234 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
March  17,  1898. 
without  much  if  any  change,  when  they  suddenly  disappeared  from 
cultivation.  I  first  saw  one  about  twenty  years  ago,  when  a  plant  named 
“  Parkinson’s  Painted  Lady  ”  came  into  my  hands.  It  did  not  live 
long.  Later  I  had  three  varieties  from  the  North  of  Ireland,  none  of 
which,  however,  were  worth  growing  ;  but  from  among  a  number 
imported  from  Germany  a  kind  named  “  I\Ieta  ”  has  proved  one  of 
the  sweetest  and  best  of  border  Carnations.  The  “  paint  ”  in  this 
variety  is  red. 
The  classes  in  Avhich  the  greatest  interest  centres  are,  however,  the 
flakes  and  bizarres.  It  is  by  no  means  improbable  that  the  “  streaked 
Gillyvors,”  which  Perdita  refused  to  plant  in  her  garden  were  the 
earliest  forms  of  these  and  possibly  Belgian  “versicolors.”  On  tlie 
Continent  their  cultivation  must  have  been  pursued  with  great  zest,  for 
towards  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century  Gilbert  notes  that  “  the 
nobler  sorts  which  are  called  Dutch  Julyllowers  were  raised  from  seeds 
in  the  Netherlands,  and  thence  conveyed  to  us.’'  These  on  account  of 
the  size  and  conformation  of  the  flowers  obtained  the  names  of 
“  Magnum  Bonums,”  of  “  IMonsters,”  and  of  “  Bursters,”  the  last 
being  the  usually  applied  designation.  On  the  Continent  single  blooms 
were  grown  up  to  7  inches  across,  but  in  England  a  bloom  measuring 
5  inches  in  diameter  was  considered  worthy  alike  of  commendation  and 
of  emulation. 
These  were  classed  respectively  as  Beazards,  with  white  ground, 
spotted  and  barred ;  Flakes,  of  two  colours,  regularly  striped ;  and 
Flames,  with  a  red  ground,  ribboned  with  black  or  purple.  In 
Bursters  the  blooms  were  peculiar  in  being  composed  of  two  flowers, 
the  one  closely  superimposed  on  the  other.  In  Souvenir  de  la 
IMalmaison  we  have  a  variety  that  sometimes  approaches  very  closely 
to  these  old  forms,  when  strongly  grown  flowers  are  occasionally 
produced  provided  with  a  double  calyx,  and  with  two  distinct  blooms 
in  one,  and  these  abnormal  types  always  expand  into  flowers  of  an 
exceptional  size. 
“  Bursters  ”  were  allowed  to  carry  only  one  bloom  to  each  plant, 
for,  as  an  old  writer  remarks,  “It  is  not  how  qood,  but  how  hig  is  your 
Flower ;  ”  and  “  Eeason  teaches  that  one  Flower  will  be  better  fed 
from  the  Boot  than  many.”  Much  care  was  expended  on  slitting 
“  pods,”  and  strengthening  those  with  vellum  or  oilcloth  which  in 
places  had  burst .  b^eyond  bounds.  The  petals  were  carefully  drawn 
forward,  and  the  inner  calyx  manipulated,  so  that  a  bloom  of  “  noble 
proportions  ”  should  be  the  result. — R.  P.  Brotherston. 
(To  be  continued.) 
HARMFUL  AND  HARMLESS  HARDEN  MOTHS— 17. 
Some  of  the  good  old  entomologists  gave  to  one  group  of  English 
moths  the  funny  title  of  the  “  rustics.”  In  their  habits  they  are  not 
particularly  rural.  Several  frequent  fields,  but  other  species  occur 
about  gardens,  and  may  even  turn  up  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood 
of  a  town  or  city.  One  of  the  commonest,  and  also  a  particularly 
injurious  species  of  Noctua,  is  a  rustic  moth,  which  possesses  the 
name  of  the  rustic  shoulderknot,  Apamea  basilinea.  The  former  name 
seems  to  have  arisen  from  a  fancied  resemblance  between  a  mark  upon 
the  fore  wings  and  the  porter’s  knot,  which  was  commonly  to  be  seen 
about  London  streets  in  the  time  of  George  III.,  when  burdens  were 
usually  carried  on  the  shoulders,  barrows  and  trucks  being  less  frequent 
than  they  are  now.  A  black  elbowed  line  upon  the  ochreous  ground 
suggested  the  Latin  name. 
Both  sexes  occur  about  garden  flowers  at  midsummer  and  after ; 
the  female  moths  then  resort  to  the  corn  fields,  depositing  eggs  on  the 
half-ripe  ears.  The  young  caterpillars  secrete  themselves  in  the  lower 
part  of  the  stalk  and  feed  upon  the  grains  till  they  harden.  Of  course 
they  are  carried  to  barns  and  granaries  with  the  corn,  and  are  sometimes 
found  in  such  places  by  thousands.  Wandering  off,-each  little  cater¬ 
pillar  makes  a  cocoon  somewhere,  within  which  it  sleeps  till  .spring 
arrives.  Then  they  change  their  habits,  and  feed  on  various  low  plants 
about  fields,  gardens  or  hedgerows,  resting  on  the  soil  by  day.  About 
the  end  of  March  or  in  April  we  may  find  them  full-fed’caterpillars 
wdth  pale  shining  heads  and  stout  bodies,  which  are  darkish  brown, 
having  some  black  spots,  and  a  yellow  line  down  the  back.  Afterwards 
they  enter  the  earth  to  assume  the  chrysalis  state. 
Several  species  in  the  genus  Apamea  live  as  caterpillars  upon 
grasses  or^  their  roots,  preferring  fields  to  garden  lawns,  though  the 
moths  visit  gardens  for  sweets  if  obtainable.  Cue  of  these  is  the 
naoth  called  the  common  rustic,  A.  oculea,  a  very  variable  insect, 
difficult  to  make  out  even  to  an  entomologist.  It  is  some  shade  of 
brown,  with  indications  of  a  darker  band ;  the  white  spot,  which  the 
Latin  name  indicates,  is  often  avanting  on  the  fore  wings.  Its  cater¬ 
pillar  is  putty  coloured,  and  feeds  during  the  spring  on  grasses,  being 
fond  of  the  species  of  P oa.  The  larger  and  handsomer  dusky  brocade 
moth  (A.  gemina)  has  two  varieties;  one  has  a  couple  of  conspicuous  spots 
of  grey  on  the  dark  brown  wings,  the  other  has  the  wings  lighter,  and 
the  spots  are  wanting.  It  occurs  throughout  our  islands  in  July.  The 
caterpillar  feeds  first  in  autumn,  then  again  from  March  to  May,  upon 
grasses,  specially  the  canary  kinds,  Phalaris,  sp.,  if  accessible.  Also 
handsome  and  singularly  marked  is  A.  ophiogramma,  or  the  double- 
lobed ;  the  grey  wings  are  festooned  with  brown,  in  which  colour  is 
enclosed  a  double  spot.  This  moth  is  captured  frequently  about 
London  suburbs ;  and,  though  the  caterpillar  can  live  on  grasses,  it 
sometimes  burrows  into  the  pith  of  the  common  garden  Flag,  and  very 
probably  causes  the  decay  of  other  species  of  Iris.  M"e  look  for  it 
during  spring,  and  the  moth  emerges  in  summer. 
A  rather  abundant  June  moth  is  the  pale  mottled  willow,  or 
Caradrina  cubicularis,  a  dull  coloured  insect,  which  has  nothing  to  do 
with  the  Willow  that  I  am  aware  of,  and  its  scientific  name  seems  to 
have  caused  a  curious  blunder,  foi  the  author  of  a  list  of  moths  remarks 
it  was  apparently  so  called  because  it  is  found  in  bedrooms  or  out¬ 
houses.  Like  some  other  moths,  it  may  sometimes  hide  in  a  room 
when  it  wishes  to  rest,  but  the  name,  most  likely,  arose  from  the 
caterpillar’s  habit  of  making  itself  a  little  apartment  in  which  the 
winter  is  passed.  The  eggs  are  laid  upon  cereals  and  leguminous 
plants.  Wheat,  and  Peas  in  fields,  being  chiefly  selected  by  the 
females.  When  the  crops  are  harvested  the  young  caterpillars  go 
Avith  them,  and  .where  they  are  laid  up,  form  these  abodes,  out  of 
which  they  emerge  in  early  sjiring  to  feed  again  upon  the  grain  or 
pulse,  if  stored.  Therefore  the  species  is  one  that,  ow'ing  to  its 
destructive  habits,  we  are  justified  in  killing  should  we  have  the 
opportunity. 
Of  moderate  size  is  the  moth  called  the  brown  rustic,  or  Rusina 
tenebrosa,  certainly  a  shady  species  as  the  name  implies,  though  the 
dark  wings  are  of  a  lather  lustrous  brown,  crossed  by  two  zigzag 
black  lines,  and  having  a  few  pale  spots  we  do  not  see  unless  we 
examine  closely.  It  is  a  June  moth,  not  rare  in  most  English  counties, 
and  its  appearance  about  gardens  is  explained  by  the  occasional  food 
of  the  caterpillar,  which  lives  from  August  to  April,  feeding  at 
intervals  through  the  winter.  Along  fields  and  waysides  we  may 
detect  it  upon  chickweed  and  knotgrass,  but  some  seasons  it  is  found 
in  gardens  upon  species  of  Viola.  This  insect  keeps  well  below  its 
food  plants  during  the  day,  hiding  amid  particles  of  earth  and  stones, 
but  at  night  it  devours  the  leaves  or  gnaws  the  stalks.  In  shape  it  is 
peculiar,  narrowing  towards  the  head  and  tail,  being,  therefore,  some¬ 
what  like  a  shuttle  ;  it  has  a  velvety  skin,  puckered  along  the  sides, 
the  body  is  brown,  marked  with  grey. 
We  pass  on  to  an  important  group  of  moths  known  in  their  early 
stage  to  all  gardeners ;  but  the  species  generally  are  puzzling  to  make 
out,  the  colour  and  markings  of  many  of  the  moths  being  much  alike ; 
nor,  even  if  reared,  do  the  caterpillars  help  us  to  identify,  as  they 
often  are  very  similar.  Several  of  them  take  a  place  on  the  black  list  as 
insects  which  damage  our  crops.  The  moth,  inappropriately  called  the 
dark  sword  grass,  or  Agrotis  suffusa,  may  be  seen  among  flowers  in 
September,  then  hybernates,  flies  again,  and  deposits  eggs  in  April, 
after  refreshing  itself  with  spring  sweets.  It  is  some  tint  of  brown, 
varied  with  grey  spots  and  lines,  the  under  wings  pearly  and  pinkish. 
Hatched  in  May,  the  caterpillar  lives  upon  a  variety  of  garden  plants ; 
it  has  been  taken  feeding  on  the  roots  or  leaves  of  Lettuce,  Spinach, 
Seakale,  Radish,  and  other  vegetables.  By  day  it  is  unseen,  feeding 
then  ander  the  earth  ;  after  dusk  it  emerges  to  attack  the  plants  above 
ground.  It  is  a  slate  coloured  caterpillar,  rather  shining,  dotted  over 
with  small  warts ;  from  each  of  these  rises  a  hair.  The  cell  in  which 
it  becomes  a  chrysalis  is  compact,  and  the  interior  carefully  lined. 
The  Turnip  moth  (A.  segetum)  is  a  dull  looking  insect ;  its  sober 
tints  and  moderate  size  are  not  suggestive  of  mischief,  but  the 
caterpillar  is  a  persistent  and  artful  foe,  not  much  behind  that  of  the 
Cabbage  moth  in  destructiveness.  Their  season  of  emergence  is 
June  and  July,  and  in  going  out  with  a  lantern  amongst  vegetables 
at  night  we  may  detect  the  females  busily  engaged  in  depositing 
eggs.  They  are  usually  placed  close  to  the  ground,  upon  some  seedling 
by  preference,  which  the  young  caterpillar  nibbles  persistently  and 
frequently  kills. 
Turnips  may  be  a  favourite  article  of  food  with  the  species,  but 
anything  succulent  is  acceptable.  Carrots,  Cabbages,  and  other 
vegetables  are  victims  to  its  jaws,  nor  does  it  spare  some  ornamental 
plants.  Newman  refers  to  its  visits  to  the  China  Aster ;  he  says,  “  The 
leaves  of  a  plant  will  be  found  to  be  withering  and  curling  up,  examine 
the  stem  where  it  enters  the  ground,  and  you  see  it  is  nearly  decorti¬ 
cated,  the  circulation  of  the  sap  is  prevented,  and  growth  stopped.  You 
pull  up  the  plant  to  find  the  enemy,  but  fail ;  he  has  wandered  many 
inches  away,  burrowing  in  the  earth  like  a  mole.”  This  entomologist 
also  remarks  upon  the  utility  of  certain  birds,  such  as  the  rook,  starling, 
possibly  even  the  much-abused  sparrow,  w'hich  devour  the  caterpillar, 
or  take  it  to  their  young.  After  feeding  through  the  summer,  it 
changes  the  mode  of  life,  and  keeps  almost  entirely  under  ground, 
subsisting  upon  the  roots  or  tubers  of  plants,  and  continuing  to  eat, 
unless  very  cold  weather  sets  in,  when  it  remains  torpid.  About  May 
we  find  it  adult,  a  stout  caterpillar  then,  small-headed,  a  horny  plate 
on  the  second  segment,  and  dotted  over  with  shining  spots-,  in  colour 
grey. — Entomologist, 
