September 7, 1882.] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 217 
case, as tlie enormously greater weight of the broilers 
more than compensates for the reduction in their value 
as determined by their price per pound ; hut even here 
there is a set-off, as if no buttons were gathered, but all 
were allowed to expand, the beds would he more 
quickly exhausted, and instead of yielding nine or ten 
crops they would probably only produce six or seven. 
The practice, then, of gathering all the grades is a safe 
one, and, as has been shown in preceding pages, is 
sufficiently profitable, while the market demand is met 
in a manner that is satisfactory all round. Jt is well, 
therefore, when securing the produce to clear all off 
that is readily marketable either as buttons, cups, or 
broilers. 
The different grades of Mushrooms are represented 
in the annexed engravings, which also show the manner 
in which the produce is arranged in punnets. Fig. 35 
indicates buttons ; fig. 36 cups, and fig. 37 broilers. 
Details of the methods of packing and preparing for 
sale will be given in the next and concluding paper on 
this subject. — J. Wright. 
(To be continued.) 
BEETLES EATING STRAWBERRIES. 
I send you specimens of the beetles which eat our Strawberries. 
The largest one of the three is, we consider, the principal offender, 
and up to the present year has been most numerous, but this 
spring No. 2 has been more often met with ; in fact, we could 
not move a tile, heap of rubbish, or a mat without finding 
specimens in concealment there. No. 3 is a bright-looking 
active little fellow, by no means easy to catch ; in fact, they 
are all very nimble, and they are, moreover, scarcely ever to be 
seen in the open by daylight. No. 1 is probably identical 
with “E. D’S.” “black bob,” but it would be interesting to know 
if any of those I send are the same as the species which has eaten 
your correspondent’s fruit. 
A striking illustration of the love of these beetles for Straw¬ 
berries was afforded us this year. The fruit from some youDg 
plants which we did not wish to bear was cut off when about 
three parts formed, and was left lying on the ground in a heap, 
becoming accidentally covered with weeds. A week or so after¬ 
wards the rubbish was cleared away, and on less than 2 feet square 
of ground were upwards of a hundred beetles, attracted there by 
the Strawberries, every one of which was more or less eaten. 
I see that a correspondent speaks of weevils having been 
found in Strawberry beds ; we have them also, but with us they 
do not attack the fully formed berries, but come on the plants 
when in flower, eating away the embryo berry. Last spring 
this pest threatened to become very troublesome, as, although its 
ravages were plainly discernible, it was scarcely ever to be seen 
during the daytime, but we eventually got rid of it in a rather 
curious manner. The frames being pulled off on mild mornings 
for several hours, we noticed that the sparrows made a point of 
visiting the plants on those occasions ; and as we were well 
acquainted with the fact that the sparrow is as fond of insects as 
of grain, we did not disturb them, with the result that in a few 
days they cleared off the weevils. For the future we shall know 
what to do. We shall leave our friends the sparrows to deal with 
this pest. How I wish they could come at the beetles.— 
J. CORNIIILL. 
[The specimens were submitted to our entomologist, whose 
remarks on the subject are as follow :— 
The beetles kindly forwarded by Mr. Cornhill and numbered 
1 and 2 belong to the genus Pterostichus. No. 3 is an Amara—the 
identification of the exact species must be left for the present, as 
in this difficult group it could not be made without a larger 
number of specimens. All the three are ground beetles or Cara- 
bidae, and are similar in habit. The small one belongs to a small 
group called “ sunshiners,” from their frequently showing them¬ 
selves when the sun shining upon their wing-cases exhibits them 
to advantage, and there is an old superstition which I may men¬ 
tion that it is very “unlucky” to kill an Amara. Concerning the 
attack made by these species upon the Strawberry, I would remark 
firstly that it was a likely circumstance to arise from the greatly 
increased culture of this plant that we should discover it had 
enemies previously overlooked, or had attracted to itself new 
depredators. The Carabidae, as a family, prey upon other insects 
and upon molluscous animals (snails, slugs, &c.). These latter are, 
as we know, constant pests in our Strawberry beds. In search of 
their wonted food these beetles would naturally resort to the 
places where this might probably be obtained ; nor is there any¬ 
thing exceedingly unusual in a carnivorous insect devouring fruit. 
The instance of the wasp occurs to us at once. Partial to our 
fruit as the insect is, it is also a wholesale slaughterer of other 
insects that it can conquer. Few creatures, again, are more inde¬ 
fatigable in hunting their prey down than are the centipedes, yet 
one of these revels in a ripe Peach or Plum. 
Now in dealing with such a case as this it is important to dis¬ 
tinguish between what may be accidental or temporary and what 
is fixed habit. These beetles and their near relatives have been 
for many years reputed to be useful in gardens rather than inju¬ 
rious, because they kill a variety of species both in their larval 
and mature states. Are we as yet entitled to reverse our general 
opinion of them ? If it were, however, considered needful to ex¬ 
tirpate them from the garden, no method would be satisfactory, 
I suppose, which only dealt with the beetles. The burrowing 
larvae or grubs would have to be destroyed on some one of the 
plans adopted in the case of the wireworm and other hard-skinned 
subterranean feeders. 
As the subject of beetles attacking Strawberries is now under 
notice I may mention that Phyllopertha horticola, also called the 
June bug, Bracken clock, or by anglers “ Cockerbundy ” (a corrup¬ 
tion of a Welsh name) is an old offender. In the “ Magazine of 
Natural History ” Mr. Bree writes : “ Being on a visit to Stafford¬ 
shire in the month of June I observed whole beds of Strawberries 
likely to prove nearly barren, though they had flowered copiously 
and the season was favourable. I was informed that the failure 
was owing to the * Bracken clock,’ which is accused of eating the 
anthers and interior parts of the blossom. In the same garden 
my attention was called to the ravages committed by this depre¬ 
dator on the Apples by gnawing holes in the young fruit, which 
consequently dies or falls off. I had been previously aware of 
the insect’s partiality for the buds and blossoms of the Rose, 
which it greedily devours.” 
Mr. Cornhill gives a very graphic description of his beetle foes. 
Miss Ormerod and some other friends of mine are much interested 
in this matter, and we hope to throw more light upon it soon. 
Upon the remark concerning the “ weevils ” I do not comment, 
feeling slightly in doubt whether we both attach the same mean¬ 
ing to that word, though Otiorhynclius sulcatus at least does infest 
Strawberries during some seasons.—J. R. S. C.] 
Rose Madame Gabriel Luizet.— In my paper in last week’s 
Journal I stated that I feared this fine Rose was not a Perpetual. I 
have just received a note from Mr. G. Mount of Harbledon near 
Canterbury, whose name I mentioned in it, in which he says, “ I have 
a plant growing in my garden which has now five buds on it, grow- 
