146 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



April, 



and other plants. In a few days the eggs 

 hatch into small larrje of the shape of the 

 one illnstrated. These feed for about five 

 or six weeks when they become full-grown 

 as larvae, and are ready to enter upon the 

 next stage of their existence — that of the 

 chrysalis or pupa. They attach the posterior 

 portions of their bodies to leaves, and soon 

 shed their skin. They are now pupa, and 

 look like!?i, Fig. 7. About ten days later 



as any of our lady-birds. It is quite small, 

 nearly hemispherical, black with a bright 

 reddish spot on the middle of each wing 

 cover. It is sometimes called the twice- 

 stabbed lady-bird, but more commonly the 

 two-spotted lady-bird. Mr. George Dim- 

 mock, a well-known Massachusetts ento- 

 mologist, says of this insect: " This species 

 hibernates under bark, in bams, and even 

 in houses. In early spring the lady-birds 



rig.x 



Fig. 8. 



Fig. 4. 



Fis-6. 



Fig. o. 



GROUP OF LADY BIRDS. 



the pupa skin splits along the back and the 

 adult beetles emerge. 



Fig. 1 of the accompanying group repre- 

 sents one of the smallest species, somewhat 

 magnified, the straight line on the right 

 showing its actual length. It is the Paren- 

 thetical Lady-bird {HippixJamia Pannthc- 

 sis), so called because of the peculiar 

 markings on the rear of wing covers. This 

 insect is not so abundant as most of its 

 relatives,but sometimes occurs in numbers 

 where plant lice are plentiful. 



The nine-spotted lady bird (CoccincUa 

 Novnniintata) is represented at Fig. 2. It is 

 one of our common species. It is yellowish- 

 red with nine spots on the wing covers, 

 arranged as represented in the figure, the 

 line on the right of which indicates its 

 natural size. The thirteen-spotted lady-bird 

 represented at Fig .3, is of special interest 

 because it feeds preferably upon plant-lice 

 infesting aquatic plants. It may be found, 

 in all its stages, in abundance upon plants 

 in ponds, and it is only seldom that it is 

 found on land plants. It is yellow or red- 

 dish, with thirteen black spots upon the 

 back, arranged as shown in the figure. 



The convergent lady-bird (Hippodamia 

 convcrgcns ) is another abundant species. It 

 is represented at Fig. 4, the line on the right 

 indicating its natural size. Besides twelve 

 spots on Its wing covers it has two oblique 

 white lines on the thorax (the part just be- 

 hind the head) which distinguish it from 

 other species. 



One of our largest lady-birds is represented 

 at Fig. .5. It is called the Fifteen-spotted 

 lady-bird, because of the fifteen black dots 

 upon the wing covers. It is a comparative- 

 ly rare species. 



The most abundant species of this inter- 

 esting family is the spotted lady-bird {Mrg- 

 iUa maculatti) shown at Fig. 6. It is ex- 

 tremely common in summer, and in winter 

 may frequently be found under leaves at 

 the edges of woods, congregated in im- 

 mense numbers for hibernation. 



There is another species of which I have 

 no illustration that is perhaps as handsome 



come out of their hiding places, and lay 

 their oblong yellow eggs in little masses 

 upon the bark of trees, choosing localities 

 where there is a prospect of an abundant 

 supply of plant-lice upon which their larva? 

 feed. A few of these beetles brought in- 

 doors and put upon house-plants will seek 

 out the plant-lice, and the females if they 

 discover a colony of plant-lice, will deposit 

 their eggs near them, insuring their de- 

 struction as soon as the eggs hatch."" 



The family forming" these lady-birds is 

 called Cociiullida'. There are a large 

 number of species found in the world, one 

 hundred and forty of .them occurring in the 

 United States. 



Notes from' the. Popular Gardening 



Grounds at La Salle-on-the- 



Niagara. 



Potato Seedllsos. We were more than pleased 

 last season with a lot of Potatoes we ^rew from 



The seedling plants stood twelve inches apart 

 in rows fifteen inches wide, and of course showed 

 considerable variation in size, foliage, time of 

 ripening and especially productiveness. Some 

 of the best plants yielded over two pounds per 

 plant of well-shaped tubers, some of them of 

 marketalOe size, while the poorest had a large 

 number of tubers, the largest of which were 

 much smaller than a walnut. The seed was sent 

 us from Ohio, and must have come from a Pota- 

 to of the White Star type, for among all these 

 seedlings there was not one yielding red tubers: 

 all were white or yellow and most of them of 

 White Star shape. It will afford us a great deal 

 of pleasure to watch their development this 

 season. Of course all tubers will be planted, and 

 no cutting allowed. We shall also raise another 

 and larger numl)er of seedlings from choice seed. 



We believe that the following causes: close cut- 

 ting of the seed so generally practised; insuffi- 

 cient fertitily of the soil: and injury done to 

 foliage by insects and poisons, have combined to 

 lower the %itality of our Potato varieties very 

 materially in recent years, and efforts should 

 be directed toward restoration of the former 

 health, thrift and productive capacity of the 

 Potato plant. There can be no more direct way 

 to achieve this desirable result, and obtain pedi- 

 gree seed tubers, than by more frequent renewal 

 from true seed, and propagating the seedlings 

 obtained from uncut tubers only, also giring 

 high cultivation and at the same time guarding 

 the foliage carefully against any mutilation by 

 bugs and beetles, or against being burned up by 

 caustic applications. 



Home Impbove3ie>"ts. The almost uninter- 

 rupted period of rains, snows, freezes, and thaws 

 since December, which has kept the ground 

 either hard as a crust, or sloppy as mud, ex- 

 cluded almost entirely every chance of attempt- 

 ing improvements. It has shown us, however, 

 where drainage is yet imperfect. The surround- 

 ing lands are not underdrained, and in a wet 

 season habitually supply our grounds with more 

 [ surface water than is convenient for us, or l)ene- 

 flcial to our soil. To relieve us, in a measure, of 

 this outside supply, we are now having an open 

 ditch cut all along the land line, and this carries 

 a considerable stream of surfac-e water off to the 

 creek, thus affording us an opportunity to keep 

 the flood off our own grounds. At the north 

 side, where the ditch is deepest, the ditch sides 

 have been made slanting, and will be seeded 

 with lawn grass. 



The HOT-BEn. Comparing our this season's 

 operations with those of last year, when all was 

 yet new, and to be newly laid out and arranged, 

 we can see the great advantage of the little pre- 

 paratory work done in the fall. The hot-beds 

 were got in readiness and a supply of good soil 

 provided, so we had little to do this hot-l)ed sea- 

 son, but to procure and prepare the needed 

 horse manure, make the tjeds as needed, and 

 plant. One thing only was not done quite right, 

 namely, looking after the best chances of drain- 

 ing the hot-l)ed excavation. This neglect has 

 delayed our operations slightly, and caused us 

 some inconvenience. 



Eakly Cabbages. We have not attempted to 

 winter plants in cold frames, as we know we can 

 get Cabtiages as early as we care to have them 



THETWENY-SPOTTED LADY BIRD; A LARVA; B PUPA;C BEETLE. 



true seed. The plants seemed to be healthier, 

 and less subject to the two terrible pests iflea 

 l)eetle and bUght I which destroyed most of our 

 Potato plantations long before the tubers were 

 fully developed, than plants grown from tubers. 

 They were almost the only ones on our grounds 

 which ripened up naturally. This of course 

 might have been due to mere accident, or to the 

 greater watchfulness exercised over them, or to 

 the great stimulus and thrift given them by 

 large applications of high grade special Potato 

 manure. The latter was probably used at the 

 rate of more than a ton per acre. 



by starting some plants of Early Jersey Wake- 

 field, which here is yet the most reliable of the 

 early sorts, in hot-bed in March. The same course 

 we also follow with Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts, 

 etc. We need but very few of these extra early 

 Cabbages, and to keep up a succesion of early 

 oaes, and for late and main crop, we shall again 

 follow our favorite method of sowing in rows 

 directly where wanted, having rows about two 

 and one-halt feet apart, and then thinning to 

 proper distance, namely, from one to two teet 

 according to variety. We have never had more 

 ' uniform success than since we adopted this plan. 



