THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



245 



r nrtWn to any author I have consulted. 



W ,nw£ich I allude are like little shining shells ; 



** t ?-^„. nt hen are of a pitchy colour, irregu- 



Mf *^ "Vi'm ''"Something, however, is known of the 

 ri * " T i?l£d eenen, the larv* of Chlorops feeding 

 ^"^.in«rtf and those of Phytomyza residing in the 

 «P°V"T. of svneenesious flowers,* or under the cuticle 

 ,t * f ^T ! + I Tit not, therefore, probable that the little 

 ^thefohsgcT pan fly may i ivc amongst the seeds in 



■"••^Lfn nf that flower, or is it a miner, feeding on the 

 * «?«! of 'the leaves ? It is to be hoped that the 

 ptlt ?r uho hat furnished us with the materials for 

 SL ^f may be induced to pursue its history until he 

 2J*JJrs the entire economy of this active and mischievous 



^WhVt'hM already come under his observation is inte- 



Tjwrto t he florist, since he has ascertained that these 



2n2 flies deprive some of our most lovely flowers of 



Srbeautr. It appears that last May they were abun- 



St and subsequently became still more numerous, so 



£*in August there were always three or four on each 



f ' ndtkt? did " ot disappear until the frosty night* 



September cut them off. With the following account, 



wu transmitted a Pansy-flower, which, when held up to 



the Ueht, exhibited innumerable white and pale dots, of 



coarse most visible in the dark purple parts :— « During 



the last year a small fly made its appearance in the gardens 



about Manchester, which completely spoiled the more 



delicate flowers, by discharging the colours, and spotting 



the blossoms. The flowers I noticed which suffered the 



most, were those of the Pansy and Phlox Drummondii ; 



whole beds of the former were so extensively attacked, 



that I conld not gather a perfect bloom after an hour of 



iuasbine. The appearance thus caused is not dissimilar 



to that of the Thrips, which was also plentiful that 



year. For a long time I was unable to find out how 



the mischief was effected, so insignificant in itself 



is the culprit. I first noticed these flies on a flower 



of the Carlo Dolce Pansy, which has the upper petals 



of a dark blue, and the lower ones white ; it had 



just passed from the blue to the white ground, when it 



secreted a blue liquid, upon Beeing which I immediately 



suspected that the mischief was owing to the operation of 



the flies, and subsequent examination proved I was correct. 



The manner in which the fly effects its purpose is by 



puncturing the flower with a small sting situated at the 



tail, and, afterwards drawing its head to the hole it has 



made, it sucks up the juice, and by this means completely 



extracts the colouring matter." 



cheap | 



or onrl 



Before entering upon the description of the fly, it is 

 J^sary to state that neither sex is armed with a sting, 

 wt the female is furnished with a tubular oviduct for de- 

 PO«"ng her eggs, and the mouth is formed of a bilobed 

 ™°J hp for sucking, similar to that of the house-fly, 

 ~"o two m,n *te palpi, and a horny labrum ; I therefore 

 cannot explain the reason of the flies applying their tails 

 *" * the petal, as above stated. 



Agromyza Viol* is shining black, and slightly bristly ; 

 "eejes are of a beautiful green when alive; the head 

 «w ■ntennae are of a bright orange colour ; a spot on the 

 CTOwn inclosing the three ocelli, and the simple bristle of 



tmlnK i* are black * 8ides of thorax and scutellum 



irides^ ! ■ the ,atter b,ack on the sides » * in K 8 am P le ' 

 difidedh ^ trans P arenr > the subcostal cell short, 

 tudinal * tran8verse nervure ; three following longi- 

 Wer l ne "ures nearly parallel, and extending to the 

 in* m * r ^ ln j 4tn longitudinal nervure greatly divaricat- 



one 2nd **! * ith the 3rd at the middle h y a tran8verse 

 aervure • • 3fd united nearer to the base by a very short 

 tarjj '. p0,sers yellow ; legs pitchy; anterior tibiae and 



«>lour on e t g H ated With rust coloar ; thi 8 hs of a 8ul P hur 

 •ize is o-i onder8id e in some specimens. The natural 



«»e Same flr? V * 8 " icujoic in prumc , 115. w 



female. ««j ? : e males are ra ther smaller than the 



T. . ' the abdoiTIPn ifi norr^ar an A «,«ro ntifnco 



abdomen is narrower and more obtuse. 



lossible to suggest any mode for destrc, 

 e«K8 are A ' . es P ecia % until it is ascertained where the 

 Preserved f P ° S,ted > but P"ze Pansies might perhaps be 

 «*« the not • m attacks b y gauze-frames to cover 

 •Cainit flLkV" 1 ar t0 those used ^r protecting meat 

 open mater? , S \ but the J ou S ht to be made of more 

 from the nl t u° f a 8uitable form : if the flies be bred 



***«« • a tr* D | 1. WOuld not P rove efficieDt in man y 

 ^t pirt «f ?k • Cver ' m % ht throw some light upon 

 W of their economy.— Ruricola. 



^Mo^e?aT e Correspondence. 



J*** of makinJ 8aw last * ear in the Chronicle a 



*o*na\ and nnttu g P * th ' U was h * Celling the 

 *Pon the ur\n f Up ° n lt coal or S as tar » tnd siftin S 

 1 nrd which i tZ* Tery finc r °ad-dirt, or sand. Having 



***** uds i J» up chiefl y t0 thc P la y of s° me Ter y 



_J_J^very desirous of knowing a plan by 



which a part of it might be kept in good order, at 

 rate ; for, not having a very sound bottom, in winter and 

 in all wet weather it was a complete puddle ; and as the 

 kitchen-door opened into it, there was no possibility of 

 any member of the family setting foot beyond the door- 

 step without being alwost over shoes in'mnd. As soon 

 as possible after seeing the plan in the Chronicle, I 

 availed myself of a dry day, to smooth a good large piece 

 all round the door-way, and put on it a good coat of tar, 

 and sifted very thickly on it some road-dirt ; a few days 

 after, when the weather permitted, I repeated the opera- 

 tion, and* did so until it had in all four coats of coal tar, 

 and as many of road-sand sifted on it. The whole time 

 it was in hand was about six weeks, but it only occupied 

 an hour or two each time, and was left about a fortnight 

 after each coat, to settle. The path was never out of use — 

 we could not spare it ; but I had it so thickly covered 

 with sand, that the tar never was trodden about ; most of 

 this sand was trodden into the tar in a few days. Perhaps 

 I ought to say that every time I did it rain fell, and good 

 quantities, always within twenty-four hours, and twice, as 

 soon as it was done, but it did it no harm. It has stood 

 the autumn, and winter weather has made no difference 

 in it at all ; it is always dry and always clean. It has 

 been the subject of many inquiries, as to why that part 



so dry," •• so hard/' 



tie "me fl!;^^ 1 ; fig : 2 is the fcmalc in P rofil ! ; * 6 '. 3 



It is sca lU ST" aDdomen i8 narrower and more obtuse, 

 kg these fT p08si . ble t0 8U ggest any mode for destroy- 



* *oyal a«1* j i ? rit ' Ent - f ol. and pi. 393. 



7 Agn - Jottrn -» *. 3, pi. d. p p p . 3 r to 33. 



of the yard was " so clean," 



11 so different " from all the rest. I am so pleased with 

 it, that I should use it as a flooring for any sort of shed 

 or outhouse, in preference to any other materials with 

 which I am acquainted. It has the advantage of cheap- 

 ness, and the further advantage of being so easily done, 

 that in tool-house?, greenhouses, and sheds, the floor- 

 ing may be the work of the gardener himself (where only 

 one is kept), or a common labourer. One gallon of tar 

 will do well about two square yards ; and as tar seldom 

 costs much, it can never be dear. One thing more in its 

 favour is that it is never cold to the feet. — Cardinal 

 Wolsey. 



Birds' Eggs. — For preserving the colour of these, in 

 answer to *' Egg," allow me to offer the following extract 

 from "Waterton's Natural History." I have tried the plan 

 and found it to answer: — He says, "In selecting eggs for 

 your cabinet, always choose those which are newly laid ; 

 make a medium-sized hole at the sharp end, with a 

 pointed instrument. Having made the hole at the sharp 

 end, make one at the blunt, and let this last hole be as 

 small as possible ; this done, apply your mouth to the 

 blunt end, and blow the contents through the sharp end. 

 If the yolk will not come freely, run a pin or wire up 

 into the egg, and stir the yolk well about 

 ful of water, and immersing the sharp e 

 into it, apply your mouth to the blunt end, and suck up 

 some of the water into the empty shell ; then put your 

 finger and thumb upon the two holes, shake the water well 

 within, and after this blow it out. The water will clear 

 your egg of any remains of yolk, or of white, which may 

 stay in after blowing. If one suck up of water will not 

 suffice, make a second, or third. An egg^ immediately 

 after it is produced, is very clear and fine; but by staying 

 in the nest, and coming in contact with the feet of the 

 bird, it soon assumes a dirty appearance. To remedy 

 this, wash it well in soap and water, and use a nail-brush 

 to get the dirt off. Your egg-shell is now as it ought to 

 be, and nothing remains to be done but to prevent the 

 thin white membrane (which is still inside), from corrupt- 

 ing ; take a wine-glass and fill it with the solution of corro- 

 sive sublimate in alcohol, then immerse the sharp end of 

 the egg-shell into it, keeping your finger and thumb, as 

 you hold it, just clear of the solution ; apply your mouth 

 to the little hole at the blunt end, and suck up some of 

 the solution into the shell ; you need not be fearful of 

 getting the liquor into your mouth, for, as soon as it rises 

 in the shell, the cold will strike your finger and thumb, 

 and then you cease sucking ; shake the shell just as you 

 did when the water was in it, and then blow the solution 

 back into the glass. Your egg-shell is now beyond the 

 reach of corruption ; the membrane for ever retains its 

 pristine whiteness, and no insect for the time to come will 

 ever venture to prey upon it. If you wish your egg to 

 appear extremely brilliant, give it a coat of mastic varnish, 

 put on very sparingly with a camel-hair pencil; green or 

 blue eggs must be done with gum arabic : the mastic var- 

 nish is apt to injure the colour." If farther information 

 is required, I would refer your correspondent to the work 

 itself, in which there is much that is useful on this sub- 

 ject — J. Mel., Hillsborough. 



Heckfield-pit. — The proposed improvement of this pit, 

 mentioned at p. 181 of this year, will certainly give a 

 more direct heat into the bed, but in this the detached 

 pier possesses no advantage over the cavity wall, through 

 which a mean temperature sufficiently warm for the grow- 

 ing of Melons is constantly conveyed to the bed, and into 

 the earth on which the plants grow. Heat finds its way 

 through the front wall to the outside border of a hothouse, 

 having a flue or hot-water pipe inside. On the same 

 principle it finds its way from the cavity into the bed, 

 where a kindred heat already exists ; the highest degree 

 is given out along the top of the cavity in the back, 

 against which the roots and the earth press, and where, 

 by heightening the lining, the heat is increased. After 

 four years' trial of the pit, I find that it possesses all the 

 useful advantages, and none of the disadvantages, attend- 

 ant on the detached pier ; which, if adopted, would destroy 

 the close-box form of the pit, so well adapted to general 

 convenience. However, to accommodate the pit to pur- 

 poses where a more direct heat is requisite, instead of 

 the cavity-front wall have hollow piers, and attach the 

 piers with brick on edge, through which a direct safe heat 



an improvement ; but I consider the detached pier the 

 reverse.— Thomas Berry. 



Rats. — (How to clear premise! of any number, by 

 catching them alive in box-traps that open and shut at 

 each end by a trigg or baiting board in the centre). — Feed 

 the rats for three or four nights successively, leaving the 

 traps fixed open and baited with the following paste, so 

 that they may go in and out and feed at their ease. This 

 they will do regularly ; and if there is a considerable 

 number they will fight, quarrel, and look as anxiously for 

 the bait as domesticated animals would do. If the rats 

 art numerous and the premises extensive, take 4 lbs. of 

 bread crumbs, 4 lbs. of flour, half-pint of treacle, one tea- 

 spponful of essence of Anise, and half a tea-spoonful of 

 essence of Musk ; mix the whole well together, and bait 

 the traps as above recommended for three or four nights. 

 If the rats are numerous, several traps should be so pre- 

 pared. On the night the rats are to be taken, bait as 

 usual, having the traps set for catching ; fix a wire*cage 

 over the end of the box-traps (which should be all of one 

 size), for the purpose of driving them into, out of the box- 

 trap, when they are caught. This is done by raising the 

 end so covered with the cage-trap ; when all is quiet, and 

 these things attended to, I have seen a great number 

 caught in three or four hours. Baiting and setting the 

 traps again for two or three nights in this way, with strict 

 attention, a great number may be canjjht. — Observer, J. 



Bees. — I beg to inform Bee-keej er* that I can vouch 

 for the truth of the statement that the Polyanthus yields 

 more nectar which the Beet convert into honey than any 

 other plant. I cultivate them round all the borders, as 

 they are the earliest and most valuable Bee-flower we 

 have.— W. W. 



Rabbits— Game Laics.— The correspondent who re- 

 commends arsenic as a remedy against rabbits, &c, may 

 be a very sagacious person, though sufficiently unac- 

 quainted with the law. As he may lead others into the 

 infraction of it, I inclose an extract from the Game Act: 

 — M And if any person, with intent to destroy or injure 

 any game, shall at any time put or cause to be put any 

 poison or poisonous ingredient on any ground, whether 

 open or inclosed, where game usually resort, or in any 

 highway, every such person shall, on conviction thereof 

 before two justices of the peace, forfeit and pay such sum 

 of money, not exceeding ten pounds, as to the said jus- 

 tices shall seem meet, together with the costs of convic- 

 tion."— A Sportsman. 



Rabbits. — Visiting, some time ago, in Ireland, I ob- 

 served numerous patches of Cauliflower plants growing ia 

 ; now get a cup- I the shrubberies and pleasure grounds. These patches, the 

 end of the shell gardener informed me, were for the purpose of destroying 



rabbits. He powdered the under sides of the leaves with. 

 arsenic, which, he said, answered the purpose very well. 

 If fresh gathered leaves of Parsley, or of any of the 

 Brassica tribe are powdered with arsenic, and if th* ground 

 on the sides of the fence is also strewn with it, number! 

 of the rabbits will soon be destroyed ; this should be done 

 in the evenings before they come out to feed. — J. G. 



Whitney's Composition. — Having lately visited Shrews- 

 bury, I saw the house which was erected by Mr. Whitney. 

 It was covered with book muslin, coated over with his 

 chemical waterproof composition. I was struck with the 

 bright, clear light admitted, which I imagine is quite suf- 

 ficient for plants generally. The house has two compart- 

 ments, one a stove, the other a greenhouse; both are 

 heated by a hot-water apparatus. In the stove were Pines, 

 Vines, Melons, Cucumbers, and various other things, all of 

 which were looking remarkably strong and healthy. The 

 day being very hot, the thermometer stood at 110°, but there 

 was not the least appearance of flagging in anything. 

 There were cuttings of various plants in the pit, which 

 were lately put in, but they scarcely appeared to droop. 

 In the greenhouse were Pelargoniums, Heaths, Fuchsias, 

 and other plants, all of which were also looking equally 

 vigorous. A few pots of Mignonette were standing on 

 the floor at least seven or eight feet from the roof, yet the 

 plants seemed to be as strong as if they had been growing 

 on a shelf near the glass of a common glazed roof. Such a 

 composition will prove of great value to gardeners, and 

 it will in a short time, to a great extent, supersede the use 

 of glass. For protecting wall trees, covering temporary 

 pits, houses, &c, this material will be found very useful. 

 The cottager will also be enabled, by means of this, to 

 raise Potatoes, Radishes, Cucumbers, and many other 

 things early.— S. Barnes, Upby Park. Bridgenorth. 



Covering for Flower-beds. — In the Calendar of Opera- 

 tions, '• W. P. A." advises covering the clumps in 

 flower gardens with short Grass, to* prevent the soil 

 getting dry in hot weather. It is an excellent plan to 

 cover clumps in summer, but Moss is far superior to 

 short Grass for this purpose, where it can be procured ; 

 as Grass soon gets yellow, and has an unsightly appear- 

 ance, whereas Moss, if skinned off in large patches, and 

 laid neatly down, has a fine effect. By occasionally 

 watering it in dry weather, it will keep fresh for a season, 

 and preserve the ground moist under it, which is Tery 

 essential for plants when they are growing. — K. 



Vitality of Pollen. — In the spring of 1840 I devoted 

 my attention to the fertilisation of Rhododendrons. 

 I gathered pollen from the early flowering hybrids, and 

 folded it up in small pieces of red blotting-paper; 

 with this I impregnated the common sorts as they came 

 into bloom, and the result proved that the pollen would 

 retain its fertilising principle for a period of two months. 



In 1841, by way of experiment, I gathered pollen from 

 Rhododendron Smithii tigrieum, and folded it up in tne 

 way above described, taking care to keep it in a dry place. 

 In the spring of 1842, 1 prepared a truss of flowers of Khodo- 



, and fertilised it with the pollen gathered 



i. conveyed to the bed. By this alteration the pit will ?«"ronponticom f a^ 



retain its present proportion; and it may be found, in 1841, and, to my astonishment, the capsules swelled and 



