February 6, 1904. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
113 
should never 'be allowed to get at all dry. Once a day would 
not be too often to water them if the drainage is perfect. 
Before concluding my remarks, I should like to ask 
“ Japonica ” if he has always himself practised what he now 
preaches, as one is inclined to think otherwise, and that his 
advice is as a parson’s, “ Don’t do as I do, but do as I tell you ” 1 
I trust tar abler pens than mine will take up and discuss this 
most important item in plant growing, and let Mr. “ Japonica ” 
see there are some competent and trustworthy young gar¬ 
deners in our noble profession. Experienced One. 
Ants. 
To. the Editor of The Gardening World. 
Sir,— If “ J. C. F.,” page 72 " G. W.,” January 23rd, will 
try the simple remedy to stick a few of the old “ Tandstickor ” 
matches^, sulphur end upwards, in the haunts and runs of the 
insects, he will soon find them gone. This is my experience 
the past thirty years. ' W. B. B. 
The Sowing of Seeds. 
To the Editor of The Gardening World. 
Sir, —The advice given by H. Rowles, page 71, January 
23rd, in “ G. W.,” may answer with some gardeners; and estab¬ 
lishments, providing rats, mice, birds, and slugs are extinct. 
My long experience teaches, me that to sow a. little extra seed 
is much more profitable than losing a thin crop, having to re¬ 
cultivate end resow, and we all know one’s feelings when a large 
family requires a. regular supply to. be behind one’s neighbours. 
As to nurserymen’s catalogues, a gardener should have dis¬ 
cretion, as no doubt their recommendations after fifty years are 
quite necessary in a great many cases. W. Birkenshaw. 
Bridehead Gardens, Dorchester. 
Primrose Miss Massey. 
To. the Editor of The Gardening World. 
Sir, — I have received a letter from Mr. Lindsay, Belvoir 
Park, Belfast, with regard to Primrose Miss Massey, and he 
says they have done very well indeed. This seems to prove 
that a moist loamy soil, with shade during the hottest part 
of the day, is what the majority of. the Primroses require. I 
never saw the double forms flower better than in South Hamp¬ 
shire, and they were planted in a .similar soil and position. 
H. Arnold. 
Watering Plants Under Glass. 
, One of the most important operations in the cultivation, of 
plants in pots is that of watering, and it. is a routine task that 
needs to be, most carefully performed, as it demands much 
. judgment on the. part of the operator. Nothing is> easier than 
| to injure or even kill a plant by carelessness or inattention in 
watering it. For instance, soft-wooded plants demand a freer 
use of the watering-pot than do the. hard-wooded section. As 
to the water itself, this should be of a temperature correspond¬ 
ing to that in which the plants are being grown, particularly 
so when that temperature is high. 
Then as to the immediate necessities of the plants as to. 
water. This may he ascertained by giving the pot a. smart 
rap with the knuckles, when, if it be followed by a hollow 
sound, it. may be. safely assumed that water is needed. Of 
course, in potting a. plant .sufficient space must be provided 
above the level of the soil and below the edge of the pot 
for room to admit an adequate supply of water for the plant’s 
needs. Above all things avoid administering water in 
driblets. This would only serve to keep the surface of the 
soil damp to the. impoverishment of the roots below. The 
conditions of the weather at, the time being must be carefully 
taken into account, as it, is obvious that, in hot, dry weather 
more moisture is needed than would he the case in, a time 
when a damp state of the atmosphere existed. 
then, again, as to the time of day when watering should be 
done. W atering should, as a rule, be avoided in the middle 
of the day, both in summer and winter, being best done in 
summer for the general purpose towards the close of the day, 
when it becomes necessary to. reduce the air given, and in 
winter in the early morning, so as to have the whole day 
available for reasonable drying purposes before the chills of 
night come on. 
It is not unfitting to. lay stress on the necessity of guarding 
against having the soil at the roots of such hard-wooded sub¬ 
jects as Heaths, Azaleas, Phaenoccmas, Borenias, and such 
like plants 1 in a state of saturation. The. neglect of guardin' r 
against this is the reason which prevents many people from 
being able to grow this class of plants successfully. 
T. B. Btram. 
Insectivorous Plants. 
This subject is; one of the most interesting and, I might say, 
fascinating that it is possible to. study. My object in writing 
this article is not that it shall be of great practical importance, 
but, rather for the furtherance of Nature study—that is, to 
promote a genuine interest in the study of living things. 
Now, as most of us are aware, life may be. divided into two 
kingdoms—the animal and the vegetable. In the latter case 
we see life existing .as plants, which feed directly on inorganic 
material, whilst the animal can only feed on it indirectly— 
that is, after it has been manufactured by the plant into 
vegetable substance. This distinction between plants and 
animals is not absolutely true, for some plants;, even in the 
more highly-organised forms,, we see performing the work of 
animals, such plants;, for instance., as those which catch and 
consume flies, or digest and absorb pieces of raw meat; and 
it is such plants as these which are termed insectivorous, or 
rather carnivorous, plants. Under this heading are included 
about 400 species, belonging to sixteen distinct genera, but, it 
is not my purpose to. introduce any unnecessary botanical 
terms, which so often perplex rather than help the novice, so 
that I will omit the classification and deal with the more 
interesting part of the subject. 
1( will be most convenient to group these plants up in sec¬ 
tions, according to. the. way in which they catch their prey. 
In the first group we. will consider those plants which possess 
glandular hairs, secreting ,a. stick fluid which attracts insects, 
and to which they adhere. Examples may be found in Drosera 
(the Sundew) and Pinguicula, (the Butter-wort), both British 
genera. In these two plants movements of the leaves may he 
observed. They also secrete, a digestive fluid, which dissolves 
most of the animal substance. 
In our next group we have plants which are probably the 
best known to most of us, even though they are exotics. 
They are the Pitcher plants, the most common being Nepen¬ 
thes, then Sarracenia, and Darlingtonia, popularly known as 
Huntsman’s Horn and Californian Pitcher Plant, and also 
Cephalotus, the Australian Pitcher Plant. In these plants the 
leaves are modified, forming upright pitchers' with hoods over 
their mouths. These pitchers attract insects either by their 
bright and varied colours or by secreting a honey-like sub¬ 
stance. The insect finds it, far easier to go- down than to 
return, since the inner side of the pitcher is; slippery, or covered 
with hairs pointing downwards, and it is ultimately drowned 
in the liquid contained in the pitcher. 
In our third group we have plants having sensitive motile 
organs which close upon the prey. Example, Dionaea, the 
well-known Venus’ Fly-trap : in this case the leaf is also modi¬ 
fied to form a trap. 
In the last group we have the “ eel traps,” to 
which belongs the Utricularia, commonly known as Bladder- 
wort, which is extremely interesting from a biological point 
of view. In this group we have aquatic plants which possess 
traps of various shapes, which are. veiy easy to enter but have 
no exit, so that the little water animal which is imprisoned 
decays and contributes to the maintenance of its captor. 
Herbert Cowley, 
