Gladiolus Culture. 127 



pleasure ground or garden, and pushing up their bold spikes amidst 

 and near refreshing verdure ! 



The insect enemies of M. Souchet would prove enough to deter 

 and defeat most men. He makes ceaseless war against them, 

 and if they do succeed in destroying a bulb now and then, it 

 generally forms the guide to their detection and destruction. 

 Some of us know the mole cricket, but his ravages in England 

 do not go very far. If allowed his own way for a fortnight in these 

 grounds, I fear some of the great bulb houses would suiTer from 

 their want of Gladioli in autumn. When this strong and well 

 armed little brute gets into a bed of choice Gladioli, you cannot well 

 dig him out as you could if he happened to be in a kitchen garden. 

 The way he is killed here is so interesting and effective that I must 

 relate it. M. Souchet explained it to me, but so many "cures" 

 and dodges for exterminating vermin are not worth the trouble of 

 trying the second time, that probably I should not have noticed it 

 had he not called a workman and given me an illustration on the 

 spot. When the mole cricket goes about, he leaves a little loose 

 ridge, like the animal after which he is named : and when his 

 presence is detected in a closely planted bed of Gladiolus at Fon- 

 tainebleau, they generally press the ground quite smooth with the 

 foot, so that his track and halting-place may be the more distinctly 

 seen the next time he moves about. This had been done in the 

 present instance in the case of a young bed of seedlings. I saw his 

 track, and a workman who brought with him a rough jar of water 

 and one of common oil, opened a little hole with his finger above 

 the spot where the enemy lay. Then he filled it with water twice, 

 and on the top of the water poured a little oil. The water gra- 

 dually descended, and with it the oil, which, closing up the breathing 

 pores of the mischievous thing, caused it to perish of asphyxia, and 

 in about twenty seconds we had the pleasure of seeing it put forth 

 its horns from the water, go back a little when it saw us, but again 

 come forth, to die on the surface, hindered for ever from destroying 

 valuable bulbs. Being of large size, and very strong and well 

 armed, even one of these can do a deal of damage in a bed of 



