ANTHOMYIA. 



16 



APHIDES. 



men. They are beautiful for masses in 

 borders, edgings, small beds, patches, and 

 single lines. A few cultural remarks on 

 some of them may be useful. By cutting 

 off the flowers of Erysimum Perofskianum 

 as soon as they fade, and thus preventing 

 it from running to seed, it may be kept in 

 bloom throughout the summer. The 

 varieties of Clarkia are so beautiful that 

 all mentioned above should be grown. 

 Convolvulus major is not included in the 

 above list, because it is best raised in heat 

 with the half-hardy annuals. 



Anthomy'ia. See Cibbagj Fly and 

 Onion Fly. 



Antirrhi'num (not ord. scropim- 



laria'cese). 



The Antirrhinum, popularly called Snap- 

 dragon, is a hardy perennial, and one of 

 our most showy and useful border plants. 

 Amongst the more recently improved 

 varieties of this valuable genus are large 

 finely shaped flowers of the most brilliant 

 colours, with beautifully marked throats ; 



ANTIRRHINUM, OR SNAP-DRAGON. 



they succeed in any good garden soil, and 

 are very effective in beds." The smaller 

 kinds are valuable for rockwork and 

 old walls. It is of no use to enumerate 

 named varieties, but the reader is referred 

 for these to Mr. John Forbes, of Hawick, 

 N.B. Plants yielding blossoms of all sorts 



of colours maybe obtained from a single 

 packet of seed. 



Ants, To Destroy. 



Place an inverted garden-pot over the 

 nest, and the ants will work into it. Re- 

 move the pot in a day or two by placing a 

 spade underneath it ; then plunge it, with 

 its contents, into boiling water, and repeat 

 the process if necessary. Ants may be 

 expelled from any particular plant by 

 sprinkling it well with sulphur ; they may 

 also be kept away from wall -fruit, and 

 other fruit while ripening, by drawing a 

 broad band with chalk along the wall near 

 the ground, and round the stem of the 

 trees. Ants may also be destroyed by 

 pouring boiling water on the nest, or by a 

 mixture of sugar and beer in which arsenic 

 has been mixed Chloride of lime will 

 also drive them from their haunts. 



Aph'ides, Aphis (piur.). 



Aphides, or plant-lice, and their con- 

 geners, are indicated by an unhealthy 

 appearance in plants ; the leaves and 

 young shoots curl up, and multitudes of 

 ants, which seem to feed on their secre- 

 tions, are seen about the stems. A 

 remedy is found in repeatedly syringing 

 the leaves and stems with tobacco or lime- 

 water, or with gas-tar water when that can 

 be obtained ; but plants should be care- 

 fully examined in May, and the winged, 

 parent of the Psilla Pyra> and its con- 

 geners, destroyed before they have de- 

 posited their eggs. Lady-birds (Coccine- 

 lida) render great service in destroying 

 myriads of aphides, which ought to insure 

 them the protection of gardeners. Tobacco 

 smoke, dispersed through a house by a 

 fumigate r, and Gishurst's Compound are 

 effectual in clearing plants of green fly ; but 

 if fumig ition is resorted to, all apertures 

 must be effectually stopped, so that the 

 smoke may be retained within the struc- 

 ture, and so thoroughly do its work. 



