April  16,  1896. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
349 
-  A  New  Californian  Park. — A  millionaire  of  San  Francisco 
has  spent  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  in  laying  out  a  magnificent 
site  for  a  public  park  named  Sutro  Heights.  He  has  constructed  various 
kinds  of  baths  in  which  20,000  people  can  bathe.  The  water  is  brought 
from  the  Pacific  in  tunnels  through  the  rock3.  The  park  is  beautifully 
planted,  and  has  neither  gamekeepers  nor  attendants.  This  worthy 
citizen  is  Mr.  Adolphe  Sutro,  who  is  worth  £2,000,000. 
-  The  Three  Cold  Days  of  May.  — ‘‘A.  C.,”  on  page  324, 
may  shrewdly  suspect  the  scientific  probability  as  to  the  meteoric 
shadows  causing  the  cold  snaps  of  February,  April,  and  May  when 
he  reflects  that  it  is  the  clear,  bright,  sunny  weather  that  gives  us 
the  severe  cold  in  those  months.  Cloud  and  shadow  generally  means 
immunity  from  severe  frost.  When  the  wind  is  north-east  it  generally 
freezes,  and  when  from  the  south-west  it  is  generally  free  from  frost. 
— S.  S. 
-  Nitrate  of  Soda, — At  the  Balloon  Society  meeting  held  on 
Tuesday,  March  31st,  a  paper  was  read  by  Mr.  Arthur  Robottom,  of 
Mincing  Lane,  on  “  The  Origin,  History,  and  Uses  of  Nitrate  of  Soda.’’ 
Discussion  followed,  and  the  opinion  expressed  was  that  the  annual 
export  from  Chili  of  1,300,000  tons  would  be  largely  increased  as 
agriculturists  awoke  to  the  advantages  derived  from  its  use.  Mr. 
Robottom  contended  that  the  general  public  do  not  know  of  its  usefulness 
in  the  cultivation  of  vegetables,  flowers,  and  fruits, 
-  Chionodoxa  Lucili.®. — This  early  flowering  bulb  is  more 
attractive  than  ever  this  year,  as  the  clumps  appear  to  have  thrown  up 
more  flower  spikes.  I  have  it  growing  in  several  places  on  the 
rockery,  where  it  has  a  good  root  run,  which  it  seems  to  enjoy.  I 
consider  it  far  more  showy  than  Scilla  sibirica.  The  Chionodoxa  flowers 
stand  more  erect,  so  that  they  can  be  seen  easily.  The  outer  part  of  the 
petals  is  a  deep  blue,  which  fades  to  pure  white  in  the  centre.  The 
slender-looking  spikes  vary  in  the  number  of  the  flowers  they  carry, 
ranging  from  six  to  eighteen. — Gardener, 
-  Magnolia  CONSPICUA, — This  grand  early  flowering  shrub  has 
been  in  marvellous  bloom  on  a  west  wall  at  Hackwood  Park.  It  is 
trained  to  the  wall  longitudinally,  is  in  entire  length  36  feet,  and  about 
9  feet  in  height.  The  flowers  are  borne  in  immense  numbers,  literally 
in  thousands,  and  of  good  size  and  pure  white.  What  splendid  blooms 
are  these  for  Easter  decoration.  Nothing  could  be  purer  or  more 
effective  amongst  white  flowers  ;  none  cheaper.  The  season  has  been  so 
mild  that  protection  of  any  sort  has  been  needless.  The  summer  growths 
are  all  hard  spurred,  hence  the  blooms  are  close  to  the  wall,  creating  a 
perfect  mass  of  snowy  whiteness. — D. 
-  Gardeners’  Royal  Benevolent  Institution. — The  Wol¬ 
verhampton  and  Staffordshire  Auxiliary  of  the  above  Institution  held 
a  successful  meeting  at  Lichfield  recently  under  the  presidency  of  the 
Mayor  (G.  Ashmall,  Esq.).  Mr.  G.  A.  Bishop  spoke  at  some  length  on 
the  advantages  and  benefits  of  the  Institution,  Mr.  G.  Ambrose,  Somer- 
ford  Hall  Gardens,  also  giving  an  appropriate  address.  The  Committee 
was  highly  satisfied  at  the  result  of  the  meeting.  Several  of  the  most 
influential  gentlemen  accepted  the  position  of  stewards  and  promised  to 
thoroughly  canvass  Lichfield  for  donations  and  subscriptions  for  the 
Institution,  the  Mayor  becoming  an  annual  subscriber,  Mr.  Warmsley, 
jun.,  life  member,  and  a  great  many  other  promises  of  subscriptions 
were  made. 
CARNATION  MISS  JOLLIFFE. 
Old  v.  Young  Plants. 
We  are  sometimes  tempted  to  pot  one  year  or  older  plants  that  have 
flowered  into  larger  pots,  say  10-inch,  with  the  hope  that  they  will 
yield  a  profusion  of  bloom  during  the  autumn,  winter,  and  spring 
following.  Plants  so  treated  will  flower  freely,  but  they  need  the  most 
careful  treatment  after  potting  until  they  are  well  established  in  the 
new  soil.  Even  then  they  are  not  so  vigorous,  and  do  not  produce  such 
bold  healthy  glaucous  foliage  as  those  grown  without  a  check  from 
cuttings  or  layers.  We  have  certainly  potted  old  plants,  and  have 
some  healthy  examples  of  various  kinds  at  the  present  time,  but  there 
is  no  comparison  between  them  and  young  plants. 
1  cannot  say  that  we  have  been  particularly  successful  in  rooting 
Carnations  in  heat  in  the  spring,  p>robably  owing  to  an  unsuitable 
position.  Sometimes  every  cutting  has  rooted,  and  at  others  every  one 
has  gone  off.  We  soon  learned,  however,  the  wisdom  of  not  depending 
on  spring-rooted  plants  without  following  a  slightly  different  course. 
The  bulk  of  the  plants  to  be  grown  this  year  are  now  in  3-inch  pots. 
These  were  raised  by  layering  in  a  frame  in  August.  Another  batch  that 
has  practically  done  flowering  were  layered  in  a  frame  during  March. 
These  quickly  root  on  a  gentle  hotbed.  As  soon  as  they  are  rooted  they 
will  be  lifted  and  potted,  established  in  their  pots,  then  hardened  to 
cool  treatment. 
Those  layered  in  the  autumn  and  potted  make  large  plants  by 
housing  time  in  8  and  9-inch  pots,  which  yield  a  large  quantity  of 
very  fine  flowers.  Winter  Cheer  may  be  subjected  to  the  same  treat¬ 
ment. — O.  M. 
SPRING  APHIDES. 
April  bears  evidence  of  the  full  revival  of  life  in  the  vegetable 
world,  but  the  appearance  of  buds,  blossoms,  and  leaves  is  accompanied 
by  the  awakening  of  insect  hosts  to  renewed  activity,  which  is  not 
welcomed  by  the  farmer  or  gardener.  Diverse  are  our  foes  in  form, 
size,  and  colour — caterpillars,  maggots,  beetles,  flies,  insidious  in  habit, 
or  conspicuous  in  their  attacks  ;  yet  looking  round  upon  them  all,  I 
suppose,  none  can  be  said  to  be  more  universally  harmful  than  the 
aphis  tribe.  Fortunately  Nature  has  provided  many  checks  on  their 
increase  ;  many  bird  enemies,  others  also  of  insect  race  that  are  very 
effective  and  numerous,  they,  too,  discover  aphides  where  birds  are  unable 
to  attack  them.  In  their  early  unconscious  egg  state  (through  which, 
however,  only  a  few  pass)  insect  parasites  seek  them,  and  subsequently, 
whether  wingless  or  winged,  their  career  is  one  of  constant  peril. 
Whenever  a  species  of  aphis  is  particularly  abundant  there  usually 
appears  in  extra  number  some  one  or  other  of  its  natural  enemies,  and 
the  year  following  it  is  often  reduced  (o  the  average.  Then  modern 
research  has  enabled  man  to  sweep  them  off  in  multitudes  from  cultivated 
plants.  One  thing,  however,  I  notice  frequently  during  the  spring  is 
that  the  aphides  seem  for  awhile  to  make  more  progress  than  do  their 
insect  enemies,  which  are  sometimes  checked  by  the  untoward  influences 
of  the  season.  For  instance,  many  aphides  flourish  at  a  time  easterly 
winds  prevail  that  are  unfavourable  to  other  species,  and  as  is  well 
known  their  May  migration  not  uncommonly  takes  place  when  there  is 
a  moderate  breeze  from  that  quarter,  which  gives  support  to  the  belief 
that  this  wind  has  a  blighting  influence.  Then,  again,  owing  to  the 
pressure  gardeners  have  to  cope  with  in  the  spring,  when  much  has  to 
be  done  speedily,  aphides  are  at  first  not  observed,  or  if  seen  are  left  for 
the  present. 
How  is  the  new  life  started  amongst  aphides  1  Formerly  the  sup¬ 
position  was  that  all  the  species  were  carried  over  from  one  year  to 
another  by  means  of  eggs  deposited  in  autumn,  and  hatched  about  April. 
But  now  we  know  that  a  large  contingent  of  them  lives  through  the 
winter  in  the  unwinged  state,  some  of  them  more  or  less  active,  as  may 
happen,  others  remain  torpid.  The  eggs  are  somewhat  large  for  the  size 
of  the  insects,  laid  on  the  trunks  or  branches  of  trees,  probably  also  on 
fences  or  amongst  stones,  some  I  believe  are  hidden  in  dry  leaves.  Being 
flat,  they  are  not  easily  seen,  and  have  a  peculiarity  of  expanding  before 
they  are  hatched,  the  shell  being  elastic.  Numerous  aphides  occur 
through  the  winter  amongst  grasses,  Thistles,  Docks,  and  various  low 
plants,  from  which  they  migrate  to  shrubs  and  garden  plants  afterwards, 
a  good  reason  why  all  straggling  weeds  should  be  removed  in  spring. 
Then  there  are  also  aphides  about  the  roots  of  plants,  and  some  colonies 
manage  to  hybernate  under  loose  bark.  Besides  these,  we  have  the 
solitary  individuals,  which  I  have  called  aphis  queens,  that  hide  in 
nooks  and  corners,  sometimes  within  our  houses,  waiting  for  the 
warmth  and  moisture  of  spring,  and  the  early  buds,  when  they  start  a 
new  brood.  Once  more,  we  have  to  thank  our  enemies  of  the  ant  race  for 
tending,  it  is  said,  sundry  aphides  in  their  nests  during  the  winter 
season,  which  they  officiously  bring  out  when  they  can  obtain  food. 
On  the  list  of  aphis  foes  the  ladybird  tribe  is  put  first  by  most 
writers  on  the  subject,  and  no  doubt  they  are  of  great  use,  especially 
since  they  commence  aphis  hunting  early,  and  go  on  persistently  through 
the  summer,  till  the  last  brood  retires  to  hybernate.  Both  larvae  and 
beetles  eat  aphides  persistently,  and  we  have  upwards  of  twenty  specie3, 
but  the  most  useful  are  the  little  two-spotted  Ooccinella  bipunctata 
and  the  larger  seven-spotted  C.  septempunctata  ;  after  feeding  they  will 
now  speedily  di  posit  eggs,  and  a  new  brood  will  be  about  in  May. 
One  notable  peculiarity  of  several  species  is  their  performance  of  long 
journeys  in  companies  of  many  thousands,  seeking  a  fresh  supply  of 
aphides ;  I  have  seen  them  travel  miles  over  one  district  of  Kent  to 
another.  There  appears  to  be  good  evidence  that  parties  of  these 
insects  have  even  crossed  the  sea  (with  a  favouring  breeze)  which 
separates  our  island  from  the  continent. 
I  am  sorry  to  find  that  some  gardeners  think  the  brown  lumpish- 
looking  ladybird  grub  is  a  destructive  insect,  and  so  kill  it  should  it 
come  in  their  way.  No  doubt  the  rove  or  cocktail  beetles,  not  at  all 
limited  in  their  diet,  eat  some  of  the  aphides  that  occur  amongst  roots  ; 
also,  I  believe,  the  earwigs,  so  troublesome  to  us  at  times,  remove  a  few 
aphides  from  leaveB  and  flowers,  for  their  food  is  not  wholly  vegetable. 
We  have  some  good  friends  amongst  the  flies,  the  larvae  or  maggots  of 
which,  especially  of  certain  hawk  flies,  travel  about  spearing  the  aphides 
with  a  curious  head  apparatus. 
Probably  most  service  is  done  us  by  numerous  species  in  the 
Hymenopterous  or  bee  order,  four-winged  ichneumon  flies,  some 
exceedingly  small,  which  puncture  the  skin  of  aphides,  introducing  an 
egg  in  each  case,  and  thousands  are  destroyed  by  these  tiny  parasites, 
which  pass  rapidly  through  their  changes  and  produce  new  broods  of 
flies.  Many  of  the  solitary  bees  and  wasps  also  provision  their  nests 
with  aphides.  Then  due  honour  must  be  given  to  the  beautiful  but  vile¬ 
smelling  lace-wing  fly  or  “golden  eye”  (Chrysopa  vulgaris),  which 
deposits  stalked  eggs  on  leaves,  which  look  like  mosses,  but  they  produce 
ravenous  larvae  which  can  eat  aphides  at  the  rate  of  twenty  or  thirty  in 
an  hour.— Entomologist. 
