August  30,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
207 
Eoncourt,  Safrano,  Helle,  Dryade,  Amitie,  Carmen,  La  Parisienne,  and 
Mont  Shasta. 
A  grand  collection  of  annuals  were  staged  by  Messrs.  H.  Cannell  and 
Sons,  Swanley,  which  included  good  strains  of  African  and  French 
Marigolds,  Brachycome  iberidifolia,  Dianthuses,  Phlox  Drummondi  in 
variety,  a  capital  strain  ;  Coreopsis,  Asters,  Sweet  Peas,  and  Zinnias. 
Messrs.  J.  Peed  &  Son,  West  Norwood,  sent  a  fine  collection  of 
Caladiums,  all  of  good  colour  and  arranged  with  Maidenhair  Perns. 
The  best  varieties  were  Louis  Van  Houtte,  Amarante,  Her  Majesty, 
Madame  Mitzana,  and  Lady  Mosley,  though  the  whole  collection  was 
beautifully  developed  and  of  good  colour. 
A  semicircular  group  of  early  flowering  Chrysanthemums  came  from 
Messrs.  J.  Laing  &  Sons,  Forest  Hill.  The  varieties  were  chiefly  Lady 
Fitzwygram,  Madame  Desgranges,  Mrs.  Burrell,  and  G-.  Wermig,  while 
the  edging  was  composed  of  Flora 
and  Piercey’s  ^Seedling.  Messrs. 
G.  Jackman  &  Son,  Woking,  sent 
plants  of  Lychnis  grandiflora,  a 
variety  with  brick  red  flowers  ; 
Lobelia  syphilitica  rosea,  a  pretty 
form  ;  and  Gilia  aggregate.  A  pretty  . 
display  of  Gladioli  came  from  Mr. 
W.  Bain,  gardener  to  Sir  Trevor 
Lawrence,  all  beautifully  developed. 
Some  of  the  most  striking  were 
Jules  Toussaint,  Ocean,  Edward 
Andre,  General  Duchesne,  Colonel 
Klofl!,  and  Henri  Vanthier. 
Orchid  Committee. 
Present  :  H.  J.  Veitch,  Esq.  (in 
the  chair) ;  with  Messrs.  J.  O’Brien, 
J.  G.  Fowler,  E.  Hill,  de  B.  Craw- 
shay,  H.  M.  Pollett  H.  Little,  F. 
Sander,  H.  J.  Chapman,  W.  H. 
Young,  H.  A.  Tracey,  A.  H.  Smee, 
and  F.  J.  Thorne. 
Mr.  H.  Bacon,  gardener  to  W.  W. 
Astor,  Esq.,  Cliveden,  Maidenhead, 
exhibited  a  magnificent  example  of 
Peristeria  elata.  The  specimen 
carried  eight  splendidly  flowered 
spikes.  Mr.  A.  Chapman,  gardener 
to  Captain  Holford,  Westonbirt, 
Tetbury, '  sent  Cypripedium  Milo 
Westonbirt  variety,  Odontoglossum 
crispum  Countess  of  Morley,  So- 
bralia  xantholeuca,  Dendrobium  for- 
mosum  giganteum,and  three  grandly 
flowered  spikes  of  Dendrobium 
Phalffinopsis  Schrdderianum.  Mr. 
E.  Kromer,  West  Croydon,  sent 
Cattleya  aurea  Jenseniana. 
Messrs.  H.  Low  &  Co.,  Bush 
Hill  Park,  exhibited  a  small  collec¬ 
tion  of  Orchids,  including  Lselia 
elegans,  Cattleya  Eldorado,  C.  E. 
splendens,  and  Cycncches  chloro- 
chilon.  Mr.  T.  Wilkinson,  gardener 
to  Mrs.  Briggs  Bury,  Bank  House, 
Accrington,  showed  Cattleya  Hlu- 
minata,  of  which  the  parentage 
was  not  stated.  Mr.  H.  A.  Tracey, 
Twickenham, showed  LebIIo. Cattleya 
elegans  J.  Davis.  Mr.  G.  Cragg, 
gardener  to  W.  C.  Walker,  Esq., 
Winchmore  Hill,  showed  a  fine 
example  of  Cattleya  bicolor. 
Medals. 
Fruit  Committee  : — Gold  medal 
to  Mr.  T.  W.  McHattie ;  silver-gilt 
Knightian  medal  to  Mr.  W.  Fyfe ;  silver  Knightian  medal  to  Messrs. 
G.  Bunyard  &  Co.  ;  silver  Banksian  medals  to  Messrs.  J.  Laing  &  Sons 
and  S.  Spooner  &  Son.  Floral  Committee  : — Silver-gilt  Flora  medal  to 
Messrs.  Vilmorin,  Andrieux  et  Cie. ;  silver-gilt  Banksian  medal  to 
Messrs.  Kelway  &  Son  ;  silver  Banksian  medals  to  Messrs.  W.  Bain, 
Barr  &  Sons,  Peed  &  Sons,  J.  Veitch  &  Sons,  F.  Cant  &  Co.,  H.  Cannell 
and  Sons,  Paul  &  Son,  M.  Prichard,  and  T.  S.  Ware,  Ltd. 
Certificates  and  Awards  of  Merit. 
Cattleya  hicolor  (G.  Ciagg). — This  Orchid  is  too  well  known  to  call 
for  any  description  (award  of  merit). 
Cattleya  Illuininata  (T.  Wilkinson). — A  handsome  hybrid  after  the 
style  of  Atalanta.  The  sepals  and  petals  are  creamy  claret  rather 
paler  in  the  sepals  ;  the  splenoid  lip  is  rich  crimson  purple  (first-class 
certificate). 
Gladiolus  Sir  Evelyn  Wood  (Kelway  &  Son). — This  is  a  grand 
flower,  both  in  size  and  in  the  rich  crimson  scarlet  colour  (award  of 
merit). 
Gladiolus  Jules  Toussaint  (W.  Bain). — The  colour  of  this  variety  is 
very  peculiar.  It  is  white,  rose,  and  purple  in  various  portions  (award 
of  merit). 
Gladiolus  Ocean  (W.  Bain). — A  blue  flowered  variety,  blood  red  in 
the  throat  (award  of  merit). 
Glycenia  spectahilis  fol.  var.  (Paul  &  Son). — A  handsome  Ribbon 
Grass  for  damp  places,  with  silver  variegated  foliage  (award  of  merit). 
Gypsophila  repens  monstrosum  (M.  Prichard).  —  A  large  flowered 
variety  of  a  well  known  plant  (award  of  merit). 
Lcelio-Cattleya  elegans  J.  Davis  (H.  A.  Tracey). — A  splendid 
variety.  The  sepals  and  petals  are  rich  rose,  and  the  lip  is  crimson 
suffused  with  purple  on  the  front  lobe  (award  of  merit).  'tuiooia 
Odontoglossum  crispum  Countess 
of  Morley  (A.  Chapman). --A  chastely 
beautiful  variety  with  well  formed 
flowers.  The  colour  is  white  with 
large  chocolate  spots  and  blotches. 
Platycodon  grandijtorum  semi 
duplex  (W.  Bain). — A  most  hand- 
some  plant,  producing  semi-double 
purple  flowers  of  large  size  (first- 
class  certificate). 
Strawberry  St.  Antoine  de  Padoue- 
(W.  Bain). — This  variety  is  now 
becoming  so  well  known  that  it 
needs  no  description.  Some  refer-^ 
ences  to  this  and  other  perpetual 
Strawberries  will  be  found  ^ou., 
page  202  (award  of  merit). 
Tlie  Wireworm. 
Fig.  54. — Codonopsis  clematidea. 
This  is  one  of  the  most  destruo- 
.  tive  pests  of  the  garden,  and  is  very 
difficult  to  eradicate.  It  is  the 
larvEe  of  one  of  the  click  beetles — 
Elater,  or  Agriotes.  The  grubs  are 
called  wireworms  from  their  like¬ 
ness  in  toughness  and  shape  to  a 
piece  of  wire.  Like  it  they  are 
very  smooth  and  shining,  and  some¬ 
what  cylindrical.  The  colour  is 
cchreous-yellow,  turning  to  a  darker 
tint  after  death. 
The  wireworms  have  three  pairs 
of  short  legs,  one  pair  of  these  being 
placed  on  each  of  the  rings  imme¬ 
diately  behind  the  head,  and  they 
have  also  a  sucker-foot  below  the 
tail.  The  egg  from  which  this  grub 
is  hatched  is  laid  either  in  the  earth 
close  to  the  root  of  a  plant,  or 
between  the  sheathing  leaves  near 
the  base  of  the  stem.  On  being 
hatched,  the  grub,  or  wireworm, 
eats  into  the  stem  just  above  the 
root,  about  an  inch  below  the  surface 
of  the  ground,  and  sometimes  eats 
its  way  up  the  middle  of  the  stalk, 
even  above  the  surface  of  the  earth. 
The  wireworms  are  said  to  live 
five  years  in  the  grub  state,  but  the 
length  of  time  probably  depends  on 
the  supply  of  food.  Where  they 
are  well  fed,  it  is  supposed  that  they 
only  take  about  three  years  before 
changing  to  the  pupa.  But  however 
this  may  be,  with  the  exception  of  any  temporary  pause  in  winter, 
they  feed  voraciously  near  the  surface  till  the  time  has  come  to  turn 
into  the  chrysalis  (or  pupa).  Then  they  go  deep  into  the  soil,  ^nd 
form  an  earth-cell  in  which  they  change,  and  from  which  the  perfect 
beetle  comes  up  through  the  earth  in  two  or  three  weeks,  probably 
appearing  about  the  first  weeks  of  August ;  or  they  may  pass  the 
winter  in  this  state,  and  the  beetles  develop  from  the  chrysalis  in  the 
following  spring. 
Nitrate  of  soda  is  a  good  application  to  a  soil  containing  wireworms, 
and  if  applied  at  the  rate  of  an  ounce  to  the  square  yard  it  accelerates 
the  growth  of  most  crops  and  plants.  It  is  a  good  plan  also  to  dress 
the  ground  with  gas  lime,  one  peck  (level  measure)  per  square  rod,  dis¬ 
tributing  equally  over  the  surface,  it  being  best  applied  in  autumn  and 
forked  in.  The  ground  should  be  forked  over  again  in  spring  as  soon 
as  it  is  in  working  order,  and  again  before  putting  in  the  crop.  Gas 
lime  must  not  be  applied  when  the  ground  is  cropped.  It  will  drive 
