98 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ August 3, 1876. 



observation have been more extensive than mine. Honeydew, 

 then, as I take it, is not exuded from plants under any ciroum- 

 Btances, but it closely resembles vegetable juices, because, 

 though deposited by aphides, it undergoes little change in the 

 process of secretion. Secondly, it is usually, but not invari- 

 ably, connected with migrations of aphides, the insects on 

 arriving at a new locality depositing honeydew on the upper 

 surfaces of the leaves ; they may possibly leave honeydew be- 

 hind them on departure, but this is doubtful. Thirdly, honey- 

 dew does no injury to the plants on which it is found, though 

 it is important as a sign of aphis presence. Fourthly, although 

 it has been thought that honeydew is connected with certain 

 states of the weather, it is only in a secondary sense, because 

 those states of weather have to do with aphis migrations. 

 Fifthly, these migrations very frequently occur on dull days in 

 spring or early summer when there is but little wind Btirring 

 and the air is dry owing to the wind being easterly. If aphides 

 generally travel with an east wind, there would be additional 

 reason for regarding breezes from that quarter as blighting 

 and inauspioious in their effects. — J. R. S. C. 



WHITE TRUFFLE AND OTHER RARE FUNGI. 

 It has frequently been remarked that while certain kinds of 

 fungi appear every year in the same locality, others are ex- 

 tremely capricious as to the time of their occurrence and the 

 number of specimens produced. A single specimen, for instance 



Kg. 9.— White Truffle. 



of Paxillus paradoxus, an Hungarian speoies, occurred last year, 

 one in the west of England and the other in Kent, and in both 

 instances was perfectly new to the British mycologist. The 

 genus Sprassis was utterly unknown in this country till lately, 

 but bas now turned np in more than one locality. The White 

 Truffle of Sowerby is a remarkable instance of the excessive 

 scarcity of a particular species. From the time when it was 

 figured by Sowerby a single specimen only occurred to Mr. 

 Currey at Blackheath ; Cooke found one bIbo, and it has occurred 

 in Herefordshire, and we have heard that it has lately been found 

 under Oaks at Windsor — a species, it may be remarked, which 

 has never been found by Messrs. Tulasne in their numerous 

 researches, though it was not unknown to Vittadini. Corda 

 appears to be the only one who has hitherto met with it in 

 abundance, and excellent figures are given from his pencil in 

 Krombholz grand volume. It was therefore with peculiar 



pleasure, during an excursion to the very interesting grounds 

 of Rockingham CaBtle in Northamptonshire, that fine speci- 

 mens of this rare plant were given to ns by the excellent 

 gardener Mr. Brown, who has found it more than once under 

 Oak trees, not truly subterranean, but juBt peeping out of the 

 ground, as is sometimes the case with the common Truffle, as 

 in Somersetshire, where we have seen it cut in half in mowing 

 the lawns. 



The White Truffle appears to be very common in Bohemia, 

 where it occurs in shady woods, and is much valued on account 

 of its delicate flavour. It is too rare in this country to make 

 it of much importance. — M. J. B. 



FEATHERED HELPS IN GARDENS. 



Of the value of peewits in gardens my experience enables 

 me to speak in the highest passible terms of approval. For 

 some years I was in a garden in which Beagulls were kept as 

 grub-scavengers ; also hawks as bird-ecarers, and both kinds 

 of birds were extremely useful. I was in another walled gar- 

 den in which was enclosed from two to half a dozen peewits — 

 plovers — as the birds could be obtained, and I found these, 

 birds deoidedly preferable to the gulls. 



Than peewits no birds can possibly be more diligent in 

 hunting-out and devouring slugs, snails, and grubs of all kinds 

 which infest the garden. I have Been them run their long 

 bills round the crowns of Strawberry plants, passing from 

 plant to plant for an hour together, and many times I have 

 watched them insert their bills as deeply as possible into the 

 surface of bare ground and " fish-out " worms and grubs. I 

 have seen them try the ground for a hundred times in suc- 

 cession in searohing for hidden food, and seldom searching in 

 vain, finding by a wonderful instinct what human eyes could 

 not see or man's reason fathom. 



These birds were treated as advised by " Wiltshire Rectoe " 

 on page 72, being cared for and prized as valuable assistants, 

 also ornamental. Yet as stated, kindly as they may be treated, 

 they will escape if an opportunity is afforded them, but after 

 a time they become in a measure tame, especially when three 

 or four of them have been preserved together for a few years. 

 On one occasion by a neglect of the timely clipping of one 

 wing of each bird, one of birds became able to fly perfectly, 

 and did fly over the tree topa but not far, and "returned to 

 its mates" in the garden, but at length, after perhaps having 

 returned a hundred times, it flew away altogether. 



During a severe winter, although the birds were fed, they 

 died, and for three seasons we were without peewits, and year 

 by year tbe injury from slugs and snails became greater, 

 rendering liming and hand-picking necessary to preserve the 

 crops of vegetables and Strawberries. More birds were eventu- 

 ally obtained, and slugs and such-like vermin gave ns no more 

 trouble. Where these birds oan be preserved between walls 

 they may be safely left to look after the slugs. The birds are 

 ever foraging and ever devouring, and of the greatest value in 

 a garden, and not, on the other hand, doing the slightest 

 harm in any way. 



But, as has been well said, they must have water at all 

 times, and food also in frosty and very dry weather. They 

 must also be placed under shelter during a long period of very 

 severe weather, or be they ever so well fed they will succumb 

 to the cold. We used to place them in cold pits or frames 

 when the frost was protracted and unusually severe. In dis- 

 tricts where the birds inhabit, young birds may be purchased 

 for 6<2. each from boys working on farms. 



It is remarkable that old egg-hunters know immediately on 

 entering a field not only whether there are any nests in it, but 

 whether the nests contain eggs or whether they contain young 

 birds. This information is given by the peculiar flights and 

 noise of the old birds : if these are not understood the dis- 

 covery of the nests is most difficult, but if the habits of the 

 birds are known their nestB are found with certainty and eaBe. 



These birds are as useful in gardens as cats are in barns, 

 and I cheerfully corroborate all that has been written of their 

 value. — A Lincolnshibe Gabdeneb. 



BISHOPSTOWE. 

 Walking from Torquay, and turning from the cliffs of 

 Anstis Cove to reach some one of the neighbourhood's speoial 

 lanes, I came in sight of Bishopstowe. This is a modern 

 residence, built and named by Dr. Philpots, formerly Bishop 

 of Exeter. He purchased the ground, made it his favourite 



