28 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
January  13,  1898. 
from  the  southern  counties.  Though  considerably  to  the  advantage  of 
the  grower  in  point  of  size,  and  convenient  for  packing  in  boxes,  they 
do  not  appear  to  be  well  adapted  for  such  a  soft  and  easily  damaged 
fruit  as  the  Strawberry.  They  are  too  deep  in  proportion  to  their 
width,  and  being  slightly  contracted  at  the  top,  which  does  not  allow 
the  fruit  to  be  seen  to  the  same  advantage  as  in  shallower  punnets. 
The  average  size  is  2f  inches  deep,  inches  in  diameter  at  the  top, 
and  4^  inches  across  at  the  bottom,  and  they  therefore  do  not  hold 
anything  like  a  pound  of  fruit.  As  most  of  the  fruit  is  for  early  sale, 
and  by  far  the  largest  quantity  is  disposed  of  in  punnets  at  good  prices, 
it  must  be  a  very  profitable  way  of  distributing  the  produce.  A  grower 
who  has  steadily  advanced  from  small  holdings  to  one  of  about  30  acres, 
sends  away  10,000  punnets  on  three  or  four  mornings  a  week  in  the 
height  of  the  season,  or  a  total  of  about  150,000  punnets  in  good  seasons, 
and  he  employs  from  100  to  140  gatherers,  who  come  from  Plymouth 
and  neighbouring  towns.  _ 
The  land  cleared  of  Oak  coppice,  I  was  assured,  is  the  most 
satisfactory,  and  it  is  said  that  the  Fir  plantation  land  does  not 
yield  nearly  such  good  results,  even  when  the  soil  seems  in  othei- 
respects  more  suitable.  The  general  method  is  to  clear  the  ground 
gradually,  grub  up  all  the  roots,  plough,  give  a  heavy  dressing  of 
manure,  and  then  take  a  crop  of  Potatoes,  which  have  a  beneficial 
preparatory  effect  on  the  soil  apart  from  the  cleansing.  The 
“  manure  ”  which  is  almost  exclusively  employed  is  obtained  from 
Plymouth,  and  appears  to  he  nothing  but  the  refuse  collected  from 
streets  and  dustbins.  This  costs  £2  10s.  per  barge  load  of  30  tons, 
and  it  is  estimated  that  owing  to  the  cost  of  carting  and  spreading  on 
the^  steep  slopes  the  total  cost  is  about  £5  for  the  (luantity  named, 
which  may  be  distributed  over  1  acre  to  I3  acre.  A  few  of  the  more 
enterprising  have  tried  artificial  or  chemical  manures,  but  they  do  not 
seem  very  much  impressed  with  the  results,  though  one  or  two  speak 
favourably  of  basic  slag  applied  in  heavy  dressings  for  Strawberries, 
Raspberries,  and  Cherries. — Viator. 
(To  be  continued.! 
HARMFUL  AND  HARMLESS  GARDEN  MOTHS— U. 
Amongst  the  moths  that  are  bred  in  gardens,  or  come  to  them  as 
visitors,  the  great  majority  are  of  small  size,  belonging  to  the 
Geometer  or  Tortrix  group,  or  to  the  numerous  division  of  “  tinies,” 
which,  though  diminutive,  have  often  such  splendid  colours.  Of  the 
moths  with  stoutish  bodies  that  are  on  the  wing  during  the  twdlight 
or  all  night  long,  most  are  members  of  the  Noctua  group,  insects 
which  are  easily  recognisable  as  a  brotherhood  (wen  by  those  who  are 
no  naturalists,  though  the  separation  of  individual  species  is  often 
puzzling.  Light  oflers  no  attractions  to  them,  as  it  does  to  the  species 
of  some  other  families;  but  sweet  substances,  in  fiowers  or  elsewhere, 
do  not  fail  to  draw.  It  is  with  the  object  of  ensnaring  them  that  the 
collector  spreads  upon  tree  trunks  or  palings  his  cunningly  mixed 
compounds,  the  recipes  for  which  vary.  Usually  it  is  made  of  treacle 
or  the  coarse  sugar  called  “  foots,”  and  the  solution  is  flavoured  by 
a  dash  of  rum,  perhaps  a  little  oil  of  aniseed.  Gardeners  might 
lollow  the  same  plan  to  reduce  the  number  of  sundry  .species  which, 
in  the  caterpillar  state,  do  a  considerable  amount  of  mischief  some 
seasons.  Such  a  preparation,  when  it  is  more  convenient,  may  be 
used  as  a  bait  by  wetting  rags  or  pieces  of  cloth  with  it  and  banging 
them  up. 
Passing  along  a  flowery  border  or  bank  on  a  summer  evening, 
after  sunset,  with  a  lantern,  it  is  a  pretty  sight  to  watch  parties  of 
these  moths  eagerly  helping  themselves  to  the  honey  by  means  of 
their  long  spiral  tongues.  Sometimes,  in  their  anxiety  to  get  to  some 
coveted  blossoms,  they  push  each  other  unceremoniously,  their  eyes 
frequently  sparkling  like  diamonds  or  tiny  stars.  (What  produces 
these  gleams  of  light  is  uncertain,  I  can  hardly  think  they  are  of  a 
phosphorescent  nature.)  But  this  is  singular,  upon  a  bright  moon¬ 
light  evening  we  seldom  see  such  moths  on  the  wing,  or,  at  least,  onlj’ 
a  few  stragglers.  The  majority  of  Noctuas  exhibit  dull  colours  ;  some 
of  them  have  conspicuous  tints,  especially  on  the  lower  pair  of  wings, 
which  are  then  covered  by  the  upper  pair  when  the  insect  is  reposing. 
Nearly  always  the  body  is  thick,  and  the  down  upon  the  thorax  rises 
into  a  sort  of  crest.  During  the  day,  these  moths  sit  with  folded 
upper  wings,  sometimes  upon  the  earth,  or  amongst  low  herbage, 
others  select  walls,  palings,  and  trunks  of  trees  as  a  place  of  rest. 
Frequently  the  colours  of  the  moth  harmonise  with  the  object 
selected,  the  resemblance  being  so  close  that  persons  occasionally 
place  a  hand  upon  some  moth  unawares,  only  discovering  the  fact  by 
the  soft  feel. 
The  habits  of  the  Noctua  caterpillars  vary ;  some  of  them  are  to  be 
found  all  the  year  under  or  on  the  earth,  from  which  in  winter  they 
are  dislodged  by  the  gardener  now  and  theu,  also  by  the  birds.  Of 
those  that  are  about  in  the  spring  and  summer  many  feed  at  night 
principally.  To  this  division  of  insects  belong  the  bulk  of  the 
destructive  army  of  surface  caterpillars  which  direct  their  attacks  to 
the  crowns  and  underground  stems  of  plants,  not  merely  injuring  but 
often  killing.  Mostly  they  are  smooth,  stout,  of  dull  colours,  with 
trenchant  jaws ;  if  alarmed  they  roll  into  a  ring,  feigning  death.  A 
few  live  between  the  folded  leaves  of  trees.  In  the  group  of 
dagger  moths  the  caterpillars  are  hairy,  and  feed  chiefly  on  trees  or 
shrubs.  Amongst  the  Noctuas  only  there  occur  two  or  three  species 
that  might  be  said  to  be  friendly  to  horticulture,  for  their  caterpillars 
are  partly  cannibals,  sucking  at  times  the  juices  of  others.  Sometimes 
the  chrysalis  is  enclosed  in  a  cocoon  attached  to  a  branch  or  twig,  but 
generally  it  is  placed  under  the  soil  at  a  moderate  depth ;  it  is  black 
or  dark  brown,  and  glossy. 
In  those  good  old  times,  when  handsome  butterflies  and  moths 
were  sought  for  the  purpose  of  making  “pictures,”  so  called,  the 
Peach- blossom  moth  (Thyatiro  batis)  was  looked  upon  as  a  prize. 
Occasionally  it  is  discovered  in  gardens,  having  flown  over  from  a 
hedgerow  where  the  Bramble  afforded  food  to  the  caterpillar  during 
autumn,  the  English  name  having  reference  to  the  adornment  of  the 
moth,  not  to  any  harm  done  by  the  insect  to  the  Peach.  Upon  the 
upper  wings  are  arranged  five  spots,  the  edges  of  which  rCre  white  and 
the  centres  rosy  or  reddish  brown;  their  shape  might  suggest  pink 
petals,  but  scarcely  those  as  large  as  the  Peach.  No  doubt  this  tint 
led  to  the  selection  of  the  generic  name,  that  of  an  old  city  famed  for 
its  purple  dyes.  The  caterpillar  is  curiously  humped,  and  holds  on  to 
the  twigs  with  the  middle  legs,  the  head  and  tail  being  raised  in 
the  air. 
Where  the  graceful  Birch  adorns  lawns,  shrubberies,  or  avenues, 
it  often  supplies  food  for  some  caterpillars  of  the  Noctuas  called  the 
satin  or  lutestring  nv  ths,  ft om  the  glossy  appearance  of  their  wings, 
which  are  rather  ample  for  the  size  of  the  body;  they  form  the  genus 
Cymatophora.  Of  these  we  may  take  as  a  sample  (3.  duplaris,  which 
flies  in  the  evening  about  midsummer,  occurring  through  most 
English  counties.  The  wings  are  smoky  grey,  with  a  few  white 
marks,  and  some  darker  lines.  It  is  the  habit  of  the  caterpillar  to 
spin  together  two  or  three  leaves  of  the  Birch,  but  it  does  not  eat 
these,  using  them  for  shelter  only.  At  night  it  issues  forth  to  devour 
neighbouring  leaves,  then  returns  to  its  home;  if  alarmed  it  runs  out 
of  this  backwards. 
Quite  a  contrast  in  size  to  the  preceding  species  is  the  little  moth 
known  as  the  marbled  beauty,  or  Bryophila  perla.  It  is  one  of  the 
species  that  are  particularly  abundant  near  the  metropolis.  For  an 
obvious  reason  suburban  gardens  are  more  frequently  protected  by 
walls  than  by  hedges  or  palings,  which  give  but  poor  security,  and 
upon  these  walls,  when  they  have  obtainel  some  age,  flourish 
numerous  flat  lichens,  which  the  moist  atmosphere  of  London  suits 
well.  Upon  these  the  caterpillars  of  this  moth  feed,  usually  at  night. 
Soni'  times  they  appear  to  have  a  fast,  for  when  the  lichens  are  dry 
they  are  unpalateable,  and  the  catt  rpillars  remain  still  in  the  small 
abodes  they  have  made.  I  have  se*  n  both  stone  and  briek  walls 
studded  with  these  moths  for  we.  ks  between  the  middle  of  July  and 
the  end  of  ptember;  there  is  probably  a  succe.ssion  of  them.  Win' s 
th  y  have  indeed,  but  they  seldom  travel  any  distance  by  their  a'd  ; 
they  are  pale  grey,  often  suffused  with  green,  also  having  spots  and 
lines  of  a  darker  colour.  Many  gardentrs  must  have  noticed  these 
moths,  since  they  are  observable  in  parties  at  times,  resting  on  the 
walls,  and  it  is  worthwhile  during  these  winter  months  to  look  again 
along  them,  where  the  caterpillars  are  now  hybernating.  Hatched 
from  little  pearly  eggs  in  October,  they  feed  a  few  weeks,  then  conceal 
themselves  within  crevices  of  the  bricks  and  mortar,  spinning  silken 
cocoons.  If  the  weather  is  mild  they  come  forth  in  February  or 
March  and  eat  the  lichens  of  spring,  chiefly  at  morning  and  evening. 
Each  has  his  house,  composed  of  fragments  off  the  wall  or  particles 
of  earth,  w’hich  the  caterpillars  unite  with  silk,  these  abodes  resembling 
a  portion  of  the  wall ;  in  these,  when  the  weather  is  warm  and  dry, 
they  remain  for  days  secreted.  Allied  to  this  is  a  less  common  species, 
B.  glandifera,  or  the  marbled  green,  of  similar  times  and  habit. 
There  is.  a  family  of  moths  styled  the  wainscots ;  their  caterpillars 
mostly  select  for  food  grasses  and  reeds  of  a  variety  of  species. 
In  gardens  near  streams  or  fields,  they  are  occasionally  found  by 
day  sheltering  amongst  low  plants.  One  species  at  least  may  do  us  a 
good  turn,  this  is  the  oddl}*  named  brown-line  bright-eye;  it  has 
brown  lines  certainly,  and  a  very  conspicuous  wnite  mark  on  the  fore 
wings.  In  science  it  is  the  Leucania  conigera.  Its  period  of  flight 
is  July,  and  it  is  distributed  over  Britain.  From  autumn  to  May  the 
caterpillar,  which  is  brown,  black,  and  yellow,  feeds  upon  glasses, 
being  especially  partial  to  that  annoying  sjrecies,  the  couch  or  spear  grass 
(Triticum  repens).  One  of  the  prettiest  of  the  wainscots  is  the  clay 
moth,  L.  lithargyria  ;  the  colours,  though  not  particularly  bright,  are 
shown  in  delicate  lines  and  spots  upon  a  reddish-brown  ground.  Also  we 
notice  some  beautiful  tints  in  the  common  wainscot,  L.  pallens,  rather 
lighter  in  colour,  which  occurs  from  June  to  August.  The  caterpillar 
lives  on  grasses  for  eight  or  nine  months.  One  of  the  abundant 
moths  along  the  course  of  the  Thames,  near  London,  used  to  be  the 
southern  wainscot  (L.  straminca).  The  home  of  the  caterpillar  was  in 
the  reeds,  but  of  late  years  it  has  been  scarce. — Entomologist. 
