364 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  ^8,  189s. 
brown  moth  flies  in  June,  and  the  young  caterpillar  feeds  a  little  while 
later,  then  hybernates  till  April.  It  is  taken  just  now  on  Hawthorn 
hedges  and  plants  growing  near  them,  a  very  smooth  caterpillar  of 
purplish  brown,  with  two  narrow  waved  stripes,  and  some  small  white 
spots,  but  it  is  not  abundant  enough  to  be  mischievous.  Akin  to  this 
is  the  caterpillar  of  the  moth  called  the  double  spotted  square  spot 
(N.  triangulum),  which  feeds  during  April  and  May.  In  the  autumn 
it  eats  the  leaves  of  Bramble  or  Sallow;  the  spring  food  is  varied.  It  is 
partial  to  Primroses  and  allied  species,  occasionally  it  helps  to  clear  off 
common  weeds,  such  as  Chickweed  and  the  Lamiums.  The  moth  is 
rather  handsome,  having  well-defined  markings  in  shades  of  brown 
and  buff.  Sweets  attract  it  about  midsummer,  and  it  is  reported  from 
all  parts  of  Britain. 
Sallows  and  Willows  of  several  kinds  are  not  unusually  planted 
in  or  near  gardens,  and  they  supply  food  to  several  stout-bodied 
species  akin  to  the  two  named  above,  their  caterpillars  consuming  the 
foliage,  but,  should  they  fall  off,  thej'  sometimes  change  their  diet. 
We  may  take  from  some  Sallow  at  the  end  of  April  the  caterpillar  of 
the.  purple  clay  (Noctua  brunnea),  which  rolls  into  a  compact  ring 
when  touched ;  it  is  velvety,  brown,  marked  with  black  and  white. 
The  moth  is  also  brown,  delicately  marbled  and  banded,  having  two 
conspicuous  white  spots.  A  much  lighter  moth,  very  variable  in 
colour  and  pattern  of  wings,  is  oddly  called  the  ingrailed  clay,  or 
N.  festiva — the  Latin  name  has  perhaps  an  allusion  to  its  appearance 
at  the  height  of  the  summer  season,  when  Nature  displays  her  full 
beauty.  April  and  May  are  the  caterpillar’s  season;  it  hides  amongst 
the  twigs  of  Sallow,  though  is  doubtless  discovered  by  birds.  It 
resembles  the  preceding,  but  is  somewhat  darker,  having  a  few  pale 
spots  and  pale  feet.  Much  smaller,  and  quite  of  a  different  aspect,  is 
the  flame  shoulder  moth,  N.  plecta,  so  styled  from  a  conspicuous 
whitish-yellow  dash  of  colour  along  the  edge  of  the  brown  upper 
wings;  there  is  another  dash  near  their  base;  the  under  wings  are 
white.  Woodruffs  and  other  low  plants  supply  food  to  the  caterpillar, 
which  is  of  dingy  hue  and  slim-bodied,  not  easily  perceivable  when 
it  is  crawling  or  resting  on  the  soil;  it  feeds  during  July,  and  is  not 
uncommon. 
The  .Hebrew  ch-aracter  (Tseniocampa  gothica)  is  a  moth  of  spring, 
one  that  many  gardeners  have  seen  reposing  by  day  on  trees  or  walls 
at  a  time  when  such  insects  are  abroad  only  in  small  numbers.  One 
peculiarity  is  the  mark  on  the  purplish  brown  wings  that  suggested 
the  English  name ;  another  is  the  length  of  the  scales,  which  make 
the  moth  look  wmolly.  Numerous  garden  shrubs  furnish  food  to  the 
caterpillar,  which  is  full  grown  in  June.  Its  strength  of  jaw  is  proved 
by  its  ])Ower  to  masticate  tough  leaves,  stich  as  those  of  some 
evergreens.  It  is  of  brighter  colours  than  many  of  its  relatives,  being 
delicate  apple  green,  with  a  broad  stripe  along  each  side  of  pale  green, 
black  along  its  upper  edge,  also  three  narrow  stripes  of  yellow.  Early 
in  appearance,  too,  is  the  clouded  drab  (P.  instabilis),  which  flies 
during  March  and  April,  a  comparatively  harmless  though  abundant 
species  ;  it  visits  gardens  for  the  spring  flowers,  and  occasionally 
deposits  eggs  on  herbaceous  plants,  but  trees  are  mostly  selected. 
The  moth  is  variable  in  colour  and  markings,  though  it  always  shows 
the  two  discoidal  spots  and  a  well-defined  pale  line  near  the  margin  of 
the  wings.  In  July  the  caterpillar  is  about ;  this  is  bright  green, 
having  a  w'hite  collar,  two  indistinct  stripes,  and  numerous  dots,  also 
white. 
The  pretty  arid  delicately  formed  blossom  underwing  (T.  miniosa) 
looks  ill-fitted  to  face  the  rough  winds  and  showers  of  the  season  when 
it  emerges.  Its  upper  wings  have  a  beautiful  band  of  red  on  a  reddish- 
grey  ground,  and  the  under  Avings  are  pinkish  and  shiny,  reminding 
us  of  the  petal  of  some  flower.  This  moth  occurs  chiefly  in  the  South 
of  England.  The  food  of  the  caterpillar  is  Oak  and  Hawthorn  ;  from 
a  hedge  of  the  latter  it  will  sometimes  descend,  to  feed  on  low  plants 
near.  At  first  it  is  sociable  in  habit,  parties  of  about  twenty  living  on 
a  twig  under  a  silken  web.  When  it  gets  to  be  an  inch  long  this  is 
rather  a  showy  caterpillar — velvety,  the  head  spotted,  and  the  body 
marked  with  pink,  white,  yellow,  and  black. 
Moths,  as  a  rule,  do  not  congregate — that  is,  those  of  the  same 
species,  though  a  troop  of  various  species,  large  and  small,  olten 
hovers  round  the  Willow  bloom  at  dusk;  but  the' moth  called  the 
Dismal  (Orthosia  Upsilon)  has  been  seen  flying  near  the  tops  of  trees 
in  a  shrubbery  by  scores,  or  even  hundreds,  on  a  July  evening.  Is  it 
possible  they  are  attracted  to  the  twigs  or  branches  by  the  sugary 
secretion  of  some  one  of  the  aphis  species  ?  Sombre  is  its  colour,  as 
the  popular  name  implies ;  on  the  wings  is  a  figure  resembling  the 
Greek  capital  letter,  which  suggested  the  scientific  one.  When  a  lad 
I  was  walking  along  the  Thames,  not  far  from  Kew  Gardens,  and 
popped  my  head  into  a  hole  in  a  AYillow  tree  ;  to  my  surprise  I  found 
it  lined  with  rows  of  brown  caterpillars,  which  were  evidently  those  of 
the  above  moth.  It  is  their  habit  to  hide  during  the  day  singly,  or  in 
companies  sometimes,  under  loose  bark,  in  holes,  or  amongst  grass ; 
and  after  dark  they  mount  to  feed,  being  full-fed  towards  the  end  of 
May. 
We  come  now  to  a  couple  of  cannibals.  The  parent  moths  are  not. 
perhaps,  frequent  visitors  to  gardens,  yet  we  look  upon  them  as,  in  a. 
sense,  our  friends;  one  of  the  species  is  in  particular,  because  it  is  fond, 
of  pursuing  and  killing  the  caterpillar  of  that  common  pest,  the  winter 
moth.  This  is  the  variable  moth  known  as  the  dun-bar,  or  Cosmia 
trapezina,  specimens  of  which  show  different  shades  of  grey,  red,  or 
brown,  but  always  have  a  bar  and  two  spots.  It  flies  in  July,  and 
the  chrysalis  from  which  it  emerges  then -has  a  fine  bloom  upon  it,, 
resembling  what  we  see  on  some  Plums.  The  caterpillar  is  abundant 
in  May,  It  has  a  stoutish  body  and  small  head ;  is  dull  green,  having 
five  yellowish  stripes  and  numerous  black  warts,  each  in  a  white 
ring.  Oak,  Birch,  and  other  trees  afford  it  green  food ;  but  small 
caterpillars  are  its  frequent  victims,  and  of  all  it  prefers  those  of  the 
winter  moth,  which  have  no  chance  against  it,  seldom  escaping  by 
strength  or  speed. 
The  satellite  (Scopolosoma  satellitia)  is  a  larger  moth  of  reddish- 
brown,  with  dark  lines  and  white  spots.  It  is  a  March  species,  the 
eggs  being  laid  then  on  various  trees  and  shrubs.  Presumably  it  eats 
leaves  sometimes,  but  chiefly  subsists  on  other  caterpillars,  not  even 
sparing  its  own  species.  It  is  brownish,  rather  velvety,  and  striped  on 
the  back,  living  partly  concealed  under  leaves  drawn  together  with 
silk.  Out  of  this  retreat  it  comes  forth  to  seize  passing  caterpillars, 
and  if  one  be  handled  it  exhibits  great  activity.  Occasionally  in  May 
these  caterpillars  quit  the  trees,  and  eat  leaves  or  seek  prey  amongst 
herbage  below.  There  is  also  an  emergence  of  the  motlis'in  October. 
Towards  the  close  of  autumn,  amongst  the  species  visiting  the 
flowers  of  Ivy  for  their  honey,  or  imbibing  sugar  from  the  berries  of 
the  Yew,  is  the  beaded  chestnut,  or  Anchocelis  pistacina,  a  moderate 
sized  moth,  of  varying  shades  of  grey  and  brown,  but  having  the 
wings  crossed  by  lines,  which  give  the  appearance  of  network.  We 
see  this  moth  in  gardens,  because  the  caterpillar  feeds  sometimes  on 
grasses;  but  it  is  also  partial  to  the  species  of  Ranunculus  or  Butter¬ 
cup,  and  has  been  taken  in  May  in  cultivated  kinds,  keeping  out  of 
view  by  day.  It  is  green,  striped'  and  dotted  with  white,  the  rings 
showing  yellow  skiufolds  when  it  craAvD;  it  makes  a  very  compact 
earthen  cocoon  for  its  change. — Entomologist. 
PROFITABLE  FRUIT  GROWING. 
{Continued  from  page, 
Pkior  to  turning  to  the  second  portion  of  my  pajier  dealing  with 
Grape  and  Tomato  culture,  I  should  like  to  summarise  a  few  of  the 
most  important  points  that  I  have  placed  before  you,  and  which,  in 
my  opinion,  go  to  make  up  success  in  profitable  I'ruit  culture.  First,, 
you  must  have  a  love  for  your  work,  and  put  your  whole  heart  into 
it,  paying  strict  attention  to  every  little  detail.  Begin  by  making  the 
foundation  sound,  spare  no  pains  in  providing  a  right  rooting  medium 
for  your  trees — whether  they  be  choice  hothouse  or  outdoor  fruit — 
when  you  get  thi^and  the  abundance  of  feeding  roots  that  will  result, 
take  care  of  them.  Feed  well,  mulch  well,  and  water  well ;  never  dig 
a'oout  them  with  a  spade,  but  keep  the  soil  firm. 
These  hints  are  as  applicable  to  the  private  gardener  as  to  the 
market  man  ;  and  as  most  of  my  hearers  belong,  I  believe,  to  the 
former  class,  I  may  be  told  that  it  is  all  very  well  to  say  do  this  and 
do  that,  and  do  it  at  the  right  time,  but  you  must  know  that  in  a 
private  place  there  ate  a  hundred  little  things  that  crop  up  and  keep 
one  from  doing  what  they  would.  Well,  I  quite  believe  that.  I  also 
quite  believe  in  the  maxim,  “  Where  there’s  a  will  there’s  a  way.”  I 
will  point  out  one  little  item  in  your  yearly  routine  of  work,  which,  if 
altered,  would  give  you  more  time  to  do  many  more  needful  things. 
I  refer  to  the  common  practice  of  washing  all  pots  before  potting,  and 
the  method  of  croci?ing  them  by  broken  pieces  arranged  into  various 
sizes.  I  would  undertake  to  transfer  1000  plants  from  3  to  5-inch 
pots  in  less  time  than  I  have  seen  it  take  to  wash  and  prepare  with 
crocks  a  like  number  of  pots.  Cinders  riddled  from  the  furnaces,  or 
gravel,  not  only  make  a  more  perfect  drainage,  but  the  operation  can 
be  done  in  quarter  the  time.  In  many  places  where  much  pot  work 
is  done,  the  loss  of  time  through  this  one  item  alone  must  be  consider¬ 
able.  Clean  pots  are  not  necessary  for  healthy  growth.  AYe  have 
grown  many  different  kinds  of  plants  during  the  last  eight  years,  and 
never  once  have  washed  the  inside  of  a  pot,  nor  ever  once  found  any 
inconvenience  through  the  balls  sticking  to  the  sides ;  nor  could  I  ever 
detect  the  slightest  difference  in  the  health  of  plants  potted  in  clean  or 
dirty  pots.  I  have  seen,  in  one  of  the  largest  private  places  in  this 
country,  where  every  conceivable  kind  of  plant  usually  grown  under 
glass  was  potted  in  this  way,  and  better  plants  I  have  not  seen 
anywhere.  The  saving  in  this  case,  for  this  seemingly  trifling  item 
alone,  would  not  be  less  than  £100  per  year. 
Gbape  and  Tomato  Growing. 
These  two  go  well  together.  Most '  houses  intended  for  Grape 
culture  for  market  have  a  full  crop  of  Tomatoes  the  first  year,  and  so 
on  in  lesser  extent  for  a  few  years,  until  the  Vines  occupy  most  of 
