348 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
April  22,  1897. 
'  There  appears  to  be  no  visible  difference  between  the  generations  of 
this  insect  that  are  found  upon  the  branches  and  those  on  the  roots  of 
Apple  trees. 
Methods  of  Prevention  and  Remedies. 
Apple  trees  should  be  kept  free  from  mossy  and  Uchenous  growths, 
which  serve  ast  shelters  for  woolly  aphides,  as  well  as  for  many  other 
injurious  insects.  Lichens  and  mosses  can  be  killed  by  throwing  finely 
powdered  lime  over  the  trees  during  the  winter,  in  foggy  or  damp 
weather,  so  that  the  lime  adheres  to  the  trees.  This  can  be  done  by 
men  with  tin  scoops,  like  flour  scoops,  fastened  to  the  ends  of  long  poles. 
Sulphate  of  iron  dissolved  in  water,  at  the  rate  of  1  lb.  toj  gallon  of 
water,  sprayed  over  the  trees  in  winter  by  means  of  a  powerful  garden 
engine,  or  hop  washer,  will  kill  lichens  and  mosses,  and  interfere  much 
with  the  woolly  aphis. 
\  Young  trees  should  be  carefully  and  systematically  pruned,  so  that 
their  boughs  do  not  intertwine,  and  plenty  of  air  and  light  is  admitted. 
Periodical  search  should  be  made  for  woolly  aphides  and  other  insects 
upon  young  trees.  When  the  woolly  aphis  is  discovered  in  wounds  and 
scars  on  the  stems  and  branches,  which  are  often  frequented  by  its 
colonies,  these  places  should  be  treated  in  the  late  autumn  or  winter 
with  a  thick  compound  of  softsoap  and  paraffin  oil,  mixed  in  the  pro¬ 
portions  of  3  gallons  of  paraffin  to  1  lb.  of  softsoap  and  25  gallons  of 
water,  worked  into  the  cracks  and  scars  with  a  stiff  brush.  Infested 
boughs  and  twigs  should  be  syringed  at  the  same  period  with  a  mixture 
of  5  or  6  lbs.  of  softsoap  and  5  gallons  of  paraffin  oil  to  100  gallons  of 
water.  In  mixing  the  paraffin  washes  the  soap  should  be  dissolved  in 
hot  water  and  the  paraffin  put  in  whilst  it  is  hot,  and  the  whole  incor¬ 
porated  into  a  cream  with  a  hand  pump  or  syringe,  working  the  liquid 
up  and  down.  Cold  water  must  then  be  added  in  proper  proportions. 
In  old  orchards  and  plantations  in  which  pruning  has  been  neglected 
boughs  and  branches  crossing  each  other  should  be  cut  away  judiciously, 
and  daylight  let  in.  Scars  and  deep  fissures  on  the  trunk  and  stems 
where  woolly  aphides  congregate  should  be  treated  with  freshly  mixed 
limewasb,  having  a  little  powdered  sulphur  in  it,  worked  well  in  with  a 
stiff  brush.  The  thick  softsoap  and  paraffin  wash  would  be  more 
efficacious,  but  it  is  somewhat  expensive.  For  the  infested  branches, 
boughs,  and  twigs  of  large  trees  spraying  with  the  softsoap  and  paraffin 
mixture  should  be  adopted. 
In  orchards  where  trees  are  in  regular  lines  horse  hop  washers  may 
be  used.  In  old  orchards,  where  the  trees  stand  irregularly,  and  in 
plantations  with  standards  and  bushes  below,  hand  washers  or  garden 
engines  with  powerful  pumps  and  long  lengths  of  hose  must  be 
employed. 
Where  Apple  trees  are  infested  with  woolly  aphides  on  their  stems 
and  branches  examination  of  their  roots  should  also  be  made  for  infesta- 
tion  thereon,  which  is  indicated  by  swellings  upon  the  roots,  and  by  the 
groups  of  woolly  insects.  The  earth  should  be  removed  from  the  base 
of  the  trunk  and  from  a  few  feet  of  the  lateral  roots.  Limewash  with 
sulphur  brushed  well  in.  or  the  thick  paraffin  wash,  would  be  advan¬ 
tageous.  Penning  pigs  close  round  infested  orchard  trees,  or  watering 
the  roots  with  strong  liquid  manure,  would  make  it  unpleasant  for  the 
subterranean  invaders.  Kainit  hoed  in  round  the  roots  has  been  found 
efficacious  in  Canada. 
Before  Apple  trees  are  planted  their  roots  should  be  well  soused  in  a 
tub  containing  fresh  limewash  and  sulphur. 
In  Australia  there  are  varieties  of  Apples  said  to  be  proof  against  the 
action  of  the  woolly  aphis  by  reason  of  their  bark  being  hard  and  its 
tissues  close,  and  so  resisting  the  action  of  the  beaks  of  the  insects. 
These  are  the  Northern  Spy,  an  American  Apple,  and  the  Majetin,  a 
Norfolk  (England)  variety,  and  Apples  in  Australia  are  now  always 
worked  upon  these  stocks.  Mr., French,  the  Government  Entomologist 
of  Victoria,  says,  “  Before  the  advent  of  these  excellent  blight-proof 
stocks,  the  Majetin  and  Northern  Spy,  it  was  exceedingly  difficult  to 
find  in  most  orchards  an  Apple  tree  that  was  clean  or  in  perfect  health. 
Now  with  a  little  care  and  attention  the  fruit  grower,  as  a  rule,  may  snap 
his  fingers  at  the  American  blight.” — (“Board  of  Agriculture,  Leaflet 
No.  34.”) 
AMELANCHIER  CANADENSIS. 
During  April  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  of  the  many  hardy 
flowering  plants  is  the  one  under  notice.  Varying  much  in  size  and 
habit  it  is  well  adapted  for  a  variety  of  purposes,  and  being  an  easily 
managed  plant  it  is  almost  certain  to  be  a  success.  Some  forms  never 
grow  into  more  than  bushes  a  few  feet  high,  while  instances  of  others 
are  recorded  as  having  made  trees  25  to  30  feet  in  height. 
The  tree  forms  in  this  country  are  usually  met  with  from  15 
to  20  feet  in  height,  with  short  stems  and  bushy  heads,  resembling 
very  much  the  head  of  a  well-balanced  Apple  tree  with  pendulous 
branches.  Bush  forms  are  admirable  for  planting  in  beds  or  masses,  and 
once  planted  in  good  soil  they  will  take  care  of  themselves  for  a  number 
of  years.  Suckers  (which  are  thrown  up  freely)  grow  in  one  season  to 
3  or  4  feet  in  length,  and  form  graceful  arching  branches,  which  in 
April  are  wreathed  with  racemes  3  inches  in  length  of  pure  white 
flowers. 
Added  to  the  value  this  North  American  introduction  possesses  as  a 
spring  flowering  shrub  it  has  the  additional  recommendation  of  being  a 
most  beautiful  coloured  foliage  plant  in  autumn,  the  leaves  changing  to 
orange  and  red  before  falling.  If  plants  of  the  dwarf  growing  forms 
are  lifted  in  the  autumn,  potted,  and  placed  in  gentle  heat  in  January, 
they  will  be  found  to  make  a  welcome  addition  to  the  greenhouse  or 
conservatory. — W.  D. 
LILY  OF  THE  VALLEY,  FORTIN  VARIETY. 
Improved  variations  of  that  popular  flower,  the  Lily  of  the  Valley, 
cannot  be  said  to  be  very  numerous,  certainly  not  in  proportion  to  those 
of  other  favourites  even  less  extensively  grown  than  this.  Some  fine 
forms  have,  it  is  true,  made  their  appearance  from  time  to  time,  and 
have  by  degrees  come  into  general  cultivation. 
All  of  these  have  either  been  grown  by  myself  or  have  been  under 
my  close  observation,  and  though  they  individually  possess  special 
qualities  or  recommendations,  there  is  not  one  known  to  me  that  can 
rival  the  Fortin  variety  for  some  of  the  most  important  qualitieg.  It  is 
essentially  a  form  of  remarkable  vigour,  both  leaves  and  flower  spikes 
being  of  unusual  size,  very  sturdy  and  tall.  The  spikes  are  from  9  inches 
to  12  inches  long,  with  twelve  to  eighteen  large  pure  white  bells, 
and  in  some  instances  more  have  been  noted.  It  is  valuable  for 
outdoor  cultivation,  and  is  also  suitable  for  moderate  forcing,  but  is 
not  so  well  adapted  for  very  early  work. 
The  robust  habit,  rapid  increase,  large  spikes  and  bells  will  render  it 
a  general  favourite  as  its  merits  become  known.  Last  year  I  saw  a 
large  plantation  of  the  variety  grown  in  sandy  loam  in  the  neighbour¬ 
hood  of  Ampthill  in  Bedfordshire,  which  I  am  informed  is  the  stock  of 
Messrs.  Laxton  Bros.,  who  are  paying  close  attention  to  what  is  unques¬ 
tionably  an  excellent  variety.  Recently  flowers  were  exhibited  in 
Bedford  and  greatly  admired  by  the  members  of  the  local  Horticultural 
Society. — Observer. 
[Specimens  of  this  variety  sent  to  us  by  Messrs.  Laxton  Bros., 
Bedford,  were  superb.  The  longest  spike  measured  15  inches  and 
carried  sixteen  bells,  of  which  the  largest  was  1-inch  across,  outside 
measurement.  The  several  spikes  averaged  fifteen  bells  each.] 
THE  BRITISH  CLIMATE. 
The  Meteorological  Office  has  issued  a  set  of  mean  or  average  values 
for  the  chief  meteorological  elements,  based  upon  records  kept  at  a  large 
number  of  stations  scattered  over  the  entire  kingdom,  and  extending 
over  a  long  series  of  years  down  to  the  efcd  of  1895. 
Barometrical  Pressure. 
The  means  are  given  for  twenty-nine  stations  well  distributed  over 
the  United  Kingdom,  show  that  over  the  year  as  a  whole  the  baro¬ 
meter  is  highest  in  the  extreme  southern,  and  lowest  in  the  extreme 
northern  parts  of  the  country.  The  same  feature  is,  in  fact,  shown 
in  every  individual  month  excepting  April,  the  difference  between  the 
readings  in  the  two  localities  being  greatest  in  the  winter  time.  In 
April  the  conditions  are  somewhat  abnormal,  for  while  the  barometer 
is  still  lowest  in  the  north  of  Scotland,  it  is  highest  over  the  central  parts 
of  England. 
On  an  average  the  barometer  over  the  kingdom  generally  reaches  its 
highest  point  in  June,  but  on  our  south-west  coasts  it  is  almost  equally 
high  in  September,  while  in  the  south-eastern  parts  of  England  the 
second  place  is  claimed  by  February.  The  lowest  barometrical 
pressures  occur  at  various  times  of  the  year  in  the  different  districts. 
In  the  south  of  England  April  appears  to  be  the  month  chiefly 
favoured,  but  in  other  parts  of  England  the  lowest  readings  occur 
either  in  October  or  November.  In  Ireland  the  barometer  reaches  its 
lowest  point  in  November,  while  in  Scotland  the  minimum  occurs  in 
December. 
Humidity. 
The  averages  of  the  dry  and  wet  bulb  thermometers,  which  are  also 
given  for  twenty-nine  stations,  supply  us  with  information  as  to  the 
relative  humidity  or  degree  of  moisture  in  the  air.  As  a  rule,  the  atmo¬ 
sphere  is  driest  either  in  May  or  June,  the  air  being  most  humid  in  one 
or  other  of  the  winter  months  between  November  and  February. 
Taking  the  year  as  a  whole,  the  moistest  locality  in  the  United  Kingdom 
is  the  Hebrides,  these  islands  lying  in  the  direct  track  of  the  two  most 
common  sets  of  cyclonic  systems — viz.,  those  which  pass  northwards 
along  our  western  coasts,  and  those  which  skirt  the  north  of  Scotland  on 
their  way  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Scandinavian  peninsula. 
Temperatures. 
The  mean  values  relating  to  the  maximum  and  minimum  tempera¬ 
tures  are  singularly  comprehensive,  the  number  of  stations  employed 
being  no  fewer  than  seventy-four.  Over  the  United  Kingdom  generally 
the  highest  maximum  or  day  temperatures  occur  in  July,  the  only 
exceptions  being  the  Welsh  coasts  and  the  extreme  southern  parts  of 
Ireland  and  England,  where  the  greatest  heat  is  registered  a  month 
later.  The  lowest  day  temperatures  occur  as  a  rule  in  January,  but  in 
many  parts  of  Ireland  and  Scotland  they  are  as  low,  or  even  lower,  in 
December.  The  highest  and  lowest  minimum  or  night  temperatures  are, 
as  a  rule,  observed,  like  the  maxima,  in  July  or  January.  In  portions 
of  the  west  of  Scotland,  however,  the  lowest  night  readings  occur  in 
February,  while  at  some  stations  on  the  shores  of  the  Bristol  Channel 
they  are  observed  as  late  as  March. 
In  the  table  the  highest  temperature  quoted  was  in  London,  where 
the  thermometer  in  August,  1876,  rose  to  96°,  the  reading  at  Cambridge 
at  the  same  time  being  only  1°  lower.  In  the'Scilly  Islands  the  thermo¬ 
meter  in  the  same  twenty-five  years  never  rose  above  75°,  while  at  Sum- 
burgh  Head  in  the  Shetlands  it  never  went  above  70°.  The  lowest 
reading  shown  in  the  table  is  one  of  5°  below  zero  at  Loughborough  in 
February,  1895.  This,  however,  was  several  degrees  higher  than  the 
temperatures  recorded  in  many  other  parts  of  Great  Britain  during  the 
long  and  severe  frost  which  prevailed  at  that  time. 
