546 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
July 2, 1904. 
The Earwig. 
Just at- this- time- this veritable pest- will be engaged in the 
destruction o-f o-ur cherished plants over which much time and 
jra-ins have been taken, and I should like to give the readers 
of The Gardening World my experience o-f their behaviour 
and how I have checked their raid. The flower-pot and 
Bamboo traps- are very useful, but it not- infrequently happens 
that- during the process o-f trapping the plants are paralysed or 
destroyed. I am engaged in the public line, and in our various 
small parks there is an, inexhaustible supply of these pests, 
and, despite our efforts, in some years they did a great deal of 
damage. Whole beds of Dahlias and great batches of Chry¬ 
santhemums were entirely denuded of their growths in an in¬ 
credibly short space of tune, leaving -the plants to- make a 
fresh start from the base. Some live years ago I noticed 
that a border planted with Dahlias escaped unscathed, and 
further, that it was watered overhead by one of the park- 
keepers- in the late evening when engaged' in attending to- his 
own plot attached to his- house, and from that time o-ur plant-s¬ 
have received similar treatment until making rapid growth, 
when the earwigs leave them severely alone. 
It plainly shows and proves conclusively that they abhor 
wet-, and that objects kept damp during thei n-iglit are fre-d 
from their attack. 
A naturalist, writing in the “Gardeners’ Chronicle” some 
years ago-, said the earwig was- misjudged, and that in reality it 
subsisted on dead insects and grubs. In reply, I ventured 
to suggest that- there were a large number of vegetarians 
among them, and that if the naturalist in question took a 
bull’s-eye lantern in the- late evening into- his Dahlia, plot, go-t 
quite close to the plant- to be examined, and t urned on the light, 
he wo-uld -seie them drop off simultaneously. ■ 
I am altogether too dense to explain what other mission 
these fellows- have- on earth hut destruction. 
Walter H. Aggett. 
Fresh Vegetables. 
A garden is considered a luxury by many; I am not dis¬ 
posed to dispute the fa-c-t of its being such. If a- lqxury, it- is 
not necessarily an expensive -one, there being many much 
more so, and tlio-se who have once possessed a good garden, and 
have been well served ought to be able to show that the 
balance is not all against the garden. Those spending the 
greater part of the year in or near to a large town can obtain 
all they need in the way of vegetables either direct from the 
markets or shops, but dwellers in small towns and villages 
are not nearly so- fortunate in this respect. In any case, those 
who own a- good garden have a decided advantage on the seo-re 
of freshness, and this in vegetables- is- of the greatest import¬ 
ance, a-s largely affecting the quality. At a rule, the private 
gardener is not ca-lle-d upon to- sup-p-ly vegetables by weight, and 
does not, or ought not-, to keep them until they are overgrown 
and past- their best before sending them to the table. There 
are a good many growers who- seem to think more of size than 
of freshness. 
Changing from generalities to- particulars, I will first allude 
to the humble yet popular spring Cabbage. No-t so many 
years ago- very few of these found their way to the dining¬ 
rooms of the wealthier classes, but nowadays, thanks to the 
improvements effected and better judgment exercised by those 
whose duty it is to supply the kitchen, many mo-re a-re e-ate-m. 
Large, close, and blanched hearts of thes-e are not by any 
means the best, nor is it wise to delay cutting till there is a 
great quantity fit to cut. Better by far gro-w the plants 
rather thickly, and commence cutting when the heart-s are 
quite small and tender. These, when properly cooked, are 
of delicate flavour, and by beginning to cut early a long suc¬ 
cession is obtained. Cauliflowers, which ought also to be in 
season now, are at- their best when nearer the size of a, cricket 
ball than a football. The earliest varieties are naturally rather 
small, but these, a-s well as those much larger, ought to be kept 
closely covered over with leaves, and cut before the “ curds " 
are- opening or become green in any way. Cut early, cooked, 
and served entire, they are much superior in quality to any 
that have to- be trimmed or. divided prior to being boiled. 
The Asparagus season has now drawn to a close. I will only 
remark on the difference in the quality of the shoots cut and 
used the same day to any that have been kept for two or three 
days-. The former is by far. the most succulent- a-nd delicately 
flavoured. 
Peas- will shortly be plentiful, and these again should be 
used a-s fresh as possible. All in a dish should he as nearly as 
possible of one age and one variety, a-nd if properly cooked 
and -served hardly any fault can be found with. them. Broad 
Beans o-ught- to- be gathered when the s-eed is about- three-parts 
grown, though some prefer them even younger than that-; 
then, if served with their skins removed, they are almost equal 
to, and a good change with, Peas. French or Kidney Beans 
soon become ol-d and stringy if not kept closely gathered. If 
the'p-ods fail to snap- o-tf sharp when tried with the thumb and 
fingers, they are not- fit to send to the table. Much the- same 
remarks: a-pp-ly toi Runner Beams. 
Few need to be t-old -that quite young Carrots are- the best, 
these rightly being a much-prized vegetable in most establish¬ 
ments. The beds may be- drawn from when the roots are no 
longer than Radishes, this in many instances being the only 
form of thinning adopted. At this time o-f the ye-ar, only 
quit-ei young Tumip-s a-rei fit- to- serve as a vegetable-. Quite 
fresh Tomato-spare a-lways superior to any kept several days 
after they have coloured properly, and it is- very certain old, 
flabby, and se-edy Cucumbers are neither good nor wholesome. 
Lettuce and -other s-alading are mo-st c-risp a-nd pleasing when 
cut- a short time before being eaten. Globe Artichokes will 
so-on be abundant-. I do- not- advise cutting the very young 
heads unless- t-o- avoid a glut, as those fully grown, hut not old. 
are- the most succulent. Very large Mu-s-hrooms are no-t- much 
in demand, preference being given to any about the size of a 
oro-wni; to le-a-ve them longer on the beds is to- risk their 
becoming maggoty and useless. J. W. J. 
Corydalis tomentosa. 
In Vo-1. XX., page 757 o-f Tiie Gardening World we gave 
an illustration- o-f the above new plant recently introduced 
from Western China. That had been grown in pots, but at 
the s-a-me time others lia-d been planted out on the rockery a-t 
Kew, with the object- of testing their hardiness. Those plants 
are now in- bloom, as- they have been for some time past, 
having suffered no- da-mage- through the winter. Seeing that 
there was scarcely any frost, and none- o-f any duration, last 
winter, this might not be considered a- great- test as to hardi¬ 
ness. The mildness of our winters, however, is- rea-lly very 7 
trying, bo-th to- plants which come from fairly warm countries 
and also- plants which come from very cold and high elevations. 
This is due to- the fact that mild weather stimulates- the- leaf 
and ro-ot action at a time- when- the plants should be perfectly 
at rest. After that the danger arises if we 'should happen to 
get a spell of cold weather accompanied by frost late in spring. 
On the: other hand, plants- that are perfectly a-t- rest, as far as 
the eye can determine, are more likely to escape such 
calamities. At present the flower-stems vary from 2 in. to 
5 in. in length, a-nd are furnished with hea-utiful yello-w 
flowers. This, of course-, is -shorter growth, and wo-uld be 
produced by the a-id of a cold h-o-use or frame. Nevertheless, 
the yellow flowers- are sufficiently large and bright to- be 
worthy o-f a place on- the ro-ckery. The white and downy 
character o-f the leaves marks them off as distinct from other : 
members of the genus- with which wei are- acquainted. 
Damage, by a Gale.— Great damage has been done to fruit 
trees throughout Fifeshire by a severe gale. Gooseberry bushes 
seem to have suffered most. 
