442 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
November  6,  1896. 
petals  is  yellow,  and  the  tips  scarlet;  good  stifE  stems  and  first-class 
habit.  A  Vjeautiful  garden  plant ;  4  feet. 
Emily  French.— A.  decorative  flower.  Good  habit  and  free-flowering. 
Colonr  Boit  red  ;  of  no  special  merit. 
Mrt.  Francu  Fell. — Althoagh  sent  out  in  1895,  this  variety  was  not 
generally  cultivated  till  this  season.  The  flowers  are  of  fair  Cactus 
shape,  but  the  stems  are  very  weak,  and  the  flower  is  not  seen  unless 
held  up  by  the  hand.  It  is  fairly  white,  the  base  of  the  petals  being 
yellow.  Altogether  it  was  hardly  worth  the  high  figure  of  ISs.  that  was 
charged  for  it. 
Beatrice. — Beautiful  lilac  rose  colour,  though  the  flowers  are  not 
quite  true  Cactus  shape.  This  is  a  beautiful  variety,  and  the  only  one 
of  its  colour.  The  stems  are  long  and  bear  the  flowers  well  above  the 
foliage  ;  4  feet  high. 
Le  nora. — Rosy  pink.  Of  good  Cactus  form,  though  here  in  the 
North  the  centre  is  a  trifle  hard.  This  is  a  very  charming  thing,  but 
does  not  appear  to  be  very  well  known,  I  have  not  noticed  the  name 
appearing  at  any  flower  shows  this  season  ;  about  4  feet  high. 
Endymion. — Reddish  scarlet.  Good  form  and  habit.  I  had  bat  one 
plant  of  this  variety,  bat  believe  it  will  be  a  favourite. 
New  Pompon  Dahlias. 
Annie  Holton. — Described  as  crimson  tipped  with  silver,  but  it  is 
very  dull  here,  and  the  majority  of  the  flowers  are  self.  Perhaps 
the  cold  wet  season  we  have  experienced  may  account  for  this  ;  3  feet 
high. 
Rosebud. — White  ground  edged  with  rosy  pink  ;  the  flowers  are 
small,  neat,  and  compact  ;  a  delightful  flower  ;  3  feet. 
Rotea. — A  rosy  magenta  shade  ;  the  flowers  are  neat  and  small,  and 
borne  in  great  profusion  ;  good  dwarf  habit ;  has  been  covered  with 
bloom  all  the  season  ;  3  feet  high. 
Ftora. — Orange  yellow ;  a  neat  flower,  and  very  free.  Good  yellow 
Pompons  are  always  welcome  ;  3  feet. 
Neiiisa. — Pale  rose.  The  flowers  are  small,  neat,  and  very  double. 
This  is  an  ideal  Pompon,  the  plants  are  a  mass  of  flowers  ;  3  feet. 
Purity. — When  I  saw  this  exhibited  for  a  certificate  at  the  Crystal 
Palace  it  was  far  superior  to  George  Brinckman,  but  it  has  not  borne 
the  incessant  rain  so  well  here  as  the  latter,  still  it  is  a  very  good  white, 
and  they  are  scarce. 
Locket. — White,  amber  at  the  base,  and  shaded  crimson.  The  flowers 
are  full  size  and  very  double  ;  is  often  very  like  Model ;  sent  out  last 
season.  It,  is  free  flowering,  and  only  3  feet  high  here. 
Single  Dahlias. 
Single  Dahlias  are  not  in  such  demand  now  as  a  few  years  ago,  and 
the  existing  varieties  are  so  good  that  the  new  varieties  show  very  little 
improvement. 
Harry  Braten  appears  to  me  the  best  of  the  year  ;  it  is  deep  rose  in 
colour,  splashed  and  striped  with  dark  maroon.  About  4  feet  high,  the 
flowers  are  medium  sized,  and  produced  freely. 
Two  new  varieties  of  Tom  Thumb  were  sent  out,  and  contrary  to  the 
other  varieties  of  this  class  I  have  tried  they  bloomed  very  freely. 
Midnight  is  a  dark  maroon,  12  inches  high. 
Golden  Fairy  is  a  beautiful  golden  yellow,  about  12  inches  high. 
Of  single  Cactus,  the  following  new  varieties  are  very  fine  : — 
Sir  Walter. — Pale  rose  ;  the  base  of  the  petals  deep  amber  ;  the  petals 
are  well  twisted  and  incurve  slightly.  This  is  the  best  single  Cactus  yet 
introduced  ;  3  feet  high. 
Pirate  is  a  dark  crimson  ;  large  flower,  freely  produced  on  long  stems  ; 
3  feet  high. 
Brenda  is  a  deep  chrome  yellow  ;  small  incurving  flowers,  twisted 
petals,  very  dwarf  habit,  the  flowers  borne  in  extraordinary  profusion  ; 
about  2  feet  high. — S.  J. 
CUCUMBER  AND  TOMATO  EELWORMS. 
Me.  W.  Dyke’s  article  on  and  illustrations  of  this  pest  are  very 
interesting  and  instructive.  As  this  is  his  promised  life  history  I  may 
be  excused  making  a  few  observations.  Passing  over  the  prelude,  and  the  no 
statement  of  the  scale  of  magnifying  beyond  “  highly,”  we  come  to  the 
matured  female  cyst  (fig.  1),  which,  I  confess,  it  has  never  been  my  good  or 
bad  fortune  to  have  seen  as  shown.  It  is  an  eye-opener,  and  ”  smacks  ”  of 
Professor  Anderson.  All  the  gravid  females  I  have  beheld  were  little 
more  than  mere  sacs  of  eggs  when  mature.  The  eggs,  says  Mr.  Dyke, 
undergo  no  less  than  six  transformations  before  the  embryo  assumes  the 
shape  of  the  larval  eelworm,  and  this  abides  about  two  days  in  the  egg 
before  making  its  exit  into  the  great  world  of  things  ;  but  it  finds  itself 
imprisoned  in  a  cell.  How  did  the  egg  get  into  the  cell?  Granted 
that  the  female  power  of  movement  after  becoming  pear-shaped  is 
possible,  what  apparatus  is  possessed  for  piercing  and  depositing  eggs  in 
cells  ?  The  eelworm  you  say  has  a  spear,  and  by  it  lets  itself  in  ;  but 
must  it  not  first  of  all  let  itself  out  ?  This  is  wonderful,  for  when  a 
plant  cell  is  pierced  its  contents  forthwith  oose  out  into  the  intercellular 
spaces,  at  least  such  occurs  when  dissecting  the  tissues,  these  collapsing 
as  suddenly  as  soap  bubbles  when  pricked  with  a  needle. 
The  decay  of  the  root  gall  is  next  alluded  to  ;  hundreds  of  worms 
are  liberated,  and  enter  a  fresh  portion  of  root  by  piercing  through  the 
cell  walls.  How  if  the  plant  be  dead  ?  Vf  hat  of  the  eggs  ?  Do  they 
come  out  of  dead  tissue  in  the  cells  of  the  plant  ?  I  should  like  to  see 
some  of  these  ”  mysteries,”  such  as  an  eelworm  egg  in  a  plant  cell.  In 
the  fresh  tissues  the  eel  worms  come  to  rest  after  a  time  and  encyst,  and 
in  this  stage  the  male  becomes  a  much  larger  eelworm,  bursts  forth^ 
wandering  about  in  the  tissues  of  the  plant,  or  in  the  soil,  but  tb& 
female  is  transfixed  in  the  plant  and  remains  flask-shaped.  How  anyone 
can  see  the  male  wandering  passes  human  understanding.  Not  knowing 
when  the  male  wanders  in  the  soil  is  tantalising,  for  how  easily  to  give 
him  a  dose  before  he  returns  to  the  tissues.  This  would  settle  the  whole 
affair. 
Each  female  produces  something  like  200  eggs.  The  cycle  lasts  ss 
month,  and  on  this  are  based  certain  calculations.  This  brings  us  to  the 
end  of  the  life  history,  and  criticism  is  foreclosed — the  diagrams  were 
taken  from  living  specimens  examined  under  the  microscope.  Then 
follow  editorial  notes,  rightly  giving  the  Rev.  M.  J.  Berkeley  credit  for 
being  the  first  to  discover  root-eel  worm  in  England. 
To  say  that  I  am  disappointed  with  the  life  history  will  not  surprise 
“  W.  D.”  Not  a  word  is  said  how  the  eelworm  lives  from  one  generation 
of  plants  to  another,  what  life  it  lives  in  the  soil,  upon  what  it  subsists^ 
and  in  what  form  it  is  ;  indeed,  when  practical  zoology  is  entered  upon 
nothing  seems  to  be  known  about  root-eel  worm. 
Mr.  J.  Shalford  (page  414)  obliges  with  particulars  of  the  strength  of 
soluble  phenyle  employed  as  a  preventive,  but  gives  no  data  as  to  the 
extent  of  its  application,  therefore  I  am  unable  to  explain  the  cause  of  hi» 
failure,  for  it  is  certain  that  a  solution  of  soluble  phenyle  at  a  strength 
of  1  in  50 — a  large  teaspoonful  to  1  pint  of  water,  or  1  fluid  oz.  to- 
2J  pints  water,  or  1  gill  (quaTter  of  a  pint)  to  3  gallons  of  water, 
will  kill  eelworms  of  any  species — at  least,  the  four  found  in  England — 
either  in  the  soil  or  out  of  it.  This  I  have  proved  several  times,  therefore 
I  am  dubious  in  accepting  evidence  diametrically  opposed  to  that  of  my 
own  eyes,  and  especially  when  the  solution  is  used  at  three  times  the 
strength — namely,  a  quarter  of  a  pint  of  soluble  phenyle  to  a  gallon  of 
water.  Perhaps  the  solution  was  employed  so  as  not  to  reach  the  eel¬ 
worm,  which  is  the  only  feasible  explanation. 
“  By  the  Sea  ”  tries  (same  page)  to  make  capital  out  of  not’aing, 
not  being  able  to  see  that  pouring  soluble  phenyle  solution  into  a  glasa 
jar  and  placing  an  eelworm-infested  Cucumber-plant  roots  in  it  is  one 
thing  or  experiment,  and  that  of  applying  a  similar  solution  to  another 
plant  growing  in  soil  is  another  thing  or  different  experiment.  This 
is  what  both  “  W.  D.”  and  “  By  the  Sea  ”  contended  for.  They  make 
them  out  to  be  different  things  ;  but  it  is  only  a  difference  of  method, 
for  the  principle  is  the  same  in  both  cases — namely,  the  solutibn. 
Thus,  if  the  eelworms  are  killed  in  the  glass  jar,  and  the  eelworms 
are  also  killed  in  the  soil,  there  is  no  difference  in  the  result.  “  Real 
searchers  for  truth  like  to  have  facts  ”  made  clear  before  they  are 
recorded  in  strong  condemnatory  terms,  and  reserve  to  themselves  the 
right  to  act  in  their  own  defence  without  consulting  their  opponents' 
susceptibilities. — G.  Abbey. _ 
I  HAVE  no  desire  to  call  Mr.  Abbey  back  into  the  ‘  arena,”  but  I 
think  I  must  reply  to  a  few  remarks  he  made  on  page  425.  First  of  all, 
he  states  that  I  said  “  eelworms  infested  the  roots  of  Hop  ”  plants.  1 
never  made  such  an  assertion,  as  Mr.  A.  will  see  if  he  turns  back  to  the 
article  again.  He  also  asks  “  why  I  sent  him  Tomato  roots,  not  once, 
but  twice,  instead  of  Cucumber  roots?”  Why  has  he  not  read  my 
articles  (pages  400  and  404)  more  carefully  ?  I  said  on  page  400 
“  Tomato  roots  were  sent  because  1  could  not  get  Cucumber  roots,”  and 
on  page  405,  ”  so  that  Mr.  Abbey  may  ‘  prove  all  things  ’  I  am  sending 
the  roots  of  a  plant  (out  of  my  own  house)  to  the  Editor.”  There  are 
many  other  remarks  in  Mr.  Abbey’s  article  (page  420)  to  which  I  might 
reply,  but  I  have  no  desire  to  prolong  the  discussion. — W.  D, 
[The  eelwormers  must  now  perforce  have  a  little  rest  in  view  of  the 
pressing  demands  of  other  seasonable  matter.] 
WELLINGTONIAS. 
I  WAS  interested  in  the  measurement  of  the  Wellingtonias  given  in 
the  Journal  of  September  17th  and  24th.  I  measured  the  largest  one  here, 
which,  at  3  feet  from  the  ground,  is  15  feet  6  inches,  and  at  the  ground 
it  is  20  feet  in  girth.  It  has  grown  fast,  but  will  make  slower  growth 
now,  as  it  has  got  on  a  level  with  the  surrounding  trees,  and  I  have 
noticed  that  in  different  parts  of  the  country  they  do  not  do  well  unless 
shelter  is  afforded. 
There  is  also  a  fine  specimen  of  Cedrus  atlantica.  At  3  feet  high 
it  girths  11  feet,  and  it  is  about  the  same  size  and  without  a  branch  for 
20  feet.  There  is  another  30  feet  of  straight  stem,  with  a  fine  head, 
bearing  a  great  number  of  cones,  which  show  very  conspicuously  at  a 
good  distance. 
A  Cedar  of  Lebanon  has  formed  a  bole  about  20  feet  in  girth  ;  then  at 
a  height  of  10  feet  it  forks  into  eight  straight  stems  about  30  feet  long. 
The  largest  will  be  8  feet  in  girth.  Near  the  tops  they  are  tied  together 
with  iron  rods,  as  the  snow  lodges  on  the  flat  heads  and  branches,  and 
has  damaged  them  seriously  in  the  past. 
An  Oak  in  the  park,  at  3  feet  high,  measures  19  feet,  and  has  a 
trunk  about  24  feet.  It  looks  green  and  healthy,  but  has  at  times  lost 
most  of  the  original  top.  Another  Oak  is  IG  feet  6  inches,  with  a  clean 
trunk  18  feet  high,  and  a  good  head.  The  largest  specimen  we  have  is  a 
Wych  Elm,  which,  at  4  feet  high,  the  most  suitable  place  to  measure, 
is  21  feet  6  inches  round,  and  has  a  fine  head. — J.  Milne,  Camerton, 
Bath, 
