July 15, i.905. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
knees and feet are yellow-white, and tlic wings 
of a dusky hue. When full-fed, the cater¬ 
pillars pass into the pupa stage, sheltered 
between dead leaves. There are two broods, 
the first of which passes through their stages 
while the Roses are in their first flush of 
growth. The second brood appears in 
autumn, and the larvae form cocoons in which 
they pass the winter before undergoing their 
changes towards the pea-feet fly. 
Remedies. 
The above does not exhaust the list of saw- 
flies which attack the Rose, but include those 
that are more common and likely to give the 
cultivator trouble. In the caterpillar or larva 
stage they are most easily attacked, and reme¬ 
dies may be taken against all of them much 
in the same way. Rose bushes that are badly 
infested should have white cloths spread 
underneath them, and the bushes well shaken 
to cause the larvae to drop, when they can 
be swept up and destroyed. The bushes may 
also be damped over with the syringe, and 
then dusted with Hellebore powder. The 
larvae will be poisoned by feeding upon the 
leaves after this operation. Hand-picking 
is also sometimes advantageous, especially 
in the case of the large caterpillars of the 
Rose-leaf Sawfly shown in the illustration. 
Those which conceal themselves by rolling 
up or turning down the sides of the leaflets 
will also have to be hand-picked, being care¬ 
ful that the larva does not drop to the ground 
when alarmed by the handling of the bush. 
This applies to Blennocampa above men¬ 
tioned. When the perfect sawflies are 
numerous it would also be of great advantage 
to use a butterfly-net for catching them on the 
wing, or even by sweeping them off the bushes 
by the same sweeping net. They could also 
be gathered into wide-mouthed bottles during 
dull weather, when they are sluggish, and may 
be found quietly perching on the bushes. 
In the pupa or resting stage many of them 
may be destroyed by carefully collecting and 
burning all the leaves beneath the bushes. 
In case of very bad infestation two or three 
inches of the surface soil should be removed 
and replaced by fresh material obtained from, 
another source. The soil removed and con¬ 
taining the cocoons of the sawflies might be 
thrown in a heap, and well mixed with gas 
lime as the operation proceeds. Readers will 
observe that they can attack these Rose saw- 
flies in three stages—the perfect state, the 
caterpillar state, and the resting or pupa 
state. 
try this charming Heliotrope. 
( Heliolropium■ regale.) 
There are in cultivation a considerable num¬ 
ber of excellent varieties of Heliotrope, but 
there is ever room for a. reailly fi(rst-class 
variety of so warmly cherished a plant as the 
“ Cherry Pie,” as it is affectionately called by 
many of its admirers. The variety named 
above comes well up to the standard of “ first- 
class,” and indeed it would be no disparage¬ 
ment to older sorts to claim for this modern 
development the place of honour, so perfect it 
is in every feature. Sturdy in habit, well 
clothed with beautiful foliage, and adorned 
with flowers of a richer, fuller blue-purple 
than any other variety we know, while in re¬ 
spect of the greatest charm of the Heliotrope 
—perfume—it is rich beyond measure, and 
calls forth exclamations of delight from all 
who approach it. We saw a batch of quite 
young plants blooming as early as February 
in Messrs. A. Bee and Company’s nursery at 
Neston, and straightway determined to draw 
the attention of “ G. W. ” readers to so lovely 
a flower. Heather Bell. 
STRANGE VISITANTS. 
“ Kclgian botanists recently discovered flowers unknown to 
science growing among some foil thrown out from a deep 
coal-mine. The flowers quickly faded, leaving no fertile 
seed.”—Daily 1 ress. 
The earth is old, and many a flower has bloomed 
And long has vanished, leaving not a trace, 
With all its kind and kindred tombed 
As if had never been its race. 
Nature is merciless, and none survive 
That cannot fiercely fight to keep alive. 
Flowers, grasses, ferns, that furnished forth a 
feast 
For many a strange amphibious reptile beast, 
Have, like their ancient eaters, perished quite, 
And few remaius of any ever come to sight. 
Yet, as deep ocean holds some stragglers still 
Ofi.fish and reptile forms unknown to man, 
So in earth’s caverns there may linger yet 
Traces of flowers with which the world began. 
But yesterday we learned there had been found 
Strange plants, of which the seeds long under¬ 
ground 
Deep in the womb of earth which first conceived 
them lay, 
Yet, like a toad in stone, kept life until our 
day. 
A million years—perhaps a million more— 
Since these seeds fell and dust them covered 
o’er ! 
Brought up to light by Belgian miner’s toil 
With debris thrown upon surrounding soil; 
The seeds took root, then raised a feeble stem 
But found the climate changed and little suiting 
them. 
With their last visit little satisfied, 
They sickened soon, and drooped, and drooped 
and died. 
Strange tale ! Such visions from the Past might 
seem 
A curious fiction, or a poet’s dream ! 
But man—mere incident of very recent day 
Who thinks the world is his—he, too, shall 
pass away ; 
With changed conditions, passing to his doom 
For newer, fitter creatures mankind may make 
room. 
W. F. be B. Maclaren. 
A Letter 
TO THE 
_Editor 
SUBURBAN FRONT GARDENS. 
Wanted More Variety. 
To the Editor of The Gardening World. 
Sir,— Suburban gardeners are getting into 1 
a rut, even if they have not got there. 
I took a stroll around the roads near 
my house the other evening for the 
purpose of seeing if I could get a few hints 
from my neighbours’ front gardens. I re¬ 
turned home disappointed. Perhaps my 
neighbours do as I do—keep their best things 
for tile back garden. I do not altogether 
blame them. My standard Rose trees in the 
front were denuded of their best blooms the 
other night by some young (or old) rogue. 
But what struck me particularly in my walk 
was the sameness of the form of the gardens 
and the flowers they contained. The borders 
on either side of the path to the front door 
were made up as follows : —Edging, blue and 
white Lobelia alternately, or Lobelia and 
golden Pyrethrum alternately, or Echeveria 
secunda glauca planted very closely. In the 
centre of some of these borders standard Rose 
trees were planted, but this was not general. 
The space between the edgings was filled in 
nearly every case by zonals in sorts, Fuchsias, 
Marguerites, Calceolarias, Centaureas, with 
(in exceptional cases) a few Begonias, Agera- 
tums, and Verbenas, all beautiful flowers, 
I know ; but cannot something be done to 
encourage variety. The same flowers and 
style have been generally used for the last 
twenty years. Will you, Mr. Editor, give us 
the benefit of your advice on this subject of 
suburban front gardens in an article or short 
series of articles, telling us the flowers you 
would recommend for a change, and how we 
can grow them to be ready in time for bedding 
out next year. Max (Ilford). 
THE “ G. W.” 
. . Enquire Within. 
Supplementary Replies by our Readers. 
Growers of Cacti. 
In further reference to W. H. Lawrence’s 
enquiry re Cacti, Chr. Lorenz, F.R.H.S., seed- 
grower, Erfurt, Germany, makes a speciality 
of Cacti. A postcard sent to him will bring 
by return a catalogue containing over 250 
choice varieties. He was awarded a Gold 
Medal for a group in 1894 at Erfurt Exhibi¬ 
tion. E. W. 
Gooseberry Caterpillar. 
See The Gardening World of June 17th. 
This can be stopped by using soapsuds and 
washing-up water thrown under the trees, 
more particularly in winter, as it kills all 
grubs and adds to yield. 
J. B. Landell. 
Gouty Phloxes. 
Unless rare varieties are involved, the 
diseased plants are not worth keeping. To 
w-ork up a fresh stock obtain as soon as pos¬ 
sible plants that have been kept in small 
pots ; plant them out in soil dressed with 
quicklime, water freely, and when root action 
has recommenced pinch out th<j tops. Plenty 
of young growths will most likely form on the 
stem and base ; when these have made three 
pair of leaves sever the stem above the first 
pair. If these are left on the plant more 
shoots will grow from their axils. Prepare the 
cuttings by making a clear cut just below the 
joint and removing the lowest pair of leaves. 
Insert in sandy soil either in pots or in a small 
bed under a hand-light behind a north wall. 
Transplant as soon as rooted into nursery 
beds, placing in permanent positions during 
the latter part of February or early in March. 
j. a 
Rose Leaves Losing Colour. 
I presume that “C. F.’s” Roses are not 
suffering from spot disease (Actinonema 
Rosae). I have observed that the early stages 
of this disease cause loss of colour in the 
leaf, and paler spots, which develop into black 
patches. The action of this trouble is very 
rapid, and soon affects the whole bush, caus¬ 
ing the foliagje to drop off, leaving only the 
bare stems surmounted by buds. [The leaves 
in question were merely punctured by Typh- 
locyba Rosae, or Rose Bug, allied to the Frog- 
hopper.—E d.] 
The latter never develop into anything pre¬ 
sentable, and a Rose patch infested with this 
spot is an eyesore. 
