January  13,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
39 
SLUGS  EATING  WORMS. 
The  enclosed  very  rougjh  sketch,  which  I  made  in  the  kitchen  garden, 
represents  three  slugs,  “Testacella  Mangei,”  eating  a  worm.  You  will 
observe  one  at  each  end  of  the  worm,  and  the  other  tugging  away  at  the 
middle  of  the  unfortunate  creature. 
Whether  these  slugs  do  good  or  harm  by  destroying  worms,  I  am 
content  to  leave  to  those  who  are  competent  to  decide.  They  do  not, 
however,  confine  themselves  to  worms,  for  I  have  frequently  noticed  them 
eating  the  mischievous  black  slug,  and  for  this  reason  I  never  kill  one  of 
them,  or  allow  the  men  to  do  so. 
I  do  not  know  whether  this  is  a  common  species.  It  abounds  in  our 
garden,  and  I  believe  it  is  responsible,  to  a  large  extent,  for  the  small 
amount  of  harm  done  by  slugs  here. 
I  thought  the  above  might  possibly  interest  you.  I  notice  various 
questions  have  from  time  to  time  been  asked  respecting  this  slug.-  I  am 
not  quite  sure  as  to  name  I  have  given  being  correct,  or  of  its  correct 
spelling.  I  think,  however,  it  is  Testacella,  but  doubtful  of  Mangei.  I  have 
some  recollection  of  the  name  of  the  above  insect  being  in  dispute  some 
years  ago. — Thomas  Aexold. 
P.S. — I  ought  to  say  that  I  have  never  seen  this  slug  eating  vegetation 
of  any  kind,  and  believe  it  lives  entirely  on  other  insects.  Is  this  so  ? 
[The  slug,  Testacella  Mangei,  a  native  of  South-west  Europe,  apjiears 
to  have  naturalised  itself  in  some  parts  of  this  country.  It  is  dark  brown 
in  colour,  and  the  shell,  at  the  extremity  of  the  body,  is  larger  than  in 
the  British  species,  T.  haliotidea.  This  species  occurs  in  many  localities 
in  the  South  of  England,  and  has  been  found  in  Scotland.  It  is  a  dirty 
yellow,  with  brown  specks,  sometimes,  but  rarely,  pale  yellow,  and  even 
more  rarely  entirely  black.  The  ear-shaped  shell  on  the  rear  of  the 
mollusc,  and  protecting  it  when  in  the  buri'ow  after  worms,  is  about 
a  quarter  of  an  inch  long,  and  the  full-grown  animal,  when  extended, 
about  3  inches  in  length.  The  carnivorous  slugs  do  no  harm,  as  whatever 
good  woi’ms  effect  in  Nature  they  may  be  too  abundant  in  cultivated  land, 
especially  the  rich  soil  of  gardens.] 
CINERARIAS  IN  MIDWINTER. 
CiNERAEiAS  grown  as  annuals  are  extremely  useful  plants,  and 
accommodating  too.  Although  the  regular  flowering  season  is  considered 
to  be  during  the  months  of  March  and  April,  a  good  display  may, 
with  a  little  management,  be  obtained  at  midwinter  and  for  a  month 
before  Christmas  if  desired,  so  amenable  are  the  plants  to  different  forms 
of  treatment.  A  good  number  of  plants  flowering  at  the  time  named 
gives  a  pleasing  variety  after  the  bulk  of  the  Chrysanthemums  are  past, 
the  same  plants  lasting  in  good  condition  for  a  considerable  time. 
Apart  from  their  usefulness  as  decorative  plants.  Cinerarias  in  a  cut 
state  ai’e  appreciated,  the  bright  and  varied  colours  appear  so  well  under 
artificial  light.  No  annual  that  I  am  acquainted  with  gives  so  much  range 
in  colouring  as  Cinerarias. 
An  advantage  gained  in  flowering  these  plants  at  this  time  of  the 
year  is  they  are  not  nearly  so  liable  to  be  infested  with  green  fly  as 
they  are  when  flowering  more  at  the  ordinary  season,  when  the  weather 
is  warmer.  Where  convenience  exists,  there  is  no  reason  why  the  plants 
should  be  in  flower  at  one  time.  Whether  it  be  during  the  middle  of 
winter  or  in  spring,  a  succession  can  easily  be  secured,  provided  sjiace  is 
available  for  a  greater  number  of  plants.  The  point  to  study  is  to  sow 
the  seed  at  intervals,  instead  of  making  but  one  sowing,  as  in  the  ordinary 
method  of  allowing  the  plants  to  flower  as  they  will,  say  in  IMarch  and 
April. 
Some  cultivators  still  adopt  the  old  method  of  raising  their  stock  of 
plants  from  offsets  annually.  Where  special  kinds  or  colours  are  desired 
no  other  method  is  so  certain  of  success;  but,  nowadays,  when  such  a 
wide  range  of  colours  as  well  as  quality  in  the  individual  blooms  can  be 
obtained  from  seed  through  a  reliable  firm,  it  seems  to  me  to  be  a  waste  of 
time  to  resort  to  the  offset  method.  Eor  flowering  at  Christmas,  those 
raised  from  seed  are  better.  Two  sowings  should  be  made — the  first 
during  the  early  part  of  May,  and  the  second  the  first  week  in  June.  A 
succession  of  flowering  plants  is  then  assured,  assuming,  of  course,  neglect 
does  not  follow  the  initial  stage.  Any  fine  sandy,  sweet  soil  will  suffice 
to  sow  the  seed  -in.  Well  drained  pans  are  the  best  for  the  purpose, 
covering  the  pan  with  a  S(iuare  of  glass.  To  maintain  the  soil  in  a 
moist  state,  a  little  moss  over  the  glass  will  dispense  with  the  necessity  of 
shading  the  frame. 
Directly  the  seedlings  show  through  the  soil  remove  the  moss  and 
tilt  the  glass  a  little  to  admit  air  to  keep  the  plants  sturdy,  A  weakly 
growth  cannot  produce  dwarf  plants  with  robust  foliage  and  strong 
heads  of  bloom,  such  as  are  required  to  be  effective  in  a  decorative 
point  of  view,  especially  for  house  use.  Plants  ranging  from  9  inches  to 
double  that  size  in  height  are  best  suited  for  decorative  use  at  the  time 
named.  This  is  a  point  to  be  borne  in  mind. 
The  pots  in  which  the  plants  are  to  flower  should  range  from 
4^  inches  to  7  inches  in  diameter.  These  final  sizes  will  guide  the 
cultivator  in  giving  the  plants  their  preceding  shifts,  A  compost  largely 
consisting  of  leaves  thoroughly  decayed,  with  a  small  portion  of  loam 
and  sand  mixed  with  it,  will  he  suitable  in  the  initial  stage;  afterwards 
more  loam  should  be  added  in  the  place  of  the  leaves,  with  a  small 
quantity  of  partly  decayed  horse  droppings  for  the  final  shift.  It  is 
a  mistake  to  allow  the  roots  of  Cinerarias  to  become  matted  together 
before  they  are  repotted ;  tho  foliage  becomes  crippled,  and  the  flower 
spikes  are  never  so  .stiff  as  they  ought  to  be. 
Cinerarias  must  have  abundance  of  water  during  active  growth,  and 
require  frequent  supplies  of  liquid  manure,  especially  when  the  pots  are 
small.  Nothing  is  better  than  that  made  from  cowdung  and  soot  given 
in  a  weak  state.  Sulphate  of  ammonia  at  the  rate  of  a  quarter  of  an 
ounce  to  a  gallon  of  water  is  beneficial  after  the  flowering  pots  are  well 
filled  with  roots.  It  imparts  a  deep  green  colour  to  the  leaves,  but  it 
should  not  be  given  oftener  than  once  a  fortnight. 
The  first  sowing  may  be  made  in  a  spent  hotbed,  the  second  in  a  cold 
frame  behind  a  north  wall.  This  latter  affords  the  best  site  for  all  the 
plants  for  the  first  four  months  of  their  growth  (including  those  sown  in 
the  hotbed  after  their  first  potting),  as  the  trouble  of  shading  the  frames 
daily  can  be  dispensed  with,  which  will  be  a  great  saving  of  labour. 
Frames  or  pits  with  a  southern  aspect  during  the  month  of  October  will 
suit  the  plants  better  than  their  previous  position,  rendering  them  more 
compact  in  growth  than  they  would  be  if  remaining  behind  the  wall 
longer.  About  the  first  week  in  November  take  them  inside  to  a  light 
airy  position,  as  near  the  glass  as  possible.  In  our  case  we  erect  a 
temporary  stage  with  boards  across  the  border  in  the  Peach  house, 
which  is  kept  as  cool  as  possible  ;  by  that  time  the  leaves  have  fallen 
from  the  Peach  trees,  the  Cinerarias  then  obtaining  plenty  of  light. 
There  they  remain  until  the  flowering  season  is  past.  At  no  time  of 
their  existence  must  the  plants  be  crowded,  or  they  will  certainly  be 
spoilt.  The  leaves  of  one  should  only  just  touch  those  of  its  neighbour. 
Cinerarias  suffer  perhaps  more  than  any  kind  of  plant  by  overcrowding. 
The  plants  are  very  subject  to  attacks  of  green  fly,  thrips,  and 
the  leaf-mining  maggot.  Frequent  fumigations  with  tobacco  will  dispose 
of  the  two  former  pests  when  the  first  signs  of  the  enemy  are  noted. 
For  the  latter  hand-picking  must  be  resorted  to.  The  maggot  can 
bo  seen  in  the  leaves,  and  is  easily  removed  with  the  point  of  a  knife. 
Until  the  plants  come  into  flower  they  are  much  benefited  by  sy ringings 
of  clear  water  in  the  evening  after  a  warm  day.— E. 
KITCHEN  GARDEN  NOTES. 
Whether  much  work  or  little  can  be  accomplished  in  the  kitchen 
garden  during  January  depends  largely  on  the  weather.  On  all  favour¬ 
able  occasions  it  is  desirable  to  proceed  with  digging,  trenching,  or  bastard 
trenching.  The  best  time  for  this  work  is  cold,  dry  weather,  or  when  the 
ground  is  clean  and  crisp  with  a  slight  frost.  The  worst  time  to  tread 
upon  or  disturb  soil  is  immediately  after  the  breaking  up  of  a  hard  frost 
or  close  upon  the  heels  of  heavy  rain.  More  harm  than  good  is  done  by 
working  the  ground  when  soil  sticks  to  the  boots  and  the  tools. 
Outdoor  winter  work  requires  careful  planning  beforehand.  In  the 
driest  or  frosty  weather  the  heavy  work  of  wheeling  manure  should  be 
carried  on  so  that  the  least  damage  is  done  to  walks  and  edging.  When 
the  ground  is  too  wet  or  sticky  for  profitably  working  pay  attention  to 
the  rubbish  heaps,  stack  leaves  into  compact  heaps,  turn  and  mix  manure, 
separating  irom  the  heaps  of  decaying  material  anything  that  will  not 
readily  decompose,  such  as  sticks,  vegetable  or  herbaceoiis  stems,  hedge 
clippings,  and  prunings  of  all  kinds.  Make  a  fire  with  these  and  convert 
them  slowly  to  ashes  and  charcoal  by  a  process  of  subdued  combustion. 
When  the  fire  is  well  started  pile  on  the  whole  of  the  combustible  material 
and  cover  with  weeds,  wet  leaves,  or  anything  short  and  damp,  which  will 
tend  to  prevent  rapid  burning  by  shutting  out  the  air. 
This  method  of  disposing  of  all  useless  waste  which  does  not  readily 
ferment  is  termed  a  “smother.”  The  smother  may  be  kept  going  for 
some  time  by  closing  up  any  apertures  with  damp  material  where  the  fire 
may  break  through.  The  result  in  the  end  will  be  a  valuable  heap  of 
wood  ashes  and  charcoal  available  for  use  in  the  preparation  of  seed  beds 
and  drills,  and  to  fork  in  the  surface  soil  before  planting  out  Cabbage, 
Lettuce,  Onions,  Strawberries,  and  other  crops. 
The  preparation  of  the  manure  for  hotbeds  is  a  matter  which  may 
also  be  attended  to  when  the  weather  is  unsuitable  for  other  work. 
Stable  litter  and  leaves  are  the  best  materials  for  forming  hotbeds  at  this 
