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PART III. 

 MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. 



Art. I. General Notices. 



Uses and Benefits of the Alcm'us, or, as it is commonly called, the Red 

 Spider. — Sir, I have frequently observed, in the spring and summer, 

 beautiful insects of a rich crimson velvet appearance, both in the open air 

 and under glass ; and have heard them stigmatised by amateurs, and once 

 by a practical gardener, as " red spiders, the gardener's greatest enemy," 

 &c. I have also had the mortification of witnessing theii* destruction 

 before I could utter a word in their behalf. Now, Sir, I know not whether 

 this insect belongs to the genus J'carus or not ; but this I do know, that 

 some of its habits richly entitle it to the appellation of the gardenei"'s_/h>?z£/. 

 In the spring of 1828, I observed the under-side of the leaf of a plant of 

 iVeriurn splendens had a row of Coccus hesperidum attached along one side 

 of the midrib ; and, about half way along this row, I observed one of the 

 crimson insects above described, apparently feeding upon one of the Cocci 

 or scales (which, by means of a botanical glass, I convinced myself was 

 actually the case) ; indeed, the insects in its rear were become truly scales, 

 the spider having reduced them to mere dry films ; and those in front pro- 

 gressively shared the same fate. I took particular pains to ascertain the 

 fact. Since then I have frequently found the J'cari not only assisting the 

 gardener in the destruction of the scales, but of the green A'phis also. In- 

 deed, on one occasion, I kept a quantity of the spiders under a bell-glass, 

 with no other food than thg A'phides for several days, upon which they 

 appeared to thrive amazingly ; and I afterwards distributed them amongst 

 plants infested by the A^phis, when they recommenced their work of de- 

 struction. I therefore venture to plead for insects, the appearance of 

 which gives additional beauty to our plants, and the utility of which I 

 would fain make more generally known. I am. Sir, yours, &c. — William 

 Godsall. Hereford, Bee, 1830. 



Shalder^s Fountain Pump. — This is one of the most extraordinary in- 

 ventions which has been made in hydraulics for many years. We shall 

 describe it in a future Number ; in the mean time we can recommend it for 

 all horticultural and agricultural purposes, as saving cent per cent in labour, 

 one man doing with it what, by the common pump, requires two men. It 

 will raise water mixed with sticks, stones, gravel, &c., as readily as pure 

 watei", without doing the machine the slightest injury j and is, therefore, 

 well adapted for liquid manure. It may be procured through Weir and Co., 

 Oxford Street. — Cond. 



Knife used in Approach-Grafting. — Sir, I send you the sketch (fig. 32.) 



32 of an instrument used in France for 



approach-grafting, a is the angle 



a of the opening of the blade, of 



aboiit the natural size. I should like 



to know if we have such an instrument in England, and, if so, where it can 



