July U. THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 273 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
M 
W 
JULY 14—20, 1853. 
Weather near London in 1852. 
Sun 
Sun 
Moon 
Moon’s 
Clock 
Day of 
Year. 1 
1) 
D 
1 
Barometer. 1 Thermo. 
| 
Wind. Itain in In. 
Rises. 
Sets. 
R. & S. 
Age. 
af. Sun. 
14 
Th 
Large Pals Shark. 
1 ^ r 
29 993 —29-923 81—60 
E. 20 
1 
10 
11 54 
8 
5 30 
195 
15 
F 
St. Swithin. 
2!).939' —29.898 87—53 
S. — 
2 
9 
1 morn. 
9 
5 36 
196 
16 
s 
Bordered Gothic; Norfolk. 
29.916 — 29 . 747 , 87—62 
29.811 —29.738 73—52 
E. I .60 
3 
8 
o 16 
10 
5 42 
197 
17 
Sun 
8 Sunday after 'Trinity. 
s.w. 01 
5 
7 
0 45 
11 
5 4 7 
198 j 
IS 
M 
Peach Blossom ; wood sides. 
29.890 —29.820 79—50 
W. — 
6 
6 
1 23 
12 
5 52 
199 
U) 
To 
Willow Beauty ; woods. 
30.003 — 29 945 77—56 
S.W. , — 
7 
5 
2 14 
13 
5 67 
200 
20 
W 
Light Emerald ; bushy pi. 
30.034 — 29 . 973 ! 74—54 
S.W. 91 
8 
4 
rises. 
© 
6 0 
201 
Meteorology ok the Week. —At Chiswick, from observations 
94°, occurred on 
the 17th in 1834 
: and the lowest 
cold, 39 c 
, on the 
daring the last twenty-six years, the average highest and lowest tem- 
l peraturcs of these days are 74.3° and 52.6° respectively. The greatest heat, 
18th in 1851. During the period 
fell. 
104 days 
were fine, and on 78 rain 
THE DART MOTH. 
This insect known also as the Winter Moth, and by the 
more appropriate name of the Corn Moth, is the Agrotis 
segetvm of entomo¬ 
logists. When the 
farmer finds his 
young wheat wither¬ 
ing away before the 
attacks of some un¬ 
derground enemy, 
he usually attributes 
the destruction to 
“ the Wireworm.” 
Almost as fre¬ 
quently, however, 
the real enemy is 
the caterpillar of 
the Dart Moth, and 
so serious are its 
inroads, that some fifteen years since the Russian govern¬ 
ment offered a reward for the discovery of a means of de¬ 
stroying this marauder, and in 1839, it was the subject of 
the London Entomological Society’s Prize Essay. 
“ This caterpillar attacks both the leaves and roots of the 
corn; by eating them off destroys the crop, and causes whole 
fields to be ploughed up. From many observations, the 
corn suffers most in rich soils in warm situations, and par¬ 
ticularly in those fields which were early sown. It does not 
coniine its ravages to corn alone, but attacks the roots of 
lettuce, turnips, and spinach ; and on this account deserves 
no less the attention of the kitchen-gardener than that of 
the farmer. 
“ The moth appears generally in the month of August in 
gardens and fields, sitting quietly on the ground in the day 
time, and flying about and pairing at night. 
“ When at rest its wings are folded together flat over the 
body; it is then nearly an inch long, and lialf-an-inch wide. 
Its colours are dirty gray, and dark brown, or earth-colour, 
except on the under wings, which are covered as it sits, and 
which are sometimes whitish-gray, sometimes cream-colour. 
On the upper wings a faint, blackish, ring-like mark is ob¬ 
served, and a cone-shaped spot on a wavy line, a kidney¬ 
shaped stain almost in the middle, and beyond this, towards 
the lower edge, two other wavy or notched transverse lines. 
The male is distinguished from the female by a thinner 
body and pectinated antennse, while in the latter the an- 
tennte are bristle-shaped. 
“ Ten or fourteen days after the eggs are laid in the 
earth the young caterpillars are hatched, and consequently 
they appear about the end of August, or beginning of Sep¬ 
tember. They eat at first the roots of various sorts of 
grasses, for want of corn ; attacking the tender roots of the 
corn in September and October, when it begins to spring. 
At the approach of the cold weather they descend two or 
three inches deep into the earth, and prepare themselves an 
oval cavity, in which they pass the winter, without doing any 
injury. In the beginning of spring they leave their winter 
quarters, and feed again for a time on the roots of the corn 
and grass, without materially injuring the stronger plants. 
At the end of May or beginning of June they prepare to 
enter the pupa state, which change is accomplished in a 
small hollow in the earth. After four weeks the above- 
described moth bursts from a brown pupa. The caterpillar 
measures, when fully grown, an-inch-and-a-lialf in length, 
and is of the thickness of a strong quill, cylindrical, some¬ 
what thinner towards the posterior end ; it has six pectoral 
and ten ventral feet, the body is smooth shining, and free 
from hair. Its colours are chiefly brown and dark gray, 
which alternate in broad stripes along the body, but which 
are at the same time intermingled in some degree. On the 
middle of the back a pale stripe stretches from the head to 
the other extremity, bordered on each side by a dark line. 
Near to this stripe on each segment are four faint black dots, 
the first pair of which approach closer together, and are so 
much smaller than the others, that they are sometimes 
scarcely visible. 
“ Near the posterior pair, yellowish spots are generally 
seen. Below at the sides are the usual spiracula, or breath¬ 
ing holes, looking like black dots, and at the side of each 
there is another blackish dot. The feet are brownish gray. 
The arched, yellowish-brown head, is marked with two 
stripes, composed of small dark brown combined dots, run¬ 
ning from the neck towards the mouth. 
*• We must only further observe, that this caterpillar, like 
most other larvae of night-moths, shuns daylight, and 
conceals itself in the day-time under clods of earth, stones, 
leaves, and even in the earth, and only comes forth from its 
hiding-place towards evening.” (Kollar and Westwood.) 
Many remedies have been suggested, but none appear 
effectual but the application of lime and hand-picking. 
Some weeks since we reported briefly the proceedings of 
a preliminary meeting held for the purpose of establish¬ 
ing a Society to watch over the interests of exhibitors 
at the great Metropolitan Horticultural Exhibitions. 
Since then, according to the following Report, it has 
somewhat enlarged its objects :— 
“ The want of united exertions on the part of the 
exhibitors at the Metropolitan Exhibitions having been 
long manifest, it has been resolved to form a society 
of the exhibitors generally, having for its object the 
promotion of horticulture and floriculture, and, as a 
means to this end, the support and improvement of the 
Metropolitan Exhibitions; and also to obtain for the 
exhibitors generally a fair reward for their labours, as 
well as to watch over and protect their interests relative 
to the exhibitions. At a meeting held at the Chester 
| Arms, on Wednesday, the 29tli of June, 1853, the 
; following Rules for the guidance of the Society were 
unanimously agreed to :— 
“ 1. That the Society shall consist of exhibitors 
at the Metropolitan Exhibitions of Horticultural and 
Floricultural Productions, and be called The Exhibitors’ 
Society. 
“2. That the affairs of the Society shall be con* 
No. CCL., Vol. X. 
