April  7,  1898. 
JOURN'AL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
297 
clusters  of  pale  pearly  flowers,  lined  with  blue,  look  very  pleasing  in  a 
sunny  part  of  the  rock  garden,  where  they  grow  in  light  peaty  soil. 
The  dazzling  Tulip  has  hardly  begun  its  reign  of  splendour.  It 
is  unfortunate  for  the  garden  of  hardy  flowers  that  so  many  are 
unsatisfactory  when  planted  permanently  and  not  lifted  and  dried  off 
annually.  For  many  reasons  it  would  be  a  great  gain  to  have  more  of 
these  Tulips,  which  might  safely  be  left  alone  for  several  years.  In 
some  gardens  T.  Greigi  is  very  accommodating  in  this  respect,  and  is 
alike  valued  for  its  earliness  and  beauty.  It  also  is  all  the  better  of 
being  lifted  occasionally. 
A  very  fine  Tulip  which  has  flowered  in  my  garden  for  three  years 
in  succession  without  removal  is  Tulipa  Kaufmanniana,  which  was 
found  in  the  mountains  of  Turkestan  by  Albert  Regel.  It  has 
previously  been  mentioned  in  the  Journal,  but  its  beauty  entitles  it  to 
another  notice.  Of  exceeding  beauty  indeed  is  the  form  here,  which 
is  a  pretty  white  with  a  bright  yellow  centre,  the  outside  being  of  a 
fine  red  or  carmine  with  a  white  bordering.  The  flower  opens  out 
quite  flat  in  the  sun.  The  variety  of  T.  Kaufmanniana  which  received 
a  first-class  certificate  from  the  Floral  Committee  of  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society  appears  to  have  been  of  a  different  colour,  as  it 
was  said  to  vary  from  pale  pink  to  pale  rosy  purple.  Mr.  H.  J. 
Elwes  considers  the  certificated  plant  inferior  to  a  form  he  grew, 
and  which  resembled  mine  with  the  addition  of  a  carmine  band 
above  the  yellow  centre.  It  is  grown  in  the  border,  but  a  group 
on  rockwork  would  form  a  delightful  picture  when  the  sun  induced 
it  to  open  its  flowers  to  their  fullest  extent.  Kaufmann’s  Tulip  is 
one  of  the  noblest  of  a  noble  race  of  garden  flowers. 
The  gale  blowing  as  I  write  is  perhaps  the  severest  of  the  year, 
and  as  with  it  come  showers  of  snow  and  sleet,  one  of  which  now 
whirls  through  the  garden,  we  think  of  broken  flowers  and  injured 
beauty.  A  fine  tree  Lupin  is  ruined.  Daffodils  have  been  nipped  off 
by  the  ground,  and  leaves  of  many  kinds  have  been  driven  off  the 
plants ;  yet  through  all  are  the  white  of  the  Arabis,  the  blue  of  the 
Forget-me-not,  the  purple  of  the  Aubrietia,  the  yellow  of  the  Daffodils, 
and  colours  and  shades  almost  innumerable.  The  Glory  of  the  Snow  is 
with  us  yet ;  the  Snowdrop  has  still  a  few  late  flowers.  There  are 
Scillas,  Anemones,  Polyanthuses,  Primulas,  Primroses,  Grape  Hyacinths 
— white  and  blue.  The  round-leaved  Cardamine,  Megaseas,  dwarf 
Rhododendrons,  Heaths,  Crocuses,  Dodecatheons,  Daisies,  and  others  to 
hold  aloft  the  banner  of  hardy  flowers.  When  the  gentler  days  come,  as 
come  they  will,  we  shall  look  upon  them  with  greater  delight  as  we 
think  of  the  wild,  days  of  the  stormy  amazonian  month. — S.  Arnott. 
HARMFUL  AND  HARMLESS  GARDEN  MOTHS— 18. 
Just  now,  when  those  species  of  Sallow  and  Willow  which  flower 
in  spring  are  opening  the  bloom  which  has  been  held  back  by  easterly 
winds  and  dry  weather,  it  is  not  unusual  for  persons  to  go  out  and 
gather  it  for  decorative  purposes.  Plpon  visiting  a  row  of  these  trees 
or  shrubs  by  day,  should  it  be  fine,  we  are  likely  to  see  a  numerous 
gathering  of  bees  and  flies  refreshing  themselves  after  their  winter’s 
sleep.  Then,  after  dark,  appear  larger  representatives  of  the  insect 
people,  stout-bodied  moths,  mostly  of  the  Noctua  tribe  we  are  now 
considering,  who  come  to  take  their  share  of  the  nectar,  to  strengthen 
themselves  for  the  work  of  oviposition.  There  may  be,  perchance,  a 
couple  of  moths  on  the  same  spray,  not  very  unlike  each  other,  but  yet 
the  history  of  the  two  is  quite  different.  One  has  burst  the  pupa 
shell,  influenced  by  the  rising  temperature,  and  is  taking  an  early 
flight ;  the  other  appeared  on  the  wing  during  autumn,  and  passed 
the  winter  in  some  retreat. 
Gardeners  frequently  come  across  such  moths  during  winter  and 
spring.  Occasionally,  no  doubt,  their  proceedings  are  the  cause  of 
some  of  these  insects  waking  up  from  their  six  months’  repose ;  they 
disturb  them  in  houses  and  sheds,  probably  they  now  and  then  kill  the 
insects  as  “  suspects.”  One  of  these  moths  is  the  herald  (Gonoptera 
libatrix),  which  is  a  visitor  to  the  flowers  of  spring,  hut  is  said  to 
have  received  its  name  from  the  fact  of  its  emergence  towards  the  end 
of  autumn,  when  it  is  regarded  as  a  herald  of  winter.  However,  the 
moth  very  soon  settles  down,  and  it  has  a  curious  liking  for  the 
dwellings  of  man.  I  have  seen  it  hunted  out  of  rooms  on  the 
supposition  that  it  was  ^  species  which  would  prey  on  woollen  or 
silken  materials.  An  entomologist  once  discovered  about  a  dozen  of 
the  herald  moths  in  a  garden  tool  house  which  had  been  locked  up  all 
the  winter,  and  which  they  had -evidently  entered  by  a  small  opening. 
The  scolloped,  or  cut,  wings  are  very  distinctive ;  they  are  downy,  as 
also  the  thorax,  and  the  general  colour  greyish-brown,  crossed  by  a  bar 
of  bright  red,  in  the  centre  of  which  is  a  small  but  conspicuous  white 
spot.  The  caterpillar  I  have  often  taken  in  June;  it  is  thin  and 
velvety,  of  a  deep  green  hue,  with  a  pale  stripe  along  each  side. 
Unlike  most  Noctuas,  it  spins  a  cocoon  of  fine  silk  upon  a  twig  when 
adult. 
Returning  to  our  foes  of  the  genus  Agrotis,  we  come  to  a  moth 
nearly  allied  to  the  species  named  after  Ihe  Turnip,  but  of  very  pro¬ 
miscuous  tastes  (A.  segetum),  referred  to  in  the  last  article.  This  is 
A.  exclamationis,  or  otherwise  the  heart  and  dart.  I  do  not  think  the 
insect  ever  exclaims,  hut  the  gardener  may,  on  discovering  the  mischief 
done  surreptitiously  by  the  caterpillar.  The  English  name  is  suggested 
by  a  couple  of  marks,  nearly  black,  upon  the  brown  ground  of  the 
fore  wings.  Mr.  Newman  has  pointed  out,  also,  that  the  erect  collar 
of  the  thorax  resembles  a  figure  of  a  flying  bird.  The  moth,  therefore, 
cannot  be  mistaken  for  its  relative,  hut  the  caterpillars  of  the  two  are 
scarcel}'  distinguishable,  showing  the  same  series  of  shining  spots  on 
the  surface  of  the  body,  which  varies  in  colour ;  usually  it  is  some 
shade  of  brown. 
Commencing  to  feed  early  in  July,  this  caterpillar  at  first  feeds 
above  ground  on  young  plants,  or  on  the  lower  leaves  of  garden  vege¬ 
tables  ;  about  two  months  later  it  takes  to  an  underground  life,  at 
least  during  the  day,  for  an  examination  by  night  will  often  show  it 
busily  mining  heads  of  Cabbages  and  Cauliflowers,  sharing  the  spoil 
with  the  equally  detestable  Cabbage  moth  caterpillar.  Right  on  into 
autumn  it  is  eating  the  crowns  or  roots  of  Parsnips,  Carrots,  and 
Turnips.  Probably  it  eats  occasionally  through  the  winter  months, 
changing  to  a  chrysalis  in  April  ;  its  cell  is  3  or  4  inches  under  the 
earth.  When  the  Lime  tree  is  in  blossom  the  moths  may  he  noticed 
hovering  round  its  branches  soon  after  sunset. 
Then  we  have  another  familiar  Agrotis,  which  is  called  the  garden 
dart,  A.  nigricans,  a  dingy  coloured  species,  the  brown  slightly  tinged 
with  red  ;  there  are  a  couple  of  pale  spots,  rather  like  a  half  moon  in 
shape,  and  a  blackish  streak  joining  one  of  them  to  the  base  of  the 
upper  wing.  It  is  a  July  moth.  The  caterpillar  resembles  others  of  the 
genus  in  habit,  feeding  from  autumn  to  spring ;  it  is  most  frequently 
noticed  in  May.  This  caterpillar  is  of  a  greenish  brown,  sometimes  it 
appears  rather  of  a  reddish  brown,  with  a  shining  plate  behind  the 
head.  It  is  best  distinguished  from  its  relatives  by  a  double  white 
stripe  above  the  feet,  and  the  rows  of  black  warty  spots.  It  is 
occasionally  taken  upon  low  plants  about  gardens,  no  doubt,  but  its 
favourite  food  is  Clover,  and  a  company  of  them  has  been  known  to 
entirely  strip  a  field,  finishing  off  upon  the  banks  and  hedgerows 
near.  Another  common  species  is  the  white  line  dart  (A.  Tritici). 
Though  thus  named  after  Wheat  it  does  not  usually  feed  upon  cereals, 
but  eats  Cabbages,  Onions,  and  other  vegetables  in  gardens  ;  also  it 
devours  some  weeds.  It  is  seldom  found  above  ground,  chiefly 
attacking  roots  or  stocks,  excepting  along  the  coast  of  Ireland, 
where  this  caterpillar  has  been  taken  freely  on  the  Sea  Plantain.  On 
the  back  it  is  grey,  the  sides  of  the  body  being  green  without  black 
dots,  but  there  are  some  narrow  stripes ;  its  head  is  glossy  and  small. 
When  dug  up  it  at  once  rolls  into  a  compact  ring.  The  moth  is  rather 
of  a  grey  brown,  the  wing  rays  pale,  with  a  white  line  or  streak 
generally  conspicuous  on  the  upper  edge  of  the  fore  wings.  It  is  a 
quick  flier. 
There  is  scarcely  need  to  describe  the  common  yellow  underwing 
(Tryphsena  pronuba),  a  moth  no  gardener  can  well  mistake  for 
another  ;  the  orange-yellow  under  wings,  edged  with  black,  are  con¬ 
spicuous  ;  the  upper  wings  vary  much.  Some  specimens  are  much 
darker  than  others,  and  the  markings  differ  in  their  number  or  tint. 
This  moth  is  fond  of  introducing  itself  to  public  notice — it  enters 
sitting-rooms,  concert  halls,  churches  too ;  and  an  individual  will  be 
seen  careering  about  a  good  while  from  light  to  light,  till  at  length  it 
gets  a  fatal  burn,  or  dashes  off  into  the  open  air.  One  thing  in 
this.moth,  only  noticeable  when  it  is  turned  over,  is  a  beautiful  golden 
streak  beneath  the  upper  wings.  On  taking  a  moth  into  the  hand  we 
are  astonished  at  the  muscular  power  the  insect  possesses.  The  moth 
appears  in  June  and  July ;  there  is  hut  one  annual  brood,  eggs  being 
laid  at  night  upon  a  great  many  garden  plants,  on  which  the  cater¬ 
pillars  feed  from  autumn  to  spring ;  possibly  they  are  inactive  during 
very  cold  weather,  remaining  then  under  the  earth.  A  few  years  ago 
this  caterpillar  was  found  in  several  instances  to  be  attacking  Chrys¬ 
anthemums,  and,  as  I  am  informed,  it  not  only  devoured  the  foliage, 
but  it  was  also  detected  while  young  hidden  in  the  flower  heads. 
Recently,  however,  I  have  had,  no  reports  of  its  occurrence  upon  these 
favourite  plants.  When  adult  this  is  a  good-sized  caterpillar,  nearly 
2  inches  long  and  stout,  of  varying  shades  of  green  and  brown,  but 
always  shows  a  double  line  along  the  back,  and  upon  each  side  a  row 
of  black  spots. 
This  insect  may  he  killed,  or  starved,  by  the  application  of  soot  and 
wood  ashes  to  the  soil,  also  by  watering  with  diluted  gas  lime,  paraffin, 
or  soapy  solutions.  It  has  been  recommended  to  employ  children  in 
the  work  of  hunting  for  the  moths  during  their  season  of  flight, 
because  in  the  day  they  lurk  amongst  herbage,  or  get  into  grass,  and 
being  conspicuous,  may  be  easily  captured.  Rather  less  abundant,  yet 
distributed  throughout  the  British  islands,  is  the  lesser  broad-border 
(T.  Janthina)  Avhich  has  been  called  the  handsomest  of  the  Tryphaenas 
on  account  of  the  rich  colouring  on  the  upper  wings.  The  caterpillar 
does  not  seem  to  have  been  noticed  by  gardeners,  nor  is  it  often 
discovered  by  entomologists ;  it  feeds  from  autumn  to  May.  It^has  a 
