THIS COTTAGE GARDEN Eli AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, January 31, 1860. 
275 
This seems more likely than the notion of the larvae being 
destroyed by the brood of ichneumon flies, I need hardly ob¬ 
serve that moths are somewhat like bats—flying about at night 
after food. The Convolvulus one flits over the blossoms of Petu¬ 
nias and other tubular-shaped flowers, and extracts their sweets 
with its long proboscis. This most remarkable appendage is 
fully two inches long, somewhat like a piece of wire split in two 
scrolls at the end ; and when not used is curiously rolled up out 
of sight, like the chameleon’s tongue. The moth is very quick 
when on the wing, but less so when among the flowers. When 
caught with a net, and got under a large tumbler glass, care 
should be taken to quickly still it with chloroform, or smoke from 
a lucifer match, or puff ball, to prevent its fluttering about and 
destroying its lovely colours. 
I have some very fine specimens of Convolvulus moths, about 
ten years old, preserved by being merely kept dry, and are nearly 
as beautiful as when the insects were alive. I am not acquainted 
with their larvce; but they are figured of a green colour with 
yellow stripes and black spots, and are about four inches long. 
They belong to the genus Sphinx, of which the Privet cater¬ 
pillars are a good type with the horny appendage on their tails. 
These, like some other kinds of grubs, seem to sham death when 
disturbed upon a branch or twig. They throw their heads back¬ 
wards, and remain motionless for a considerable time. When in 
that position they somewhat resemble the fabulous sphinx of the 
ancients.—J. Wighton. 
LEAKING AQUARIA. 
Can you help me out of a very serious difficulty ? I some time 
ago had a very handsome aquarium made, holding about forty 
gallons. It is made of mahogany and glass, and lined with thick 
slate, two sides being plate-glass. For some months after it was 
made it held water perfectly, after which it commenced leaking. 
I sent it to a very ingenious man in this neighbourhood, and 
suggested to him the use of the cement mentioned in Tiie 
Cottage Gardener —gutta percha and pitch. lie reported to 
me that, though it formed a very good covering for wood, it 
adhered very imperfectly to the slate, and scarcely at all to the 
smooth surface of the glass. lie stopped up all the joints with 
a mixture of red lead and gold size, which so perfectly answered 
its purpose that for some months it held water without losing a 
drop. Within the last day or two I have been very much 
annoyed to find that it commenced running again, and has 
materially injured one of my best carpets. IIow can you explain 
this ? Does the water gradually dissolve the cement ? And 
how can it be prevented ? I find that many of my friends are 
in the same predicament, having given up their aquaria from 
the constant annoyance they have caused them. 
I think you will agree with me that so great a source of amuse¬ 
ment and" instruction as the aquarium has proved it is a pity it 
should go out of use. 1, for one, should be very much obliged 
for information on the subject.— Elizabeth. 
[We should try marine glue; but we insert the inquiry for the 
purpose of inviting answers, because we know that many besides 
our correspondent would be obliged by information on the 
subject.] 
THE INFLUENCE OF ASPECT ON THE 
CULTURE OF PEACHES 
IN THE NORTH OF IRELAND. 
A correspondent (A. J. Ashman), writing in The Cottage 
Gardener of December 20th, 1859, page 179, on the cause of 
failure in Peach growing, takes occasion to issue an invective 
against the prevailing custom of choosing young gardeners from 
large places. Whether his remarks are in good taste, or likely 
to improve either the education or practical and scientific attain¬ 
ments of young gardeners, I very much doubt; and it must bo left 
to your readers generally, and those employers who engage their 
gardeners from large places in particular, to form their own 
opinions, which, I doubt not, will in most cases be in favour of 
engaging them from such large places. However, it is not as the 
mouthpiece of young gardeners that I write to you, but to 
mention a few facts bearing on Peach culture, which may not be 
uninteresting to your readers generally, and may be placed in 
juxtaposition to A. J. Ashman’s assigned causes of failure,— 
ungenial soil, and inefficient drainage. 
A wall here with a south-east aspect has been devoted to the 
growth of Peaches ever since this garden was formed, about ninety 
years since; and I am told by parties who have known it about 
thirty-five years, that six or seven sets of trees have been planted 
and worn out in that time, and that they have been the whole 
time in the most wretched condition, though not planted and 
managed b} 7 young gardeners from large places, but by men of 
ability and experience, amongst whom was Mr. Ellis—a name 
mentioned some time ago by Mr. Deaton, and to whose abilities 
as a gardener I doubt not Mr. Deaton can bear testimony., 
This said Peach-wall coming under my management, I thought, 
as probably “ A. J. A.” would have done, that the ill looks of 
the trees were caused by ungenial soil and inefficient drainage. 
I examined the border, and found the soil a nice hazelly loam, 
which had been cut from a sheepwalk resting on limestone. Tho 
drainage was also examined and found to be efficient. What 
could be the cause of the unthrifty state of the trees ? Want of 
protection from spring frosts. Do you think so ? A’ee. 
Protection was applied. A board projecting eleven inches 
from the wall had been adopted by my predecessor. In addition 
to this I placed some calico coverings, which were made to roll 
up and down at pleasure. These were not used to induce a 
tender habit in the trees, but merely to shield them from frost, 
and they did it right well; for w r e had the thermometer at 20° of 
Fahr. on several occasions when the trees were in blossom, yet 
they set good crops of fruit. 
But did the trees improve in appearance ? No, they still 
continued in their unhealthy state. Then what could be tho 
cause of failure ? They must have contracted disease wdien in 
the nursery, probably by being headed down for several years in 
succession. Well, then, get young trees and try your hand at 
them. We did so ; and profiting by the experience we had 
gained from having a tree on a wall with a S.W. aspect, and 
which was always in a most healthy state and bore a3 much fruit 
as six trees upon the S.E. aspected wall, we ordered a dozen 
maiden plants, two of a sort. We selected the six best plants for 
the S.E. wall, and planted the worst six against the S.W. wall; 
and to be sure of the experiment being properly carried out, for 
experiment it was, I planted and managed them with my own 
hands. 
They were planted on stations; holes were dug out about 
eighteen inches deep ; the bottom w r as concreted; and upon it 
was laid about a foot of broken stones, some coarse gravel over 
them to prevent the soil filling up the interstices, and tho soil 
consisting of hazelly turfy loam dug from the sheepwalk before- 
mentioned, with the addition of a little leaf mould and sand. 
What were the results ? The trees on the S.E. aspect showed 
the same tendency to disease as the older ones, and made many 
ineffectual attempts to grow ; but with little or no progress until 
the month of July, when they made some weak watery shoots. 
Not so those on the S.W. aspect. They at once started into 
growth in the spring, and continued growing without intermission 
until the autumn, by which time they had made shoots from 
three to four feet long; their wood was well ripened, and the 
leaves fell, having performed their office in a way to give one both 
pleasure and satisfaction. The experiment was now considered 
conclusive.— G. 0., Armagh. 
(To he continued .) 
FRUITS ADAPTED TO THE VARIOUS 
LOCALITIES OF GREAT BRITAIN. 
(Continued from‘page 244). 
PLUMS. 
Alderton. See Sharp's Emperor. 
Angelina Burdett. —Fruit above medium size, round, 
and marked with a suture, which is deepest towards the 
stalk. Skin thick, dark purple, thickly covered with 
brown dots and blue bloom. Stalk about an inch long. 
Flesh yellowish, juicy, rich, and highly flavoured, sepa¬ 
rating from the stone. Shoots smooth. 
An excellent dessert plum. Ripe in the beginning of 
September, and if allowed to hang till it shrivels, it 
forms a perfect sweetmeat. The tree is a good bearer 
and hardy. 
Aunt Ann ( Guthrie's Aunt Ann ).—This is a large, 
round plum, of a greenish-yellow colour. The flesh ol a 
