ICHNEUMON FLY. 



150 



ILEX. 



Iberis. — Cruciferce. — Candytuft. 

 Most of the kinds of Candytuft are 

 well-known annuals, which received 

 their name from /. umbellata, the 

 first species grown as a garden flower, 

 having been brought from Candia. 

 The seeds should be sown in a rich 

 light soil in autumn, -where they are 

 to remain, and kept rather dry during 

 •winter. They should be repeatedly 

 thinned out, and in spring they should 

 be watered with liquid manure, taking 

 care not to let the liquor touch the 

 plants. "When the plants are about 

 to flower, those of the common kind 

 should be six or eight inches apart 

 every way at least ; and those of /. 

 coronaria, the Rocket Candytuft, 

 should be from one to two feet apart ; 

 and thus treated, the flowers will be 

 very large and fine. When it is not 

 thought advisable to take so much 

 trouble, the seeds may be sown very 

 thin, either in autumn or early in 

 spring ; either alone, or mixed with 

 mignonette ; and in either case they 

 will look very well in the flower 

 borders. The perennial and suffruti- 

 cose kinds are well adapted for rock- 

 work ; and they are easily propagated 

 by cuttings, or dividing the root. 



Iceland Moss. — Cetraria Isldn- 

 dica. 



Ice Plant. See Mesembbyanthe- 

 mum. 



Ichneumon Fly. — A very elegant 

 slender creature, somewhat resem- 

 bling a gnat, which generally deposits 

 its eggs in the living body of a cater- 

 pillar. Great numbers of caterpillars 

 are thus destroyed every year ; and as 

 the grub of the Ichneumon does not 

 feed upon vegetable matter of any 

 kind, it may thus be regarded as a 

 friend to gardeners, and it should be 

 spared accordingly. Sometimes a 

 single fly will lay from thirty to forty 



I. 



eggs. Whenever a number of small 

 white grubs are observed to appear on 

 the body of a caterpillar, or a number 

 of little masses of what looks like fine 

 yellow silk, the caterpillar should not 

 be crushed ; as it is serving as a nur- 

 sery for Ichneumons, by which dozens 

 of other caterpillars will be destroyed. 



Ilex This name is frequently ap- 

 plied in common conversation to the 

 Quercus Ilea;, or evergreen oak ; but 

 it is properly the botanic name of the 

 Holly. 



Ilex. — Aquifoliacea. — A genus 

 of evergreen shrubs or low trees, of 

 which the most interesting is Ilex 

 Aquifblium, or the common Holly, 

 a native of Britain, with fine dark 

 green prickly leaves, and scarlet or 

 coral-coloured berries. There are a 

 great many varieties of this shrub, 

 some of which have leaves variegated 

 with cream colour, white, different 

 shades of yellow, and slight tinges of 

 red ; and others have white, yellow, 

 and even black fruit. They are all 

 beautiful, and, being evergreen and 

 quite hardy, are reckoned among the 

 most ornamental of British shrubs. 

 They grow slowly, but, as they are 

 always erect and compact, they are 

 very valuable for small gardens, where 

 the plants require to be kept within 

 bounds. The species are propagated 

 by seeds, which are kept a winter in 

 the rot-heap (see Rot Heap) before 

 they are sown ; and the varieties are 

 propagated by budding or grafting on 

 the species, and sometimesbycuttings. 

 As, however, the operation of propa- 

 gation, whether by seeds or otherwise, 

 is slow, and, in the case of budding 

 and grafting, somewhat difficult, ama- 

 teurs will always find it preferable to 

 purchase plants from the nurserymen. 

 Hollies will grow in any soil in an 

 airy situation, but they do not thrive 



