154 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  14,  1902. 
The  Petunia. 
The  Petunia  is  a  general  favourite  with  horticulturists  of 
moderate  ambition  and  limited  resources,  and  figures  promi¬ 
nently  at  this  season  in  every  garden.  The  name  petun  is  the 
Peruvian  for  tobacco,  there  being  a  close  connection  between 
the  Petunia  and  the  Nicotiana.  Though  now  so  popular,  the 
introduction  of  the  Petunia  is  of  recent  date  compared  with 
that  of  many  flowers  having  a  much  more  limited  diffusion.  It 
will  scarcely  occur  to  admirers  of  this  thoroughly  naturalised 
flower  that  it  is  a  native  of  the  Pampas  of  Buenos  Ayres,  and 
that  its  presence  in  England  was  unknown  within  the  memory 
of  a  few  persons  now  living,  it  having  been  introduced  seventy 
years  ago.  ,  „ 
One  peculiarity  possessed  by  the  ordinary  known  florists’ 
varieties  is  the  facility  with  which  they  develop  seeds,  varying 
in  character  from  that  of  the  parent  plant,  and  giving  origin 
to  a  considerable  complexity  of  markings  as  may  be  seen  by 
referring  to  our  illustration.  Both  double  and  semi-double 
varieties  are  there  represented.  The  best  forms,  though 
originally  raised  from  seeds,  are  perpetuated  by  cuttings  of 
young  flowerless  shoots  in  a  close  warm  case  or  frame  in  early 
autumn  or  spring;  but  beautiful  Varieties*  for  garden 
and  greenhouse  decoration  are  obtainable  from  packets  of 
seed  from  a  good  strain,  such  as  supplied  by  Messrs. 
Barr,  Sutton  and  Sons  with  others.  Excellent  plants 
are  raised  by  sowing  thinly  in  fine  soil  in  pots  or  boxes  in 
August,  the  soil  to  be  kept  uniformly  moist,  and  the  seedlings 
transplanted  as  soon  as  possible^  in  other  pots  or  boxes  to 
become  sturdy  before  the  winter,  through  which  they  will  pass 
safely  on  a  shelf  suspended  from  the  roof  of  a  frost-proof  green¬ 
house.  Plants  are  also  easily  raised  by  sowing  in  a  warm  frame 
in  the  spring. 
'■ - *•«.. - 
Insects  as  Garden  Adornments. 
It  is  but  a  word  of  three  letters,  one  of  the  briefest  our 
language  contains,  yet  ‘“-fly”  means  a  great  deal  that  is  very 
unpleasant  to  the  gardener.  Apart  from  its  designation  of  those 
insects,  the  entomologist  considers  the  flies  proper,  it  is  given 
to  sundry  members  of  the  aphis  group’  justly  regarded  as 
amongst  the  most  formidable. enemies  to  horticulture,  and  which 
must  be  kept  in  check  by  constant  watchfulness.  Many  flies  do 
mischief  to  flowers  and  fruit  when  in  the  winged  state ;  others, 
in  the  larval  condition,  are  even  more  persistent,  inflicting 
damage  on  roots,  stems,  and  leaves  which  is  often  undetected 
till  too  late. 
Still  we  have  a  set  off;  some  species  of  flies  are  useful 
scavengers,  and  others  of  predatory  habit  kill  various  insects  that 
we  are  glad  to  see  diminished  in  numbers  without  exertions  on 
our  part.  Then  there  are  flies,  frequenters  of  gardens,  whose 
tints  in  the  summer  sunshine  are  really  beautiful,  their  adorn¬ 
ment  and  their  rapid  flight  imparting  animation  to  the  scene 
as  they  regale  themselves  upon  the  flowers. 
Though  we  must  grant  the  noise, several  species  make  is  not 
agreeable  on  a  hot  day,  their  sonorogs.  buzzing  is  indicative,  we 
may  presume,  of  the'  satisfaction  they  find  in  their  brief  winged 
life,  for  it  is  possible  to  discriminate  amongst  insect  hums  or 
buzzes— notes  of  pleasure,  of  anger,  and  of  alarm.  Flies  of  noisy 
habit  that  are  occasionally  seen  in  gardens  are  the  breeze  flies, 
one  of  which  was  brought  me  the  other  day  as  a  curiosity.  They 
are  showily  marked  in  black,  yellow,  and  grey,  having  wings 
with  many  nervures,  and  a  long  proboscis,  applicable  for  blood 
sucking,  in  the  female  insect  certainly,  hence  their  loud  buzzing 
is  a  warning  to  look  out  ;  but  the  male  flies  are  mostly  satisfied 
with  the  juices  of  flowers.  These  breeze  flies  are  Tabani,  dreaded 
by  cattle  on  pastures,  also  by  horses.  The  eggs  are  dropped,  it 
is  thought,  amongst  the  herbage,  and  the  young  grubs  burrow  in 
the  soil,  living  upon  roots.  Better  known  to  the  gardener  is  the 
common  chameleon  fly,  akin  to  these,  named  from  its  diverse 
colours,  and  a  useful  species,  since  it  preys  upon  other  insects, 
some  of  them  being  garden  pests.  Stratiomys  chamseleon  has  a 
broad  body,  long  antennae,  a  spiny  thorax,  the  ground  colour 
black,  spotted  and  streaked  with  red,  yellow,  and  white.  In  its 
juvenile  stage  this  insect  leads  an  aquatic  life,  the  grub  floating 
along  shallow  streams,  breathing  by  means  of  a  telescopic  tail. 
This  species  is  a  good  example  of  the  family  of  soldier  flies, 
presumably  named  rather  from  their  red  markings  than  because 
of  their  warlike  habits;  though  some,  like  the  chameleon  fly, 
attack  smaller  insects  they  meet  with  at  flowers,  while  also 
partaking  now  and  then  of  their  juices.  Several  of  the  larvae 
or  grubs  feed  on  decaying  substances,  and  are  therefore  of 
service  to  us.  In  the  genus  Sargus,  the  flies  are  slim  bodied  and 
of  beautiful  metallic  hues.  About  this  time  S.  cuprarius  is  on 
the  wing  where  flowers  are  plentiful ;  it  has  a  golden  green  head, 
and  the  body  is  lustrous  purple.  They  are  not  particularly 
pretty,  ,  but  from  their  habit  of  haunting  flowers,  upon  which 
they  walk  in  a  sluggish  way,  we  cannot  help  noticing  the 
Acroceras.  These  little  flies  have  a  curiously  swollen  body,  and 
a  head  so  tiny  that  it  seems  only  just  to  hold  the  eyes  and  the 
short  antennae. 
It  is  unfortunate  that  few  of  the  familiar  flies  have  received 
English  names,  and.  we  cannot  find  one  for  our  friends  in  the 
genus  Asilus.  Strong  winged,  muscular  flies  these,  abundant  in 
woods  and  along  roads,  making  an  occasional  excursion  into 
gardens  for  variety  of  prey.  Nothing  comes  amiss  to  a  hungry 
Asilus,  as  one  of  them  will  attack  a  relative,  and  despite  its 
being  armed'  with  a  sting,  an  Asilus  can  conquer  a  bee.  Mr. 
Staveley  has  often  noticed  such  a  fly  carrying  a  bee  larger  than 
itself.  Surely,  Tie  remarks,  he  must  be  going  to  a  picnic,  or  why 
should  he  not  at  once  dine  upon  what  he  has  got !  Somebody 
else  remarked  that  these  flies  have  a  hungry  look ;  they  are  long 
bodied,  often  hairy. 
v  -  - 
One  common  species,  A.  crabronlformis,  seems  to  have  taken 
its  name  from  a  slight  resemblance  in  aspect  to  a  hornet.  It  is 
a  handsome  fly,  clothed  with  deep  golden  hairs  all  over,  except 
a  part  of  the  abdomen,  which  is  velvety  black,  the  wings  rich 
brown,  showing  a  few  darker  patches.  It  is  reported  to  be  a 
great  destroyer  of  caterpillars,  sucking  their  juices.  The  larvae 
of  Asili  live  underground,  or  in  decaying  wood.  We  associate 
with  these  flies  the  smaller  species  of  the  genus  Empis,  some¬ 
times  called  snipe  flies  ;  their  legs  are  long,  and  the  tongue  is 
like  a  bird’s  beak.  They  are  useful  to  us,  as  preying  upon  crane 
flies  and  other  troublesome  species  ;  some  of  them  during  the 
summer  clear  off  thousands  of  the  leaf-roller  moths,  whose  cater¬ 
pillars  disfigure  many  garden  trees  and  shrubs.  Towards  evening 
the- snipe  flies  may  be  observed  flying  in  parties,  most  of  which 
are  rather  dull  coloured,  and  they  are  not  particularly  vocal. 
Pass  we  now  to  other  notable  garden  flies,  which  have  often 
been  mistaken  for  bees,  or  even  for  one  of  the  bee-like  hawk 
moths,  as  was  instanced  by  sundry  notes  upon  some  specimens 
that  were  published  during  the  spring  in  this  Journal.  Indeed, 
several  of  the  bee  flies  do  resemble  the  humming  bird  moth,  since 
they  hover  about  a  flower  without  settling,  the  long  proboscis 
being  used  to  extract  the  honey.  Again,  they  dart  off  suddenly 
while  suspended  in  the  air,  and  you  can  scarcely  tell  to  which 
direction,  they  having  nfoved  so  swiftly.'  A  bee  fly,  even  in 
repose,  keeps  the  wings  at  full  stretch  ;  the  antennae  is  long  and 
slender,  as  well  as  the  proboscis,  and  in  habit  they  are  pacific, 
leaving  other  insects  alone. 
We  have  a  good  example  of  the  family  in  Bombylius  major, 
the  figry  garb  seeming  to  suit  its  appearance  before  the  summer 
heat  has  arrived.  Its  black  body  is  adorned  with  golden  hairs 
above,  and  beneath  they  are  black  and  white,  the  broad  body 
being  topped  by  a  small  head.  Allied  to  the  bee  flies  is  a  rather 
remarkable  species,  called  Anthrax  sinuata ;  it  has  a  short 
proboscis,  is  less  hairy,  and  owns  ample  wings.  This,  too,  is  a 
flower  lover,  it  often  frequenting  the  Hawthorn  and  the  Honey¬ 
suckle.  It  is  not  brightly  coloured ;  but,  as  a  French  naturalist 
says,  the  appearance  of  the  fly  resting  on  a  flower  is  a  pleasant 
contrast  to  the  eye,  caused  by  the  velvety  black  body  and  the 
variegated  wings,  upon  which  black  and  white  are  well  defined. 
Again,  in  the  large  family  of  the  Syrphidse  we  have  flies 
which  neither  as  a  group  or  as  individuals  can  claim  popular 
names.  Yet  they  are  familiar  objects  about  the  garden,  some 
large,  some  small,  we  see  them  from  spring  to  the  close  of 
autumn.  Most  of  them  have  a  head  which  .seems  all  face,  being 
flat  behind,  the  tongue  large,  usually  bent  in  the  middle  when 
the  insect  rests.  Many  exhibit  metallic  heads,  with  black  and 
yellow  bodies,  but  there  is  great  diversity  of  colour,  some  are 
sombre  grey,  most  having  some  tints  of  yellow,  red,  or  white. 
Several  species  hover  curiously  above  flowers,  undulating  from 
side  to  side.  A11‘  of  them  are  iively  flies,  their  wings  glancing  in 
the  sunshine  adding  to  the  brightness  of  the  day,  nor  is  their 
musical  hum  at  all  disagreeable.  While  grubs,  those  in  the 
genus  Syrphus  are  diligent  destroyers  of  the  aphis,  others  feed 
upon  decaying  roots  and  dung,  and  a  few  live  parasites  in  the 
nests  of  bumble  bees. 
Then  we  have  about  gardens  hosts  of  tiny  flies,  which  may 
sometimes  tickle  our  faces,  but  are  both  pretty  and  active.  For 
example,  the  abundant  Cecidomyzae,  having  wings  of  rainbow 
tints  and  mostly  long  antennae,  occur  upon  plants  of  every  kind. 
—Entomologist. 
