May 9, 1895. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
405 
-The Poisonous Principle of Primula obconica. —Dr. 
Riehl of Vienna University, says the “ English Mechanic,” has been 
experimenting with the poison of the Primula obconica. It was found 
that the tiny hairs on the leaf and stalks irritated the skin, and gave 
rise to swellings and inflammation. Dr. Riehl succeeded in extracting 
the poison, and, by means of injections with it, claims to have healed 
more than one obstinate skin disease. His experiments are not yet 
completed, but they are stated to promise good results. 
- Trop^OLUM tuberosum. —In the spring of 1893 Mr. Orchard 
vary kindly sent me two or three tubers of this Tropseolum, which were 
planted on a south border. No flowers of consequence were produced the 
first year, A thick mulching of leaf soil was laid over the surface in 
the autumn, and in spite of the 24° frost experienced on the 5th and 
6th January, 1894, strong sucker-like growths came up in the following 
April. During the summer and early autumn the growth was excep. 
tionally free, the bright orange and scarlet flowers being produced in 
abundance, continuing until the plants were cut down by frost. After 
the experience of the previous winter I had no thought or doubt of the 
hardiness of this Tropaeolum. The usual mulching was given, but, alas ! 
not with the same or anything like similar results. I greatly fear the 
whole mass of tubers, which had increased so fast as to cover a space 
fully 2 feet in diameter, is killed. I am exceedingly sorry for this 
mishap, as the plant was thought highly of by all who saw it. The 
densely growing leafage forms such an excellent setting for the showy 
blossoms, which are so freely produced in September and October. It 
would be useless to attempt to grow this plant in any but a sunny spot, 
as owing to the gross growth and the lateness of flowering poor results 
would be obtained in a shady site.—E. Molyneux. 
-Grafting Old Trees, —It is now past the grafting season for 
the year, but there can be no harm any the more in discussing the ques¬ 
tion, what are, so far as the stock tree is concerned, the best conditions 
for the production of a fine robust head in the earliest space of time. 1 
was reading recently in one of the papers some rather hot comments on 
the practice advocated of grafting old trees rather hard back, and 
advising in place grafting on many branches high up. Now, I do not 
claim to have had so much experience in this direction as some of 
your readers, but all the same I have had in my life a good deal, and I 
invariably adopted the practice of grafting as hard back as I well could, 
and with the very beat results. On the other hand, I have seen many 
trees grafted high up, but never with to me, whatever they may have 
been to the operators, satisfactory results. My experience, and it began 
some forty-five years ago, invariably was that beheading old trees back 
to some three or four of the stoutest branches, and within a couple of 
feet or so of the break from the main stem, putting on two, three, or 
four stout hard grafts as big as a man’s finger, very tightly driven 
home and wedged, then tied and clayed, always gave the first year stout 
sturdy growths, of which in the winter the weaker could be removed, 
the rest partially shortened back, and thus was laid the foundation of 
what became in three years a splendid head. Such results have come 
in scores of cases. But when a tree is beheaded so sparingly that it has 
some twenty to thirty comparatively small branches to be grafted 
smaller grafts are used, and some invariably fail. Then, because of the 
wide disposal of the sap force in the tree, growths are at the first always 
weak. Again, because there is so much area of stem left on the stock, 
growths that are but robbers break out all over it, and unless these are 
carefully pulled, give immense trouble. When closely headed back such 
trouble is minimised, and the graft growth, because of the concentration 
of the sap force, is so much stronger. I have seen no reason to alter my 
preference for low-down grafting.—A, D. 
SPRING BUTTERFLIES. 
That the majority of British gardeners have no very little admira¬ 
tion for butterflies is a fact. I believe, yet as a tribe of insects they are 
not markedly enemies of flowers, fruit, or vegetables. Oertainly the 
first butterflies that emerge in spring somewhat numerously, the familiar 
whites of our gardens, are the parents of a brood of trouble.some 
caterpillars, but most species that we see at flowers do no barm. Indeed, 
we might consider them adornments to the scene, giving an agreeable 
addition by their beauty and lively movements. Perhaps during the 
spring more than any other season butterflies attract our nouce both in 
the open country and in gardens, because for five or six months in»ect 
life has been dormant. People have, however, said of but'erflies 
generally that they appear to be lazy members of the insect race, mere 
honey sippers—quite a contrast to bees, ants, and many diligent species. 
A butterfly’s life is short, and does not call it to active effort except for 
the continuance of the species, but it is, probably, a useful insect in a 
way that might not be supposed, that is, when wandering from flower to 
flower it sometimes assists the fertilisation of plants by conveying 
pollen, or dislodging it from the anthers. 
I have spoken of butterflies as insects that indicate the arrival of 
spring, but occasional specimens are visible in the early months of the 
year, though not in a severe season like that of 1895. These are 
hybernaters, whose winter residence is in wood and haystacks, hollow 
trees, or odd nooks, out of which a day of milder temperature draws 
them for a brief excursion. In January and February it is not unusual 
to see the brimstone butterfly, or one of the tortoiseshells. The peacock 
and the painted lady may come forth on a fine March day, but not 
till April do butterflies newly hatched from the chrysalis show them¬ 
selves. The first 1 saw in North Kent this year was on the 17th ult., a 
large white. The small garden white usually precedes that species by a 
few days, sometimes it emerges at the beginning of the month should the 
season be forward. This is an insect quite at home in the heart of 
cities, where butterflies seldom abide, breeding yearly in the gardens and 
squares of London where various ornamental Cruciferous plants, 
Tropseolums, Mignonette, and others furnish food to the caterpillar, 
which, like its big relative, also devours vegetables of that order in 
kitchen gardens, on which eggs have been placed by the parents daring 
the spring or summer, for both species are double-brooded. 
One of our familiar writers on garden insects remarks that the 
butterflies appearing during April and May should be hunted down 
mercilessly, since it is easier to kill the mother insect than the fifty or 
sixty caterpillars that will be her descendants. We are not, however 
yet used to the sight of a gardener improving " the shining hour ” by 
rushing about with a green or white net in hand, but it is advisable to 
reduce the numbers of the spring brood as far as possible, by searching 
for and removing eggs and young caterpillars from their food plants. It 
is owing to the fact of the first hatch frequently escaping notice, because 
gardeners have so much to occupy them in the spring, that the succeed¬ 
ing summer brood is apt to be more numerous and destructive, especially 
to Cabbages or allied culinary species. 
Where the smaller butterfly, the Pieris rapae, does unsuspected 
mischief, is by its artful habit of working into the heart of a Cabbage 
while young, and lying concealed there till adult. As it happens, the 
detection of the egg is not easy, but if we light on one others are probably 
not far off; they 'are usually placed singly, being like tiny sugar- 
loaves, only with numerous ribs. The young caterpillar on emergence 
begins life by eating its egg-shell, an odd performance it seems to us ; 
but the same habit prevails amongst many species. About the second 
week in May they are appearing on the leaves ; many of them may be 
washed off by tobacco water, any soapy solution, and other compounds 
found efficacious in the removal of juvenile caterpillars. Though in 
colour they closely resemble the leaves, birds discover them, and reduce 
their numbers, the common sparrow eats them, and they are said to be 
sought by the thrush, also by the wren. 
That the large white (Pieris Brassiere) in its caterpillar stage also 
furnishes food to some birds is unquestionable, but some insect-eaters 
shun it, probably deterred by its very unpleasant odour, which is an 
additional cause of annoyance when it is found devouring vegetables. 
On the average, it is more mischievous than the smaller species, and it 
has this peculiarity, that there seems to be a succession of the butterflies 
of the summer brood, so that caterpillars are to be found quite on till 
autumn, even to the end of October some years. Frequently the eggs 
are laid in clusters of eight to twelve, each being like a miniature nine- 
pin. When newly hatched the caterpillars of each batch feed together 
awhile, which is a help to their detection. The eggs are, of course, best 
removed before the time of hatching, if observed. 
Our crops of Cabbages, Cauliflowers, Broccoli, and also Turnips, 
would, however, suffer far more than they do from this butterfly were it 
not for the exertions of a tiny ichneumon fly, the Microgaster glome- 
ratus, a four-winged insect, which, under the microscope, is seen to 
display a beautiful opalescence and metallic brilliancy. Dozens of its 
grubs live within a single caterpillar residing between the skin and 
muscles, they devour its fat, but do not kill the caterpillar until it has 
nearly, or quite, attained to its full size, and is preparing to change 
into a pupa. Then they issue forth, and decorate the wasted carcase 
with their numerous golden cocoons, common on walls and palings in 
winter, yielding a new spring brood of useful flies. 
May brings to our gardens the showy and active butterfly, the Red 
Admiral, or was it at first “admirable,” because of its bold colouring? 
yet another name for it was the “ alderman,” its red and black hues 
reminding people of the gowns that some aldermen wore. Swift and 
courageous is Vanessa Atalanta, not limited in its taste for sweets to the 
honey of flowers, for it often visits ripe fruit, and delights to come on 
an exudation of sap. Somehow, it has lately got a bad character, and 
has been referred to as an enemy of orchards, but it does no appreciable 
mischief, even when it is abundant. The caterpillar feeds on the 
Nettle, so do those of the small tortoiseshell and peacock butterfly in the 
same genus, and they have been placed on the list of useful species, 
being large consumers of what is a troublesome garden weed. Years 
ago the common butterfly was not unusual about gardens during May, 
the caterpillars feeding later upon the Red Currant, also upon the 
Hop. It has now become very scarce and local. 
In the good old times we read of thefruit trees suffering from the attacks 
of the Hawthorn butterfly or black-veined white, its caterpillars being 
not unfrequent even near London. As a British species it has become 
comparatively rare, though on the Continent it is still complained of, 
and some seasons thousands of the caterpillars appear about orchards, 
selecting for their spring food both leaf and blossom buds.— 
Entomologist. 
