662 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
June 15, 1889. 
The larvae when touched exude a large drop of blackish 
fluid from the mouth. The tail or hinder part is 
curved and holds the body fast by a fleshy foot, which 
renders it a difficult matter to pick them off. They 
are full-fed in a fortnight, and then descend into the 
ground, where they change and afterwards emerge as 
perfect beetles in the course of a fortnight or three 
weeks. The different stages of the insect may be found 
during the summer months — say, from June to 
September. 
Another beetle is the Bean Beetle (Buchus granarius) 
which deposits its eggs in the seeds of Beans and Peas, 
thereby causing a great amount of injury. It does this 
when the seeds are soft in the pods. The length of 
this beetle is about § in., and when in its larva state 
and in the seed it will gnaw a round hole to the in¬ 
side of the husk of the seed, so that when it has passed 
to the pupa and perfect insect in the Pea or Bean it 
can easily makes its escape by pushing out the piece 
which it gnawed and formed in its larva state. 
Ants (Formicida:). 
These insects belong to the Mandibulata class, and the 
Hymenoptera or membrane-winged order. There are 
a great number of species which differ more or less in 
habit. They multiply with great rapidity, and possess 
in the earlier stages wings ; they also quickly pass from 
the larva to the pupa and to the perfect state. They 
are perhaps most injurious from their habit of collecting 
Aphides and scale insects, and also in farming them for 
the sake of the honey-food they obtain by a process of 
tapping these insects. They are not content with this, 
but they keep the eggs of the Aphis till they are 
hatched. Our English Ants do not, like foreign ones, 
store up solid food for the winter, the simple reason 
being that they do not require it; they sleep instead. 
"We are told that Apes rank nearest to man in form, 
but the Ant in intelligence. 
Wasps. 
These are very troublesome insects, not only to plants 
but even to man. They destroy Peaches, Apricots, 
Nectarines, Grapes, and most other luscious fruit, and 
are most abundant about August. Every colony of 
wasps arises from a single female, and out of the 200 
or 300 wasps which may be found in one nest at the 
beginning of winter, not half-a-dozen will survive till 
spring. Those that survive will, after they have amused 
themselves in spring, separate and search for a suitable 
place in which to build their nests ; after making their 
nests they form their combs, not for the purpose for 
which bees make them, but entirely for the rearing of 
young. Several broods issue from one nest in the 
course of a summer, and it has been calculated that 
one female has given rise to 30,000 wasps. They 
belong to the Mandibulata class, and the Hymenoptera 
or membrane-winged order. 
Centipedes and Millipedes. 
Centipedes and Millipedes are nearly alike in structure 
and do not belong to the insect family. They are 
usually cylindrical in shape, or at times depressed and 
flattened. The legs are short and low, but do not 
number so many as indicated by the name. The 
three rings immediately below the head each bear one 
pair of legs ; but each of the rings behind these seems 
at first sight to bear two pairs of legs ; this is due to the 
rings of the abdomen being tightly joined together two 
and two. They live in part on decaying vegetable 
matter and also on tender shoots of plants, Orchids 
especially, as well as fleshy roots and ripe fruit. The 
size will be rather over an inch in length, but is 
variable according to the kind.— S. Heaton. 
-- 
The Amateurs’ Garden. 
-»£•_ 
Sweet Williams. 
The earliest of these are already in bloom, and the last 
of them will not have disappeared for many weeks to 
come. Being of so easy culture, they are essentially 
plants for the uninitiated—that is, for those who have 
little experience or knowledge of gardening. A bed of 
a good strain of plants when in bloom is an ornament 
to any garden, whether large or small. Those com¬ 
mencing the cultivation of Sweet Williams (Dianthus 
barbatus) can improve their collection immensely by 
attending to a few simple matters. As they commence 
flowering pleasure may be found in closely examining 
the bed every day, minutely scrutinising the different 
varieties, and marking those of superior merit, so that 
improvements may be effected by seed saving and selec¬ 
tion. By repeating this every year, and rigidly discarding 
every one of inferior quality, a strain of varieties can 
be obtained of infinite value for decorative purposes. 
Dark self-coloured kinds of pleasing hue may be re¬ 
tained, as well as tho e exhibiting beautiful and 
regular mottling ; hut above all should preference be 
given to those possessing a dark zone of colour round 
the eye. This last should be as even in outline as 
possible, not running out into the ground colour with 
stripes and rays. The colours here should be pure and 
unmixed. 
Japan Primulas for Cottage Gardens. 
Many amateurs may he deterred from cultivating 
Primula japonica and its varieties from a mistaken 
notion that they are difficult to grow, or are not suffi¬ 
ciently hardy to endure our winter without protection. 
They are wholly deciduous in winter, but that need 
give no cause for alarm, as they will start into growth 
again without fail in spring, and that too with greater 
vigour than when first planted. After flowering is 
over, a vigorous growth of the foliage should be en¬ 
couraged by copious waterings. If seed saving be 
attempted, it should be sown immediately after har¬ 
vesting, as it takes a long time to germinate, and may 
never do so at all if once allowed to become dry. By 
growing some plants on a moist and somewhat shady 
border, and allowing the seeds to drop, any quantity of 
seedlings will germinate around the old plants next 
spring. The old and crimson-purple typical form is 
showy enough in itself; but none of the varieties exceed 
in chaste beauty the milk-white form with a golden- 
yellow eye, and by contrasting the two together a most 
pleasing effect is obtained. Between the two extremes 
there is every shade of colour, including pale purple, 
rose, lilac, pink, blush, and mottled or striped kinds. 
Kockeries for Small Gardens. 
Lovers of hardy plants, and who have but a small 
amount of space to devote to their cultivation, would 
be able to grow a large number of select kinds even on 
a small rocker} 7 . By the mere act of building up 
mounds or rockeries, the actual area of surface which 
can be planted is greatly increased. Much pleasure 
would also be derived from the tending of many plants 
that naturally grow under diverse conditions in a state 
of nature. At the present time rockeries everywhere 
are gay with masses of Saxifrages of many different 
kinds, also dwarf Phloxes, such as P. amcena, P. subu- 
lata, with its numerous beautiful varieties, including 
pure white, and white with a violet zone round the eye ; 
Linaria hepatieiefolia, L. pallida, and "Veronicas in 
great variety. A short time ago Tiarella cordifolia was 
a mass of white with pink stamens, and many of the 
choicer bulbs, such as Crocuses, Seillas, Narcissi, and 
Chionodoxa or Glory of the Snow, were prominent 
features in the cold days of spring. A long succession 
will be kept up till late in autumn by a great number 
of subjects, whose beauty and variety prove great 
incentives to their cultivation. 
"Window Plants in Flower. 
No difficulty will now be experienced in keeping up a 
display of flowering plants both inside and outside the 
windows of dwelling-houses. That old-fashioned plant 
Mother of Thousands (Saxifraga sarmentosa) is now 
gay, and to obtain the best effect it should be suspended 
from the top of the window in pots, pans, or baskets. 
This allows the runners, with their young plants like 
little rosettes, to hang down in the most graceful fashion 
without let or hindrance. Pelargoniums, Fuchsias 
and Calceolarias of various kinds are also flowering 
plentifully. Petunias from cuttings, both single and 
double, have commenced to bloom, and will continue 
for some months. Variety can be obtained by growing 
the night-scented Tobacco (Nicotiana affinis). The 
old Musk (Mimulus moschatus) is still a favourite with 
a great many, and will be grown in spite of the much 
larger flowers of Harrison’s Musk (M. Harrisoni). The 
foliage of both is scented. Much the same class of 
things are flowering outside of windows, but to them may 
he added Lobelias, Ageratums, Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums, 
and Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia). The 
stems of the latter hang down gracefully at considerable 
length, and grow so freely even in the heart of large 
towns that the plant is very popular and often grown 
in baskets. 
-—>-X<-- 
FRUIT CULTURE ON FARMS.* 
A great deal is said and written about fruit culture, 
as if it could be carried out successfully in any soil or 
in any position, and just as if one had only to dig a 
hole in the ground, plant a tree, and gather the fruit 
as a matter of course. In order to grow fruit success- 
*Extract from a paper read by Mr. R. Dean before the St. 
Albans Farmers Club. 
fully for profit, several conditions have to be observed_ 
climate, position, aspect, soil, the character of the 
trees, and the terms upon which the land to be planted 
is held. In a district where little fruit is grown, 
an idea of the adaptability of the land could he 
obtained from the few trees which were grown. If 
the Apple trees showed a kindly and clean growth, 
with an absence of lichen and canker, and if elm trees 
flourished, the soil was so far favourable. Exposure to 
prevailing winds was to he avoided, and a slope to the 
south or west was to be preferred ; but in order to 
secure a permanent orchard, care must be taken to get 
deeply cultivated or deep rich soil, or a few years of 
fertility will only be the precursor of decay and 
disappointment. As to soil, a light or medium loam 
of good depth and well drained, either naturally or 
artificially, was generally accepted as the most favour¬ 
able for the production of an abundance of good fruit 
Chalk or gravel would seem to be a better sub-soil than 
clay, as the latter, especially if wet, favoured the 
development of canker in the trees. The working of 
the soil should be more costly than in ordinary farm 
operations, and the cultivation of the trees, by 
pruning and keeping free from insects, was also an 
item of cost in labour which must not be lost sight 
of. In estimates of profits lately put forward, it 
appeared to him that those facts in connection with 
the cultivation of trees and soil had not been 
sufficiently allowed for. The position and aspect of an 
orchard was of the first importance. One of the 
leading fruit-tree nurserymen, who resided on the 
eastern borders of Hertfordshire, stated with much 
truth, “ I do not believe in planting Apples, Pears, 
Cherries, and Plums in the bottoms of valleys. The 
soil in the bottoms of valleys is often rich and deep, 
and therefore fertile, and that is why it is a great deal 
of planting has been done in such spots. But what is 
the use of planting in this promising soil, and realising 
an abundant free growth and trees covered with bloom, 
if all this wealth of flower and flush of hue is destroyed 
by frosts in early spring?” For the last few years 
there had been a wonderful show of blossom on the 
fruit trees in the valley of the Lea, but little fruit had 
followed, owing to the destruction of the embryo crop 
by the severity of the spring frosts in that low situation, 
and it must be patent to everyone accustomed to out¬ 
door occupation that the tendency of late years had 
been to cold and inclement springs. Trees that were 
planted in valleys and low-lying positions suffered 
much more than those in open ones. It was much 
better to plant on slopes and uplands, because the 
spring frosts were less destructive than they were in 
the valleys. All fruit cultivators were agreed that a 
south aspect was best, as trees in that position ripened 
their wood well, and produced fruit of the highest colour 
and quality. The site should be above the line of fog, 
and not too near or on a level with water. 
As regards the details of planting, he would re¬ 
commend that Apple trees should be put in about 
24 ft. apart (or seventy-five to the acre), with a 
greater distance between spreading varieties, and he 
gave advice as to the best kinds of small fruit trees to 
be planted between the large trees if thought desirable, 
and also with reference to the gathering and storing of 
Apples. It had often struck him that the manner in 
which the charges on land were levied was not 
equitable, and was calculated to discourage rather than 
encourage the planting of fruit trees for profit. A man 
planted fruit trees, not looking for any profit for four 
years. During that period he received nothing or next 
to nothing of produce, although rent charges on land 
and expenses of cultivation were going on and had to 
be met. Then, when his crop brought him a larger 
return than ordinary farm produce would bring, the 
charges on the land were raised. It seemed only fair if 
the charges on land were calculated according to the value 
of the annual crop, the planter of fruit trees should pay 
nothing for the first four years. Some thirty or forty 
years ago the landlords of this country exhibited a 
most unfortunate passion for what was called consoli¬ 
dating farms, and they thought that was the secret of 
good economical cultivation and high rents, not as 
against the farmer, but high rents together with good 
circumstances for the farmer. With regard to the 
land, the landlords had had a great lesson, by which 
they would no doubt profit. They had gone through 
a very severe crisis in the last ten years, and it had 
been observed all through the country that the small 
farms had done better than the large ones, or as another 
way of putting it, the large farms had done worse than 
the small. It was to the small rather than the large 
farms that he looked for the development of fruit 
culture. One thing was quite certain ; agriculturists 
might look during the next few years for considerable 
modifications in the land laws in this country, and 
those modifications would be certain to operate to the 
benefit of the occupier. 
