January 28, 1888. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
341 
puny matter-of-fact insect, which had got into the 
Potato, and, sad to relate, could not get out again, 
presuming of course that it desired to do so. Had the 
silly thing but waddled out of its hole backwards, as it 
waddled in forwards, that interesting insect would 
not have been discovered by Mr. McLachlan, have been 
made food for reflection by a Scientific Committee, or 
have been so disappointingly regarded byusas a Potato- 
bug of the first water. After getting over the mental 
disturbance incidental to the discovery, we were tempted 
to moralise upon the value of the Scientific Committee 
to horticulture, and strove to found a saving faith in 
that body’s usefulness on this curious bug incident. 
Somehow we have failed now, but better luck may attend 
the next effort in the same direction. 
-- 
the carnation and picotee 
SEASON OP 1887. 
Me. W. L. Walker, of Reading, gives, in the annual 
report of the Oxford Carnation and Picotee Union, an 
amusing account of the vicissitudes of a grower of 
these flowers which the early part of the year brought 
with it. He commences by quoting from his diary, 
and states “ March 8th : Began potting Carnations ; 
dreary cold day, wind easterly, and very cutting. 
12th : Heavy snowstorms, bright intervals, very hard 
frost. 13th and 14th : Sun quite hot, with hard frost 
at night. 15th : Snow all day, several inches deep, 
continued frost ” ; and so on well 
into April — alternate frost and 
snow, with a bright warm day 
between, trying to Carnations and 
other subjects, human as well as 
floral. Then an April without the 
traditional warm showers, followed 
by a May more like November, 
gave Carnation growers an idea that 
we must be changing our seasons. 
However, troubles were only in their 
infancy, for with June the scene 
changed to the tropics—no rain, no 
dew, and scorching sun day after 
day, July being hotter still. Yet 
with all these hardships Carnations 
flourished, appearing to tell you 
the more harshly they were treated 
the more they were determined to 
show what they could do, until 
with one grand effort they repaid 
all the labour with blooms which, 
from their rapid growth, it seemed 
an impossibility for them to mature 
—not so fine, perhaps, as in a more 
congenial season, but brilliantly 
coloured, of splendid form, and 
good quality. 
Mr. Tom Lord, writing from 
Todmorden, mentions one interest¬ 
ing effect of the season. He remarks 
that “ it commenced unkindly, but 
the month of June gave us bright 
summer weather, which continued to the end of 
August, and so far as the development of the plants 
is concerned, it was the most satisfactory for many 
years past—fine clean growth throughout the whole 
stock. Judging by the appearance of the florets, it 
seems to have quite renewed some of the weaker 
growers, such as Rob Roy, R. F. ; Muriel, H.P.P. : 
Esther, Minnie and Lady Louisa, H. Rose P.’s ; and I 
hope the promise may not be disappointing. The most 
pleasant thing of all is to note the total absence of the 
maggot.” One might perhaps venture to draw the 
inference that the maggot is more destructive during a 
moist than in a dry season. 
Mr. S. Barlow states that he was at his best bloom 
about August 22nd, when he was able to show some 
very fine blooms of Carnations and Picotees at Middle- 
ton—a month after the South Kensington show. A 
selection of the best flowers seen in 1887 would give, 
Carnations:—S.B., Admiral Curzon, Robert Lord and 
Robert Houlgrave. C.B., Master Fred, Rifleman, 
extra fine, Harrison Weir, William Skirving, Sarah 
Payne and John S. Hedderley. S.F., Sportsman, 
Matador, Tom Lord, extra fine, and H. Cannell. P.F., 
George Melville, Mayor of Nottingham and Florence 
Nightingale. R.F., Sybil, Dolly Yarden and Rob Roy, 
extra good. Picotees:—Red E., John Stuart, Morna, 
Mrs. Gorton, Master Norman and Thomas William. 
Purple E., Zerlina, Baroness Burdett Coutts, Ann 
Lord, and Clara Pearson. Rose E., Mrs. Sharp, a lovely 
new scarlet edge, Constance Heron, Mrs. Payne, Lucy, 
Nellie, Favourite and Royal Yisit.— 11. D. 
GRASSHOPPERS. 
In your Questions and Answers column, p. 238, 
reference is made to a green insect, probably a grass¬ 
hopper. I must take exception to the remark, “not 
likely to do your plants much harm.” I am not aware 
that they will damage plants, but they will do serious 
damage to Orchid flowers particularly, and especially in a 
bud state. Fortunately, they hardly ever went out of 
the East Indian house, but for nearly three years, off 
and on, I had the appearance of many a spike of bloom 
destroyed. About a year ago I was exceedingly mortified 
to find one morning each flower bud on one side of a 
sixteen-flowered spike of Phalaenopsis amabilis com¬ 
pletely disfigured, some half eaten, others not so much. 
I wish that was the only experience, but unfortunately 
it was not. 
I tried several kinds of traps, hut do not remember 
catching more than one. Whether others got some of 
the concoctions made up to tempt them and went away 
to die I do not know. Nothing equals, as far as my 
experience goes, the treacle mixture, thickened by the 
addition of some burnt brown sugar, for Cockroaches, 
woodlice, &c. ; but this must be removed from the 
house each morning, for if left there the smell from it 
is very unpleasant. To return ; I found the best way 
to get rid of them was to search for them at night, as 
rarely was one caught by day, and if at all it was by 
looking under Eucharis leaves or something that hid 
them from view. I am not referring to the common 
Primula sinensis : The Holborn Strain. 
species found so abundantly during summer in the 
fields, but to the largest kind found in Great Britain—- 
Gryllina viridissima, which I find in a work on zoology 
measures about 2 ins. in length. I caught some whose 
bodies measured more than that, and if the antennre 
were rightly spread out it must have been 4 ins. or 
5 ins. long altogether. 
I also see bj r the book referred to that so extremely 
pugnacious are they that if two are put in a bag they 
invariably fight, the victor dining off the vanquished. 
This I have not witnessed, but from what I do know I 
can readily believe that such would be the case; I have 
been bitcen myself by them. The best thing I can 
compare it to is the bite of a mouse, and I suppose there 
are few gardeners but who have at some time experienced 
that. The irritation is. however, more acute and lasts 
about ten days. Perhaps some may read this who will 
be sceptical on the point, as I myself was when one 
day an assistant toldjme he had found a specimen on a 
plant he was sponging, and it had bit him. Upon my 
laughing and telling him not to tell such tales, he said, 
“Well, the next I find I will come for you to catch.” 
After one experience of biting, I either used a hand¬ 
kerchief or glove to catch them, an expedient I would 
strongly recommend anyone to adopt who may be 
unfortunate enough to be troubled with this annoying 
insect. 
For a long time I had some I destroyed, in methylated 
spirit, but I cannot find one of them left, and better 
still, for more than six months I have neither seen grass¬ 
hoppers nor their depredations. 1 should advise your 
correspondent, Mr. A. Russell, junr., to search for them 
by candle-light, and persist in doing so if he has the 
kind I had to contend with. In addition to Orchid 
flowers I have had several blooms of Eucharis damaged. 
They seem to have a preference for blooms of a soft 
nature. If I come across either of the dead ones 
referred to I will send it to the Editor.— E. Dumper. 
-•**<*-- 
FLORICULTURE. 
--i-- 
Primulas at Messrs. James Carter & Co.’s. 
Five thousand excellently grown plants in 48-size 
pots, representing, in batches just coming into bloom, 
all the renowned varieties of Primula sinensis raised 
and sent out by this firm as the “Holborn Strain,” 
as well as some new and very distinct ones, flowering 
for the first time, may now be seen at Messrs. Carter 
& Co.’s Forest Hill Nurseries. It is justly claimed 
for many of the more delicately tinted varieties 
of this strain that the influence of the original 
“Holborn Blue,” used in inter-crossing, has imparted 
to the progeny a peculiar beauty, to be traced to the 
pearly or blue flush over the other colours which that 
variety has produced, and which gives the flowers a 
velvety and glowing surface. 
The object of growing such a vast collection is two¬ 
fold, so far as the sorts already distributed goes ; first, 
to make sure that the stock is true to name and descrip¬ 
tion ; and, secondly, to ensure a 
supply of true seeds for the next 
season. So far as the first object 
goes it appears marvellous that such 
uniformity and consistency should 
be obtained in any florists’ flowers ; 
for among the whole collection 
scarcely a deviation or sport occurs. 
Mr. Sharman must be complimented 
on his handling of a matter so liable 
to become hopelessly muddled, if 
not in the hands of a thoroughly 
practical and careful man. 
Among the finest open at the 
present time are Holborn Crimson, 
Holborn Salmon, Holborn Car¬ 
mine, Holborn Blue and Holborn 
White, all of which are good in 
every respect; and again all the 
colours are repeated in the Holborn 
Fern-leaved varieties. Other excep¬ 
tionally fine varieties are Elaine, a 
fine white ; Pearl, pure white, 
delicately pearl tinted ; Ruby, a 
grand rich red ; New Violet-Blue, 
an improvement on previous blues 
and with a decided violet hue ; 
Fawn, a charming flower with 
beauties scarcely describable ; the 
centre is a greenish yellow star sur¬ 
rounded with white, and the re¬ 
mainder of the flower is of various 
shades of lilac, distinctly edged and 
picked out with pure white. As the flowers, although 
well rounded, are deeply cut and crimped, the pattern 
made by the white is very striking. There is also a 
fine strain of doubles just coming in ; and, as curiosities, 
a golden-leaved Primula, and one with leaves like Ivy. 
-- 
THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL 
SOCIETY. 
Kew to the Rescue ! 
The fearless exposure of the Kew official policy in last 
week’s Gardening World deserves the hearty thanks 
not only of the FeRows of the Royal Horticultural 
Society, but of the whole horticultural world. That 
your remarks were perfectly true, and that you 
accurately described the objects of the Kew demi-gods, 
many persons could confirm ; and it is well that there 
is one publication sufficiently independent to proclaim 
the facts. If Mr. Morris be elected as treasurer, the 
next result will be the appointment of some person well 
under their influence as secretary or assistant secretary, 
and probably we shall soon after see Mr. Dyer president. 
The Royal Horticultural Society will then practically 
cease to exist as an independent body ; and bad as its 
present condition is, it is more useful than it would be 
then—indeed, it had better die a natural death than be¬ 
come what you correctly term “an appanage of Kew.” 
Let the director of Kew and his assistants attend to 
the institution with the charge of which they have 
been entrusted, and for which services they are exceed¬ 
ingly well paid, for they may find that it will need all 
