286 THE GARDENER. [June 



this season met with it for the first time. I suppose it can best be propagated 

 by root division ? (Yes). And is it quite hardy? (Yes). In Mr W. Robinson's 

 book on Alpine Flowers it is classed as P. reptans, or the Creeping Piuk. It is 

 also known as P. stolonifera. — Subscriber. 



Seedling Auriculas (A. Veal). — No 1. An alpine variety, with golden paste 

 and smooth dark-blue edge ; No. 2. A self variety, with white paste and smooth 

 dark margin ; both promising. 



Ravages op Vermin.— Under the initials of " K. Y." a correspondent writes : 

 " I am suffering in a great degree — i.e., my Peas — from a vigorous attack of Curculio 

 linearis and C. macularius ; and I shall be glad if you will tell me in your next 

 number how to exterminate the 'varmints.' I have already given a liberal 

 dressing of soot and lime, but with no effect ; and, as a last resource, I buried 

 about 50 yards of Peas when the little nuisances were hard at work near mid- 

 night." One person to whom this inquiry was submitted states, " I have always 

 found a good dressing of hot lime and soot will have the desired effect ; it 

 makes the leaves so bitter that they will not attack them." Another advocates 

 diverting their attention to something even more palatable as a means of drawing 

 them away from devouring the Peas. He states, " Peas are not the natural food 

 of the weevil ; it is an acquired taste. Put slices of beetroot or carrot in their 

 way ; succulent roots are sure to prove too tempting to be passed by. The weevils 

 hide by day, and work by night ; therefore place pieces of boards near the lines 

 of Peas, as hiding-places by day, and on these place the food provided for them. 

 When I find ants attacking my fruits, I often put sugar in their way ; it spoils 

 their taste for acids, and they leave the fruits alone." We are sorry a delay we 

 could not avoid prevented this from appearing in our last number. 



Hot Water may be employed for the destruction of the insects that most com- 

 monly infest plants. The few experiments made have been attended with such 

 promising results that we shall hope to find opportunity soon for repeating 

 them in a more extended and systematic manner. For the present we shall 

 speak of aphis only, and as that is the most prevalent of plant-pests, we trust 

 these remarks will be useful to many readers. It appears, then, that aphides 

 quickly perish if immersed in water heated to 120° Fahr. We obtained from 

 various sources plants infested with green-fly, and cleansed them all by the simple 

 process of dipping. As the experiments were made in the month of February, 

 we thought it probable that aphis might endure in June a temperature many 

 degrees higher than that which proved fatal to them in the earlier and colder 

 season. Hence it became desirable to ascertain the degree of heat the plants 

 could endure in the dipping process. A number of herbaceous and soft-wooded 

 plants were therefore subjected to the process of immersion in water heated to 

 various degrees above 120°. We found that Fuchsias were unharmed at 140°, 

 but at 150° the young leaves were slightly injured. Calceolarias suffered at 140°, 

 but the plants were not killed, though their soft tops perished. Pelargoniums 

 were unhurt up to 150°, but the slightest rise beyond that figure killed the soft 

 wood and the young leaves completely. Chinese Primulas were injured by any 

 rise beyond 140°, and this at last proved to be the most general maximum, and 

 may be cited as a rule for observance. Centaureas, Sedums, Saxifragas, Thyrsa- 

 canthus, Justicias, Ferns, Heliotropes, Petunias, Begonias, Mignonette, and many 

 other plants of soft texture, were unhurt by being dipped in water at 140°, but 

 the slightest rise beyond that point was followed by blackening of the leaves, and 

 consequent disfigurement of the plant, and at 150° the process of killing com- 

 menced. — The Gardener's Magazine. 



