AN ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF HORTICULTURE. 



143 



Slug's continued. 



immediately, if they are covered with the materials a 

 second time. A ring of quicklime or of soot on the 

 soil around choice plants, forms a protection against 

 injury by Slugs, which will not cross these substances. 

 A successful method of destroying Slugs is to water 

 the soil with solution of ammonia ; this brings them 

 out, and usually kills them ; and, in any case, they are 

 rendered white and conspicuous, and can easily be 

 picked up and put into a vessel for removal. Hand- 

 picking is most effectual in moist evenings ; but this 

 method is slow and irksome, though effectual with potted 

 plants. Trees may be protected against the ascent of 

 Slugs to the fruit, by tying a new horsehair rope round 

 the stem, or by putting a layer of quicklime or soot, &c., 

 on the soil round the trunks. The layer should be 

 renewed as required. 



Slugs and Snails can lower themselves from branches, 

 by threads formed of the thickened slime in which they 

 are enveloped. One genus of Slugs, found in various 

 places in the South of England, may be regarded as useful 

 in gardens; this is Testacella, represented in England 

 by T. haliotidea, and near Bristol by T. Maugei, which 

 was naturalised, and has recently become abundant there. 

 These two species live on earthworms, which they 

 follow into their burrows. They are easily known by 

 the existence of a small shell on the hind part of the 

 body. See Testacella. 



SLUGWORMS. By this name are denoted the 

 larvce of certain Sawflies belonging to the genus Erio- 

 campa, and characterised by their slug-like form and 

 habits. The larvse have the body covered with a secre- 

 tion, which on some is white, and flaky or powdery, 

 while on others it is dark green or black, and slimy, in- 

 creasing their likeness to miniature slugs ; on the larvae 

 of some species it is yellowish, and is but small in 

 amount. The Sawflies are small, with short, stout, black 

 and glossy bodies. The legs are black, with the tibias 

 and tarsi marked with rings varying from white to 

 a more or less yellow tint. The antennae are short, 

 and thickened in the middle. The arrangement of 

 cells in the neuration of the fore wings is also cha- 

 racteristic. The more common species are the following : 

 E. annulipes, feeding on the lower surface of the leaves 

 of Lime, Oak, Birch, and Willow ; E. limacina (Selandria 

 Cerasi in Miss Ormcrod's " Manual of Injurious Insects "J ; 

 E. ovata, feeding on Alder; and E. ROSCB, the larvse of 

 which feed on the upper surface of leaves of Roses, and 

 gnaw away the epidermis. The larvae of E. limacina are 

 pre-eminently the Slugworms, because of their form, dull 

 colour, sluggish habits, dark, slimy excretion, and general 

 appearance. The damage done by them to the leaves 



FIG 4%. ERIOCAMPA LIMACINA (the Larva of tbis is the Slug- 

 worm of fruit-trees)-a, Line to show actual spread of wings. 



of fruit-trees is, at times, very great. This Sawfly (see 

 Fig. 496) is about in. long, and is black and shining, but 

 hairy ; the tibise are yellow-brown or brownish ; the 

 wings are transparent, except a broad, smoky band in 

 the middle. The eggs are laid on the lower surface of 

 the leaves. The larva;, when newly-hatched, are white, 

 but soon become greenish - yellow, with a black head. 

 The whole body is covered with a dark, resinous secre- 

 tion. In form, it is broader just a little behind the 

 head, which is over-arched by a hump; from this point 

 it tapers rapidly backwards. At the last moult, the 



Slug-worms continued. 



resinous coat is thrown off, and the head becomes coloured 

 like the body. The larvae feed on a great variety of 

 trees and shrubs, chiefly among Rosacece, e.g., Almond, 

 Apple, Bramble, Cherry, Hawthorn, Pear, Plum, &c. ; 

 but they also live sometimes on Birch, Oak, &c. They 

 congregate, in companies of three or four, on the upper 

 surface of the leaf, feeding on the epidermis only; but 

 the whole leaf becomes brown, dead, and shrivelled, and 

 at last falls off. The larvae are very voracious, and are 

 also very sluggish in their habits. They may be found 

 during autumn. When full-fed, they fall to the ground, 

 burrow into it, and there spin black cocoons for their 

 protection while in the pupa stage. 



Remedies. Many remedies have been employed. The 

 best is hellebore, mixed with water, poured from a 

 watering-pot on tho larvae. Tobacco-water, and lime- 

 water, with about lib. of soft soap to fifteen gallons 

 of the fluid, are recommended; and soapsuds by them- 

 selves have been found useful. The pupae may be 

 destroyed, in winter, by skimming the surface soil, to 

 a depth of Sin. or 4in., from below the trees and bushes 

 infested by the insects, and burning it. The Sawflies 

 are sluggish, and can be caught by shaking or beating 

 the plants over an umbrella or sheet, or tarred boards. 

 They are abundant throughout Europe and in North 

 America, and are said to have been introduced into New 

 Zealand. 



SMALL ERMINE MOTH. See Hawthorn 

 Caterpillars. 



SMALL FLAX LILT. See Phormium Cook- 

 ianum. 



SMALL STAG BEETLE. See Lncanns. 

 SMEATHMANNIA (named after Smeathmann, a 

 naturalist, who travelled in Africa, and collected many 

 botanical specimens). STN. Bulowia. OBD. Passiflorece. 

 A genus comprising four species of beautiful, stove, ever- 

 green shrubs, with robust, terete branchleta, natives of 

 Western tropical Africa. Flowers white, inodorous, rather 

 large, axillary, sub-solitary, shortly pedunculate, bibracteo- 

 late ; calyx with a very short tube, and five oblong lobes ; 

 petals five, slightly longer than the calyx; corona coria- 

 ceous, ciliated, urceolate, crenulated or lobed ; stamens 

 about twenty. Leaves oblong, coriaceous, serrated ; 

 petioles bearing one to four glands at the apex. The 

 species, two of which have been introduced, are remark- 

 able for their erect habit, in a natural order including 

 so many creepers and twiners. A compost of loam, peat, 

 and sand, is best suited to the requirements of these 

 shrubs. Propagation may be effected by half-ripened 

 cuttings, inserted in sand, under a glass, in heat. 

 S. laevigata (smooth-stalked), fl. curved downwards ; petals 

 oblong, spreading, as well as the calyx; stamens and pistil 

 elongated, on a short, thick stipes. July. I. alternate, some- 

 what distichous, coarsely serrated, tapering at the base into a 

 short petiole. Branches spreading. A. 6ft. 1823. (B. M. 4194.) 

 S. pubescens (downy). jL large, on short, axillary peduncles ; 

 sepals and petals acute and spreading ; stigmas downy. February. 

 I. alternate, shortly petiolate, oblong, glossy, acute, pennineryed, 

 sinuately dentate, obtuse at the base ; petioles scarcely two lines 

 long, with very conspicuous glands. Branches terete; young 

 ones, as well as the petioles, midribs of the leaves beneath, 

 peduncles, and sepals, ferruginously hairy, h. 6ft. 1845. (B. M. 



SMEGMADERMOS. A synonym of Quillaja 

 (which see). 



SMILACEJE. A tribe of Liliacece. 



SMLLACINA (a diminutive of Smilax, to which 

 genus, however, the plants bear little resemblance). 

 False Solomon's Seal. STNS. Asteranthemum, Jocaste, 

 Medora, Neolexis, Polygonastrum, Sigillaria, Tovaria. 

 OBD. Liliacece. A genus embracing nearly a score species 

 of mostly hardy perennials, natives of North and Central 

 America, and temperate and mountainous Asia. Flowers 

 small, on short pedicels ; perianth at length deciduous, 



