124 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
February  5,  1903. 
Societies. 
R.H.S.  Scientific  Committee,  January  27th. 
Pre.sent :  Mr.  A.  Michael  tin  the  chair);  Messrs.  Hooper, 
Baker,  Odell,  Saunders.  Worsdeli,  Worsley;  Drs.  Cooke  and 
Rendle  ;  Prof.  A.  H.  Cliurch,  Revs.  H.  Ellacoinbe,  W.  Wilks,  and 
O.  Henslow,  Hon.  Sec. 
Teas  Attacked  by  Grubs. — Mr.  Saunders  gave  the  following 
report  upon  the  specimens  brought  by  Mr.  Baker  to  the  last 
meeting :  “  I  have  examined  a  considerable  number  of  the 
damaged  Peas  exhibited  at  the  last  meeting  of  the  Scientific 
Committee,  and  I  cannot  say  definitely  by  what  insect  they  have 
been  injured.  .  The  weevdl  (Bruchus  pisi)  certainly  is  not  the 
culprit.  Many  of  them  appear  to  me  to  have  been  attacked  by 
the  “Pea  moth”  (Grapholitha  pisana),  but  I  cannot  find  any 
trace  of  the  insect ;  but  that  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  as  the 
moth  lays  her  eggs  on  the  pods  when  they  are  quite  young, 
whence  the  little  caterpillars  make  their  way  into  the  pods  and 
feed  on  the  Peas.  When  full  grown  they  fall  to  the  ground,  and 
become  chrysalids  in  the  soil.  A  few  of  the  Peas  were  attacked 
by  mites,  which  were  feeding  on  them  in  considerable  numbers  ; 
and  it  is  possible  that  they  were  the  sole  cause  of  the  mischief; 
but  I  think  not.  or  I  should  have  found  them  in  a  larger  pro¬ 
portion  of  the  Peas.  The  mites,  no  doubt,  only  attacked  the 
Peas  after  they  had  been  placed  in  store,  and  any  receptacle 
in  which  they  were  placed  should  be  thoroughly  cleansed.;  scald¬ 
ing  is  perhaps  the  most  satisfactory  method,  if  it  be  practicable. 
If  any  Peas  attacked  by  mites  were  sown  no  harm  would  be 
done.  Some  I  examined  would  not  have  germinated,  but  the 
pest  would  not  spread  in  the  ground.  If  the  Peas  were  injured 
by  the  caterpillars  I  have  mentioned,  it  would  be  well,  if  not 
too  late,  to  bury  the  top  3in  of  soil  on  which  they  grew  as 
deeply  as  possible,  so  as  to  prevent  the  moths  from  leaving  the 
chrysalides  later  on.  The  mites  had  appeared,  no  doubt,  after 
harvesting.” 
Weevilled  Peas. — Mr.  A.  Sutton  sent  .specimens  for  comparison 
with  those  brought  by  Mr.  Baker,  in  which  the  hole  was  quite 
irregular  in  shape,  whereas  it  is,  perfectly  circular  if  caused 
by  the  weevil :  “  In  further  reply  to  your  letter  of  the  13th 
inst.,  I  now  send  you  three  samples  of  weevilled  Peas,  as  a  com¬ 
parison  between  these  and  the  maggoty  seeds  you  sent  me, 
which  may  be  of  interest  to  yourself,  and  possibly  also  to  the 
Committee  on  Tuesday.  Sample  No.  1  are  English  grown  early 
round  Peas  of  harvest  1901,  with  a  few  of  harvest  1900.  Both 
these  seasons  were  exceptionally  hot  and  dry,  and  it  is  only 
in  such  seasons  that  we  find  English  grown  Peas  at  all  weevilled. 
Broad  Beans,  on  the  other  hand,  are  much  more  often  attacked 
by  these  insects  than  Peas,  but  in  such  a  wet,  cold  summer  as 
the  last,  the  damage  is  very  slight  indeed.  In  1900  and  1901  a 
large  quantity  of  beans  were  badly  weevilled.  Sample  No.  2  is 
a  sample  of  “  wrinkled  ”  peas  “  Champion  of  England  ”  Canadian 
grown,  of  harvest  1900.  These  you  will  find  also  show  the  distinct 
clean  circular  opening  made  by  the  weevil  in  its  escape  from  the 
seed.  As  I  said  in  my  last  letter,  I  never  recollect  seeing  a 
sample  of  English  grown  M’rinkled  Peas  weevilled.  No.  3  is  a 
sample  of  French  Sugar  Peas  also  weevilled,  and  you  will  find  the 
dead  insects  inside  some  of  these  seeds.  These  are  of  harvest 
1901.” 
Sclerotiuni  on  Liliuni  flower  stalks. — Hr.  Cooke  reported  on  the 
specimen  submitted  at  the  last  meeting  by  Mr.  Holmes,  having  a 
black  sclerotium  on  the  flower  stalks  of  Lilium  candidum. 
“  In  so  far  as  a  sclerotium  can  be  determined  appears  to  be  the 
same  as  one  which  is  common  on  the  stems  of  Heracleum  and 
other  IJmbelliferEe,  and  I  think  was  called  in  olden  time  Sclero¬ 
tium  durum,  when  it  was  also  recognised  (see  Handbook, 
page  601),  as  the  origin  of  the  mould  Botrytis,  or  Polyactis 
cinerea.  Berkeley  described  a  mould  on  Lily  stems  as  Ovularia 
elliptica,  for  which  I  afterwards  suggested  Botrytis  elliptica. 
Marshall  Ward,  in  his  paper  on  Lily  disease,  seems  to  have  made 
acquaintance  with  the  same  mould,  which  he  simply  calls  Botrytis. 
Massee  recently,  in  Journal,  R.H.S.,  figures  the  mould  under  the 
name  of  Botrytis  cinerea.  Possibly  there  is  only  one  mould,  and 
that  one  the  old  Botrytis  cinerea.  But,  now,  in  latter  days,  this 
mould  is  regarded  as  the  conidia  of  a.  Peziza,  under  the  name  of 
Sclerotinia  Fuckeliana,  and  perhaps  some  others  ;  at  any  rate,  the 
little  black  Sclerotium,  the  mould,  and  the  Peziza,  are  regarded 
as  phases  or  conditions  of  the  same  fungus.” 
Dead  Horse  Chestnut  Trees. — Hr.  Cooke  also  communicated 
the  following  report  :  — “  Since  the  last  meeting  of  Committee  I 
have  been  consulted  as  to  the  death  of  some  old  Horse  Chestnut 
trees  in  Greenwich  Park  ;  which  has  been  caused,  it  is  confidently 
affirmed,  by  a  fungus  which  appears  externally  on  the  bark — and 
internally,  in  a  plentiful  mycelium  between  the  bark  and  wood. 
The  species  credited  with  this  destruction  is  Stereum  purpureum, 
although,  as  far  as  I  am  aware,  neither  Hartig,  or  any  other  of 
the  German  authorities  on  the  parasites  of  forest  trees,  have 
mentioned  this  species  as  suspected  of  causing  disease  or  death. 
It  is  generally  recognised  that  the  yellow  Stereum  hirsutum, 
which  is  so  common  on  all  dead  w'ood  as  a  saprophyte,  is  capable 
also  of  becoming  parasitic,  and,  entering  by  wounds  in  the  bark, 
causes  destruction  of  living  trees.  Hence  it  is  not  so  improbable 
that  Stereum  purpureum  may  also  be  capable  of  becoming  a  para¬ 
site.  Another  phase  of  this  subject  is  interesting.  Not  long 
since  it  was  brought  to  the  notice  of  this  Committee  that  a  paper 
had  been  published  which  contended  that  this  same  fungus  was 
the  cause  of  ‘  silver  leaf’  in  stone  fruit  trees.” 
Araucaria  Bidwilli.  Cone. — Mr.  F.  Bull,  Southport,  sent  a 
cone  of  this  tree,  which  is  the  first  it  has  borne  in  the  Botanic 
Gardens.  The  tree  is  about  40ft  in  height.  Hr.  Masters  observes 
that  it  fruited^at  Kew  in  1873  (see  “  Gardeners’  Chronicle,”  1873, 
page  561.  fig.  73).  As  the  tree  requires  a  great  deal  of  space,  it 
is  not  likely  that  there  are  many  specimen.s  outside  Botanic 
Gardens.  The  seeds  are'  eaten  by  the  natives  of  Australia. 
Campanula  rotund  if  eilia,  diseased. — Mr.  AVorsdell  exhibited 
specimens  in  which  the  flower-buds  were  attacked  by  Cecidomyia 
campanula?,  and  presented  a  swollen  appearance. 
Pelanionium  .stipules,  use  of. — Mr.  Havidson,  Fanners,  Wick¬ 
ham  Bishops,  Essex,  described  an  experience  indicating  a  special 
use  of  these  organs:  “Some  time  ago  I  was  struck  with  the 
‘  nursing  ’  properties  of  the  stipules  of  Pelargoniums,  which,  when 
grown  cold  in  winter,  lose  their  leaves.  If,  for  the  sake  of  tidi- 
2iess,  the  withered  stipules  are  also  removed,  the  buds  are  A'ery 
slow  to  break  in  spring;  but  if  the  stipules  are  left  on.  the  buds 
break  much  more  readily,  a  fact  which  I  found  to  be  due  to 
their  holding  moisture,  and  thus  softening  the  skin.  Harwin 
has  observed  that  stipules  sometimes  serve  to  hold  water.” 
Club-root  in  ( ' rucif erce .■ — In  reply  to  a  question  as  to  remedies, 
Mr.  Massee  wrote  as  follows  :  “  The  germs  are  hungered  out,  if 
the  soil  is  kept  free  from  cruciferous  plants — cidtivated  and  wild 
— for  four  years;  their  exit  being  hastened  by  the  use  of  lime. 
As  it  would  be  at  least  inconvenient  to  cease  growing  ‘greens’ 
for  such  an  extended  period,  the  following  plan  might  be  adopted  : 
As  much  quicklime  as  is  compatible  with  the  health,  growth  of 
Turnips,  Sprouts,  &c.,  should  be  intimately  mixed  with  the  soil 
to  the  depth  of  6in  to  8in.  Just  now  is  the  time  for  this,  as 
the  germs  will  soon  begin  to  be  on  the  run.  If  gas  lime  is  used, 
a  layer,  about  lin  thick,  sprinkled  on  the  surface  should  remain 
for  four  weeks,  and  then  be  pointed  into  the  upper  6in  of  soil. 
planting  should  be  attempted  until  after  the  gas  lime  has 
been  on  the  soil  for  at  least  six  weeks.  The  great  bulk  of 
plants  are  inoculated  when  quite  seedlings,  and  those  that  escape 
for  the  first  six  weeks  of  their  existence  do  not,  as  a  rule,  become 
diseased  when  planted  in  infected  .soil.”  Mr.  Baker  added  some 
interesting  remarks  upon  his  experience.  He  said  that  a  badly 
infected  soil  should  have  all  cruciferous  plants  rigidl.y  excluded 
for  four  years,  and  Shepherd’s  Purse,  which  is  very  liable  to  be 
attacked,  should  be  entirely  weeded  out.  The  fungus  could  not  cross 
a  narrow  path,  but  could  easily  be  transmitted  by  garden  instru¬ 
ments,  or  by  the  sole,  &c. ,  of  boots.  Superphosphates  were 
rather  favourable  to  the  growth  of  the  fungus,  whereas  basic 
slag  was  less  so.  Mr.  Worsley  had  found  gas  lime  to  have  been 
quite  effective. 
Ismene  calatkina,  bulb  germinating. — Mr.  Worsley  observed 
that  in  the  germination  of  the  seeds  of  this  plant,  before  any 
leaf-growth  takes  place,  it  forms  a  bulb  and  continually  lose.s 
moisture,  so  that  its  weight  diminishes  from  that  of  the  seed 
to  the  amount  of  75  per  cent;  so  that  while  ten  seeds  weigh 
lOoz,  it  requires  forty-four  of  the  small  bulblets  to  weigh  that 
amount.  Besides  water,  it  is  known  that  all  seeds  lose  weight, 
as  carbon  is  lost  in  respiration,  which  generates  energy  required 
for  vital  processes  displayed  in  growdh. 
Bristol  Gardeners :  Renovation  of  Fruit  Trees. 
Renovation  of  old  fruit  trees  wus  the  subject  for  discussion 
at  the  meeting  on  January  29,  Mr.  Neve,  member  of  the  Reading 
Mutual  Improvement  Association,  being  the  lecturer.  Be  it  said 
for  the  Bristol  gardeners  they  leave  no  stone  unturned  for  the 
benefit  of  the  gardening  fraternity  of  the  district.  The  renova¬ 
tion  of  old  fruit  trees,  the  lecturer  remarked,  was  not  the  difficult 
task  which  many  are  apt  to  imagine,  and  by  a  little  careful 
handling  trees  of  eighty  years  of  age  could  be  turned  from  the 
unprofitable  to  the  profitable.  He  strongly  advised  the  en¬ 
couragement  of  surface  roots,  and  this  was  best  brought  about 
by  top-dressing  with  good  farmyard  manure  and  good  waterings 
of  liquid  manure  from  the  farm,  forking  the  ground  lightly,  and 
not  using  the  spade,  which  he  considered  detrimental.  Pruning 
is  one  of  the  most  important  factors  in  the  renovation  of  old  trees, 
which  should  be  most  carefully  done,  cutting  away  all  spindly 
shoots,  and  regulating  the  growth  sO'  as  to  let  sun  and  air  have 
full  play.  Insects  were  often  a  sort  of  wmrry,  and  Mr.  Neve  gave 
full  instructions  for  their  destruction  and  prevention.  Mr.  Bin- 
field,  Old  Sneyd  Park  Gardens,  occupied  the  chair.  Prizes  for  a 
collection  of  vegetables  were  aw’arded  to  Colonel  Baines  (gardener, 
Mr.  Young),  Mr.  Francis  Tagart  (gardener,  Mr.  Binfield),  and  to 
Mr.  A.  Baker  (gardener, Mr.  Orchard).  Certificates  of  merit  went 
to  Mr.  Gilbert  Howes  (gardener,  Mr.  Wliite),  for  Hendrobium 
nobile;  Mr.  J.  M.  Harris  (gardener,  Mr.  Venn),  for  Zygo- 
petalum  Mackayi,  and  to  Mr.  A.  Heeds  (gardener,  Mr.  Ayliffe) 
for  an  album  of  dried  flow-ers. — H.  K. 
