260 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  19,  1901. 
valuable  manure.  We  have,  however,  a  tribe  of  beetles  that  never  fly, 
for  the  very  good  reason  they  possess  no  wings  ;  and,  as  they  have 
not  the  power  of  leaping,  all  they  can  do  is  to  walk  or  run ;  some  are 
tardy  in  their  movements,  others  manage  to  put  on  speed. 
Sombre  tints  are  suited  to  insects  whose  life  is  mostly  upon  the 
earth,  and  doll-coloured  ground  beetles  are  numerous,  but  a  few  have 
bright  metallic  elytra,  which  glitter  in  the  sun,  hence  the  name  of 
sunshiners  given  to  them  by  some  country  folks.  Seeing  one  of  these 
is  accounted  a  token  of  good  luck,  and  to  injure  one  purposely  is  likely 
to  bring  misfortune  upon  the  offender,  so  they  say.  Possibly,  in  the 
larval  state,  a  few  species  may  gnaw  succulent  roots,  but  as  beetles, 
till  a  short  time  ago,  the  ground  tribe  would  have  received  excellent 
testimonials  from  gardeners.  Known  to  be  predatory,  they  had  the 
credit  ot  destroying  various  insects  reckoned  to  be  garden  pests.  But 
unfortunately  several  gardeners  found  a  species  that  they  familiarly 
called  “  black  bob  ”  feasting  on  their  Strawberries,  and  later  investi¬ 
gations  proved  that  other  kindred  species  were  offenders  similarly. 
The  carabi  are  large  and  active  ground  beetles,  and  occur  not  only 
in  fields  and  gardens,  but  about  our  houses  also,  where  they  prey  upon 
cockroaches,  or  even  upon  the  agile  cricket.  French  gardeners 
discovered  long  ago  how  useful  such  beetles  are,  and  they  not  only 
refrained  from  killing  them,  but  brought  them  into  gardens  when  they 
found  them  abroad.  These  beetles  are  rather  night  insects  than  day 
ones,  yet  they  may  be  noticed  at  all  hours.  Having  sharp  eyes,  the 
carabi  are  able  to  see  their  prey  some  distance  off.  They  have  the 
peculiarity,  several  of  them,  of  discharging  from  the  mouth  an 
offensive  fluid  as  one  means  of  defence,  and  it  can  be  thrown  forcibly. 
While  in  the  larval  stage  these  species  are  also  predatory  ;  living 
underground,  they  are  only  observed  occasionally. 
The  violet  ground  beetle  (C.  violaceus)  is  a  handsome  a  d  common 
species,  showing  purplish  tints  on  the  thorax  and  wing  cases.  It  is 
not  unusual  in  gardens,  however,  to  come  upon  a  specimen  surrounded 
by  ants,  yet  not  dead,  and  it  would  appear  that  these  fierce  little 
insects,  relying  upon  their  numbers,  attack  these  beetles,  also  others  as 
big,  when  they  are  getting  enfeebled  by  old  age.  Another  species, 
less  abundant  here,  but  more  beautiful,  is  the  bright  coloured 
C.  auratus  ;  on  the  Continent  it  is  very  familiar,  getting  the  local 
name  of  the  “gardener,”  and,  oddly,  the  “sempstress,”  too.  Itapid 
in  movement,  and  with  strong  mandibles  for  biting,  insects  much 
larger  become  its  victims,  and  this  carabus  is  a  notable  killer  of  the 
cockchafer  during  its  mature  season,  which  tends  to  reduce  the 
numbers  of  its  annoying  grub.  Some  of  the  ground  beetles  have  been 
mistaken  for  glow-worms,  as  looking  luminous  slightly,  the  fact  being 
that  they  get  upon  their  bodies  at  times  phosphorescent  particles  of 
decaying  matter  that  they  have  been  wandering  amongst  or  eating. 
On  the  banks  of  several  rivers,  especially  along  the  Thames,  occurs  a 
curious  ground  beetle  called  the  bombardier.  It  has  the  power  of 
discharging  at  any  enemy  puffs  of  bluish  vapour  with  a  ciackling 
sound.  Along  garden  paths,  and  even  upon  the  pavements,  by  day  or 
night  tramp  many  of  the  species  of  Harpalus,  doubtless  in  search  of 
smaller  insects  that  afford  them  food ;  some  of  them  also  seize  little 
worms'and  slugs.  Professor  Westwocd  states  that  the  lighter  coloured 
species  are  generally  abroad  during  the  day  ;  sun  beetles,  or  sunshiners, 
and  the  dingy  species,  sometimes  called  “  imps,”  go  out  hunting  by 
night.  Often  we  discover  these  ground  butles  under  stones  and  logs 
of  wood,  making  us  wonder  how  they  got  there,  usually  in  the  midst 
of  prey.  Owing  to  the  habit  many  have  of  only  sucking  the  juices  of 
their  victims,  they  destroy  rure  insects  than  we  might  suppose  ;  and 
the  larval  stage  probably  lasts  several  months,  when  they  are  also 
living  on  insects,  at  least  with  few  exceptions. 
It  was  about  the  year  1880, 1  think,  that  the  first  accounts  appeared 
of  beetle  depredators  of  a  new  sort  which  were  committing  much 
damage  in  Strawberry  beds.  Sussex  appears  to  have  been  the  county 
responsible  for  the  name  of  “  black  bob  this,  people  say,  is  the 
property  of  HarpO-s  ruficornis,  which  has  had  fellow  sinners  in 
Ptercstichus  madiaus,  and  also  some  of  the  species  of  Amara.  Most 
of  these  beetles  kept  well  out  of  view  during  daylight,  also  their  usual 
habits  dispelled  suspicion.  Of  course  it  was  well  known  that  the  black 
Vine  weevil,  Otiorhynchus  sulcatuj,  at  times  injured  the  fruit  of 
Strawberries,  as  well  as  committing  damage  at  their  roots.  Entomolo¬ 
gists  speculated  why  such  species  chose  unwonted  food,  suggesting  the 
cause  might  be  a  scarcity  of  their  customary  prey,  but  to  gardeners 
the  pressing  question  was  how  they  should  be  exterminated.  Slates 
and  boards  were  laid  as  traps,  successful,  only  the  beetles  escaped 
before  they  could  be  killed,  and  the  most  effectual  proved  to  be  drain 
pipes  loosely  filled  with  hay.  Out  of  these  they  could  be  shaken  into 
boiliDg  water,  and  many  hundreds  were  secured  in  this  way. 
Something  must  be  said  briefly  about  the  rove  beetles,  or  cocktails, 
insects  frequently  to  be  seen  on  the  tramp,  and  which  hold  a  place 
amongst  the  friends  of  horticulture.  Active  wanderers  they  certainly 
are,  and  the  second  name  points  to  the  propensity  some  have  of  raising 
the  tail  or  hind  extremity,  it  alarmed  or  angry.  It  is  by  the  aid  of 
this  tail  that  the  rove  beetles  pack  their  largish  wings  into  the  sm  >11 
cases.  Also,  from  it  several  species  can  eject  a  liquid  which  has  a 
most  offensive  smell.  Both  in  the  larval  and  mature  state  they  kill 
insects,  worm*,  slugs,  and  occasionally  eat  decaying  fungi.  One  of  the 
notable  species  is  the  black  fellow  oddly  called  the  “devil’s  coach- 
horse,”  and  Goerius  olens,  travels  along  paths  with  a  defiant  air,  quite 
ready  to  attack  either  hand  or  stick  that  may  approach  him.  Another 
of  the  rove  beetles,  Ocypus  iuscus,  rather  less,  is  thickly  clad  with 
short  hairs,  and  looks  like  a  bumble  bee  that  had  lost  its  wings. — 
Entom'  logist. 
Ixias  and  Sparaxis, 
Both  genera  are  peculiarly  elegant  and  brilliant,  while  for  vase 
decoration,  as  cut  flowers,  we  need  only  cast  an  eye  over  the  illustra¬ 
tions  on  the  opposite  page  to  recall  their  effectiveness  to  memory. 
Though  the  bulbs  or  corms  are  small,  yet  the  long  racemes  of  gaily 
coloured  flowers  are  lengthy  and  well  set  with  blooms.  As  a  rule 
these  subjects  are  cultivated  in  pots,  but  in  all  the  milder  parts  of  the 
southern  counties,  or  south  of  the  Thames  we  may  say,  both  Ixias  and 
Sparaxis  succeed  and  flower  freely  in  the  open  borders.  In  masses 
they  are  splendidly  effective,  and  are  much  prized  by  all  who  have 
successfully  established  them.  By  Messrs.  Webb  &  Son’s  courtesy 
we  are  enabled  to  present  the  accompanying  illustrations,  and  they 
admirably  serve  to  show  how  best  to  arrange  these  graceful  flowers. 
We  direct  attention  for  further  notes  to  the  article  on  “  Miscellaneous 
Bulbs.” 
- - 
Daffodils  in  Scotland. 
Daffodils  in  Scotland,  as  elsewhere,  exhibit  marked  dislikes  and 
preferences  to  certain  soils  and  positions.  Such  free  growers  as 
Sir  Watkin,  Emperor,  Horsfieldi,  common  incomparabilis,  and  the 
various  forms  of  poeticus,  seem  to  do  more  or  less  satisfactorily  under 
all  conditions.  The  “pseudo”  are  not  nearly  so  dependible,  in  light 
soils  often  failing  to  produce  bloom.  One  of  the  most  petted  of 
Daffodils  is  the  old  Van  Sion,  which  in  Parkinson’s  time  was  called 
“Mr.  Wilmer’s  Great  Double,”  but  raised  by  “Vincent  Sion,  dwelling 
on  Banke  Side,”  who  first  flowered  it  in  “  the  yeare  1610.”  Here  and 
there  we  find  it  growing  with  great  vigour,  flowering  profusely,  and 
“increaseth  as  well  as  any  other  Daffodil.”  In  other  places  it  simply 
dwindles  away  and  dies  off  in  the  course  of  a  very  few  years.  In  the 
same  way  the  very  scarce  Narcissus  cernuus  plenus  has  almost  totally 
disappeared  from  gardens  during  the  last  ten  years.  I  still  possess  a 
few  bulbs,  but  they  do  not  increase,  and  with  the  arrival  of  each 
succeeding  “  moon  of  Daffodils”  their  appearance  is  looked  for  with 
much  expectancy,  and  not  always  with  hope.  It  appears  to  be  a 
form  that  requires  much  warmth,  with  moistuie  at  root,  and  plenty  of 
feeding,  the  latter  to  be  provided  solely  by  means  cf  surface  dressings 
applied  early  in  the  spring  of  each  year.  N.  maximus  again  possesses 
an  infinite  capacity  for  dying  without  any  apparent  reason.  Mr.  Cowan, 
who  grows  it  exceedingly  well,  considers  the  Dutch  form  to  be  quite 
distinct  as  regards  constitution  from  the  Irish  N.  maximus,  which  he 
grows  solely.  J.  B.  Berkely  is,  however,  a  good  substitute  for  maximus, 
and  is  free  of  the  constitutional  weaknesses  of  that  sort. 
Of  the  newer  forms  of  trumpets,  Shakespeare  orcmises  well,  and 
King  Alfred  bids  fair  to  become  one  of  the  grandest  forms,  though 
