408 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



very difficult to kill, and when below the 

 surface of the ground, as they usually are, 

 no insecticide can be made to reach them 

 with fatal effect. Watering very thor- 

 oughly with strong liquid manure, such as 

 a solution of guano, salt, or nitrate of 

 soda, has been found beneficial, as it is 

 distasteful to the grubs and stimulates the 

 plants. They may be trapped by burying 

 slices of Turnips, Mangold, Carrots, or 

 Potatoes about an inch below the surface ; 

 each slice should have a small skewer 

 stuck into it, so that it may be more easily 

 found ; or by laying pieces of board, slates, 

 tiles or bricks about, the grubs often roam 

 about at night, and shelter themselves 

 under such things during the day. The 

 traps should be examined every morning. 



THE COMMON DART MOTH (Agrotis 



segetum). The caterpillars of this very 

 common moth live on the roots of many 

 different plants grown in gardens. Their 

 favourites are Auriculas, Dahlias, China 

 Asters, and Balsams. They usually feed on 

 the crowns or just below them, and often 

 bite right through the roots. They feed 

 at night, lying hidden under stones, clods, 

 or some similar shelter during the day. 

 Warm soap and water applied to the roots 

 of the attacked plants until the cracks and 

 holes in the ground are filled will bring the 

 caterpillars to the surface, but turning up 

 the ground with a spud and picking out 

 the pests is the most practical way of 

 killing them. A full-grown caterpillar is 

 from one and a half inches to two inches 

 in length, and are of a smoky yellow col- 

 our with various small black spots and 

 paler longitudinal stripes. 



THE EARWIG (Forficula auricularis) 

 feeds on many kinds of flowers, but is par- 

 ticularly fond of those of the Dahlia, 

 Chrysanthemum and Carnation. The only 

 way of destroying them is by trapping 

 them, or, as they are night feeders, by 

 catching them on the flowers after dark. 

 The best traps are the hollow stems of 

 Sunflowers or Broad Beans, from which 

 they may be blown into a basin of boiling 

 water, or water on which a little paraffin is 

 floating, small garden pots filled with dry 

 Moss or hay, or pieces of paper crumpled 

 up. Or pieces of sacking or canvas, tied 

 so that they hang in folds, or folded and 

 laid upon the ground at the foot of the 

 plants, are also very useful traps. In 

 fact anything in which they can hide dur- 

 ing the day is useful. 



THE FROG-HOPPER (Aphrophora spu- 

 maria). The well-known little masses of 

 froth so often seen on plants, and com- 

 monly called cuckoo spit or frog spittle, 

 are formed by this insect when in its im- 



mature state, as a covering to itself, and 

 the amount of sap withdrawn from the 

 plant for the sustenance of the insect and 

 the formation of the froth is very consider- 

 able and the cause of much injury to the 

 plant. Honeysuckles, Lavender, Lilies, 

 Carnations, Phloxes and grasses are 

 among the plants which suffer most from 

 their attacks. The best way to destroy 

 this insect is to remove it with a small, 

 stiffish brush, which should then be dipped 

 in a pan of water; or the shoots and leaves 

 may be drawn through the fingers, which 

 should be dipped in water, to remove the 

 froth and insects, before cleansing another 

 leaf. Syringing is not of much use, as 

 probably only the froth would be washed 

 off. 



THE MARGUERITE DAISY FLY (Phyto- 

 myza affinis). The grubs of this insect 

 burrow in the leaves of these Daisies, and 

 also in those of Chrysanthemums, Ciner- 

 arias, and other composite plants, and feed 

 on their inner substance. When many 

 leaves are attacked in this way, the plants 

 are not. only rendered unsightly by the 

 discolouring and blistering of the 

 leaves, but they suffer very considerably in 

 health. The best way of destroying this 

 insect is by cutting off the infested leaves 

 and burning them, or, if the attack has 

 only just commenced, by pinching the 

 leaves at the part where the grubs are. 

 Syringing with insecticides is not of much 

 use, as they would not reach the grubs, 

 but they would have the effect probably of 

 preventing the flies from laying their eggs 

 on the leaves, if they could be applied at 

 the right time. 



THE MULLEIN MOTH (Cucullia ver- 

 basci). The caterpillars of this moth feed 

 on the leaves and flowers of the Mulleins, 

 and when abundant quite ruin the appear- 

 ance of the plants. When full-grown 

 they are about two inches long and of a 

 greenish-white colour, with a yellow band 

 across each joint, on which are several 

 large black spots, so that they are con- 

 spicuous insects and may easily be picked 

 off by hand. 



PLANT BUGS (Hemiptera). These in- 

 sects are often injurious to the foliage and 

 buds of plants, the buds of Chrysanthe- 

 mums being frequently injured by them. 

 These insects, of which there are many 

 species, are provided with a long beak, 

 with which they suck the juices of the 

 leaves and buds. They vary much in 

 size ; the species that attacks Chrysan- 

 themums is about one-eighth of an inch 

 in length, the head and forebody are black, 

 and the wings brownish yellow. The 

 perfect insects run and fly readily, so that 



