158 



CULINARY OR KITCHEN GARDEN. 



well, although it is destitute of feet. The head 

 is small, brown, and furnished with two black 

 jaws, short antenna?, and, I believe, minute palpi. 

 Two vessels of a pale colour are visible down 

 each side of the back, and one in the centre ; 

 the tail is furnished with two divaricating hooks, 

 and two short teeth between them ; the stern 

 being truncated, which will readily distinguish 

 the larva from that of T. oleracea ; it has two 

 large spiracles, with two tubercles below, and 

 two fleshy masses, which are capable of great 

 dilatation, and assist it exceedingly in walking. 

 In the spring these larvae change to pupse in the 

 earth. They are about the same length as the 

 larvae, but scarcely so stout, and of the like 

 dirty colour ; the head and thorax are defined, 

 the latter having a short slender horn project- 

 ing on each side ; the wings are small, but dis- 

 tinctly visible, as well as the legs, which are 

 placed between thorn. There is a spiny ele- 

 vated line on each side of the abdomen ; each 

 segment having a transverse row of minute 

 spines above, and five larger ones beneath ; the 

 penultimate joint is surrounded by six longer 

 spines and two smaller ones ; and the apex pro- 

 duces a large conical process above, and a shorter 

 one beneath. The flies are abundant in May 

 and June in meadows, gardens, fields, hedges, 

 and especially on the sea-coast. There must be 

 either two or three broods in the year, or a 

 constant succession of the flies, although the 

 spring may be the season when the greatest 

 number are hatched ; but that will vary with the 

 temperature." The gnat is " not quite half an 

 inch long, but the wings expand one inch. 

 The male is of a fine yellow colour ; the black 

 horns are longer than the thorax, and taper ; 

 they are 13-jointed; the first joint is elongated, 

 the second small and cup-shaped ; all the others 

 are elliptical, with a few bristles at the base of 

 each, excepting the apical one, which is very 

 minute ; head with a large black patch on the 

 crown; forehead conical, with a little black 

 dot on each side ; the face forming a cylindri- 

 cal rostrum, with a hairy beak, bearing a black 

 spot on the top. Palpi are longish and black ; 

 the eyes are hemispherical and black, but there 

 are no ocelli ; the thorax is marked with three 

 black stripes down the back, the centre one the 

 shortest, and the sides are spotted with black ; 

 the scutel has a black dorsal stripe ; the abdo- 

 men is linear and obtuse, with a row of black 

 spots down the back, and smaller brown ones 

 on the sides ; the wings divaricate or rest hori- 

 zontally on the body ; they are of a smoky, 

 yellow tint ; the costa is yellow ; there are an 

 areolet, two little stigmatic cells, and seven 

 apical ones ; six long black legs, very slender 

 and tapering ; base of thigh pale yellow, and of 

 shanks yellowish brown. The female is rather 

 larger ; the horns shorter ; the abdomen is fusi- 

 form ; the apex accuminated, and furnished 

 with two fine sharp lateral valves, and a smaller 

 centrical one. The eggs, which are scattered by 

 the female, are intensely black, but dull, oval, 

 and spoon-shaped. This, however, might arise 

 in my specimens from their not being fertile. 



" Some idea may be formed, from the following 

 data, of the mischief committed by this insect. 



On the 23d of April 1 found the grubs at the 

 root of my pease ; on the 29th some had eaten 

 off trusses of flowers in the strawberry beds, close 

 to the crown, retiring afterwards just beneath the 

 surface of the earth ; the first week in May they 

 were not uncommon among the roots of lilacs 

 and under tufts of grass ; on the 28th of the same 

 month I observed some recently transplanted let- 

 tuce drooping, and, on examination, found the 

 roots separated from the crown, a little below the 

 surface, and close to where these grabs are diffi- 

 cult to detect, owing to their colour, and their re- 

 maining quite motionless when disturbed. The 

 end of July they were eating the roots of dahlias, 

 carnations, and various flowers ; and the 7th of 

 August they infested some potato ground along 

 with the T. oleracea ; after which I lost sight of 

 them. 



" Lime-water will not kill them ; and the 

 only mode I have been able to adopt with any 

 success has been to search round sickly plants, 

 and dig up all that have been killed by them, 

 and destroy the culprits ; but this must be done 

 speedily, otherwise they will soon decamp to 

 feed upon other plants. I should think water- 

 ing with brine, nitrate of soda, or perhaps strong 

 liquid manure, would keep them from our crops." 



Brine applied sufficiently strong to kill or drive 

 away these grabs would kill the plants them- 

 selves. Sulphur, tobacco or quassia water, or 

 spirits of tar incorporated with the soil, we think, 

 would be found more effectual. Besides these, 

 a species of aphis has recently been discovered 

 which commits great depredations on lettuce 

 crops, by attacking the roots of the plants. This 

 species does not appear to have been observed 

 by entomologists prior to 1849, and hence re- 

 mains unnamed. 



Birds are fond of the seeds of lettuce, there- 

 fore newly-sown crops should be protected by 

 netting the beds over ; and the seed, while 

 ripening, requires a similar protection. 



General remarks. — Select some of the best- 

 formed plants that have stood over winter ; thin 

 them out where they stand, if the place is eli- 

 gible; if not, transplant them in spring to a 

 warm and sunny spot, setting them from 2 to 

 3 feet apart, according to the size of the kinds. 

 Keep no two sorts near to each other ; or, better, 

 as the seed retains its vegetative properties for 

 many years, grow in small gardens, only one 

 sort for seed in one season. The seed will be ripe 

 in August. Cut the plants when the flowers have 

 faded, and leave them on a dry border for a day 

 or two; the seeds will mature themselves in the 

 seed-vessels, deriving nourishment from the sap 

 in the plants ; when dry, remove them under 

 cover of a dry airy shed, and thrash out the 

 seed when it begins to fall out. The seed 

 ripens very irregularly if left standing, the top 

 parts ripening and shedding before the lower 

 parts and the side shoots are equally matured. 



§ 4. — ENDIVE. 



Natural history. — Endive (Cichorium endivia 

 L.) belongs to the natural order Composite, 

 sub-order Cichoracea?, and tribe Cinchorse, and 



