December 31, 1891. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
565 
the front boards of the shelves to hold the necks of the bottles, a 
strip of wood, unless the shelves are latticed, being also necessary 
to prevent slipping back. It is of the greatest importance that the 
bunches swing quite clear of the bottles, their own weight accom¬ 
plishing this if rather small bottles are suspended from rails. No 
particular kind of bottles are needed, though I prefer them to be 
of clear glass, and use a3 many soda water bottles as I cin get. 
There is nothing to be urged for or against using soft water or lumps 
of charcoal in water of any kind. The good charcoal does has never 
been apparent to me. I use nothing but clear hard water, and 
take good care that the wood reaches well into this, there being 
then no necessity for adding more later on. The bunches are cut 
with a good length of lateral growth attached, that part below the 
bunch only being trimmed so as to get it into the bottle easily. If 
need be the wood beyond the bunch can be inserted in the bottle, 
reversing the positions not affecting the keeping properties of the 
bunches in the least. Bottles must not be filled with water, or 
some of it may be driven or trickle out into the bunches; but there 
must be no mistake in a contrary direction, the wood not reaching 
the water, or shrivelling quickly ensues.—W. Iggulden. 
Novelties in Chrysanthemums. 
Having read with much interest Mr. Molyneux’s remarks on the 
above, and hints from other of your correspondents, I think I may 
venture to name some not mentioned up to date, knowing that many of 
your readers are on the alert for novelties of merit. The variet ies 
I am about to name are of American origin, except where otherwise 
mentioned. 
Flora McDonald. —A charming incurved variety of the Queen form ; 
a good deep solid flower of a creamy white tint, nearly as large as the 
above mentioned, and very tightly incurved. This is a really good 
variety of dwarf habit. 
Aeta is another incurved variety, somewhat like Mrs. Coleman in 
form but brighter in colour, having more gold about it ; very dwarf in 
habit, and should make a good front row flower. 
John Farwsll is ^charming, something after the form of Sunflower ; 
colour the brightest crimson. The flowers fill well, and are nearly as 
large as the above-mentioned, and keeps a long time in perfection, 
which alone should recommend it. This will make a good exhibition 
variety. 
Lizzie Cartledge has been mentioned I know, and received a certifi¬ 
cate. All I have to say of this—it is one of the strong growers, about 
5 feet high, promises to make a good show bloom. 
Harry E. Widener is a very promising variety of the bright yellow 
class, in this respect resambles Soleil Levant, though a larger and fuller 
flower ; the outer florets are split at the ends, giving the flower a chaste 
appearance. Height about 4 feet. 
Eliner D. Smith promises to be a charming variety of exquisite 
colour ; when opening reminds one of Triomphe du Nord, changing 
to almost the colour of M. N. Davis. The outer florets are long and 
flat, twisting somewhat like Mrs. .T. Wright in the centre. This is a 
good flower, quite distinct, and is a rather strong grower ; height about 
5 feet. I think this will become popular when better known. 
Franh Thomson is late with us, which may be remedied another year. 
This is a large flower, the petals incurving slightly, full in the middle ; 
colour creamy white centre, the outer florets blush pink; very 
promising. 
Mistletoe. —If this keeps its character it will be an acquisition ; in 
colour it is of the silvery pink class. A large spreading flower, about 
7 or 8 inches across ; the florets are incurved at the tips, while it is very 
full, the inner florets whirling in an extraordinary manner, very much 
resembling J. C. Price in this respect; dwarf in habit. 
Mrs. R. J. Baylis .—I am told this much resembles the new seedling 
Robert Owen in colour, though I have not seen it; the florets are 
broad and incurving. Very promising. 
Mrs. Needs. — The variety here mentioned was sent out from 
Chilwell this spring. It was much admired during our show. In form 
and colour it much resembles Belle Paule, though much dwarfer in 
habit; many visitors declared it superior to that esteemed kind. We 
had handsome blooms upon cut-down plants ; in fact, it seems to do 
better under this treatment than the general way of running up 
though our plants were not stopped early enough in the season. The 
middle of June would be about the right time. Tnis is a local seedling. 
E. G. Hill has turned out a good variety if not too late, though much 
may be done with management. The colour is of the brightest golden 
yellow, the florets broad and of rare substance; altogether a noble bloom. 
An award of merit was granted at the last meeting of the R.H.S. for 
this novelty. The variety is a very strong grower, Height 6 to 7 feet. 
Edwin Lonsdale .—I expected to have heard more of this, for it is one 
of the best of the deep purples. We have had fine solid blooms keeping 
for weeks, the blooms about 7 inches across by 4 inches deep. This- 
wants a long season, as it is one of the strong growers, producing an 
enormous amount of large foliage, which perhaps accounts for its 
scarcity at the exhibitions this season, through lack of sunshine. It 
should be stopped early, as the buds are a long time swelling. It does- 
well cut down the first week in May. 
Golden Mine. Pages will prove a very useful Christmas decorative- 
variety ; it is of the sweetest yellow, with silvery reverse, somewhat 
better in form than its parent, which itself is one of the most useful 
varieties for late work in existence. Hundreds of plants are now at 
their best in one of the large houses here. They were in strong 
demand for Christmas and will continue through January. This kind 
will be distributed from Chilwell in March.—J. Pithers. 
INSECTS OF THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
(Continued from page 4G9.') 
We have now reached the ant tribe, in our notice of a division 
of the four-winged insects, called the order of Hymenoptera. 
Every gardener knows ants full well; scarcely a garden is without 
its colony, or its several colonies, of some familiar species. 
Occasionally we find a foraging party has entered some house, 
drawn there by the attraction of ripe fruit perhaps, or it may be a 
predatory excursion in pursuit of other insects, or else they are 
seeking to regale themselves upon the juices of tender plants. A. 
great variety of opinion exists, as we might anticipate, on the 
question whether the small amount of benefit possibly derivable 
from the proceedings of ants entitles them to any mercy at our 
hands, or whether it is not quite overbalanced by the mischief they 
do. Amongst our borders and flower beds, however, the ants 
cannot be said to be conspicuous as troublesome insects ; some¬ 
times they raise unsightly hills on lawns or paths, and some people 
condemn them because they appear to be collectors and nurses of 
the aphis, which is one of our worst enemies in all departments of 
the garden. The late Mr. Wood maintained that in the flower beds 
ants were not injurious. He believed that they devoured many 
minute insects ; also that, like the bees, they might help fertilisation 
by carrying pollen attached to their bodies from one plant to 
another. Then in the case of choice flowers, such as the Rose, 
which ants might happen to frequent, he pointed out that they 
could easily be kept oil by winding round the stem a piece of 
cotton wool, which is an article through which they cannot pass. 
Again, as to their intrusions into houses. It has long been known by 
traders that if a chalk line be drawn round the top of a tub or cask 
the ants will not cross this to attack the contents. We may, there¬ 
fore, by rubbing some chalk along the edges of shelves in a 
greenhouse keep away ants from any pots that they seem likely to 
infest. If it should be thought necessary to diminish their numbers 
in a garden ants may be trapped by putting down slices of Apple, 
on which they will congregate in scores, or by laying along their 
haunts strips of rope that have been moistened with syrup. Their 
nests when discovered may be destroyed by the application of 
quicklime. Diluted petroleum is also used for this purpose, and 
also gaslime. Some gardeners fire off ants’ nests by dropping into 
them on a dry evening a small quantity of gunpowder, which they 
explode by a bit of touch-paper tied to the end of a long stick. 
Of the species occurring about gardens the yellow ant and a small 
brown species are the commoner, but some damage is also done to 
oldish fences by a black kind, which, however, cannot touch wood 
quite sound. 
In many districts the sand wasps are not unfrequent visitors to 
gardens, and they decidedly resemble the true wasps, their form 
being slender, the body banded or spotted, black, yellow, and red 
often occurring amongst them, hence they are rather conspicuous. 
A few of them, like the common Ammophila sabulosa, have long, 
spiny legs. This is about an inch in length, and distinguishes 
itself by being a busy destroyer of caterpillars. By means of its 
legs and jaws it excavates on some sandy bank a burrow or 
chamber into which it carries the caterpillar of some moth. Then 
an egg is laid, a second caterpillar obtained, and another egg 
follows, probably a third or a fourth ; for each a caterpillar is pro¬ 
vided. The burrow being closed, the insect commences another, 
and so proceeds till all her eggs are laid. This, therefore, is a 
beneficial insect, but its relative, the hairy sand wasp (A. viatica) 
occupies a different position, because it chiefly attacks spiders ; 
and though we must allow that the webs of spiders are not 
ornamental in garden walks, yet they certainly dispose of a large 
number of flies and other insects, troublesome to us in various 
ways. It is, however, a curious instance of retribution in Nature, 
that spiders, great killers of insects, should form the special prey 
of one species of insect. The spider, however, that is their mark 
is not one of the web-weavers, but one of the hunters, which 
