June  2,  1698. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
461 
HARMFUL  AND  HARMLESS  GARDEN  MOTHS— 21. 
Years  ago,  when  the  Crystal  Palace  was  not  built,  and  people  on 
the  South  of  London  visited  the  old  Beulah  Spa  as  a  health  resort, 
the  vicinity  of  Norwood  abounded  with  those  black  wooden  fences 
which  are  the  delight  of  moths,  also  of  entomologists.  For  these 
fences  were  oiten  then  the  temporary  abiding  place  of  choice  species, 
both  of  moths  and  beetles,  which  had  bred  in  the  gardens  thereabout, 
or  in  the  woods,  which  were  still  extensive  fifty  years  ago.  A  worthy 
friend  of  mine  made  many  a  search  along  these  palings,  seeking  the 
silvery  arches,  or  Aplecta  tincta,  and  was  rewarded  witli  a  few.  It  is 
a  moth  not  common  in  Surrey  nor  in  other  counties,  but  the  caterpillar 
lived  on  some  of  the  Birches  which  adorned  the  Norwood  hills.  It  is 
one  singular  in  appearance,  the  body  being  marked  with  depressed 
rings,  its  general  colour  brown,  upon  which  are  numerous  tiny  spots 
of  black  and  white;  it  hybernates,  becoming  adult  during  May. 
The  moth  is  certainly  one  of  the  prettiest  of  our  Noctuas,  though 
the  colours  are  not  conspicuous,  the  surface  being  glossy  grey, 
with  bands  or  lines  of  silvery  brown.  June  and  July  are  its  months 
of  emergence.  Not  an  injurious  species,  but  its  relative,  the  grey 
arches,  a  more  abundant  moth  (A.  nebulosa),  may,  in  caterpillar  form, 
commit  some  damage  during  the  spring,  for  this  insect,  living  at  first 
upon  low  plants,  afterwards  ascends  trees,  eating  the  buds  and  young 
leaves  of  several  ornamental  species.  It  is  brown  above  and  pale 
beneath,  dotted  with  black,  and  having  behind  the  head  a  horny  plate. 
In  May  it  enters  the  earth,  the  moth  emerging  in  about  a  month, 
when  it  is  fond  of  resting  by  day  on  Avails  or  fences.  On  examining 
one  we  shall  find  it  whitish  grey,  or  some  darker  shade,  exhibiting 
those  marblings  and  wavy  lines  which  are  characteristic  of  the 
group. 
At  the  end  of  May,  or  early  in  June,  the  dark  brocade  moth 
(Hadena  adusta)  deposits  eggs  upon  various  garden  plants.  It  is  a 
dull-coloured  insect,  the  bar  and  patches  being  not  much  darker  than 
the  general  brown  of  the  wings.  The  caterpillar  is  yellowish  green, 
sometimes  tinged  with  pink,  faintly  striped;  on  the  sides  are  Mack 
and  white  spots.  After  feeding  on  low  plants  during  the  summer  it 
often  resorts  to  Sallow  in  September,  and  devours  the  flower  buds  of 
the  next  season,  then  returns  again  to  the  herbage  near,  usually 
entering  the  earth  in  October  to  become  a  chrysalis.  Still  better 
known  is  the  caterpillar  of  the  pot-herb  moth,  so-called  by  gardeners, 
but  Avhich  entomologists  have  named  the  brown  line,  bright  eye,  or 
H.  oleracea.  Of  recent  years  we  have  had  fewer  reports  about  the 
destructiveness  of  this  insect.  It  is  perhaps  not  identified  at  times 
amongst  its  many  brethren  that  pursue  the  method,  of  hiding  by  day 
just  under  the  soil,  doing  mischief  to  roots,  then  at  dusk  emerging  to 
attack  stems  and  leaves.  This  has  been  taken  on  Cabbages,  Broccoli, 
Lettuce,  and  no  doubt  will  occasionally  help  to  clear  off  Docks  or 
kindred  weeds.  The  moth  is  brown,  showing  a  line  of  white  like  the 
letter  W,  and  a  blotch  deeper  in  hue  than  the  ground  colour.  Usually 
the  caterpillar  is  pale  green,  striped  with  brown  and  yellow  ;  between 
the  stripes  are  rows  of  black  dots.  It  feeds  during  the  autumn 
months. 
At  that  season,  too,  occurs  the  caterpillar  of  the  broom  moth 
(H.  Pisi),  which  I  have  had  brought  to  me  now  and  then  as  a 
curiosity,  from  one  or  other  of  the  London  suburbs;  it  is  also  found  in 
many  other  places.  This  is  a  beaut  fully  marked  caterpillar,  the 
stripes  being  green  and  yellow  ;  betAveen  these  are  narrow  lines  of 
Avhite  and  black..  Though  the  English  name  associates  it  with  Broom, 
I  have  mostly  taken  it  off  the  common  Brake  Fern.  The  Latin  name 
is  appropriate,  f)r  the  moth  sometimes  visits  gardens,  laying  eggs 
upon  Peas  and  Beans ;  but  so  conspicuous  a  caterpillar  can  be  easily 
removed.  The  moth  is  generally  on  the  wing  before  midsummer ;  it 
is  reddish-brown,  faintly  marked. 
We  may  consider  the  nutmeg  (Hadena  Chenopodii)  to  be  rather 
a  useful  moth.  It  is  one  of  the  many  species  that  come  in  July  to 
flowers  after  sunset ;  a  grey-brown  insect,  obscurely  mottled,  having 
three  pale  lines  crossing  the  wings.  It  is  not,  however,  by  any  means 
so  common  as  the  caterpillar,  which  either  suffers  from  ichneumon 
foes,  or  else  often  falls  a  prey  to  birds.  Possibly  they  are  attracted  to 
it  by  its  conspicuous  colours,  for  it  is  a  pretty  caterpillar,  though  of 
moderate  size.  The  green  body  has  netted  markings  of  black,  its 
sides  show  white  spots,  and  four  pink  stripes  run  from  head  to  tail. 
In  August  it  is  mostly  observable,  feeding  upon  the  Chenopodiums  or 
Goosefoots,  Avhich  are  frequently  abundant  upon  waste  ground  and 
about  neglected  gardens.  Should  there  appear  a  specimen  that  we 
recognise  of  a  companion  moth,  crJled  the  dog's-tooth  (H.  suasa),  we 
give  it  a  welcome,  for  the  caterpillar  is  a  devourer  of  the  Knotgrass, 
feeding  by  night,  and  resting  during  the  daytime  in  the  sphinx 
attitude,  the  front  segments  raised  and  curved,  while  it  holds  on 
tightly  by  the  hinder  ones.  Like  some  other  of  the  Noctua  tribe,  the 
colour  is  variable,  green  or  brown,  but  it  always  shoAvs  a  yellow 
stripe  along  each  side,  edged  Avith  black.  July  and  August  are  its 
months  of  feeding;  the  moth  emerges  early  next  summer,  and  is 
named  from  some  wedge-shaped  markings  of  dark  brown,  which 
point  toAvards  the  base  of  the  Aving. 
One  ot  the  first  Noctuas  to  appear  in  spring  is  the  early  grey 
(Xylocampa  lithorliiza),  wh'ch  comes  out  defying  the  gales  and  shoAvers 
of  March.  When  fresh  from  the  chrysalis  this  moth  has  a  beautiful 
rosy  tint,  which  soon  vanishes.  Its  plumage  is  rather  downv,  appro¬ 
priate  to  a  species  exposed  to  our  spring,  greyish,  with  tracings  of  dark 
broAvn  and  some  black  spots.  The  females  resort  to  Honeysuckle  in 
gardens  or  woods.  YMung  caterpillars  emerge  from  the  eggs  during 
June,  and,  as  they  grow,  become  noticeable  on  the  slender  stems  of 
their  food-plant,  sitting  Avith  the  head  stretched  out,  while  the  legs 
hold  tightly,  but  they  drop  if  alarmed,  forming  a  ring.  Towards  the 
tail  its  body  is  narrower,  in  colour  greyish-brown,  and  a  pale  stripe 
extends  along  the  back.  Early,  too,  is  the  much  larger  and  conspi¬ 
cuous  sAA'ord-grass  moth  (Calocampa  exoleta)  Avhich,  however,  makes 
its  appearance  first  in  October,  haunting  Ivy  bloom,  or  late  garden 
flowers  at  night,  then  before  long  hybernates.  The  Avings  are  pale 
grey,  having  a  few  dark  lines;  the  discoidal  spots  are  very  distinct, 
and  contain  light  centres.  In  colour  the  caterpillar  surpasses  the 
moth.  It  is  velvety  green  ;  on  each  side  are  tAvo  stripes  ;  one  of  these 
is  yellow,  and  has  above  it  a  row  of  black  and  white  spots;  below  this 
is  another  stripe  of  brilliant  scarlet,  bordered  with  white,  the  legs' 
reddish-green.  Commonly  it  feeds  from  May  to  July  on  the  creeping 
Field  Thistle,  also  sometimes  on  the  Scabious  species  and  the  Bladder 
Campion. 
We  come  next  to  the  shark  moths ;  not  as  caterpillars  do  they 
exhibit  quite  the  ravenous  nature  of  the  fish,  but  are  still  somewhat 
voracious  eaters  of  leaves,  especially  from  their  often  occurring  in 
companies.  The  shark  (Cucullia  umbratica)  type  of  the  group,  is  fre¬ 
quently  observed  resting  on  walls,  or  on  those  grey  park  palings’  which 
it  exactly  resembles  in  colour,  about  the  middle  of  June.  Like  the 
other  sharks,  it  has  narrow  Avings,  Avhich  have  a  few  black  lines  on  the 
general  grey,  and  the  thorax  is  crested.  Some  seasons  the  caterpillar 
does  notable  injury  to  the  garden  Lettuce,  secreting  itself  amongst  the 
lower  leaves  that  lie  on  the  ground  or  are  curled  over.  Occasionally  it 
lives  upon  Sow  Thistles,  which  is  some  set-off  to  the  mischief  it  does. 
The  body  of  the  caterpillar  is  dark  brown,  or  nearly  black,  crossed  by 
pale  shagreened  markings,  and  two  segments  have  several  o’range  spots. 
It  feeds  in  July  and  August.  Some  years  ago  a  gardener  brought  me 
China  Asters  Avhich  had  been  attacked  by  the  caterpillar  of  the  Star- 
wort  (C.  Asteris).  It  is  found  also  in  woods  feeding  upon  that  plant 
and  the  Golden  Rod.  This  has  a  long  slim  body  Avhich  is  green  striped 
with  blue  and  yellow.  It  goes  underground  during  September,  and 
the  moth  emerges  in  June.  Another  of  these  sharks  is  called  the 
mullein  moth  (C.  Verbasci).  It  has  rich  umber-broAvn  Avings,  a  band 
of  light  brown,  and  two  pale  crescents;  it  usually  appears  during  May. 
The  caterpillars  are  stout  and  showy,  feeding  in  parties,  the  general 
colour  AAdiitish  green,  on  Avhich  are  yelloAv  and  black  spots ;  they  are 
partial  to  the  hoary  and  other  Mulleins. — Entomologist. 
THE  CULTIVATION  OF  WALLFLOWERS. 
Beds  of  WallfioAvers,  either  mixed  varieties  or  sepai-ate  colours,  are 
so  showy  and  sweet-scented  at  this  season  that  few  persons  would  care  to 
dispense  with  them  altogether  from  their  collection  of  spring  flowers. 
Dwarf,  bushy,  well-grown  Wallfiowers  are  excellent  plants  for  furnishing 
beds  and  borders  in  winter,  and  for  this  reason,  apart  from  their  wealth 
of  fragrant  flowers,  they  command  considerable  attention.  Good,  bushy 
examples,  however,  will  not  bo  forthcoming  in  autumn  if  seed  is  not  sown 
at  once.  Choose  a  piece  of  moist,  fertile  soil,  that  has  been  dug  and 
manured  some  time  previously.  An  open  border  on  a  north  or  east  aspect 
is,  perhaps,  the  best,  but  they  will  succeed  on  a  hot  south  or  west  aspect 
unless  the  soil  should  be  shallow  and  poor. 
In  preparing  to  sow  the  seeds  break  down  lumpy  particles  and  remove 
large  stones,  bringing  the  surface  to  a  fine  tilth.  Make  perfectly  level 
with  the  aid  of  a  rake.  If  the  soil  is  very  dry  it  is  not  desirable  to  sow 
the  seed  before  giving  it  a  copious  moistening  through  a  fine-rosed  can. 
Moisture  is  very  essential  to  cause  germination.  Scatter  the  seed,  not 
necessarily  scantily,  but  evenly,  so  that  the  seedlings  do  not  come  up  in 
crowded  patches.  Seed  may  be  sown  in  drills,  but  the  broadcasting 
method  is  superior.  A  quantity  of  fine  soil  ought  to  be  at  hand  for  the 
purpose  of  spreading  over  the  seed  and  hiding  it  from  sight.  Dust  dry 
soil  is  as  good  as  moist  for  covering  the  seed  when  the  soil  was 
previously  watered.  It  will  prevent  the  moisture  escaping. 
Under  favourable  conditions  the  seeds  will  quickly  germinate.  To 
assist  the  seedlings  in  advancing  vigorously  they  must  be  watered 
occasionally  in  the  course  of  very  dry  periods.  They  will  not  recjuire 
daily  waterings.  In  July  preparation  must  be  made  to  prick  out  the 
seedlings  in  order  that  they  may  strengthen  and  become  the  bushy 
plants  wanted.  Dig  over  a  piece  of  ground  in  an  open  position. 
Providing  it  is  not  very  poor  and  shallow  no  addition  in  the  form  of 
manure  or  leaf  soil  is  required,  any  excess  of  organic  matter  being 
liable  to  produce  a  strong  succulent  growth. 
Transplant  the  young  plants  in  rows  6  or  8  inches  apart.  I  find  it 
a  ready  method  to  take  out  a  trench  with  a  spade,  laying  the  plants 
