270 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 21, 1893, 
their gardens; in consequence the mature insects fall from the dogs 
and deposit their eggs, the young mites, as already noted, subsisting 
upon sap at first till they are strong enough to fasten on animals. Jt 
is curious that next to dogs the animals most infested by them are 
bats and snakes. On the Continent people much plagued by ticks 
have found advantage in applying to the skin strong tobacco water. 
The beetle mites of the genus Oribates are little known in 
Britain, having rather escaped observation so far, though they may 
be almost as numerous with us as they are in France. Individuals 
have occasionally been observed amongst Orchids, or shaken from 
the moss and sphagnum used in the cultivation of some kinds, and 
companies have been found under the bark of fruit trees, or hiding 
amongst lichens. Boisduval considers these mites are friends to 
horticulture, since he has had proof that they devour the eggs of 
thrips and other insects detrimental to choice plants. Their name 
was suggested by their beetle-like aspect under a glass, the body 
being rounded, black, and shining, with curious hairs or tubercles; 
the legs have double claws, yet their movements are slow. Also the 
beetle mites have no eyes, nor a sucker, but feed by means of 
mandibles. One naturalist says these mites should be “ encouraged ” 
if we knew how. 
Rather a familiar object to us in country gardens these autumn 
days is the beetle Geotrupes stercorarius, possessor of several English 
names, such as the dor, the dumble-dor, and the watchman. We 
notice it dragging itself laboriously along the paths during daylight, 
and after dusk it careers clumsily about, having a habit of knocking 
against our persons, thereby bringing itself to grief. We see the point 
of one of its names when we take one of these useful beetles up 
and find that it is weighted with a load of mites, which hold on 
tightly to the body and thighs. The humble bees that we see visit¬ 
ing the later flowers of the season may be observed bearing about 
as they fly undesirable companions of the same kind, and though 
they seem indifferent such parasites cannot tend to the benefit of the 
insects thus infested. A young lady of my acquaintance sometimes 
occupies herself in freeing this “shard-borne beetle” from its encum¬ 
brances if she comes upon a specimen. It is observable that the 
mites seldom live long when removed, appearing to be unable to 
re-attach themselves to another victim. These mites are Gamasids, 
some of them having the skin horny all over; in others it is soft and 
pliant. In colour they are yellowish or brown. They have man¬ 
dibles with nippers, and a sort of sucker peculiar to themselves ; also 
they are eyeless. On the supposition that in their early stage of 
life they feed upon manure or amongst damp earth, we may under¬ 
stand how, when they change their food, they can soon transfer 
themselves to beetles and humble bees. Gamasus marginatus is the 
commonest of the group, being about as large as the head of a good- 
sized pin. A smaller Gamasid occurs upon some garden beetles, 
crowded together on the under side of the insect. The mites look 
like a number of tiny shining scales or cocci. Occasionally they are 
piled upon each other, and if an attempt is made to remove them it 
is discovered that every mite is secured by a small tough thread. 
Some species of this family occur upon the shores of the ocean, and 
a too well-known very prolific species is the so-called tick that 
annoys canaries and ether small birds, also domestic poultry. This 
is Dermanyssus avium, and it seems to be a bloodsucker throughout 
its history. It has been found in colonies of all ages upon birds, 
and under some circumstances may doubtless infest human beings. 
The H 3 popidae are also parasitic upon other insects, specially on 
many flies that are common in gardens ; but some attack beetles 
and bees. They possess a sucker, though jaws seem to be wanting. 
The front pair of legs are elongated, and the body is smooth and 
velvety. They are supposed to undergo some very singular trans¬ 
formations ; but these are imperfectly known, owing to the minute 
size of the mites. De Geir was the first naturalist who noticed 
them. They were detected by him in 1735 occurring upon house 
flies and allied species in such numbers that the thorax and abdomen 
of the insects appeared to have a sort of coating. When removed 
the mites could run rapidly. Those that live upon beetles some¬ 
times conceal themselves in a cluster under the wing cases ; and we 
must conclude that with these, and still more with flies, the attacks 
of such mites tend to check their increase, and as parasites they 
have their utility. Some of the French scientists think that the 
Hypopidse may be frequently feeders upon vegetable matters when 
young, since in 1873 and 1874 the Mushroom crops about Paris 
sustained damage from a mite which was presumed to be one of 
these species in an early stage.— Entomologist. 
PLAIN WORDS ON PRUNING FRUIT TREES. 
Of all the various branches in the art of gardening there is not one 
which requires more skill and experience than the care of fruit trees. 
To the world in general this may appear to be one of the easiest of a 
gardener s duties, to the true gardener it is a pleasant mental and 
manipulative occupation. Few amateurs understand the subject of 
pruning, and being afraid of making mistakes put oil the work from 
day to day, until it is too late to act effectively. Yet amateurs should 
learn something of the art in question. Every house should have a 
garden attached capable of producing enough fruit for home con¬ 
sumption, and what more interesting change for a man who has been 
engaged in a close office or workshop all day than to spend an hour or 
so in his fruit garden in the evening? The trees must be trainefl, and 
useless shoots removed that would obstruct the light and prevent the for¬ 
mation of fruit buds. The amateur who wishes to learn how to prune 
should try and make acquaintance with a practical gardener who will 
give him a few lessons. Then the gardening papers distribute useful 
information. Every person interested in gardening should take in at 
least one of them weekly, and he will find in a few years that he has 
made a good investment. 
As there are different kinds of trees so there are different kinds of 
pruning—for instance, summer pruning, winter pruning, and root- 
pruning, and I should like to write a few plain words about them. 
Summer Pruning. 
This chiefly consists in pinching back side shoots to induce them to 
form fruit spurs and prevent overcrowding. It is very important to 
keep the head of the tree open to admit sun for ripening and colouring 
the fruit and maturing the wood. A young bush tree may have half a 
dozen branches, and if fruit spurs are formed on these there will be very 
little to cut away ; but the natural inclination of young trees is to 
make wood. 
The pruner must exercise judgment in determining the shoots to cut 
away and those he must leave. He must keep well in his mind’s eye 
the future formation of his tree, and not stop the growth of the leading 
shoots required for extension. If a tree were allowed to grow in its 
natural manner it would be many years before it would bear fruit. A 
tree first devotes its energies to making wood, and not until the branches 
are well developed and vigour subdued does it produce heavy crops 
of fruit; but as good land is often scarce and dear, and life short. 
Art must step in and assist Nature to induce early fructification. 
Peach Trees in Summer. — These call for more than ordinary 
attention. All useless wood must be cut away, and the shoots for the 
next year’s crop neatly laid in, as the Peach bears its fruit on the young 
wood. Snoots that start from the old wood should be encouraged to 
keep the tree well clothed with foliage ; there are no bare branches on a 
Peach tree that has been well looked after. The shoots for bearing next 
season must be selected as near the base of the fruiting branch as 
possible. Do not bruise or in any way damage the tree, for gumming 
would certainly occur in the bruised part, and eventually the branch 
would die, spoiling the shape of the tree. 
Fig Trees. —The summer pruning of the Fig consists in thinning out 
the young shoots similar to that recommended for the Peach, In the 
Fig tree the embryo fruit is formed near the apex of the shoot late in the 
summer, therefore it must not be shortened in winter. The best plan to 
adopt is to lay in two shoots, one for bearing and the other to be cut 
back, as will be explained in winter pruning. The fruit formed in 
summer that obtains any size larger than a pea would, if left, drop off 
in the following spring. If the fruit can be seen in August it will not 
become perfect in the following season. The best plan to adopt is to 
rub off all small Figs that can be seen in the month named. Old trees 
do not make much wood, and in favourable situations produce good 
crops. 
Cherry Trees. —These require attention during the summer in pinch¬ 
ing young side growths to four good leaves, for inducing the formation 
of fruit buds to form. The upper part of the tree should be pruned a 
week before the remainder to strengthen the lower branches and check 
the upper ones, so as to have equality in growth all over the tree. These 
remarks apply to Sweet Cherries. Morellos require different treatment. 
They make more slender growths, and generally form fruit buds the 
whole length of the shoots, oftentimes with only a terminal wood bud. 
The treatment should be similar to that given to the Peach—namely, 
young growths laid in to take the place of the fruiting shoots, which are 
to be cut out in the winter. Standard trees do not require much 
summer pruning after the tree is formed. Plum trees should be treated 
similarly to early or dessert Cherries. 
Rasjyherries. —Suckers should be removed in the summer with the 
exception of three or four, from which the next year’s crop is expected, 
and these trained to a stake. Those tied to it should also be thinned 
and evenly disposed for producing stout canes for ripening. 
Bush Fruits. —These, whether Gooseberries or Currants, should not 
be allowed to grow into a thicket in the summer, as that practice prevents 
fruit, whereas our object is to produce it. This is accomplished by so 
thinning and shortening the breastwood in summer that the sun can 
shine into the bushes. Fruit generally follows the sun, barrenness the 
shade caused by crowding. 
Strawberries. —The pruning (if it can be so called) of these consist 
in cutting away all runners except those required for layering to form 
new plantations, and after the fruit is gathered all old and useless 
leaves, to admit light and air to proper ripen the crowns. 
Apples and Pears. —The summer pruning of these consists in pinch¬ 
ing the side shoots to four or five good leaves, and subsequent growths 
to one leaf. This leads to the formation of fruit buds, but care must be 
taken to leave the leading shoots unpinched ; also the formation of 
young trees must be considered. If the tree was started with four 
branches, and these shortened in winter, the next year it should have 
