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THE FLORIST. 



impossible to them from the peculiar construction of their bodies, the 

 legs being all at one end, and the chief weight at the other. 



It is our intention to adopt this new earwig trap for the forthcoming 

 Dahlia season, and we earnestly recommend all growers to secure a 

 supply before the season commences. 



The inventor, Mr. E. Edwards, of Birmingham, in a circular just 

 issued, offers the following remarks : — 



" Earwigs are the most destructive insects that the florist and 

 horticulturist have to contend against ; they feed chiefly upon substances 

 containing saccharine matter, such as the most luscious fruits, and the 

 tender petals of flowers ; they never feed in the day-time, but as 

 evening closes in they begin to move, and they are in constant activity 

 during the night. Their bodies being a favourite food of all kinds of 

 birds, an instinct of self-preservation induces them, on the approach of 

 daylight, to seek for dark, close, and safe places to roost in during the 

 day, and it is singular that they always climb as high as possible in 

 search of such places. 



" Taking advantage of this instinct, the plan hitherto adopted for 

 their destruction has been to place an inverted flower-pot containing a 

 little moss, or other soft material, on the top of the training stick, 

 these pots being examined daily, and the earwigs killed. This has 

 been a very troublesome and ineffectual remedy, for it was found that 

 many escaped. The appearance, moreover, of the pots, was so down- 

 right ugly, and was such a disfigurement to an otherwise tastefully-kept 

 garden, the wonder is that the Dahlia has not been excluded altogether 

 from ornamental gardens. 



" The little invention now offered to the florist will obviate both these 

 objections. It is ornamental in shape, forming an elegant terminal to 



