Jiine 9, 1892. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
487 
PARIS GREEN AND RED SPIDER. 
Referring to the note on page 395 from Messrs. Blundell and 
Spence respecting using “ pure ” Paris green, I believe I am correct in 
stating that what I found so effectual in clearing a large Rose tree of 
maggots, or to be more precise, the caterpillars which are so snugly 
rolled up in the foliage, and which gnaw away at the Rose buds, 
was supplied by Messrs. Blundell & Spence to the experimental com¬ 
mittee at Evesham in the spring of 1890 on the recommendation of 
Miss E. A. Ormerod. If there is any improvement since so much the 
better. It is now too late, I fear, to recommend its adoption to stay 
the damage already done, except to prove its efiBcacy with a view to be 
in time another season, at least a month earlier, when the caterpillars 
are young, and before the Rose buds are advanced beyond the foliage. 
The recommendation of Paris green for red spider on Gooseberry bushes 
and as a remedy for green fly opens a wide field for discussion. 
I can speak from personal observation on seeing a large plantation 
of Gooseberry bushes freed from red spider by using a solution of Paris 
green and water, but I was not so sure in my own mind w’hether it was 
the water or the Paris green which should have the chief credit, although 
Paris green had it by the grower. The subject is well worth working 
out by experiments. I know I can clear my bushes with pure pump 
water without any risk through spraying a poisonous substance on the 
fruit. At the present time I think it would be suicidal to our objects to 
recommend Paris green on fruit or Gooseberry bushes. The question 
arises, Do red spiders actually eat the leaves or only suck the sap, and 
produce that sickly unhealthy appearance ? My idea is they simply 
live on the juice or sap ; the leaves are not eaten, as in the case of 
caterpillars. If they actually take in the poison of Paris green, has it 
first been imbibed into the sap of the plant 1 The same inquiries apply 
even more distinctly in the case of green fly. We know, without doubt, 
that they live by suction. Or does Paris green kill by bodily contact, as 
in the case of soapy mixtures, paraffin, &c. 1 have made microscopical 
examinations of both leaves and insects infested with red spider and 
green fly, but I have not the time to devote to the working-out of the 
problems suggested.—J. Hi AM, Astioood Bank, Redditoh. 
are fond of assembling in little parties, flying rapidly over the 
ground with a pleasant hum. The females excavate burrows in 
company along the same bank or slope. Like the hive bee, the 
humble bee is social in its habits ; yet the government is not a 
monarchy, but a republic. Every season these insects, the Bimbi, 
appear frequently in our gardens ; their very sonorous hum never 
fails to let us know when they are about, and we are indebted to 
them, let us remember, for assisting to fertilise many flowers. It 
is needful to note this, because some have represented these 
insects as enemies both to flowers and fruit trees, owing to their 
having been caught in the act of biting holes in the blossoms. 
There is a reason for this. The size of the humble bee prevents it 
from entering some flowers that have long corollas, and instinct 
teaches it to obtain honey and pollen by making an incision. But 
only the petals of a few flowers are seriously disfigured, and the 
benefits conferred by the bee are more than equivalent. Still, it 
is also needful to state that though the humble bee is supposed 
by many people to be stingless, the females possess stings, which 
the stone humble bee (B. lapidarius) and the wood species 
(B. lucorum) are quite ready to employ, particularly if their nests 
are attacked. 
These, however, are less noticeable in gardens than is the 
carder bee (B. muscorum), which is of gentler disposition, seldom 
showing fight even if its nest is intruded upon. This is placed 
upon the ground, occasionally amongst a mixed growth of plants ; 
it may chance to be amongst grass only. It has a dome, and is 
well lined with moss and other materials, carded or “ heckled ” by 
the bees, the founder of each nest being a female that has hyber- 
nated, as amongst the wasps. Humble bees have nearly the same 
number of males, females, and neuters. A nest may contain from 
200 to 300 individuals. Though honey is to be discovered in some 
of their neats, it is not advisable to eat it, for it is apt to cause 
severe headache, though its flavour is very agreeable. — 
Entomologist. 
stock. The seedlings, however, are most variable, and we have seen, 
nothing with the brilliant flowers of Dr. Murray’s original, although a 
good many at Kew are taller, much freer, and with larger bright rose- 
coloured flowers. There can be little doubt that out of these seedlings 
will evolve one of our very finest herbaceous border plants. They are as 
HEUCHERAS. 
To come in with the lion and go out with the lamb seems to be the fate 
in store for the loveliest of the Heucheras, H. sanguinea. It was collected 
about a dozen years ago by Dr. Murray in the Porphey mountains of 
Llanos. He brought home five living plants in an open basket, and 
from these the hundreds of thousands in commerce at the present 
time have been obtained. It is still said to be the finest introduction 
of recent years, and such also is my opinion, in spite of the difficulty 
one has in getting anything like an annual show of flowers from the old 
type. Everyone has the same complaint to make ; it flowers for a year 
or two all right, but nothing will induce it to continue blooming in the 
same spot, and there seems nothing left but to seed it and raise fresh 
FIG. 75. —HEUCHERA SANGUINEA SEEDLING FROM THE KEW 
COLLECTION. 
a rule much more robust, never fail to give abundance of flowers, the 
blooms are larger, more numerous, and altogether more effective. Kew 
seems to have hit on a good strain, amongst which we also notice one 
with pure white flowers, dainty in its way, but by no means so showy as 
the other seedlings. 
The Heucheras as a whole are not garden plants, only three species. 
