68 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
January 25, 1894. 
flower of December, that the terribly exacting tropical breath of 
last summer destroyed its leaves, and that it has not yet had time 
to recover its normal strength. 
Lilac Primroses are at present in luxuriant bloom. Lilium 
candidum, the vigorous Madonna Lily, is a veritable evergreen ; 
L, longiflorum Harris!, which so greatly glorified my garden last 
summer, has for some weeks been steadily growing above ground. 
It has not been affected in the slightest degree by the recent 
severe atmospheric visitation, though I have always been assured 
that if it was planted in November in the open ground, and grew 
(as is its tendency) prematurely, the frost would cut it down. It 
has, nevertheless, withstood heroically the severest weather we 
have experienced in Scotland for many years. Lilium candidum 
and L. longifiorum, though invariably the first to make their 
ever-welcome and hope-imparting appearance above the soil, are by 
no means the earliest to come into flower. Nature has reserved 
this honour for Lilium davuricum (sometimes called umbellatum), 
a lustrous native of Siberia, which last year was in full bloom in 
the Royal Gardens at Kew in the middle of May. It is closely 
allied to Lilium croceum, which, though one of the most familiar, 
is also one of the most beautiful of Eastern Lilies. 
Among the Roses which I have recently introduced into my 
garden are Corinna, Duchess of Albany, and Princess May, 
Waltham productions of much interest and attractiveness ; Mrs. 
Harkness, which bears the name of its Yorkshire raisers ; Miss 
May Rivers, an exquisite Rose, possessing highly artistic associa¬ 
tions ; Waban and The Bride, charming daughters from America 
of Catherine Mermet, which I have planted for the sake of 
comparing their characteristics side by side ; and the famous 
Crimson Rambler, a brilliant representative of the Polyantha family 
from the Royal Nurseries at Slough. All of these are distinct, 
and splendid acquisitions.— David R. Williamson. 
THE LATEST ABOUT EARWIGS. 
The name of this insect used to be familiarly given to a person 
•who was apt to pour malicious tales into people’s ears, acting 
insidiously, after the manner of an earwig. The allusion is so far 
interesting, as it shows the prevalence of a belief that the insect 
'had a fancy for entering the ears of men or animals, and in 
consequence the popular name has been the subject of much 
discussion. Several entomologists of note have endeavoured to 
prove that the rightful name of this insect is the “ earwig,” because 
the wings, which are beautiful objects when unfolded, have some 
resemblance in shape to the ear. But really, it is not likely that 
many centuries ago anybody had observed these wings, and this 
seems an afterthought. It is an insect fond of hiding in dark 
places, therefore it would not be surprising were one to creep into 
the ear of a person lying on the ground for instance. Still, as the 
result of inquiries amongst gardeners and many others, I must state 
that I have never yet had proof that an earwig entered the ear of 
anyone, though I have known fleas and small beetles do this. 
Some doubt has been expressed whether earwigs use the 
forceps at the tail as a weapon. They certainly do so, but not 
readily, and indeed they do not seem dexterous in wielding the 
forceps for that purpose. This may be easily demonstrated if 
one be thrown into a spider’s web. It will try desperately to 
strike the spider, but never succeeds, but these useful spinners 
do not help to reduce the number of earwigs, as they seem to 
dislike them, and eject them from their webs. I have had 
several instances of persons getting a sharp nip from an earwig, 
the forceps taking effect even through a glove. Sometimes the 
pain is severe during a short time, and a mark is left which remains 
for several days. In the garden, however, our chief complaint 
against the earwig is its biting propensities as exercised upon 
flowers, leaves, and fruit, more particularly the first. Of all 
favourite flowers the Dahlia is an earwig’s speciality, but the 
i^ects devour the petals of many species, and last season, when 
very a,bundant, they were frequently found lurking in 
^e blooms of China Asters and Chrysanthemums. The grower of 
Roses finds the earwig infesting his favourites, lodged, it may be, 
in the matting by which a standard tree is tied to its support, 
or hidden in the fork of a branch. Earwigs also conceal them¬ 
selves in leaves that are folded over or curved from some cause, 
such as the operations of a Tortrix caterpillar. Fruit also attracts 
earwigs, especially what is full ripe or partly decaying. No insect, 
perhaps, can be said to be more dexterous in concealing itself when 
mature, and while juvenile it exercises equal caution; indeed, 
Its life IS then chiefly passed under the soil. During the winter 
It IS easy to discover earwings under the bark of trees, often in 
small parties, and occasionally near the ground we detect a family 
party, consisting of earwigs in various stages of growth, the 
juvenile specimens being paler than the adults, also lacking 
forceps and wings. Evidently the winter does not kill all our 
enemies of the summer brood ; some survive till spring. It is 
likely most of these are females, the attention of which to their 
progeny is one of the marked peculiarities of earwig life. As, 
whether young or old, an earwig has no skill in digging, it cannot 
burrow into hard ground, and prefers moist, loose earth in its 
early stage, but we may find them sometimes under heavy stones, 
and wonder how they came there, with other companion insects. 
Seldom as is the common earwig noticed in the act of flying, 
the summer of 1893 proved positively that the species can use its 
wings freely, for swarms were found in the upper rooms of many 
country houses, to which they had not climbed by use of their 
legs. They were often noticed close to the windows in the act of 
closing up their wings, this operation being carefully performed by 
the forceps. Each wing is first made into wrinkles or folds, like 
those of a fan, then it is dexterously turned over and doubled. 
Some have thought the insect has also to open out its wings 
with the forceps. This seems not to be the case ; they are ex¬ 
panded by the influence of the air. Doubtless the earwig gains 
access to stoves and plant houses, as well as dwellings, by means of 
its wings ; but the common earwig is not partial to flying. The 
little earwig (Lebia minor), a species not so frequently observed by 
gardeners as is its relative, is rather more inclined to fly both by 
day and night. Neither species, however, can accomplish any 
migration to a long distance off. What caused the profusion of 
earwigs in many districts during the summer of 1893 still remains 
unexplained. Throughout the south of England they were about 
earlier than usual, owing probably to the warmth of the summer, 
and at the time they generally infest Dahlias there was a marked 
reduction in their numbers. 
With some insects we are able to adopt preventive measures by 
destroying part of the brood while they are in the egg state ; but 
this is not possible with the earwig, since the eggs are only occa¬ 
sionally seen, the mother insect hiding them under stones or loose 
earth. Entomologists state that she watches these most carefully, 
and will even remove them from one place to another if they are 
in any danger. It is likely that the fibrils of roots afford the chief 
food to young earwigs, but friends of this insect have suggested 
that at all ages it is sometimes predatory, and several times one 
has been noticed carrying a small insect in its jaws. 
Some Continental naturalists have asserted that the larvae of 
the troublesome Hessian fly are hunted for and then devoured by 
earwigs. A correspondent of one of our scientific journals tells us 
that he has repeatedly watched conflicts between ants and earwigs, 
and in these the ants are invariably the victors by sheer force of 
numbers, the slaughtered earwigs being then carried into the ants’ 
citadel. For awhile, however, an earwig will make desperate 
resistance, and succeed in killing some of the ants by impaling them 
upon the forceps. Many of our gardeners trap earwigs by the old 
plan of inverted flower pots put upon sticks, and we may still see 
lobster claws in cottage gardens similarly employed ; but the best 
earwig traps are small tubes a few inches long, plugged at one end, 
and hung with the open end downwards against a stem or stick. 
During the night many enter these, and they can be easily shaken 
out and killed. A friend reports that he has destroyed hundreds 
by the yet more simple expedient of lodging in shrubs and garden 
hedges sheets of newspaper loosely folded, which capture not only 
earwigs but other insects.— Entomologist. 
BRUSSELS SPROUTS. 
When recently at Hackwood Park, Mr. Bowerman drew my attention 
to a breadth of Dwarf Gem Brussels Sprouts, of which he spoke 
in the highest terms as being so specially suited for culture on rich deep 
garden soil. The plants range to a height of about 16 inches, and 
were literally covered with firm green sprouts, round as bullets. 
Elsewhere, for earlier work, were breadths of Northern Prize and 
Paragon, both excellent forms, but they had lately given off 
their produce. The Dwarf Gem seems to be specially suited for late 
sprouting, and if the stems be less tall than are those of large-sprouted 
varieties, at least the plants can be put out much closer together. The 
common tendency to grow Brussels Sprouts far too large and coarse 
in rich soils, is to be regretted. Not a few other vegetable growers have 
ere now found that out, hence the value to them of a variety that gives 
all that can be desired in sprouts on soils that must be kept deeply 
worked and enriched for the benefit of other crops.—A. D. 
Brussels Sprouts Decaying. 
I should like to ask your numerous contributors whether they have 
noticed any marked increase in this evil during the past two months. 
It always appears to be a point upon which we require enlightening. 
Some seasons it is far more prevalent than others. Last year I noticed 
very little of its bad effects, but it is very bad in some places this year. 
Most of us are ready to believe the large sprouts are more liable to the 
evil than the little firm bullets produced by some varieties. Although 
