July 17, 1873. ] 



JOUBNAL OF HOKTIGULTUKE AND COTTAGE GABDENER. 



45 



Monarch, large, erect-flowering, purple; Messrs. Cripps & Son 

 for hybrid Clematises Guiding Star, violet purple, with a 

 purplish crimson band, and for Louis Van Houtte, rich violet- 

 blue, quite novel in colour. Azara microphylla, a hardy orna- 

 mental shrub from Chili, shown by Messrs. Veitch, of Chelsea, 

 had also a first-class certificate. 



From Messrs. Barr it Sugden, Covent Garden, came a basket 

 .if Lilies, Ixias, and other bulbous flowers. Mr. "Ware sent a 

 large collection of hardy plants, of which Acantholimon venus- 

 tuni was awarded a first-class certificate ; Messrs. Carter ifc Co. 

 one of double and single-flowered Zonal Pelargoniums, together 

 with Lobelias, of which Charity — purplish pink with a white eye 

 — had a first-class certificate, also Clarkia integripetala limbata, 

 purple edged with white, very pretty. Mr. Norman sent a num- 

 ber of new Carnations and Picotees. 



From Messrs. Bell & Thorpe came Zonal Pelargonium Mrs. 

 Carr, with doable rose-coloured flowers, and leaves variegated 

 with creamy white ; this received a first-class certificate, as did 

 also Pelargonium Princess from Mr. W. Paul, and Lustrous 

 from Mr. George. Mr. Bull had also a first-class certificate for 

 Dipladenia Barclayana, with splendid deep-coloured flowers ; 

 and Mr. Kimpton one for Colons Mrs. Knatchbull Hugessen, 

 cream-coloured. 



FLOWER-SHADE. 

 Sf.einc. an article in your No. 640 on shades and shelters, 

 in which your correspondent talks of '-home-spun shades," 

 bronght to my recollection a flower-shade used by a great 

 ilorist near Dublin for shading Tulips and Carnations, which, 

 to my mind, is as cheap and efficient as anything can be, and 

 also easily made. I therefore send you a description of it. 

 It is made of any old pieces of oilcloth, such as is put down 

 in halls. <tc., which may be knocking about a house, and are 

 generally looked upon as rubbish, and either thrown away or 

 'Consigned to the lumber-room. A circular piece of any dia- 



Fig. 2. Fig. 3. 



-.neter reqtuied is cut out, as in %. 1; from this a triangular 

 viece is cut out, as shown by the dotted Unes ; the two edges 

 lire then overlapped, and a couple of nails driven through and 

 clenched inside complete the shade (Jig. 2.) The apex of the cone 

 is then cnt o£f, which leaves a small round hole in the centre of 

 the cap. When a Carnation is in flower a small hole is drilled 

 in the stick, to which the plant is tied at the required height, a 

 nail (brad) passed through, and the cap slid down the stick 

 until stopped by the nail ; a small wedge is inserted in the hole 

 between the stick and cover, and the whole is firm (see////- '■')• 



"ihh, I think you will say, is as cheap and easy to make as 

 the painted canvas shade, and would stand more knocking 

 ^bont and last longer too. — F. T. B. 



The SnAn or Persia. — We are informed that Messrs. .lames 

 Carter A Co. attended at Buckingham Palace to receive His 

 Majesty's commaads for a considerable supply of seeds of all 



kinds. We are very glad that the Shah is au eucourager of 

 the culture of the soil. Persia vastly needs improvement in 

 this. A Scotchman said the country's soil is of two kinds — sand 

 miied with salt, and sand without salt. 



THE BEAUTIFUL AND USEFUL INSECTS OF 

 OUR GARDENS.— No. G. 

 The number of insects killed by mere accident is pretty con- 

 siderable, and, if there existed an accidental death insurance 

 company among these six-legged individuals, I suspect the 

 rate of premium would need to be rather high ! Man, too, is 

 destructive to insect life without as well as with intention, 

 though he has but two legs against an insect's six, and many 

 of these creatures possess wings as an additional means of 

 locomotion. Some species seem to have a fatahty for blunder- 

 ing along, so as to get upon pathways or expose themselves to 

 the perUs of fire and water ; and despite their tough wing-cases, 

 the human foot puts an end to the existence of various beetles, 

 as was noticed long ago by Shakspeare. As I narrowly avoided 

 treading upon a newly-emerged cockchafer recently (for this 

 occasional foe to the gardener seems to be comiog out rather 

 briskly this year) , I recalled with some amusement the different 

 meanings which have been drawn out of the observation, perhaps 

 hastily penned, that 



" The poor beetle that we tread apou. 



In corporal sufferance finds a pang as great 

 As when a giant dies." 



The two extremes of the deductions drawn from (his are : one, 

 that in reaUty giants do not feel any more than beetles, only 

 imagination leads them to think they do ; and the other, that 

 beetles have as acute sensibilities as men, therefore we should 

 be chary of taking their lives or inflicting injuries upon them. 

 The ordinary human individual, however, regards these insects 

 with disgust sometimes amounting to alarm, and does not at 

 all hesitate to terminate their lives with or without provocation 

 so to do. I beUeve the gardener for the most part is neither 

 excited to indignation nor admiration by the name " beetle," 

 exaept it may have happened that the too-well-known black 

 beetle — no beetle reaUy — has paid him an unfriendly visit. 



There are some beetles injurious to our gardens in their 

 larval stage, and some, again, as perfect beetles ; yet only here 

 and there are these recognised by the horticulturist and their 

 true character known. They are most usually grouped under 

 the indefinite terms of " the flea," " the fly," or ■' the grub." 

 True it is that the non-scientific man might with justice assert 

 that the scientific giver or collator of names is at times unac- 

 quainted with the habits of the insects he examines, and very 

 much at a loss to suggest a remedy when they are injuriously 

 abundant ; yet he who devotes his time to the driest of techni- 

 calities connected with entomology may still do the horticul- 

 turist good service, and also the general uaturahst, for what 

 is many an observation worth unaccompanied by the means of 

 identifying the species to which it attaches? This may be 

 deemed to be a little beside our subject, but there is still at 

 times an unfriendliness showing itself between those who ought 

 to be at one, since they are students, though in a different 

 way, of the same branch of natural history. We cannot expect 

 to find many Admirable Crich'.ons in entomology, who shall 

 be learned alike in anatomy, classification, habits, and geo- 

 graphical distribution. 



" Keturning to our mutton," or rather to our beetle-flesh, 

 not to that of sheep : it should be stated that we have a goodly 

 number of beetles which are of decided utility in our gardens 

 and orchards, and their services form a set-off against the 

 undeniable injuries done to us by other species. We see, I 

 believe, much less of our beetle friends (excepting the universal 

 lady-birds), than of our foes, and hence aro scarcely aware how 

 much we are indebted to them. Besides those which are preda- 

 tory in tlieir habits, hosts of beetles act as scavengers, being 

 engaged in destroying or decomposing matters which are there- 

 after salutary to the ground instead of remaining noxious to the 

 atmosphere, as they would be if undisturbed. In this particular 

 work the Staphylinida; are largely engaged, and they may often 

 be detected under leaves putrescent or decaying ; though the 

 beetles of this family aro indeed well-nigh omnivorous in habit 

 and active enough at night, but frequently apt to couceal them- 

 selves in the daytime. JIauy Staphyliuida? aro carnivorous iu 

 the larval as well as in the imago condition, and it is hinted 

 they feel no compunction in devouring a juvenile relative. 



Under the popular name of "Cock-tail Beetles" several 

 StaphyUnidic are included, and the most faciliar of these is 



