Hi 



JOUENAL OF HORTIOULTDEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Novemliev 20, 1874. 



texture, and allows the chrysalia to be seen, whicli is covered 

 with a mealy sabstanoe of a purple oolonr. The moths of both 

 C. Fraxini and C. nupta quit the chrysalis in August and Sep- 

 tember. This autumn I saw individuals of the latter species 

 in October, later than the average; the caterpillars were pro- 

 bably retarded in the spring. In wet weather one of these 

 moths will now and then creep into a conservatory, when its 

 " autumn manceuvres " at dusk soon deprive it of its beauty by 

 its collisions with the glass. Other moths may be specifled 

 that are actually November visitants, some of them elegantly 

 marked, and some meriting the adjective "beautiful." In 

 some sombre hues prevail, which seem to agree with the dull- 

 ness of the season. Thus, we may see about the Ivy, or on 

 flowers at night, the moderately-sized moths called the Bed- 

 line and the Yellow-line Quaker (Orthosia lota and macilenta), 

 quite models of Quaker-like propriety in garb, if not so quaker- 

 ish in abstemiousness, for they have been noticed feeding 

 greedily on the luscious droppings from the berries of the Yew. 

 The latter species is notable for having a very beautiful cater- 

 pillar of a rich brown, studded over with small points, and 

 with live longitudinal stripes. It has been taken on the Beech. 

 The Dark Chestnut, an allied species (Gerastis spadicea),is still 

 more sombre than the Quakers. Sometimes the caterpillar is 

 found on Honeysuckles, more usually on low plants. 



ti;*^ ^le^ 



Fig. 134.— Catocala Fraiiui. 



The Dotted Chestnut (Dasycampa rnbiginea) is one of those 

 moths, formerly of great rarity, now gradually becoming com- 

 moner, though still viewed as a prize by the insect-hunter ; 

 and it obtains its value partly from its beauty, since the mark- 

 ings are both si&gular and handsome. The vernacular name 

 gives us an inkling of these, the Chestnut in some specimens 

 savouring of reddish, and in others being purely brown ; the 

 dots are black. As the hairy caterpillar is found on the Apple, 

 and also on the Oak, according to some, the species is likely to 

 occur about orchards, and, like the "Quakers," it is sus- 

 c^ptible to the attractions of Yew and Ivy. In Ireland the 

 moth is said to be more widely distributed than in England. 

 A rather more showy moth, taken at rest by day in gardens 

 during October and November, is called by the ridiculous name 

 of the Grey Shoulderknot (Xyline rhizolitha) ; after dark it 

 moves of? to obtain sweets, and is often netted by the entomo- 

 logist at his sugary snares. The grey wings are relieved by a 

 commingling of black spots and waved lines of the same 

 colour ; the head and thorax are much lighter in colour than 

 the body. In the spring some, if not all, of these moths re- 

 appear to deposit eggs, a circumstance not uncommon among 

 the autumn species. The pale green caterpillar feeds on the 

 Oak, and probably on the Lime in gardens and parks. 



In the last months of the year, individuals of the December 

 Moth (Pceeilocampa Populi) emerge from the small black 

 cocoons constructed by the caterpillars of the species upon the 

 trunks and branches of trees. The life in the chrysalis condi- 

 tion is liable to be remarkably prolonged. It is not unusual 

 for two years to elapse, and there have been cases where moths 

 have come out four or five years after the spinning-up of the 

 caterpillar. This is obviously a natural provision to guard 

 against the destruction of a species which comes forth in the 

 imago state during a season of the year when unfavourable 



and nugenial weather often prevails. The moth is suited in 

 its garb to the winter, having smoke-coloured wings crossed by 

 pale waved bars; the head, thorax, and body are also smoky 

 brown. The beauty in this species shows itself in the cater- 

 pillar stage : these gaily-coloui-ed creatures which take especial 

 delight in basking in the sun, showing themselves during the 

 day on the trunks of Oak, Poplar, Lime, and other trees ; but 

 they are not sufBcieutly numerous to do harm in our planta- 

 tions. The colours are a commingling of black, grey, yellow, 

 and white, while from the sides of the body grow bunches of 

 long hairs. A theory has been propounded that these colours 

 become modified so as to suit the varied tints of the bark and 

 lichens of the trees. The moth has, like others of the family 

 of the Bombycina, no jienchant for sweets natural and arti- 

 ficial, and though it hides in nooks about gardens, it visits 



Fig. 185.— Catocala nupta. 



these chiefly because they afford better shelter than the 

 country when bare of leaves. Or it will, of course, sometimes 

 happen that the caterpillar has fed-up on a tree close at hand, 

 or within the garden boundaries. — J. E. S. C. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST AND PBESENT WEEKS. 



HAKDT FRUIT AND KITCHEN OABDEN. 



The work is much the same as that detailed for the last two 

 weeks — digging borders, trenching kitchen-garden quarters, 

 and, above all, seeing that everything is neat and even. Though 

 plenty of rough work ia being performed, it is just as well not to 

 let everybody know it by tlie confused state of the garden. VCe 

 shall prepare the ground for Carrots directly, as without special 

 preparation a crop cf decent roots cannot be obtained. The 

 ground is trenched about 18 inches deep, at the bottom of the 

 trench a layer of manure is placed ; the new earth from this 

 depth being tuvned-up on to the surface is free from any maggots 

 or grubs, and as a rule large sound roots are obtained. 



OKCHAIID HOUSE. 



Our practice of turning the trees outside for a few months 

 entails more labour than if they were allowed to remain under 

 glass. At present the trees are plunged to the rims of the pots 

 in cocoa-nut fibre refuse, and a quanlily of the same material ia 

 at hand to place over the surface of the pots. Should a severe 

 frost set in, it ia just possible that in wet districts Peach and 

 Nectarine trees in pots would suffer from being turned out in 

 the way they are treated here. Wet would certniuly be more 

 injurious to them than frost. For instance, a Scotch paper 

 gives the rainfall for October in a certain district of Dumfries- 

 shire as 1'2 inches ; our rainfall during the same period is not a 

 fourth of this amouut. It is clear from this that if the readers 

 of these "Doiugs" scattered over the United Kingdom are to 

 be benefited by the perusal, they must take all the surrounding 

 circumstances into consideration. If the ti'ees are in good con- 

 dition, and making progress, the youug rootlets will be pene- 

 trating the top-dressing, and will grow freely into the cocoa-nut 

 fibre placed over the surface. 



The Chrysanthemums contained in the house have flowered 

 rather earlier this year, and will be removed at least ten days 



