mr. Gibson 
from the Khosea Hills, India. It is a beautiful plant, 
with a distinct stripe of golden yellow down the centre of 
each leaf. Whoever has the means to grow Anaectochiluses 
should procure this variety. It requires the same treat¬ 
ment as the rest of the genus. See former descriptions, 
and what I have to say about the tribe when describing 
what I saw at the next and last nursery I had a peep at— 
viz.:— 
Messrs. Witch and Son, the Exotic Nursery, Chelsea. 
The collection of Orchids in this far-famed nursery, is, 
perhaps, unequalled in the world. There I saw, for the 
first time in bloom, the rare Angrcecum sesquipedalis, with 
liower3 seven inches across, and of a leathery substance, 
and a rich creamy-white colour. Also, a lovely new 
Cattleya, with deep purple sepals and petals, and a lip of 
a rich crimson colour. It is not named yet. The flowers 
are live inches in diameter. Also a new Cypripedium, with 
its foliage broadly striped with pure white. It was not 
in bloom. 
Messrs. Yeitch possess the greatest number of the 
lovely-foliaged Anoectocliiluses I have ever yet seen. They 
grow them planted out in rows, under a two-light frame, 
in a hot stove, in a compost of sphagnum and very fibry 
peat, largely mixed with silver sand. 
Besides the older sorts, I noted Ancectochilus cordatus, 
which seems to thrive the best of all in that frame. The 
leaves are more distinctly marked than A. setaeeus, and 
even richer in metallic lustre. 
A. El-Dorado, has lanceolate leaves, terminating in a 
point. Over the whole leaf there is a rich, reddish cast; 
which, together with the golden streaks, renders this a 
strikingly distinct species. It is new and rare even here. 
A. Veitchii, has light green veins ; the rest of the leaf 
is of a lustrous dark green. This is, also, new and rare. 
It is from Java. 
A. Lobbii. —This species is in the way of Veitchii in 
colours ; but has longer leaves, and, altogether, darker 
in hues. 
A. Maulii. — Named after Mr. Maul, nurseryman at 
Bristol, who, I believe, imported it from India. It is in 
the way of A. zanthophyllus ; but the broad stripe down 
the centre is much narrower, and, I think, more distinct. 
I had some difficulty in withdrawing from these most 
beautiful and interesting plants ; but night was approach¬ 
ing, and so I reluctantly left them to look after commoner 
things. 
In the stove I found a plant named Tradescantia odo- 
■ratissima ; the origin of which, the foreman told me, 
nobody knew. It has purple leaves two feet long, growing 
in an arched form; the largest plant was quite a bush. 
The flowers are a rich blue and very fragrant. I noticed 
several young plants, and in that state the leaves are 
green. 
Phrynium sanguineum .—This is a fine, large, showy 
plant, belonging to the Maranta tribe. The leaves are 
two feet long, purplish green on the upper side, and 
crimson purple underneath. The flowers are produced 
in dense spikes from the heart-shaped base of the strongest | 
leaves, and are of a bright scarlet colour. It was growing 
in the large aquatic-houso, and appeared to love the j 
moisture of its habitation. Increased by suckers. 1 
77 
■ Dieffenbachia variegata .—The difference between this 
and its congener, D. picta, is, that whilst the latter is 
variegated with blotches of white, the former has 
feathered stripes of white on each side of the midrib. It 
is a handsome large-foliaged plant, worthy of cultivation. 
Increased by cuttings. 
Yucca quadricolor .—The handsomest of all the varie¬ 
gated Yuccas. The leaves are long and drooping, and 
striped with red, yellow, white, and green. It is a green¬ 
house shrub from America. Propagated, but slowly, 
from side-shoots, inserted in sand, in close heat. 
In the aquatic-house I noticed several large plants of 
the handsome Pandanus Javanicus varieyatus, four feet 
high, and as much through. T. Appleby'. 
VARIEGATED GREENHOUSE PLANTS. 
I can recommend the following variegated plants as adapted 
to greenhouse treatment, — viz , Vinca major elegantissima, 
Veronica Andersonii variegata, Salvia fulgens variegata, and 
Cordnilla glauca variegata. And what can ho better than the 
several variegated Geraniums, such as Flower of the Bay, Bril¬ 
liant, Lady Plymouth, Lady Portsmouth, and Odoratissima 
variegata, &c. ? 
I wish to draw attention to some plants that I considered 
tender till these last two years, when I have them doing beautifully 
out of doors. Fecremocarpus scahra flowering ten months in 
the year on a south-east aspect, and th8 colour of the flowers 
much bettor than it is under glass. Cytisus jacemosus, protected 
a little in winter, and always in flower.—W. Caeteu, the Gardens, 
Cherbury, near Dublin. 
FRUIT PROSPECTS, and OTHER POMOLOGICAL 
MATTERS. 
The frost lias been very destructive. The radiating thermo¬ 
meter at Worcester, one hundred feet above the sea, was 25° on 
the 30th of March ; and 27° on the 31st. Here, in the valley of 
Evesham, I have no doubt it was colder, hut probably not so low 
as on the eastern side of the island; yet, as our forwardness was 
probably greater, we were no gainers by (he difference. 
The Pears were not seriously damaged last year by the cater¬ 
pillar ; they had a magnificent bloom—one mass of white from 
top to bottom. The whole of this is destroyed except a few 
Hessles. The Plums (some sorts) were quite out, and appeared 
sadly cut up; but on examination I find a fair proportion have 
escaped. The Biamond were splendid. The later sorts, I hope, 
are, scarcely injured. Cherries, about one blossom in three has 
escaped. Apples but little injured. Perry Pears were a bad 
blossom this year; I think they are tolerably safe. Wall fruit 
all, or nearly all, gone. Except Pears, the greatest destruction has 
been to Gooseberries and Black Currants. Some sorts of the 
former have lost eleven blossoms out of twelve ; and unless some 
backward and nearly-unseen buds should be safe, it will be the 
shortest crop known for years. Red Currants are not materially 
injured. Early Rhubarb i3 damaged a little. 
I am not without hope that the season, as a whole, may yet 
prove an average one ; hut this, of course, depends on our having 
no more severe frost. 
I am happy to say the plans I adopted in the autumn for 
destroying the winter moths were eventually successful, but not 
in time to save my trees altogether from their eggs; as nearly 
half the period of their activity was spent in trusting to doubtful 
remedies. We compute the destruction at an average of twenty- 
five each tree: 40,000 trees will give one million moths. Say 
half of these wore females capable of laying from two hundred to 
three hundred eggs, as is supposed to be the case, then we have 
from one hundred to one hundred and fifty millions of eggs, or 
caterpillars, less than we might have expected had I dono nothing. 
The expense was about £ 10. Their season for laying is from the 
20th of October to the 20th of December; and the best remedy 
we find is to daub the stems of the trees about once a-week with a 
mixture of cart grease and Baltic tar in equal proportions. It 
appears not to injure the trees. The females, as you are aware, 
have no wings, and must climb the stem. 
Can you inform me of any remedy for the red spider on 
Gooseberry bushes that could be made use of on a large scale ? 
