Mr. Albert Momme, gardener to R. W. Downing, Esq., of Wallingford, Pa., writes: "I should like to ask a question in regard to Mr. Wm. Lyne's article on 'stephanotis floribunda. Mr. Lyne says by exposing the plant to the full effects of air and sun, the mealy bugs are kept off entirely and no mealy bug need apply. If this is the case with Stephanotis should it not have the same effect on other kinds of plants? I have some good sized plants of Cycas, Musa, Strelitzia, Marantha, Alocasias, Latanias and Alsophila Austr., which are used for decorative purposes around the house, etc., all of which are in perfect good health and thriving condition, and all were perfectly clean when put out last spring, but have been more or less attacked by mealy bug during the summer, and consequently have had to be cleaned, so that it seems that air and sun do not affect the Wallingford mealy bug in the least.

"Among the above-named plants is a Cycas revoluta, which, although not west of the Mississippi, is as fine a plant as Mr. M. J. Nagel's. Distance from tub to first leaves, 7 inches; circumference of stem, 3 feet; length of old leaves, 3 feet 5 inches. There are eighty old leaves, all of which are of last year's growth. Length of young leaves, 3 feet 1 inch, of which there are forty-four. It pushed up and perfected two sets of leaves last year, and the increase in round-measure since May, 1886, is 8 inches. By the looks of the plant I expect that there will be a second set of leaves pushing up during this fall".

[We understood Mr. Lyne's idea to be that the heavy rains would wash off the insects from such a very smooth plant as the Stephanotis. In rougher or more woolly plants the rain would not have so good a chance. - Ed. G. M].