510 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
June  16,  19C4. 
Odontioda  x  Vulystekeae. 
In  our  notes  on  page  4S7  last  week  we  spelt  Odontioda 
wrongly.  Instead  ot  Od^ontoida,  the  raiser  named  it  Odontioda. 
Dendpobium  nobile  with  1350  Flowers. 
Writing  from  Gothland  Lodge,  Avenue  Road,  Sandowii, 
I.W.,  the  undersigned  says: — “  The  plioto  is  of  the  Dendrobinm 
nobile  exhibited  by  me  at  the  Sandown  Spring  ShoWj  and  men¬ 
tioned  in  Mr.  Orchard’s  report  in  your  issue  of  April  21.  The 
plant  is  growing  in  a  teak  basket,  and  is  over  4ft  through  each 
way.  There  are  .sixt5--five  psendo-bnlbs,  .some  of  them  carrying 
forty  flowei’s,  and,  as  near  as  I  could  estimate,  the  number  of 
flowers  on  the  whole  plant  was  1,3.50.  This  plant  is  pruned 
annually,  and  makes  its  growtli  in  an  ordinary  stove,  and  is  then 
placed  in  cool  house  to  rest  and  ripen  off.  The  plant  has  been 
grown  from  a  small  piece,  and  is  now  about  eight  years  old. — 
.1.  Rryant.” 
Cultural  Notes:  Stanhopeas,  Cattleya  Sehilleriana. 
Although  the  individual  flowers  of  Stanhopeas  are  very  short¬ 
lived,  they  are  produced  very  freely  and  frecpiently,  and  their 
quaint  forms  and  fine  colours  make  them  vei’y  attractive.  They 
are  usually  mismanaged  at  this  season  of  the  year  by  being  hung 
up  in  a  dry,  sunny  po.sition,  the  foliage  becoming  the  prey  of 
thrips,  red  spider,  and  other  insects.  The  plants  certainly 
enjoy  light  and  air,  but  they  must  be  protected  from  the  sun’s 
rays,  and  the  atmosphere  about  them  must  be  kept  very  moist. 
The  flowers  being  produced  in  a  downward  direction,  and 
not  upwards,  as,  is  usual,  the  use  of  wii'e  ba.skets  of  open  mesh 
is  desirable.  They  do  not  relish  frequent  disturbance  at  the 
roots,  this  causing  a  flowerle.ss  state..  For  compost,  use  a  fourth 
of  sound  fibry  loam  to  three-fourths  of  sphagnum  moss,  adding 
plenty  of  rough  nodules  of  charcoal  or  l)allast  to  keep  the  moss 
open  and  allow  free  pa.ssage  of  th§  spikes  through  it.  The 
proper  time  to  rebasket  the  .species  is  after  flowering,  this 
allowing  ample  time  for  re-establishment  before  winter  sets  in,  a 
very  moist  atmosphere  being  desirable  in  the  meantime. 
A  few  of  the  best  species  to  grow  are  S.  Bucephalus,  a  stout 
grower,  with  handsome  foliage,  and  flowers  of  a  bright  yellow, 
with  crim.son  spots;  S.  Devoniensis,  somewhat  similar  to  the 
la.st-named ;  ,S.  tigrina,  a  \yell  known  popular  sort;  and  the 
lovely  S.  ebuinea,  a  pure  white,  chaste,  and  elegant  flower,  very 
sweetly  scented.  If  I  wei'e  tied  to  one  particular  kind,  this 
\yould  certainly  be  my  choice,  as  it  is  ver3’  free-flowering,  and 
does  not  resent  root  disturbance  so  much  as  the  others. 
Cattle^’a  Schilleriana  is  now  in  flower,  and  I  am  convinced 
that  much  of  the  non-success  attending  its  culture  is  allowing 
the  flowers  to  remain  on  the  plants  too  long,  especially  before 
the  latter  have  become  properly  established.  I  advise  all  who 
iiaye  npwly  imported  plants  now  flowering  to  remove  the  spikes 
and  place  them  in  water  as  soon  as  thej’  are  properR’  open  and 
Tlie  variety  can  be  determined.  The  'new  growtlrs  will  then 
liave  a  chance  of  properly  developing,  and  strong,  healthv  speci¬ 
mens  mil  follow.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  flowers  remain, 
and  draw  their  sustenance  from  the  recently  formed  growths 
tJiese  wul  be  irretrievably  weakened. — H.  R.  R.  ’ 
- - - 
Aphides  or  Plant-lice. 
Nearly  all  plants,  in  garden  and  'field,  and  under  glass, 
suffer  from  the  ravages  of  aphides.  These  universal  pests  are 
most  common  in  temperate  climates,  but  even  in  the  tropics 
whole  crops  are  ruined  bj-  them.  The  aphis  enemies  of  many 
crop  and  ornamental  jilants  are  verj'  numerous  in  species.  The 
aphides  themselves  are  known  by  a  great  variety  of  names, 
such  as  green  and  black-fly,  smotherers,  and  dolphins,'  while 
^  produce  is  sometimes  termed  "blight.’' 
they  belong  to  a  group  of  insects  called  hemiptera,  which 
aie  provided  with  a  mouth  used  for  sucking  and  capable  of 
piercing  the  .structures  of  plants,  upon  the  sap  of  which  they 
teed.  .they  undergo  what  is  termed  an  incomplete  meta¬ 
morphosis— that  is,  there  is  no  quiescent  chrysalis  (pupal) 
throughout  their  whole  existence, 
they  damage  plants  in  a  twofold  manner,  first  by  sucking 
^n  ^^’^akening  the  vitality  of  the  plant,  and 
senondly  by  stopping  the  re.spiration  of  the  plant  by  blocking 
‘‘’^‘^r}??ata  (or  breathing  pores)  of  the  leaves  with  tlieir 
CKcieta.  this  excreta  is  not  only  of  the  ordinary  kind,  but 
also  consists  of  a  sweet  gummy  substance  that  stops  the 
"breathing’’  of  the  plant,  and  is  called  "  honej’-dew."  This 
substance  is  pa.ssed  out  through  two  tubes,  called  "cornicles,’’ 
situated  on  the  back  of  the  aphides.  A  few  aphides,  such  as 
the  Woollj’-aphis,  have  no  cornicles  and  produce  no  hone.y-dew. 
The  skin  of  the  plaiit-iice  is  provided  with  numerous  glands 
which  .secrete  either  a  waxj-  substance  that  covers  the  skin 
(Rose-aphis,  Bean-aphis,  Ac.)  or  dense  woolh’  mas,ses  (Beech- 
aphis,  AVoollj’-aphis,  Ac.).  In  both  cases  the  excreted  sub¬ 
stances  have  the  power  of  throwing  off  water,  and  so  of  keeping 
the  insects  dry. 
Life  Kistopy. 
Aphides  may  be  winged  or  they  may  be  wingless;  as  a  rule 
winged  and  wingless  generations  occur  in  each  species.  The 
reproduction  in  aphides  is  ver,y  rapid.  Thej’  not  only  breed  in 
the  ordinai\y  wa\q  but  they  can  also  breed  without  any  males 
being  present.  Some  aphides  live  only  on  one  kind  of  plant, 
the  Rose-aphis  (Siphoiiophora  roste)  for  instance ;  others  live  on 
two  plants,  migrating  from  one  to  the  other,  as  the  Hop-aphis 
(Phorodon  huniuli)  which  migrates  between  the  Hops  and  the 
Prunes ;  others  live  on  several  plants,  as  the  Bean-aphis  (Aphis 
rumicis),  which  may  be  found  on  Beans,  Peas,  Docks,  and 
Furze. 
Some  kinds,  as  the  Rose-aphis,  attack  leafage  and  shoots 
alike ;  others,  as  the  Bean-aphis,  may  even  attack  the  fruit 
(pods) ;  others  the  stem  and  twigs  (Woolly-aphis).  Not  only 
do  plant-lice  migrate  from  plant  to  plant,  but  some  can  live 
both  above  and  below  ground,  and  maj^  migrate  from  root  to 
trunk  or  root  to  foliage  (as  the  phylloxera  of  the  Vine  and  the 
Woollj'-aphis  of  the  Apple). 
The  tj-pical  life-hi.storj’  of  the  aphis  as  as  follows — The  adult 
female  or  "  mother  queen  ”  is  wingless,  and  produces  without 
the  agency  of  a  male,  not  eggs,  but  living  jmung ;  tnese  young 
are  called  "lice,’’  and  in  a  short  time  they  resemble  the  wing¬ 
less  parent,  and  can  themselves  produce  living  5’oung.  ifns 
viviparous  reproduction,  where  onlj-  females  are  pre.sent,  can 
go  on  -for  many  generations.  Should  a  plant  be  covered  with 
these  aphides,  their  food  becomes  scarce,  and  then  thej’  have 
the  power  of  producing  winged  females,  A^hich  fl^'  off  to  other 
plants,  and  these  deposit  living  young.  Towards  the  end  of 
the  jmar  most  aphides  produce  males  as  Avell  as  females ;  these 
may  be  either  winged  or  Avingless.  These  females,  after  being 
ferfilised,  deposit  eggs  at  the  base  of  buds  and  on  the  stems, 
loaves,  Ac.,  of  plants.  These  eggs  remain  over  Avinter,  and 
hatch  into  the  larvre  .that  become  the  "mother  queens”  Avith 
which  this  account  of  the  life-hi.storA’  .started.  Some  plant-lice 
live  entirelj’  during  the  AA'inter  in  the  egg  state  (Bean,  Pea, 
Plum-aphis,  Ac.),  others  mostly  as  imsects,  a  feAv  eggs  only 
occurring  (Woollj'-aphi,s). 
The  effect  of  Aveather  on  aphides  is  A^eiy  great.  Dry,  hot, 
and  sultry  Aveather  is  favourable  to  them;  the  same  ^conditions 
check  tne  groAvth  of  the  plant,  and  so  tiie  plant-lice  soon  over¬ 
come  it.  An  excessiA^e  quantitj’  of  manure,  especiallj’  nitro¬ 
genous  manure,  also  predisposes  the  plant  to  aphis  attack. 
Remedies. 
Aphides  can  easilj'  be  destroj^ed  by  sprajung  the  affected 
plants  with  a  softsoap  Avash.  This  is  made  by  dis.solving  from 
61b  to  101b  of  softsoap  in  lOOgails  of  soft  Avater.  The  softsoap 
blocks  up  the  breathing  pores  of  the  plant-lice,  and  so  kills 
them.  Quassia  is  sometimes  added;  this  acts  as  an  astringent 
to  the  leafage,  and  cleans  it  of  the  honej’-deAA'  and  excreta 
formed  by  the  aphides.  For  black-fly  on  Cherry,  and  for  all 
tho.se  that  produce  a  copious  floAV  of  honey-deAv!^  it  is  a  mo.st 
useful  ingredient.  The  quassia  chips  are  boiled,  and  the 
extract  added  to  the  softsoap  Avash ;  61b  to  81b  of  clnps  are 
required  to  every  lOOgalls  of  Avash. 
Paraffin  emulsion  is  necessary  for  some  kinds,,  as  Wooli.v- 
aphis,  Avhich  may'  also  be  attacked  in  Avinter  by  caustic  alkali 
AA'ash.  For  those  Avhich  attack  the  root  it  is  best  to  u.se 
bisulphide  of  carbon  injected  into  the  soil,  a  quarter  of  an 
ounce  to  every  four  square  yards.  Care  must  be  taken  Avith 
this  substance,  which  is  both  poisonous  and  inflammable.  The 
vapour  of  bisulphide  of  carbon  liquid,  used  in  the  bee-keepers’ 
"  smoker,”  is  said  to  be  a  very  good  remedj'  for  green-fl\-,  and 
doe.s  not  injure  the  most  delicate  floAvers.  In  all  cases  the 
aphides  must  be  attacked  as  soon  as  an  invasion  sIioaa's  itself, 
especially  when  the  species  of  aphis  has  the  habit,  like  the 
Plum-aphis,  of  curling  up  the  leaves,  and  so  of  protecting 
itseif. 
Natural  Checks. 
Several  insects  prey  upon  aphides,  and  should  be  encou¬ 
raged.  The  chief  of  these  are  lad.A'birds  and  their  larvm 
(Coccinellidm) ;  hover-fly  maggots,  Avhich  are  the  larvpe  of  the 
Syrphidae ;  _  the  larvm  of  the  lace-AA'ing  or  golden-eye  flies ;  and 
various  minute  hymenopterous  parasites  (Chalcididae),  Avhich 
lay  their  eggs  in  the  bodies  of  the  aphides,  and  Avhose  maggots 
destroy  them.  Man  cannot,  hoAvever,  rely  solely  on  the  ser¬ 
vices  of  these  beneficial  creatures,  but  must  check  the  increase 
of  the  aphides  by  Avashes  as  soon  as  thev  appear  upon  his  cul¬ 
tivated  plants.—!"  Journal  of  the  Board  of  Agrieulture,”) 
