347 
.  -  'T- 
April  22,  1897.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
planting,  the  hedge  will  be  benefited  by  a  thorough  watering.  Persons 
who  have  established  Holly  hedges  which  are  doing  badly  will  find 
it  a  good  plan  to  dig  well  to  the  roots,  and  work  in  a  liberal  quantity  ot 
good  manure.  If  care  be  taken  that  the  roots  are  not  injured  the  hedge 
will  be  found  to  make  a  great  improvement  in  a  very  short  time. 
During  severe  weather  Hollies  sometimes  suffer  ;  it  may,  therefore,  be 
of  use  to  some  to  say  that  when  a  Holly  loses  its  leaves  through  frost 
it  is  regarded  as  a  good  sign,  for  the  plant  will  in  all  probability  break 
out  into  growth  when  genial  weather  comes.  The  mode  of  procedure 
mentioned  above  I  have  found  to  be  most  successful,  and  the  experi¬ 
ence  which  I  have  pleasure  in  presenting  to  the  readers  of  the  Journal 
has  been  gained  over  a  long  period,  and  by  many  failures  and  many 
successes. — V. 
MORiEAS. 
AT  first  sight  most  of  the  Moraeas  would  be  considered  to  be  Irises, 
and  to  casual  observation  they  present  few  distinguishing  character¬ 
istics  ;  but  on  close  examination  we  at  once  find  them  differing  from  the 
true  Irises  by  their  bulb-like  root,  thus  approaching  the  bulbous  Irises 
(Xiphiones).  On  a  further  examination,  however,  it  will  be  observed 
that  the  root  of  the  Moreres  is  solid  or  corm-like,  and  not  formed  in  layers 
as  it  is  in  the  Xiphiones.  The  species  can  be  grown  in  pots  or  planted 
out  ;  but  the  former  is  preferable,  light  scil  being  employed,  and  pro¬ 
viding  good  drainage.  Large  pots  are  not  necessary  ;  3-inch  or  5-inch 
suit  them  well,  placing  several  bulbs  in  each.  Supply  water  judiciously, 
but  when  growing  or  flowering  they  must  not  be  allowed  to  become  dry, 
and  even  in  the  resting  period  withholding  water  must  not  be  carried 
beyond  reason. 
M.  Sisyrinchium  (fig.  73)  is  a  beautiful  species,  a  native  of  the  South 
of  Europe  and  the  Mediterranean  region,  and  has  long  been  known  as 
Spanish  Nut,  because  it  is  said  that  in  Spain  the  children  eat  the  root 
as  a  nut,  of  which  it  is  suggestive  both  in  the  form  and  the  brownish 
colour.  It  was  mentioned  by  the  old  writers  Gerarde  and  Parkinson,  and 
has  therefore  been  known  in  this  country  nearly  300  years.  The  flowers 
are  very  handsome,  though  fugitive,  the  larger  perianth  segments  being 
bright  deep  blue  marked  with  white  and  yellow  in  the  centre,  the  other 
divisions  of  the  perianth  being  also  blue,  but  lighter  in  colour.  The 
illustration  depicts  the  chief  floral  characters,  well  showing  the  general 
form.  The  flowers  are  usually  produced  in  the  spring,  about  May.  ■ 
Though  a  European  species  M.  Tenoreana  was  not  introduced  into 
England  until  1824.  It  is  scarcely  less  beautiful  than  the  one  referred 
to  in  the  preceding  paragraph,  though  the  flowers  are  smaller,  but  the 
colour  is  very  rich.  The  divisions  of  the  perianth  are  narrow,  the 
upper  half  being  deep  blue,  and  the  lower  towards  the  centre  yellow 
and  white  with  a  few  dark  spots.  It  flowers  fully  a  month  later  than 
M,  Sisyrinchium,  and  thus  forms  a  welcome  succession. 
M.  edulis  was  .one  of  Loddige’s  introductions  from  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope  to  this  country,  but  it  is  said  to  have  been  known  in  Holland 
for  many  years.  It  was  originally  found  by  Thunberg  growing 
abundantly  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Cape  Town,  chiefly  in  low  positions 
and  in  sandy  soil.  The  flowers  vary  in  colour,  but  are  mostly  of  a 
pinkish  hue  marked  with  blue  and  white,  the  divisions  of  the  perianth 
being  neatly  rounded.  One  very  pleasing  characteristic  the  flowers 
possess — namely,  a  most  agreeable  though  delicate  fragrance. 
Three  other  species  that  deserve  growing  are  M.  ramosa,  with 
comparatively  large  flowers,  bright  yellow,  with  a  dark  blotch  at  the 
base  of  the  petals  ;  M.  ciliata,  with  small  bright  red  flowers,  rounded 
petals,  and  a  yellow  centre  blotch;  and  M.  papilionacea,  with  bright 
orange  coloured  fragrant  flowers,  which  are  produced  a  little  later  than 
M.  Sisyrinchium.  These  with  the  preceding  form  a  good  half  dozen, 
and  fairly  represent  the  genus. — F.  D. 
THE  WOOLLY  APHIS,  OR  AMERICAN  BLIGHT. 
This  insect  has  decidedly  increased  during  the  last  few  years, 
particularly  in  orchards  and  Apple  plantations  where  the  trees  have 
been  unpruned  and  neglected  ;  and  its  action  is  most  injurious.  Young 
trees  planted  in  infested  orchards  and  plantations  are  frequently  so 
injured  by  the  woolly  aphides  carried  to  them  hy  the  wind  and  by  the 
winged  females  that  they  die.  Their  bark  being  tender  is  easily  pierced 
by  the  sharp  beaks  of  the  larvae,  and  they  cannot  long  withstand  these 
attacks. 
Apple  growers  often  notice  bunches  of  a  woolly  or  cottony  substance 
on  the  stems,  branches,  and  twigs  of  Apple  trees,  especially  upon  scars 
and  cracks  where  the  bark  has  been  injured,  or  where  side  shoots  and 
branches  have  been  cut  off  in  an  unworkmanlike  manner,  so  that  wet 
has  collected  and  caused  decay,  and  fissures  have  been  formed  which 
have  increased  in  depth  and  width,  while  the  edges  of  the  outer  layers 
of  bark  do  not  join,  and  a  thin  tissue  covers  the  exposed  parts.  Upon 
examination  the  white  substance  on  these  will  be  found  to  consist  of 
little  groups  of  aphides  in  various  stages,  some  of  which  are  clothed 
with  fine  woolly  coverings,  and  are  actively  engaged  in  piercing  these 
denuded  surfaces  with  their  suckers  and  in  feeding  on  the  sap,  thus 
causing  an  abnormal  growth  of  tissue.  Extravasation  of  sap  occurs, 
giving  rise  to  excrescences  and  warty  growths,  which  afford  food  and 
shelter  for  the  numerous  generations  of  larvae,  and  eventually  the  whole 
branch  is  affected  and  its  vigour  and  fruitfulness  materially  impaired. 
The  infestation  spreads  rapidly  to  other  parts  of  the  tree,  and  the 
smaller  branches  and  fruit-bearing  spurs  are  in  time  attacked.  When 
the  twigs  and  fruit-bearing  spurs  are  attacked  they  are  soon  killed  by 
the  action  of  the  aphides.  After  an  uninterrupted  visitation  of  these 
insects  it  often  happens  that  the  infested  tree  dies  or  becomes  useless. 
The  effect  of  this  attack  is  sometimes  attributed  to  “canker,”  but  it 
is  altogether  different,  and  careful  inspection  will  show  that  the  woolly 
aphis  is  the  sole  author  of  the  mischief.  It  spreads  from  branch  to 
branch,  from  tree  to  tree,  and  from  orchard  to  orchard  unheeded. and 
unchecked,  and  it  is  sheltered  and  protected  by  the  lichenous  and  mossy 
growths  upon  the  trees  and  the  thick  interlacement  of  boughs  and 
branches  unpruned  for  generations.  The  woolly  aphis  is  occasionally 
found  upon  Plum  trees,  especially  where  they  are  planted  near  Apple 
trees,  as  well  as  upon  Elms. 
The  woolly  aphis  also  infests  and  injures  the  roots  of  Apple  trees  and 
causes  swellings  and  excrescences  upon  them.  It  has  been  suggested 
that  the  aphides  merely  go  under  the  ground  close  to  the  roots  for 
protection  from  cold  ;  but  the  colonies  found  there  were  evidently 
FIG.  73. — MORiEA  SISYRINCHIUM. 
feeding  upon  the  roots.  Besides,  it  is  certain  that  they  can  bear  great 
cold,  as  they  have  been  seen  flourishing  under  their  woolly  coverings  in 
the  cracks  and  crannies  of  the  branches  after  12°  of  frost. 
The  aphis  belongs  to  the  genus  Schizoneura  of  the  Aphididae.  It  is 
quite  distinct  from  another  species  of  aphis  found  upon  Apple  trees, 
known  as  aphis  mali,  which  lives  upon  the  leaves  and  blossoms.  The 
winged  female,  which  brings  forth  living  larvae,  is  dark  brown,  having 
large  wings  with  black  veins  ;  the  cubital  vein,  as  pointed  out  by 
Mr.  Buckton,  has  a  single  furcation  or  fork,  differing  in  this  respect 
from  other  tribes  of  the  Aphididae.  Towards  the  end  of  the  summer, 
among  the  larvae  produced  by  the  winged  females,  are  wingless,  egg¬ 
bearing  females  of  a  dirty  yellow  colour,  without  beaks  or  rostra,  and 
therefore  unable  to  feed.  Only  one  very  small,  round,  transparent  egg 
is  laid  by  each  of  these  wingless  females,  and  is  deposited  in  the  crevices 
of  the  bark.  Propagation — the  regular  continuity  of  existence — is  prin¬ 
cipally  carried  on,  however,  by  the  hibernating  viviparous  larvae,  which 
pass  the  winter  wrapped  in  their  woolly  coats  upon  the  trunks  of  the 
trees,  on  the  branches  and  twigs  as  well  as  upon  the  roots.  These 
wingless  females  are  woolly,  of  a  brown  colour,  and  broad  or  squat  in 
shape.  The  larvae  from  these  are  at  first  rather  lighter  in  colour, 
and  after  a  time  emit  wreaths  of  woolly  material  from  their  dorsal 
pores  and  become  completely  covered,  so  that  a  group  of  them  has  the 
appearance  of  a  piece  of  cotton  wool.  In  their  early  stages  the 
larvae  have  enormously  long  beaks  or  rostra,  bent  underneath  the  body, 
and  extending  much  beyond  the  extremities  of  the  body,  so  that  they 
appear  to  have  tails  when  seen  without  a  microscope. 
