40 THE FLORIST. 
O spare the dear blossoms, ye Orient breezes 
With chill hoary wing as ye usher the dawn! 
And far be it distant, the insect that seizes 
The beauty and pride of the garden and lawn.” 
Does not this “seizure,” amateurs, stir up your animosity to the 
aphis, and arouse you to industry? Well: it has other enemies than 
human, according to Reaumur, and this is his account of them: ‘ The 
Rose tree is, after a mild spring, greatly injured by a species of aphis 
(A. Rose). If it were not for the numerous enemies to which it is. 
exposed, their fecundity is such that the leaves, branches, and stems 
of every plant would be totally covered with them. Myriads of insects 
of different classes and of different genera seem to be produced for no 
other purpose than to destroy the aphis. On every leaf infested by 
them we find caterpillars of different kinds. These feed not upon the 
leaves but upon the pucerons, whom they devour with an almost 
incredible rapacity. Some of these larvee are transformed into insects 
with two wings, others into flies with four wings, and others into 
beetles. While in the larva state, one of these glutinous insects 
will suck out the vitals of twenty pucerons in a quarter of an hour. 
I supplied a single caterpillar with more than 100 pucerons, every one 
of which he devoured in less than three hours!” 
With my magnifying glass—a most useful instrument to inspect 
budding operations, and also the velvety beauty of such Roses as 
Willermoz, Napoleon, and Ravel—I have observed that there is always 
a thin black fly which accompanies the aphis. I have hitherto killed it; 
but in future, till I am better instructed, I shall let it live, in the 
cherished hope that it may be an enemy to the aphis, which [I still 
assert Is not apis. 
W. F. RADCLYFFE.. 
Rushton, Nov. 22. 
POLMAISE AGAIN. 
Most people have characterised this mode of heating as a great mis- 
take. We begin to differ from them, and consider the mistake is in 
the application. A few days ago we called at Dropmore, and found it 
had been there for several years in successful operation ; so much go, 
that Mr. Frost is carrying the same system out in some new houses at 
present erecting. It is decidedly economical in fuel, simple in principle, 
and cheap in putting up. In places where it can be adopted, we have 
no hesitation in recommending it; or where parties wanted to give a 
little forcing to orchard-houses, large late vineries, or large houses of 
any description, it most particularly recommends itself, as by keeping 
the air in complete motion a greater amount of heated circulation is 
obtained from the same fuel than from a common flue or hot-water pipe. 
We will endeavour to describe a small square-roofed plant stove that 
we saw at work, the large vineries on the same principle not being 
slated, and if our memory fail in anything, we have no doubt Mr. Frost 
