July 6, 1889. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
707 
and burnt to prevent tlie pest from spreading. Plant 
healthy trees in their place. I had specimens from 
another source affected with gall mites, mussel scale, 
and apparently canker as well. 
Slug-worms are the grubs of certain sawflies, differing 
in colour and in the nature of the secretion covering 
their bodies ; but the slug-worm proper is the grub of 
Eriocampa limacina (or the Selandria Cerasi of Miss 
Ormerod). It derives its name from the black slime 
covering its hairy body till the last moult, when the 
resinous dark coat is thrown off. The grubs have large 
heads, and in the earlier stages when slimy bear con¬ 
siderable resemblance to a black slug. Hence the 
derivation of the name slug-worm. I collected my speci¬ 
mens on Pear trees at Holwood, Kent, last season. 
Autumn is the time they make their appearance. They 
are very voracious, and eat away the upper surface of 
the leaves, which become brown and ultimately drop, 
causing the trees to become unhealthy. The fruit was 
affected with the fungus which causes cracking, were 
very much split, and entirely useless. The slug-worms 
under notice attack most of the fruit trees belonging to 
the natural order Rosaceae. They may be destroyed 
with Hellebore powder mixed with water, and applied 
through the rose of a watering pot. As they hibernate 
in the first 3 ins. or 4 ins. of soil, that depth should be 
taken off and burnt. Both grubs and flies are extremely 
sluggish, and the latter may be shaken down on a 
white cloth and destroyed. 
Birds. 
The feathered enemies are more easy to deal with than 
any of the above ; but, with the exception of the bull¬ 
finch and the sparrow, I would not advise the shooting 
of them. Even the latter has much to recommend 
him to mercy. If the birds are killed wholesale, we 
destroy the balance of nature, and get afflicted with a 
plague of insects far more difficult or impossible to 
exterminate. The gun should be employed during the 
ripening of the fruit to scare, not to kill. The warning 
cry has been heard from many an orchard in Kent 
during the past summer. Of the larger animals, 
rabbits and hares are the most destructive during severe 
weather. They soon destroy an orchard by barking 
the young trees. To prevent injury, protect the stems 
of the trees with branches of blackthorn or furze ; but 
the most sure and effective plan is to use a guard of 
wire netting. Tar, grease, and oils should not be 
employed, as they are injurious by stopping up the air 
passages in the bark. 
Vegetable Enemies. 
These are of two kinds—namely, parasites and 
epiphytes. The former are the most to be dreaded, 
since they attack and destroy the living tissues of the 
host plants, by feeding on their substance. Parasites 
may again be divided into those of a fungoid nature 
and those that are green. 
Mildew affecting the Apple is a white mould belonging 
to the family Erysiphaceas, and in this, the early stage, 
it is referred to the genus Odium. It is one of the 
most easily destroyed of parasitic fungi, from the fact 
that it lives on the surface and does not penetrate its 
host. Sulphur alone, or various preparations containing 
sulphur, will completely destroy the fungus. Should a 
large number of trees in a garden or orchard become 
affected, the application of sulphur would be a tedious 
and costly operation ; but if a few isolated trees only 
are attacked the remedy is more easily applicable. 
Cracking is caused by Cladosporium dendriticum, a 
too widely prevalent fungus, that grows on the leaves, 
young shoots and flowers of the Apple, often preventing 
the formation of fruit. In severe cases the latter 
becomes partially or completely covered with blotches, 
crippling and preventing it from attaining full size, 
and in all cases the fungus reduces the market value of 
the produce by disfiguring or causing it to crack. The 
disease commences as black spots, branching from the 
centre like a small tree, while on fruit the patches soon 
become irregularly rounded, with a depressed black 
spot in the centre, surrounded by a white line, and 
that again by a black border. The Pear is attacked in 
the same way by a variety of Cladosporium dendriti¬ 
cum, generally known amongst fungologists under the 
name of Fusicladium pyrinum. Ho remedy is known, 
and means to prevent its spreading must be adopted by 
destroying badly affected trees and fruit. Here again 
good cultivation greatly tends to palliate the evil by 
encouraging a healthy vigorous growth of the trees. 
Marie Louise and Louise Bonne of Jersey Pears are 
very subject to it, and should not be planted in places 
infested with the disease. 
Rust on the Pear is caused by Roestelia cancellata, as 
well as some other parasitic fungi. The Roestelia 
produces rugged swellings on the leaves, the blotches 
finally becoming red, and showing themselves on both 
surfaces of the leaves attacked. It is believed to be an 
early stage of Gymnosporangium Sabinese, which com¬ 
pletes its life cycle on Juniperus Sabina. As in the 
rust of Wheat, there is an alternation of generations on 
different host plants, and described as heteroicism. It 
is not common in England, is not, I believe, recorded 
from Scotland, but is very destructive on the Continent. 
Hand-picking the leaves as the spots make their 
appearance, and before the spores are shed, is the only 
remedy, and no Juniper bushes should be allowed to 
grow near them. On a large scale it is more profitable 
to uproot badly-affected specimens and plant afresh. 
Mistleto in this country is the only chlorophyll¬ 
bearing parasite that need be noticed. It is very in¬ 
jurious to orchards in Herefordshire from its great 
prevalence, and prevents the branches infested by it 
from thickening properly below the union of the 
parasite with them, ultimately causing the trees to 
become stunted and unproductive. Cut down the 
Mistleto about Christmas, when a market will be found 
for it to defray the expenses of the operation. 
Epiphytes, such as lichens and mosses, can be re¬ 
moved by scraping or scrubbing the bark of the trees, 
or they may be destroyed by sulphuric acid much 
diluted in water. The evil is but half remedied, 
however, and the lichens will soon grow again unless 
measures arejtaken to remove the cause by draining or 
otherwise ameliorating the land, as the case may 
require, and so induce a healthy, vigorous growth, 
thereby enabling the trees to thrive, increase in 
thickness, and throw off the old bark.— J. Fraser. 
--=>T<-- 
Gardening Notes from Ireland. 
The Summer Show of the Royal 
Horticultural Society. 
The summer show of this society was held on the 
27th?ult., under three large tents, in the grounds of 
Sir EdwardjCecil Guinness, off Harcourt Street, Dublin. 
As regards these tents or marquees, I may remark 
that, owing to the want of ventilation, the work of 
staging the different plants was made almost unbear¬ 
able, the heat being intense. But visitors fared far 
worse from the same cause, and those who entered the 
tents to enjoy the pleasing sight of the various exhibits, 
had to pass out as soon as possible to enjoy the outside 
air. I think in the interest of their visitors, if for no 
other reason, the managers of the society’s business at 
these summer shows might contrive to give this 
matter of tent ventilation a little consideration. Of 
course the chief feature of attraction was the Roses, and 
if I except the new one of herbaceous collections, I 
think it might be described as a Rose show only. The 
different classes of Roses exhibited by private growers 
were, as a whole, of a poor description, but it is only 
just to say, for these growers, that what between the 
forcing nature of the season and the late time for 
holding the show, many of their best flowers were gone 
before the time arrived for gathering them. 
For a box of twenty-four Roses Mr. Cabban, gar¬ 
dener to the Earl of Clancarty, Garbally, Ballinasloe, 
obtained first prize, and Mr. Gough, gardener to 
J. McCann, Esq., Simmonscourt Castle, Donnybrook, 
was second. Some idea of the poor appearance of the 
boxes of twelve Roses may be formed when it is stated 
that in the six classes staged the second prize in each 
case was withheld. For a basket of Roses, Miss Millner, 
of Cherbury, Booterstown, was awarded a first prize. 
The lot was very handsomely and tastefully arranged, 
and was very much admired by the lady visitors. For 
the society’s special prizes for thirty-six Roses, eighteen 
varieties, two blooms of each, the cup fell to Mr. Cabban, 
and the second prize to Mr. Gough. In the nursery¬ 
men’s classes for Roses the competition lay between 
Messrs. A. Dickson & Sons, Newtownards, and Mr. 
R. Hartland, of The Lough Nurseries, Cork. The 
stands put up in both cases were very fine, but for 
freshness, colour and substance of blooms nothing 
could exceed those staged by the first-named exhibitors. 
They were simply superb, and I think the judges could 
have had little difficulty in awarding the first prizes to 
the northern firm in all the classes. 
For a box of forty-eight Roses, twelve distinct varieties, 
four of each, the Messrs. Dickson were first, and Mr. 
Hartland second. In the Messrs. Dickson’s lot were 
some fine flowers of Her Majesty, Madame G. Luizet, 
Ulrich Brunner, Merveille de Lyon, La France, 
Alphonse Soupert, Lady Mary Fitzwilliam, and Lady 
Alice Fitzwilliam, the two latter being very fine and 
attractive. In Air. Hartland’s lot there were some fine 
blooms of Merveille de Lyon, Edouard Morren, Lady 
Mary Fitzwilliam, and Francois Levet. For a stand of 
new Roses sent out since 1886, and to consist of twelve 
varieties, two blooms of each, the Alessrs. Dickson 
were first. This class contained some Rose3 raised by 
the exhibitors, for three of which they have been lately 
awarded First Class Certificates, and at this show the 
Certificate of the society was recommended to be given. 
These are T. W. Girdlestone, Miss Jenny Dickson, and 
the Countess of Dufferin. They are all very fine Roses, 
and will no doubt attract the attention of lovers of 
large, finely-formed blooms. In this box I noticed for 
the first time two flowers of Duchess of Albany, which, 
on first view, I set down as being La France, and 
unless the plant possesses some superior qualities to the 
latter, there is hardly distinctness enough in the 
Duchess of Albany blooms to have them regarded by 
the ordinary observer as other than La France. Another 
remarkably fine Rose in this collection was one called 
Lady Arthur Hill, and one, if I am not mistaken, of 
the fine kinds recently raised by the Messrs. Dickson. 
For a stand of twenty-four light and dark Roses, twelve 
of each colour, Alessrs. Dickson were first, and Air. R. 
Hartland second, and for a stand of twelve Tea Roses, 
each different, the same places were maintained ; this 
stand was remarkable for one bloom of the new Tea- 
scented Rose Lady Castlereagh, and which is regarded 
by Alessrs. Dickson as one of the best Roses recently 
raised by them. The society’s Cup, which was offered 
for the best stand of forty-eight Roses, each different, 
was also won by Messrs. Dickson, so that, as was 
remarked by an observer, “ they made a clean sweep ” 
of all the first prizes in the nurserymen’s Rose classes. 
The only other point worth noticing was the exhibition 
of herbaceous cut flowers, the prizes for which brought 
out a pretty good competition. For the past few 
years Lady Headfort has been offering £2 as a first 
prize, and 15s. as a second award for cut herbaceous 
flowers, but the inducements do not appear to be 
attractive ; at least, the competition has been of a very 
meagre description, so that her ladyship’s collections 
have hitherto taken the main portion of the prizes. At 
the late show her collection was again first, the second 
being awarded to Mr. Taylor, gardener to J. I;. W. 
Naper, Esq., Loughcrew. The Drummond prizes of 
£15, to be won for three successive years, and an 
annual one of £5, excited a little more competition 
than has hitherto been the case ; but from some of the 
stands put up it is plain that the owners have not yet 
a full conception of what they have to do if they mean 
to win. For the first time, at all events, Air. AIcLeod, 
gardener to Lady Headfort, was the winner, and it will 
take a little more care than the usual random sort of 
treatment given to herbaceous plants to beat him. 
However, Air. Hamilton Drummond has set the ball 
rolling, and it is to be hoped that his action in thi3 
matter will be the means of drawing increased attention 
to this useful and interesting class of plants. 
It would be a useless task to go into the subject of 
the almost complete absence of stove and greenhouse 
plants, but no doubt the absence of the sinews of war 
is the prime cause, and the last few years of the 
society’s existence evidently points that way. Equally 
absent in a competitive sense were some of the more 
important classes of fruits. No Grapes, with the 
exception of a few bunches from one exhibitor; the 
Silver-gilt and Bronze Aledals, with their munificent 
accompaniments (?) of £1 and 10s. respectively, going 
begging. This, let it be remembered, is for six 
bunches of Grapes, which must show the highest point 
of perfect cultivation. So with other fruits ; the stingy 
prizes are frightening away exhibitors, and it is not at 
all unlikely that the usefulness of Ireland’s only Royal 
Horticultural Society will be reduced in future to a 
Rose show in summer and a Chrysanthemum show in 
winter. There were no vegetables, if I except one fine 
tray sent in by Air. Alahoney, gardener to Airs. Jury, 
Greenfield, Donnybrook, but “not for competition.” 
A very nice collection of hardy herbaceous and bulbou s 
flowering plants was staged by Air. Smith, of the 
Daisy Hill Nurseries, Newry, among them being 
specimens of rare and well-grown plants. The Alessrs. 
Henderson, of Templeogue Nurseries, also contributed 
a fine lot of well-grown plants in pots, the most 
conspicuous points about them being their extreme 
good health, dwarfness of character, and profusion of 
bloom. Air. Hartland, of Cork, also sent in stands of 
choice Tea Roses and Pelargoniums. As usual, a fine 
collection of Palms, and a large quantity of other 
decorative and flowering plants were sent in from the 
Glasnevin Botanical Gardens, and from the gardens of 
Sir Edward Cecil Guinness. —D. 
