December  22,  1898.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
483 
MANETTIA  BICOLOR. 
When  -well  grown  this  pretty  climbing  plant  makes  a  fine  display 
during  the  greater  part  of  the  year,  and  is  to  be  recommended  for  the 
warm  greenhouse,  either  for  planting  out  or  for  growing  in  pots.  It 
is  a  South  American  plant  of  more  or  less  herbaceous  growth,  with  ovate 
leaves,  which  vary  considerably  in  size.  The  flowers  (fig.  83)  are  tubular, 
three-quarters  to  1  inch  long,  with  pet:oles  double  that  length.  They 
are  red  and  yellow  in  colour,  the  lower  portion  being  of  the  former, 
and  the  mouth  the  latter  colour,  and  are  thickly  covered  with  minute, 
soft  spiny  growths.  Oa  healthy  plants  the  flowers  are  produced  with 
great  freedom,  and  a  charming  object  is  formed  by  the  combination  of 
the  two  bright  shades  of  colour.  When  grown  in  pots,  a  balloon  or 
pyramidal-shaped  wire  support  should  be  given  for  it  to  ramble  over  ; 
bjr  this  plan  good  plants  can  be  had  for  decorative  purposes.  When 
planted  out  growth  is  much  quicker,  and  a  pretty  clothing  is  soon  made 
for  a  wall  or  pillar.  A  mixture  of  loam,  peat  and  sand  is  suitable  for  it, 
and  it  can  be  readily  increased  by  means 
of  seeds  or  cuttings  in  spring. — W.  D, 
suddenly  broken  out  in  a  tree  grafted  two  years  ago.  It  probably  arose 
f  from  strong  unmatured  wood  being  over-fed  with  stimulants.  The  tree 
had  made  a  very  gross  growth.”  The  specimen  was  forwarded  to  Dr. 
W.  G.  Smith  for  further  examination. 
THE  YOUNG  GARDENERS’  DOMAIN. 
Nerines. 
to  the  culture  of  these  beautiful  plants, 
page  367, 
described  by 
I  may  say  that,  with  one  exception,  our 
ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL 
SOCIETY. — December  13th.' 
Scientific,  Committee. — Present : 
Dr.  M.  T.  Masters  (in  i he  chair)  ;  Mr. 
Yeitch,  Mr.  Michael,  Dr.  Muller,  Mr. 
Bennett-Poe,  Mr.  Sutton,  Prof.  Church, 
Rev.  W.  Wilks,  and  Rev.  Prof.  Henslow, 
Hon.  Sec. ;  Visitor,  Mr.  Didderich,  from 
Australia. 
Primus  Lusitanica  tar.  Azorica.  —  A 
spray  with  fruit  of  this  variety  of  the 
Portugal  Laurel  was  shown,  having 
been  sent  by  Miss  Breton,  Forest  End, 
Sandhurst.  Mr.  Veitcb  observed  that 
as  a  garden  variety  it  had  no  special 
merits  but  rather  the  reverse,  in  con¬ 
sequence  of  its  straggling  habit. 
Narcissus  pachi/bolbos. — With  reference 
to  this  species  Mr.  Didderich  remarked 
that  it  grows  freely  in  Australia,  though 
it  is  one  rarely  cultivated  in  this  country. 
It  is  a  native  of  Algeria. 
Narcissus  virulijlorus. — A  flower  of  this 
rare  species  was  sent  by  Mr.  Kingswoll 
of  Harrow  Weald.  It  i3  an  autumn¬ 
flowering  species,  rarely  cultivated,  but 
introduced  from  Spa;n  or  Barbary  in 
1629,  according  to  Paxton. 
Begonia  renosa ,  Skam. — A  new  species 
from  Brazil,  with  remarkable  habit  and 
largo  leaves,  densely  tomentose  below 
and  furfuraceous,  with  substellate  hairs 
above.  The  flowers  are  small,  pinky 
white.  A  botanical  certificate  was 
unanimously  awarded  to  this  very 
interesting  species.  It  was  received 
from  Mr.  Gilbert  Christy,  F.L.S.  It 
had  been  raised  from  seed  procured  by 
Prof.  Lofgren  on  an  island  near  Para. 
Asparagus  Sprengeri. — Introduced  from  the  Capo  about  four  j'ears  ago  ; 
it  was  exhibited  by  Mr.  May.  Two  varieties,  raised  without  crossing,  have 
already  appeared — viz.,  compactus  and  densissimus.  It  is  an  interesting 
species  in  that  the  “needle-like”  structures  of  the  garden  Asparagus  are 
in  this  species  represented  by  genuine  leaves,  revealing  the  true  nature  of 
the  former. 
Caterpillars. — Some  living  specimens  of  three  sorts  were  received  from 
Miss  L.  H.  Paterson  (Edinburgh)  and  forwarded  to  Mr.  McLachlan,  who 
reports  as  follows  : — “  One  of  the  caterpillars  (brown)  is  the  larva  of  one 
the  ‘rove’  beetles  (Staphylinidae).  They  are  mostly  carnivorous  or  feed 
on  decaying  vegetable  matter,  so  that  they  are  generally  beneficial.  The 
other  (a  white  one)  is  the  larva  of  Hepialus  sylvinus,  one  ot  the  ‘  Swift 
moths.’  The  ‘  ghost  moth’  is  of  the  same  genus.  It  is  destructive  to 
the  roots  of  anything  herbaceous.  The  third  was  tho  larva  o(  one  of  the 
Noctua  moths,  probably  Agrotis  segf turn.  It  is  very  destructive,  and 
feeds  chiefly  at  night.  It  has  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  the  cock¬ 
chafer,  which  it  was  thought  to  resemble.  Tho  above  are  all  general 
feeders.  It  might  be  as  well  to  lift  tho  plants  where  they  occur  and 
supply  fresh  earth,  burning  the  old.  Insectivorous  birds  should  be 
encouraged.  A  dressing  of  gas  lime,  repeated  several  times,  might  do 
good,  but  it  should  be  used  cautiously.” 
Apple  tree  diseased. — Mr.  Bunyard  sent  a  small  branch  curiously 
affected,  with  the  following  observations  “The  branch  was  sent  to  me 
by  Rev.  A.  Foster- Melliar,  in  whose  garden  the  tree  grows.  When  the 
branch  was  cut  it  was  in  a  pappy  floccoso  state  ;  this  appearance  had 
Fig.  83. — Manettia  bicolor. 
In  reference 
“X.  L.  C.  R.”  on 
mode  of  treatment  is  identical  with  the  method  there  advocated,  and  where 
Vve  differ  is  in  tho  high  temperature  he  alludes  to.  I  should  be  greatly 
obliged  to  “X.  L.  C.  R.”  if  he  would  kindly  state  what  advantage 
i3  obtained  from  employing  so  much  heat,  and  if  it  is  not  encroaching 
too  much,  to  ask  if  bulbs  treated  thus  retain  their  vitality  for  any  length 
of  time.  I  have  found  that  bulbs,  generally  speaking,  with  plenty  of 
“go”  in  them,  will  flower  under  adverse  conditions  for  a  season  or  two, 
when  they  will  deteriorate,  which,  of  course,  means  ultimate  failure. 
We  have  four  varieties,  NerineFothergilli 
major,  X.  corusca,  N.  crispa,  N.  sarniensis, 
all  of  which  are  in  a  cold  Peach  house  facing 
south.  At  the  present  time,  December  10th, 
they  occupy'  a  high  shelf  close  to  the  glass, 
air  being  admitted  when  the  external  con¬ 
ditions  are  favourable.  In  case  ot  severe 
weather  we  remove  them  to  a  house  where  a 
little  artificial  heat  can  be  given  them,  with 
a  night  temperature  of  about  40°  to  45°,  and 
by  day,  60°  to  70°,  which  is  rarely  exceeded. 
We  use  our  plants  for  house  furnishing  in 
pots,  and  also  the  cut  flowers.  For  years 
our  plants  have  received  tho  treatment 
quoted  above,  and  have  given  entire  satis¬ 
faction. — Parvo. 
The  Pruning  of  Apples  and  Pears. 
My  remarks  on  this  subject  will  be  applied  to  trees  grown  for  tho 
production  of  fruit  for  market  purposes.  I  do  not  know,  but  I  think  that 
most  of  the  writers  for  the  “Doirain”  arc  in  private  establishments,  and 
therefore  my  observations  may  be  a  little  from  the  beaten  track.  Tho 
principal  forms  of  trees  grown  are  the  standard  and  bush,  and  the  stocks 
are  Crab  and  Paradise  for  Apples,  with  Pear  and  Quince  for  Pears. 
The  main  objects  sought  in  pruning  should  be.  tho  production  of  sound, 
well  matured  wood,  that  will  produce  the  best  possible  fruit,  both  in- 
quantity  and  quality.  The  reason  why  pyramids  are  not  grown  by 
market  men,  is  because  the  large  amount  of  cutting  necessary  to  keep 
them  in  true  form  i3  more  conducive  to  quality  than  quantity. 
Newly  planted  trees  should  be  cut  hard  back  for  two  years  after  planting, 
to  secure  strong  growths  for  tho  future,  with  a  corresponding  increase  of 
roots.  This  pruning  ought  to  be  done  in  March  or  April,  when  the  sap  is 
rising  freely  and  not  during  the  previous  autumn.  I  havo  tried  both 
systems,  and  where  the  autumn  pruned  have  made  1  foot  of  growth,  the 
spring  pruned  have  made  2  and  3  feet.  ByT  the  third  year  some  fruit  buds 
will  have  been  formed,  and  the  pruning  must  then  be  based  on  sour.d 
principles  and  not  by  rule  of  thumb.  Some  varieties  may  require  cutting 
hard  for  another  season  because  of  their  indifferent  growth,  while  others 
nearly  always  demand  hard  pruning  because  of  their  precocity  to  fruit. 
As  examples  of  the  former,  Red  Astrachan  and  Worcester  Pearmain  in 
Apples  and  Jargonelle  in  Pears  maybe  quoted,  while  Lord  Suffield,  Potts’ 
Seedling  and  Stirling  Castle  in  Apples,  with  Williams'  Bon  Chretien  and 
Beurrd  d’Amanlis  in  Pears,  may  be  named  for  the  latter  class. 
A  moderate  grower  will  only  require  shortening  to  a  bud  which  points 
in  the  direction  you  wish  the  fnture  branch  to  take.  The  shoots  must  net 
be  left  too  long,  leaving  only  buds  that  will  break  and  form  fruiting  spurs 
along  tho  branches.  Some  trees  which  make  long  sappy  growths  and  do 
not  mature  will  require  root-pruning,  especially  on  clays  or  where  the 
subsoil  is  clayey.  This  should  be  done  not  later  than  November,  to  permit 
the  formation  of  root  fibres  before  hard  weathsr  sets  in.  Cut  all  roots 
off  as  close  to  the  bole  as  possible  that  strike  downwards  ;  those  that  grow 
more  or  less  horizontally  should  be  brought  to  the  surface  and  notched 
at  intervals  to  encourage  the  production  of  fibres.  In  exposed  positions 
staking  will  be  necessary,  and  a  mulching  of  good  manure  to  reduce 
evaporation  and  to  supply  food  constituents  will  complete  the  work. 
When  a  tree  has  become  thoroughly  established  and  is  cropping  well, 
the  object  in  pruning  will  be  to  keep  all  branches  free  from  each  other, 
those  that  cross  being  cut  out  close  to  tho  main  branch.  Instead  of  cut¬ 
ting  the  ends  off  established  trees  yearly,  a  better  system  where  growths 
are  crowded  is  to  remove  a  branch  entirely,  as  this  not  cnly  admits  sun¬ 
shine  but  add3  a  natural  impetus  to  the  tree.  When  the  ends  are  cut  off 
annually,  a  mass  of  wood  is  produced  which  obstructs  light  and  air  from 
tho  centre  of  the  tree  and  causes  tho  lower  fruiting  spurs  to  become  use¬ 
less..  Very  old  trees  can  be  treated  on  similar  lines  to  the  above,  but  the 
operation  must  be  carried  out  gradually,  as  if  done  at  once  the  tree  pro¬ 
duces  too  much  wood.  The  removal  of  dead  wood  and  spray  from  the 
middle  should  be  done  the  first  year  ;  the  subsequent  thinning  being  left 
to  the  discretion  of  the  pruner,  always  remembering  that  the  most  active 
growth  is  at  the  end  of  the  branches.  The  pruning  of  old  trees  demands 
careful  judgment,  and  must  not  be  done  in  any  ofihand  manner 
Summer  pruning  has  come  into  practice  during  recent  years  amongst 
