Febiuary 24, 1876. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOHTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDE NEK. 



ioo 



ordinary observers to reoogniee gnats with little difficulty ; 

 though a majority are not awake to the fact that the non- 

 plumed female, less often seen, is the only gnat that is felt 

 and also heard, for the shrill cry preceding onslaught is only 

 produofld by the female insect. According to Prof. Westwood 

 the proboscis or beak of the gnat, small as it is, represents all 

 the complicated parts discernible in the largest insect, and 

 his admirable description runs thus — " There is a broad and 

 hollow lanoet-like piece, representing the upper lip ; a pair of 

 Blender needle-like piecss, serving as mandibles, serrated on 

 the outside at the tip ; a second pair of similar but much more 

 slender organs dilated at the base, representing the mixilliB ; 

 a very slender needle-like instrument, representing the tongue ; 

 and then there is an outer tubular canal in which these parts 

 lodge when at rest, representing the lower lip." 



Persons engaged in gardens are much exposed to the punc- 

 tares of these pertinacious blood-suckers, and it may be worth 

 recording that as good an application as any to relieve the 

 irritation is arnica lotion not too weak. Undoubtedly by some 

 means or other the insect, when drawing blood, injects poison 

 into the wound, to render the blood more fluid it is thought : 

 hence some Americans strenuously advise people to allow gnats 

 to (inish their repast, urging that when they do so they remove 

 the poison with the last draught. One more comment on 

 these OulicidfE ere we dismiss them. Did it ever occur to any 

 reader how strong a gnat must be? You may have seen on 

 some flower bed a tortoiseshell butterfly or a sphinx moth 

 poised on expanded wings and remaining apparently motionless 

 in the air, and you have wondered how it's done. Gnats can 

 do the same thing and keep it up for hours — rising and falling, 

 it is true, yet not yielding an inch of air, as Mr. Staveley says ; 

 hovering steadily, exactly in the same perpendicular. This is 

 accomplished by means of a series of band-like muscles which 

 cross and reoross the thorax, which may be seen by the micro- 

 scope. The centre of gravity also falls in this part of the body 

 through its proportionate stoutness, which is an additional aid 

 to this sustained hovering. 



Two small families, not very noticeable, serve as a connect- 

 ing link between the gnats and the crane flies. First the 

 Phlebotomidas, which, though so named, contains species that 

 are harmless enough, such as the tiny dirty grey insect which 

 shows itself in houses and conservatories on mild winter days, 

 crawling or hopping on glass or woodwork. Entomologists call 

 it Psychoda phalenoides, and its odd springs or hops are per- 

 formed by the help of the sloping wings, which are very downy. 

 The larva or maggot lives in manure. Amongst the Hetero- 

 clitte are aquatic as well as terrestrial larvte. The hind margin 

 of the wings will be found to be fiinged with hairs on these 

 flies, not with the delicate scales occurring amongst the gnats. 



Lastly, as belonging to the Nemocera section of the Diptera, 

 I have to name the Tipulidse, lanky-legged creatures, which 

 one associates more with the later summer or autumn than 

 with any other season of the year. These flies are at once 

 distinguished from all the families already noticed by a trans- 

 verse seam which crosses the middle segment of the thorax. 

 To some people the readiness, or seeming indifference, with 

 which a daddy-longlegs parts with one or more of these useful 

 limbs ia matter of surprise. Clumsy as we may think these 

 insects in various situations where they occasionally attract 

 our notice, they are not awkward when skimming among the 

 grass or low herbage, for which pursuit they are admirably 

 formed. A few species have aquatic larvm, but the balk of 

 them feed underground, on roots chiefly, haunting lawns and 

 fields, occasionally also the kitchen garden. Tipula oleracea 

 is a well-known pest, rejoicing in the vague name of " wire- 

 worm ;" but this and other species are well held in check by 

 numerous bird enemies. — J. R. S. C. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST AND WORK FOR 

 THE PRESENT WEEK. 



KITCHEN 0.1BDEN. 



Tbe weather has lately been very unsuitable for out-of-doors 

 operations ; but as soon as the ground is in a friable condition 

 bU spare ground will be cropped, except what is intended for 

 snccessional crops of Peas, Beans, &c. When the ground is 

 safflciently dry it ought to be lightly forked over. Hitherto all 

 the Peas have been sown on borders well exposed to the sun, but 

 we shall now sow Dr. Hogg, FillbaBket, and G. F. Wilson in the 

 open garden quarters. This last-named sort may be only an 

 early selection of that famous Pea Veitch's Perfection; if it is, 

 it is earlier and quite as prolific. We are much indebted to 

 those who carefully select from a good stock, but it is doubtful 



if they ought to give a new name to the variety they have im- 

 proved, as it tends to confusion. With this sowing Spiaach will 

 be sown between the rows. 



Mice and sparrows are well known to be troublesome. Red- 

 leading the seeds, placing sand in the drills, or cutting furze 

 into short lengths and strewing it over the Peas in the drills 

 before filling-in the soil, has been recommended to prevent the 

 attacks of mice. This may ba worth trying, but we set traps ai 

 soon as there is any trace of mice. They go to the traps, and 

 tbe Peis are saved while the enemy ia destroyed. Where there 

 are such clouds of sparrows as we have, it is little use running 

 strings over the rows or placing any object to scare the birds ; 

 Pea-guards made of g-ilvauised wire netting beat over the rows 

 are most effectual. When the young plants reach the netting 

 it is removed to the next sowing, and tba rows from which the 

 netting has been removed are earthed-up and sticks placed t" 

 them ; after this they are seldom touched by the sparrows. If 

 we could have glass covers similar to the protectors it would be 

 a great advantage for the first crop. 



It is no use sowing Dwarf Kidney Beans out of doors until 

 all danger of their being destroyed by frost is over ; but if a 

 sowing could now be made iu a pit or frame the produce would 

 come in useful about the end of May, and tbe plants would yield 

 gatherings until they could be obtained from the first sowing 

 out of doors. We have not yet planned out our early Potatoes ; 

 they are much better in the boxes in the cool orchard house; 

 they are placed one layer thick, with some cocoa-nut fibre refuse 

 over them enough to cover the tubers. 



Parsnips have been sown iu ground that had been well 

 trenched. We sow the Hollow-crowned ; a good stock of this 

 is the best for all purposes. The Parsnip is one of the most 

 easily cultivated vegetables we have ; it thrives in any soil, but 

 the ground should be well trenched and manured. For the pre- 

 ceding crop the rows are 18 inches apart, and the plants are 

 thinned to 8 inches apart in the rows. The roots keep best in 

 the ground during winter, but a portion should ha lifted and 

 stored where they can bo reached easily, if the weather is such 

 that the roots cannot be lifted out of doors. 



Carrots and Onions will also be sown if the weather continue 

 favourable. The Ooion delights in rich manure being dug into 

 the ground, but not so the Carrot ; and it is better to crop on 

 ground that has been well manured for a previous crop, or place 

 the manure about a foot below the surface. We had sooie ground 

 deeply trenched and manured iu this way ; the soil that was 

 dug up from the bottom being placed on the surface, taking care 

 to have all the surface soil at the bottom. On this ground a 

 crop of sound Carrots was obtained quite free from the maggot, 

 whereas in previous seasons the crop was worthless. We found 

 the maggot again attacked the crop when the ground was 

 trenched next season. Tbe spring-sown Onion crop also suffers 

 severely from the maggot, which causes us to sosv in autumn 

 and transplant in spring. 



A good plan to insure early Onions is to plant small bulbs at 

 once. The ground should be forked over, and the small Ouiona 

 planted in rows just deep enough to cover the top of the Ooion. 

 When the seedstalks appear break them off. This will cause 

 fresh bulbs to form, which will be in use much earlier than 

 autumn-sown seeds. 



The best Carrots are Early Short Horn and James's Inter- 

 mediate. The Altrincham is good for a general crop. Of nions 

 White Spanish and Brown Globe are amongst the best. Leekg 

 must be sown at once to be planted out when they are sufficiently 

 advanced. Shallots and Potato Onions are best planted iu 

 the autumn, but if that has not been done the operation should 

 not be delayed longer. Autumn planting prevents the attack of 

 maggots. The Welsh Ooion, which does not form bulbs, should 

 also be sown in the autumn. This is a hardy species from 

 Siberia of strong flavour. Garlic is not much used for culinary 

 purposes; it ought now to be planted in light dry soils; the 

 bulbs, of course, are divided into single sets, or, as they are 

 termed, " cloves ;" these are just covered over the top. And 

 lastly we would mention Chives. These are easily cultivated, 

 and are useful in the spring for salads and soups. The plant is 

 perennial, and will continue to throw up leaves for two or three 

 years, when the clumps must be taken up and be subdivided, 

 replanting again on freah ground. It makes a good edging 

 plant for a border ; the leaves only are used by being cut over 

 close to the ground. 



I'INES. 



Some of the plants intended to fruit in the house that was 

 started about the 1st of January seem to make too rapid growth 

 to show fruit. We have had such plants that would grow until 

 midsummer before any fruit showed. The plan of cutting the 

 plants over close to the surface of the ground is well known now 

 to Pine-growers. The plants should be operated upon as soon 

 as it is perceived that they will not show for fruit ; 9 or 10-inch 

 pots are sulScieutly lar^^e in which to pot. Some five or six of 

 the largest leaves should be removed from tbe base, the compost 

 should be rammed-in rather firmly, and water must not be ap- 

 plied for at l-^ast a week. The suckers that were potted into 



