December 31, 1898. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
285 
The wild Sorghum is found principally in the 
coastal districts, and in the colder parts of the colony, 
where it attains sometimes a height of five feet. In 
the New England district it is, when in flower, quite 
a feature in the pastures, and is regarded as a valu¬ 
able grass. Horses are said to eat the seeds with 
avidity, and to thrive on them. In the colder por¬ 
tions of the colony it is a summer grass, but elsewhere 
it grows all the year round. These are a few only of 
the native grasses of New South Wales, but their 
abundance explains the general excellence of the 
beef and mutton raised in the colony, the use of oil 
cake and other artificial food, so common in Europe, 
being infrequent in Australia, where, during the 
winter months, there is plenty of forage in the shape 
of hay made from the younger grasses. Imported 
grass seeds are employed in renovating old pastures, 
but the native grasses are always plentiful when the 
land is not systematically over stocked .—John 
Plummer. 
-- 
PEAR TREES AND GALL MITES. 
Many gardeners are only two painfully well aware 
of the existence of a troublesome mite that causes 
blistering on the leaves of Pear trees. This is the 
work of Phytoptus Pyri, which takes up its quarters 
in the winter buds, and penetrates into the interior 
of the young leaves. When the latter expand 
they soon show pale blisters, that gradually become 
discoloured, and then brown, ultimately falling out, 
leaving holes. 
Last spring M. M’Laren, Esq., Fernielee, Murtle, 
had a number of Pear trees that were very much 
infested with this gall mite, and resolved trying some 
experiments so as to get rid of the pest. Taking pot 
trees of Louise Bonne of Jersy and Olivier deSerres, 
the former having scarcely a sound leaf and the 
latter being very badly infested, he removed all 
the leaves and burnt them. For some time after this 
the trees were very sparingly watered, only sufficient 
being given to prevent the soil from getting dust-dry. 
Before long the lateral buds of Louise Bonne of 
Jersey began to sprout again, and the tree soon after 
was in full foliage. Only one or two of the young 
leaves were slightly blistered, and were promptly des¬ 
troyed. 
Olivier de Serres did not fully break out into leaf 
again, a large proportion of the buds remaining 
dormant, but plump. At present both trees are bare 
of foliage; but the shoots and buds remain plump 
and apparently quite sound. For the time being the 
remedy appears to have been effective, and particu¬ 
larly in the case of Louise Bonne; but the owner 
intends to watch the behaviour of the trees in spring, 
when the young leaves expand at their accustomed 
time. There can be little doubt that most of the 
mites in the winter buds will be destroyed if the 
leaves containing them are removed and burnt as 
soon as they expand. The trees should be kept apart 
from those not so treated. 
MELBOURNE BOTANICAL GARDENS. 
(Concluded, from p. 689. ) 
Elsewhere I came upon Acacia baileyana, F. M. 
Bailey’s Acacia or Cootamundra Wattle (fine speci¬ 
men) ; Acacia elata, Tall or Wellington Acacia; 
Acacia farnesiana, Sponge tree ; and Acacia horrida, 
Karro Thorn. 
So many plants, shrubs and trees in flower 
attracted attention that only a few can be named. 
The following were in full bloom:—Azalea Due de 
Nassau ; Tritonia elegans ; Magnolia obovata, Purple 
Tulip tree ; Magnolia Lenne; Cytisus albus, White 
Broom; Mesembryanthemum glaucum, tea-green- 
leaved Morning Flower ; Prunus Persica, coloured 
double flowered Peach tree; Phlox subulata. 
Nelson’s Phlox, two beautiful bloom spikes; Spar- 
mannia africana, double flowered African Hemp 
bush ; Podalyriacalyptrata.Styrax-leaved Podalyria ; 
Livistonia australis, Australian Cabbage Palm; 
Yucca treculiana, French Dagger-leaf. 
I noted the following at random :—Eucalyptus 
punctata, Leather Jacket; Eucalyptus Saligna, Blue 
or Flooded Gum ; Eucalyptus botryoides, Bastard 
Mahogany or Victorian Mahogany tree; Eucalyptus 
rostrata, Victorian Red Gum ; Eucalyptus calophylla, 
many flowered Red Gum; Eucalyptus ficifolia, 
Crimson-flowered Gum (W. Australia). 
A large bed in the lawn is occupied solely by the 
Coprosma baueriana variegata, variegated-leaved 
Taupata. 
Border on the lawn in full bloom ;—Lantana sel- 
lowiana, Sellow’s Lantana; Strelitzia reginae, 
Queen’s birds or Tongue flower in full bloom ; and 
Diosma alba, African Sweet Bush. A whole border 
in full bloom scents the whole lawn. Ficus 
macrophylla desfontana, Moreton Bay Fig or 
Queensland Caoutchouc tree; Cordyline australis 
(Hooker) Syn. C. Forsteri (F. V. Mueller) Forster’s 
Palm-Lily; Strobilanthes anisopbyllus, unequal¬ 
leaved Strobilanthes ; Ulmus campestris, common 
English Elm ; Sterculia acerifolia, Flame tree; Calo- 
dendrum capense, Cape Wild Chestnut; Pittosporum 
undulatum, .Victorian Laurel; Corynocarpus laevi¬ 
gata, New Zealand Laurel or Church tree ; Agonis 
flexuosa, Willow Myrtle (W. Australia); Melaleuca 
styphelioides, Meadow-green or Prickly-leaved Sea 
tree; Rhus viminalis, twiggy Sumach; Fraxinus 
Ornus, Manna or Flowering Ash ; Prunus cerasifera, 
purple Myrobolan Plum ; Thuyopsis dolobrata varie¬ 
gata, variegated hatchet-leaved Arbor Vitae, good 
specimen ; Solanum Warscewiczii, large Nightshade 
tree; Ceratonia Siliqua, Carob tree or St. John's 
bread ; Wigandia urens, stinging Wigandia ; Cupres- 
sus macrocarpa aurea. Citron Cypress, good speci¬ 
men ; Pnyllanthus Ferdinandi (Mueller) Syn. 
Bradera australis (Gaertner), the Rivulet tree; 
PistaciaLentiscus, common or ScianMastic tree; Salix 
phyllicifolia, Syn. Salix Laurina, Phyllica or Tea 
leaved Willow, Rock or Laurel Willow; Salix alba 
(fine large tree), Bat Willow; Heptapleurum longi- 
folium, Syn. Sciadophyllum lucidum, long-leaved 
Heptapleurum; Quillaja Saponaria, Chilian Soap- 
bark tree ; Populus alba, white Poplar; Ilexcorunta, 
Horned Holly ; Ulmus campestris, var. Jersey Elm ; 
Ulmus montana. Greater Mountain Elm; Ulmus 
monumentalis, upright Elm ; Taxodium distichum, 
Virginian Swamp or Deciduous Cyprus; Morus 
indica, Indian or Amo Mulberry ; Acerrubrum, Red 
Maple; Arundo Donax variegata, varigated Danubian 
Red or Bamboo Reed ; Piptuous Argentens, Queens¬ 
land grass-cloth plant; Acokanthera spectabilis, 
showy Acokanthera or Winter Sweet; Zizyphus 
mucronata, pointed-leaved Jujube tree; Ficus lucida, 
shining-leaved Fig-tree ; Encephalartos Altensteiniii 
Altenstein’s Caffer Bread; Melaleuca linariifolia, 
Linaria-leaved Tea tree; Photinia serrulata, Chinese 
Hawthorn; Celtis occidentalis, North American 
Nettle-tree; Trema aspera, rough-leaved Australian 
Hoop ash ; Celtis australis, European Nettle-tree or 
Tyrolese Whipstick tree; Arbutus serratifolia, Saw- 
edge Strawberry Tree; Arbutus andrachnoides, 
Andrachne-like Strawberry Tree; Panax elegans, 
slender UmbrellaTree ; Arbutus canariensis, Canary 
Island Strawberry Tree; Hakea eriantha, Woolly- 
flowered Hakea; Melaleuca elliptica, oval-leaved 
Tea tree; Bhrachylaena; Rhus undulata, Wave¬ 
leaved Sumach; Dais cotinefolia, African Button- 
flower ; Fagus sylvatica, common European Beech ; 
Fraxinus excelsior, common European Ash (the 
barbed wire referred to above drew my attention to 
this); Owenea venosa, Queensland Sour Plum; 
Platanus orientalis. Oriental Plane tree; Macadamia 
youngiana ; Sterculia rupestris, Queensland Bottle- 
tree ; Laportea gigas, great Nettle tree ; Xanthorrhaea 
arborea, Mountain Grass tree, good specimen; 
Yucca aloifolia variegata, variegated Dagger-leaf; 
and Euonymus japonicus, golden oval-leaved Japan 
Spindle tree (the foliage at a distance looks brilliant, 
exactly like the yellow broom in full bloom). 
Students of botany are afforded every opportunity 
for study. A properly-arranged system, or classifi¬ 
cation of plants, arranged according to Bentham & 
Hooker’s Genera Plantarum, is open to them, and the 
public, from 2 to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays. 
The museum of economic botany is open for the same 
hours. I noticed a most interesting border labelled 
" Australian vegetation ” but had only time to glance 
at it. 
Another interesting border was the natural order 
" Proteaceae ”; also borders of Solanaceae and 
Ericaceae. 
Hours are useless for the proper inspection of this 
fine open air collection. There is plenty of useful 
employment for weeks. I left myself only a moment 
to glance at the proscenium. In the distance could 
be seen the dome of the exhibition buildings, St. 
Patrick’s Cathedral, the fire brigade tower, and 
Scot’s Church steeple, and in the hollow beyond the 
river, trains going and coming helped to make up as 
pretty a picture as I ever had the pleasure of 
witnessing.— Hamish W. Russell, Oct. 8th, 1898. 
MELON NOTES. 
The question of Melon flavour is often raised. The 
best sorts to grow and how to grow them are topics 
frequently under discussion by the gardening fra¬ 
ternity. I fear we have not made much progress 
(by tbe new additions so strongly lauded for some 
years past) in our varieties, which are popular for a 
few seasons only, and then disappear altogether, or 
get crossed with others, which render them valueless. 
It is singular that we often find Melons at exhibi¬ 
tions with little scent to recommend them, and 
appearance otherwise than attractive, stand well as 
to flavour. I cut my last fruit this season at the 
end of November, and found the Old Beechwood of 
fine quality, and La Favourite of the highest excel¬ 
lence. The latter had no scent at all, but a firm 
rind and great depth of flesh. A number of friends 
have for many years retained this green-fleshed 
variety as a standard fruit. We have had it all that 
one could desire for fifteen seasons past, aDd would 
rather part with any one than this favourite. The 
favourite scarlet sort is Blenheim Orange. For 
many years it has been valued by us more than any 
other variety of that colour. Much harm is done to 
the flavour of Melons by the use of liquid manure, 
served too copiously, while the fruit is swelling. As a 
manure we prefer bone meal, mixed with a little 
soot, in preference to rank stimulants from the 
farmyard. Thomson’s Vine and Plant manure is often 
turned to good account by mixing a little with strong 
loam. If the soil is rendered sour by gross manure 
the flavour of Melons becomes nauseous, even when 
the scent may be pronounced, and the colour of the 
fruit well developed. Gross feeding invariably in¬ 
creases size, but too often such Melons are not deep 
in flesh, and are light in proportion to their bulk.— 
M. T., Canon, N.B. 
ARDEN1NG 
ISCELLANY 
ZONAL PELARGONIUM THE KHALIFA. 
As Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons have given us a zonal 
Pelargonium The Sirdar, it is only in the fitness of 
things that his erstwhile opponent, The Khalifa, 
should be placed alongside him, The Khalifa him¬ 
self is dark enough in skin, and probably in morals, 
but his floral namesake is a bright salmon-apricot 
with a large and prominent white eye. Both truss 
and individual pip are large, and exhibit a great 
improvement upon existing varieties. The Khalifa 
is one of the Messrs. Cannell's new varieties for 1899. 
LETTUCE WHITE CHAVIGNY. 
At the present time there are so many good summer 
Cabbage Lettuces, that it seems difficult to say which 
is the best. After a lesson like the past I am con¬ 
vinced that it must be a remarkable kind to out¬ 
distance the kind above named. During the last 
thirty-five years I have seen and grown a goodly 
number of kinds. Many of them are still standing 
sorts; but if you want a good, quick, summer Cab¬ 
bage Lettuce give this a trial. Another thing is that 
it finds favour with greengrocers. During last 
summer I saw a patch sown at the end of June, and 
planted out on good soil on a south border. These 
grew away rapidly, being well supplied with food 
and moisture. In the autumn (end of September) 
these were sent to market and madegood 
prices. In speaking of returns from land, when 
it is seen these were planted 8 in. apart each way 
and the price they made, it is astonishing the large 
returns from the land in so short a time.— J. C., 
Chard. 
RHODODENDRON IN BLOOM. 
On the south and west coasts of Britain it is quite 
usual, especially in mild winters, to see or hear that 
Rhododendrons are flowering about Christmas and 
onwards. It is hardly to be expected, however, and 
probably seldom occurs that Rhododendrons should 
flower in December so far inland as Middlesex. This 
has actually occurred at Worton Hall, Isleworth, 
from whence Mr. A. Pentney brought some trusses of 
a hardy hybrid Rhododendron to the meeting of the 
Ealing Gardeners' Society on the 13th inst. The 
earliness of the variety is no doubt due to the in¬ 
fluence of the Himalayan Rhododendron arboreum, 
which had evidently been one of the parents, either 
as the result of a primary or a secondary cross, 
