70 
OPERATIONS FOR APRTL. 
cautiously creeps from its place of concealment, and commences feeding upon leaves, fruit, flowers, 
or whatever else falls in its way ; the young are at first pale-yellow, and soon become very active ; i 
when half grown they become the same colour as the parents, and are remarkably voracious ; 
from their birth until full grown, they cast their skins several times : the common Slug ( Limax ' 
agredis) ; the white Slug ( Limax alba ) ; the Cock-roach, or, as it is sometimes called, Black 
Beetle ( Blatta orientalis) ; the Thrips, ( Thrips adonidum ), a well-known and very common 
insect, measuring about the 20th part of an inch in length, and appearing on the leaves like small 
black lines ; both sexes have four straight, long, narrow wings, fringed, and slightly crossed when 
at rest, and they are rarely seen flying ; they pierce the under side of the leaves, and deposit a 
glutinous black fluid, which is both unsightly and injurious to the plant ; the larvse and pupae are 
greenish-white, and soon become as large as the perfect insects, and in those states do equally as 
much injury as when they assume the perfect form ; and, lastly, the Aphides , or plant-lice. 
In the Conservatory , Climbers must be dressed and neatly tied up, and all plants attended to 
that are coming into flower, the borders and everything being kept in neat order for the spring 
growth. 
The Greenhouse , also, now requires much attention ; air must be supplied freely. Fuchsias, 
which have been brought out of their winter quarters, and were placed in a warm part of the 
house, have now attained a growing state ; and those intended to make large specimens should 
be introduced into the Stove. New Holland Plants will now become very interesting. Pelar- 
goniums, if any are cramped in very small pots, should be re-potted ; and others top-dressed with 
a light rich soil, to assist them in throwing up good trusses of flowers. Cinerarias will now be 
coming into bloom ; give every encouragement, by exposure to light and air, and a sufficiency of 
water ; and let Calceolarias have a similar attention paid to them. The Indian Azaleas will, for 
the most part, be out of flower ; let them be re-potted, and as soon as the young shoots have grown 
a sufficient length, select some of them for cuttings. Camellias now out of flower, should be intro- 
duced into an increased heat. 
In the open Flower Garden, any Evergreen Shrubs yet remaining unplanted, should be got in 
without a moment’s delay, especially if the land be light and sandy ; mulch with half-rotten dung 
for some distance round the roots, to prevent evaporation in case of a very dry spring. Sow any 
Annuals that yet remain unsown. This is, also, the best time to plant new beds of Violets. Pre- 
pare the beds in the Flower Garden for receiving the plants out of pots in May. Also, now clip 
and dress Box edgings, as much injury from frost need scarcely now be expected. Auriculas and 
Polyanthuses should have their flower-buds thinned, if it is desirable to have very fine flowers. 
Collect together all the different sorts of plants intended for the decoration of the Flower Garden 
in May, and when there are deficiencies, some may yet be struck, but this must be done imme- 
diately, or the young plants will be too weak for the purpose. China Roses, especially the smaller 
growing kinds, make a splendid appearance when planted in masses ; such as the semperflorens, 
semperflorens atrorubens, semperflorens resplendens , Barclayana, &c. When the subsoil is not 
naturally gravelly, there must be plenty of drainage laid beneath the bed. Deciduous Roses are 
now, too, beginning to unfold their leaves ; where it is desirable to prevent their flowering until late 
in the season, prune the shoots back to some of the later buds, at the end of the month. Few 
plants are so universally esteemed and cultivated as Roses, and scarcely any have more insect 
enemies. Although the damage done by some is trivial, others are such wholesale depredators that 
considerable attention ought to be paid to them. The first of these, are such as sucJc up the 
juices of plants, and thus retard their growth ; of these are two kinds of Aphides, or plant-lice, 
one called the Aphis rosce, a brown species, and the other A. rosa var., a pale-green one ; both are 
exceedingly detrimental, and if not checked will effectually prevent the plants blooming. The 
second are Saw-flies, several of which, in their larvse state, feed upon the leaves, others upon the 
buds, and others perforate the wood. The worst of these are — 
Hylotoma pilicornis, which chiefly confines itself to the China Rose, the leaves of which it 
perforates through and through. This insect is double brooded, the first flies appearing in May ; 
these lay their eggs on the back of the leaves, and the caterpillars are full fed by the end of 
July, and spin themselves small brown cocoons amongst the leaves, tying two or three together 
with fine threads ; and the perfect insects appear in the middle of August. This brood lay their 
eggs by the end of the month, which are hatched in a few days, and the caterpillars go into the 
