April  27,  1893. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
345 
might  produce  on  the  deeper  rooting  Crab,  and  the  insects  being 
templed  by  the  softer  growths,  but  we  cannot  unders'and  how  mil 
why  varieties  of  Apples  on  the  “Northern  Spy  stock”  (and  that  was 
the  original  question)  being  invulnerable  to  the  American  blight,  and 
we  suspect  no  one  in  England  can  tell  us ;  but  we  could  very  well 
understand  that  the  Spy  itself  would  bo  free  on  whatever  sb.  ck  it 
might  be  established. 
As  Mr.  Pearson  truly  says,  trees  at  Chiswick  are,  “growing  under 
conditions  most  favourable  to  attack,”  yet  there  is  one  tree  in  it 
always  clean — the  Spy;  while  its  neighbour,  of  another  variety,  is 
always  infested  with  the  filthy  “  blight,”  or  would  be  if  not  doctond. 
Does  Mr.  Pearson  attribute  the  immunity  of  the  one  and  the  infesta¬ 
tion  of  the  other  to  the  stocks  on  which  they  are  established  ?  We  do 
not,  and  should  be  surprised  if  the  Spy  is  either  on  its  own  roots  or 
the  Paradise. 
We  should  like  to  see  grafts  taken  from  the  filthy  tree  and  inserted 
in  the  Spy,  also  vice  versd^  and  then  Avould  soon  be  shown  whether 
the  scion  or  stock  had  the  greater  influence  in  repelling  the  attacks  of 
Aphis  lanigera.  There  will  be  a  new  Chiswick  some  day  it  is  hoped, 
but  the  old  one  will  perhaps  linger  on  long  enough  for  testing  the 
matter,  and  in  the  meantime  we  may  possibly  have  light  from  young 
New  Zealand.] 
American  Blight  and  Apple  Duchess  of  Oldenburg. 
I  CAN  endorse  what  Mr.  Pearson  says  as  to  the  Duchess  of  Olden¬ 
burg’s  immunity  from  attack  of  woolly  aphis,  for  out  of  seventy  trees 
thirty  years  old  and  under,  not  one  has  suffered,  but  they  are  addicted 
to  both  hard  and  soft  canker,  which  is  a  thousand  times  worse.  Old 
or  young,  in  virgin  soil  or  old  garden,  light  or  strong,  it  is  the  tame 
story — canker.  Tet  for  all  this  it  is  one  of  the  most  profitable  Apiples 
according  to  the  experience  of — C.  C.  Ellison. 
THE  APPLE  BUD  MOTH. 
My  Apple  trees  are  infested  with  the  little  brown  caterpillars  of  the 
bud  moth  (Tmetocf  r.i  ocellana),  a  common  pest  in  America,  and  in 
‘some  piarts  of  Europe,  but  only  once  before  this  year  brought  to  the 
notice  of  Miss  Ormerod.  It  happens  that  the  specimens  then  obtained 
(from  which  moths  were  developed  and  idmtified)  were  found  in 
Hornsey  by  Mr.  Oliver  E.  Janson,  in  1889,  and  my  garden  is  in 
Hornsey  parish.  He  found  the  young  leaves  stunted  and  shrivelled, 
instead  of  fully  expanded,  and  by  the  end  of  May  all  the  shoots  on 
infested  trees  liad  witbeied. 
The  caterpiillars  have  recently  hatched,  and  are  now  about  a  quarter 
of  an  inch  long,  browm,  with  black  heads  and  a  black  plate  on  the 
next  segment  to  the  head.  They  have  three  pairs  of  claw  feet  near 
the  head,  four  pairs  of  sucker  feet  in  the  middle  of  the  body,  anil 
one  pair  at  the  tail.  They  spin  the  leaf  and  blossom  buds  together 
with  silken  threads,  and  feed  upon  them,  leaving  them  brown  and 
worthless.  As  described  by  an  American  writer.  Apple  trees  aftir 
being  badly  attacked  look  “as  though  a  fire  had  swept  quickly 
through  them.” 
Now,  I  believe  that  I  saw  the  results  of  this  insect  attack  in 
several  parts  of  the  country  last  year  in  the  plantations  of  fruit 
grower.a,  who  were  at  a  loss  to  account  for  the  seared  appearance  of 
their  trees.  In  my  own  garden  I  found  the  citerpillars,  but  could 
not  identify  them,  or  get  them  identified :  and  I  noticed  the  results  as 
above  described. 
My  object  in  sending  this  letter  for  publication  is  to  induce  fruit 
growers  to  hunt  in  curled-up  leaves,  or  shoots  bound  with  silken 
threads,  for  this  little  brown  caterpillar,  and  to  communicate  the 
results  of  their  search  to  your  columns. 
I  believe  that  injury  to  Apple  trees  attributed  to  frost  is  sometimes 
due  to  this  mischievous  grub,  a  capital  picture  of  which,  and  a 
description  of  it  and  its  life  history,  may  be  found  in  Miss  Ormerod's 
“  Keport  on  Injurious  Insects  for  1899,”  recently  publi.-hed  by 
Simpkin,  Marshall  &  Co.,  at  Is.  6d. 
I  identified  my  specimens  from  a  description  given  in  that  capital 
work,  “The  Spraying  of  Plants,”  by  E.  G.  Lodeman  of  Cornell 
University,  U.S.A.,  published  by  Macmillan,  which  every  fruit  grower 
should  possess.  Miss  Ormerod  has  provisionally  confirmed  my  identi¬ 
fication,  though  she  desires  to  see  some  of  the  moths  hereafter  to  give 
certainty  to  the  conclusion. — William  E.  Bear,  Highgate. 
[We  shall  be  glad  if  our  readers  who  may  observe  the  symptoms 
described  will  send  us  specimens  of  rolled  Apple  leaves  containing 
very  small  caterpillar.s.  The  invader,  which  wm  have  seen,  is  illus¬ 
trated  and  clearly  described  in  Miss  Ormerod’s  report  mentioned  by 
Mr.  Bear.] 
“Familiar  Wild  Flow’ERS.”  —  Fart  4  of  this  admirable  work 
contains  coloured  plates,  with  explanatory  letterpress,  of  Tulsan,  Corn 
Sow  Thistle,  Greater  Willow  Herb,  Hawthorn,  Flea-bane,  Touch-me-not, 
Bindweed,  Hop  Trefoil,  Wood  Sorrel,  and  the  Yellow  Rattle.  As  we 
have  before  stated,  Messrs.  Cassell  &  Co.  are  the  publishers,  and  the  price 
per  part  is  6d. 
Kingston  Chrysanthemum  Society. 
The  Committee  of  this  old  Society,  whilst  somewhat  reducing  tho 
number  of  classes  (open)  for  incurved  Chrysanthemums,  have,  for 
the  purpose  of  difining  what  varieties  are  meant'  by  the  term 
“incurved,”  now  agreed  to  adopt  the  N.C.S.  classification  for  the- 
guidance  of  both  exhibitors  and  judges.  Whilst  the  old  cup  class  for 
twenty-four  Japs  and  twenty-four  incurved,  always  an  unsatisfactory 
one  to  judge,  because  these  flowers  differ  so  much  in  character,  has- 
disappeared,  the  champion  class  for  thirty-six  Japanese,  with  valuable- 
money  prizes  attached,  should  prove  to  be  much  more  popiular  and 
attractive.  In  addition  to  former  Japanese  classes,  open,  the  Com¬ 
mittee  have  added  others  for  twelve  incurved  Japs  and  twelve  reflexed 
Japs  respectively,  and  they  will  also  have  open  classes  for  six  white, 
one  variety,  six  yellow  ditto,  and  six  ol  any  other  colour.  So  that 
good  growers  have  much  to  invito  their  hearty  co-operation.  It  i& 
naturally  hoped  that,  being  the  oldest  society  in  the  county,  Surrey 
growers  will  largely  compete. 
Although  the  complete  schedules  cannot  be  ready  just  yet,  slips- 
containing  all  the  classes  are  to  be  sent  out  to  exhibitors  at  once. 
Some  grievance  having  been  made  last  year  in  connection  with  tho 
introduction  of  corks  and  mirrors  into  a  plant  group,  it  has  beea 
determined  to  exclude  everything  artificial,  as  also  ribbons  or  other 
showy  accessories,  from  the  Chrysanthemum  baskets,  and  in  connec¬ 
tion  with  the  new  class  for  dinner  table,  for  lady  amateurs,  to  exclude- 
Orchids,  that  all  competitors  may  be  placed  on  the  same  footing. 
Belated  Post-office  Plants. 
A  nice  little  problem  for  the  Post-office  to  answ’er  is  propioundedi 
by  Messrs.  Wells  &  Company,  Chrysanthemum  growers,  of  Earlswood, 
Surrey. 
For  some  years  this  fiim  has  been  endeavouring  to  build  up  a  con¬ 
nection  with  Italy  and  Germany.  The  firm  finds  no  difficulty  in 
getting  plants  from  the  Continent  swiftly  and  safely ;  but^  when  they 
send  plants  to  Italy  or  Germany  they  are  troubled  by  inexplicablfr 
delay  and  ruined  roots.  Within  two  days  plants  can  reach  England. 
From  the  correspiondence  and  vouchers  which  Messrs.  Wells  have  seiife 
to  the  “Daily  Mail”  it  appears  that  from  a  week  to  a  fortnight  ia 
needed  to  reach  the  Continent. 
The  British  Post-office  throws  the  entire  blame  on  the  Italian  and 
the  German  authorities.  Would  it  not  be  possible  for  the  Governmeni 
to  do  something  to  awaken  the  Continent  ? 
EXPERIMENTAL  HORTICULTURE. 
1  greatly  appreciate  the  reference  made  on  page  301  of  the 
Journal  of  Horticulture  of  my  paper  on  “Experimental  Horticul¬ 
ture,”  which  appears  in  the  current  issue  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society’s  Journal,  and  am  pleased  to  find  that  your  views  are  in 
accordance  with  these  to  which  I  have  given  expression  in  my  essay. 
I  find,  however,  that  you  are  under  a  misapprehension  regarding 
what  1  have  said  with  reference  to  the  experiments  conducted  under 
the  auspices,  for  nowhere  have  I  suggested  that  “  the  results  of  County 
Council  experiments  on  allotments  should  be  rejwrted  to  the  R.H  S. 
for  collation.”  On  the  contrary,  I  not  only  state  in  the  quotation  you 
■were  gogd  enough  to  make  that  experiments  should  be  conducted  ork 
land  of  uniform  quality,  but  show  ray  appreciation  of  the  variability 
of  land  devoted  to  allotments  by  stating  in  the  next  sentence  that  “  it 
should  be  obvious  that  the  results  obtained  from  land  that  differs  in 
its  area,  as  does  that  of  a  group  of  allotments,  cannot  give  trustworthy 
information.”  .  ^ 
The  misapprehension  may  have  arisen  through  my  having  used 
the  term  experimental  plots  instead  of  experimental  stations  in  my 
reference  to  what  is  being  dene  by  County  Councils,  and  I  did  so- 
because  the  areas  devoted  to  experimental  purposes  by  these  bodies 
hardly  warrant  the  latter  designation.  With  reference  to  this  branch 
of  the  subject,  I  said,  after  alluding  to  the  Chiswick  garden  of  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society,  the  experimental  fruit  garden  at  Madres- 
fiild  Court,  i  nd  the  fruit  farm  at  Apsley  Guise 
In  addition  to  these,  experimental  plots  and  gardens  have  been 
established  by  sereral  County  Councils,  and  good  work  is  being  done  at 
some  of  them  ;  but  as  jet  they  are  too  few  and  isolated  to  exercise  a 
material  influence  upon  the  advancement  of  horticulture.  I  am.  indeed, 
persuaded  that  they  will  not  give  an  adequate  return  until  they  are 
brought  into  close  touch  with  each  other,  and  joining  hands  engage  m 
