454 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
May  26,  1904 
Heaviest  Bunch  of  Grapes. 
Dear  ]\Ir.  Editor, — You  have  omitted  the  heaviest  bunch  of 
Grapes  on  record  in  your  answer  to  a  correspondent  (page  441). 
A  J)unch  of  Eaisin  cte  Calabria  was  exhibited  at  Edinburgh  in 
1875  which  Aveighed  2Glb  4oz,  grown  by  Mr.  Currie,  Eskbank, 
about  a  gunshot  from  wliere  I  am  writing,  and  I  helped  to  weigh 
it.— D.  Thomson. 
the  miscliief.  They  Avill  SAvarm  upon  a  place  Avhere  a  caterpillar 
has  bitten  and  the  sap  exudes,  and  eat  the  soft,  juicy  tissue. 
It  is  no  use  by  cautious  movements  to  crush  the  whole  of  them 
so  that  none  escape  to  tell  the  tale,  for  in  a  very  short  time 
there  Avill  be  as  many  there  again  ;  the  nest  knoAvs  all  about  it. 
Where  a  caterpillar  has  bitten,  the  bud  is  already  hopelessly 
damaged,  so  it  does  not  much  matter  ;  but  often  the  ants  are 
attracted  by  the  issue  of  sap  Avhere  the  tAvo  side  buds  of  the 
coming  bloom  have  been  thinned  off,  and  by  eating  there 
eventxially  destroy  the  bud  itself. 
Destruction  of  the  nest,  by  hot  water  or  othei'Avise,  is  the 
only  remedy  ;  but  it  is  often  difficult  to  locate,  and  Avhen  found 
may  be  in  a  position  Avhere  it  cannot  be  destroyed  Avithout  doing 
damage ;  so  AA'hen  ants  attack  a  bud,  I  leave  them  alone.  I 
cannot  save  the  Rose,  and  as  it  will  take  them  a  long  time  to 
consume  it,  a  large  number  of  them  are  at  all  events  kept  out 
of  further  mischief  for  the  time.— W.  R.  R.4illem. 
- 
Ants. 
There  is  a  slight  inaccuracy  in  one  point  in  the  other Avise 
lucid  description  of  the  habits  of  ants  on  page  440.  The  female 
ant  after  the  honeymoon  does  not  have  “  her  Avings  roughly 
torn  off  by  the  male,”  but  deliberately  bites  them  off  herself. 
My  OAvn  eyes  are  my  authority,  for  1  have  several  times  Avit- 
nessed  this  strange  proceeding,  and  so  may  anyone  else  Avho  is 
carefully  on  the  Avatch  on  the  great  nuptial  day,  Avhicli  is 
generally  a  still  sunny  afternoon  at  the  end  of  August  or  begin¬ 
ning  of  September.  On  such  an  occasion,  Avith  Avonderful 
unanimity,  all  ants’  nests  over  a  large  tract  of  country  send 
their  winged  hosts  into  the  air ;  swalloAvs  and  other  birds  which 
feed  on  Avinged  insects  have  an  unusual  feast,  and  even  star- 
ling.s  may  be  observed,  quite  departing  from  their  usual  manner 
of  flight,  Avheeling,  and  rising,  and  turning  at  a  good  height  in 
the  air,  in  pursuit  of  tlip  abundant  insects. 
On  reaching  the  ground  the  couple  part,  and  the  male  (aaTio 
is  so  absurdly  small  in  comparison  as  to  be  quite  incapable,  I 
should  think,  of  severing  his  partner’s  AA'ings)  generally  rises 
again  in  the  air.  Not  so  the  female ;  she  looks  up  no  more, 
but  endeavours  as  quickly  as  possible  to  get  to  the  very  bottom 
of  the  herbage,  and  if  possible  find  a  hole  or  place  of  safety, 
Avhere  she  may  make  arrangements  for  founding  a  new  colony. 
I  have,  as  I  have  said,  seen  her  thus  nimbly  striving  to  get 
among  the  very  roots  and  bottom  of  matted  grass,  and,  finding 
her  progre.ss  hampered  by  her  Avings,  bend  her  head  round, 
extend  a  Aving.  and  almost  immediately  bite  it  off,  soon  after- 
Avards  repeating  the  process  on  the  other  wing. 
It  is  a  very  remarkable  incident,  as  forming  a  part  of  the 
life  economy  of  any  living  creature  ;  but  then  in  many  respects 
ants  are  the  most  noteAvorthy  of  all  living  creatures.  Take  the 
Avhole  of  living  Creation ;  Avhat  most  nearly  approaches  man  in 
— Ave  Avill  not  say  reason — but  in  the  arrangement  and  general 
nature  of  developed  social  existence,  of  civilisation  F  I  ask  for 
no  handicap  as  to  size  ;  you  may  take  the  elephant,  on  wTiose 
toe-nail  the  ant  Avould  be  but  a  speck,  as  Avell  as  the  dog  and 
the  ape,  and,  marvellous  as  it  may  seem,  the  tiny  ant  may  be 
shoAvn  to  be  advanced  far  beyond  these  in  intelligent  social 
condition. 
Ants  have  a  recognised  government  under  a  queen,  Avith 
ranks  and  professions.  They  have  soldiers.  Avho  do  no  Avork, 
masons,  nurses,  foragers,  and  captured  slaves  for  menial  occu¬ 
pations.  They  not  only  keep  coavs,  in  the  shape  of  aphides, 
which  they  feed  and  milk,  but  do  actually  tend  and  harvest 
crops.  It  used  to  be  thought  that  the  idea  of  ants  harvesting 
and  storing  grain,  as  alluded  to  in  the  Book  of  Proverbs,  Avas  a 
mistaken  one,  since  the  pupae  Avhich  they  carry  about  are  very 
much  like  grains  of  AA’heat ;  but  it  has  been  discovered  that  a 
certain  species  of  foreign  ant  does  weed  a  certain  space  Avhere 
a  particular  plant  groAA's  and  hai  vests  the  seed.  The  accounts  in 
modern  Avoiks  of  the  intelligence  of  ants  is  astonishing.  One 
AA  i'iter  has  given  an  account  of  mysterious  meetings  at  a  certain 
place,  and  running  to  and  fro  betAveen  thg,  members  assembled, 
Avhich  he  could  only  interpret  as  a  sort  of  game  or  sport!  And 
another,  after  vainly  endeavouring  to  account  for  the  invariable 
presence  of  certain  other  insects  in  the  nests,  Avhich  were  care¬ 
fully  tended  and  carried  aAvay  by  the  ants  ^n  any  change  of 
abode,  could  only  at  last  come  to  the  conclusion  that  they  Avere 
kept  as  pets! 
KnoAA’ledge,  social  order,  and  civilisation  make  power ;  and 
so  it  is  Avith  ants.  As  KipUng  has  shoAvn  in  his  “  Jungle  Book  ” 
that  “the  little  people” — the  bees — AA'ere  absolute  masters  of 
the  Indian  forest  Avherever  they  lived  ;  so  in  West  Africa  a  certain 
species  of  ant  is  the  absolute  lord  of  the  country.  For  elephants, 
gorillas,  lions,  and  man  him.self  there  is  no  alternative  but  flight 
AA'iien  these  ants  are  on  the  AA  arpath. 
lo  come  to  the  more  prosaic  boundaries  of  our  oaaui  gardens, 
ants  are  at  times  a  serious  nuisance  to  a  rosarian.  I  have  often 
knoAvn  them  devour  the  whole  of  a  fine  cheri.shed  bud,  and  even 
some  of  the  stalk  as  AA'ell.  but  I  do  not  think  they  ever  begin 
The  Double  White  Arabis. 
Though  only  about  five  years  in  commerce,  this  most  excel¬ 
lent  spring  and  summer  flowering  rock  and  border  plant  is 
already  AAudely  known,  and,  of  course,  appreciated  in  all  cases. 
It  is  most  effective  and  useful  for  spring  bedding  groAving 
quickly  and  freely,  at  the  same  time  throAving  up  quite  a  pro¬ 
fusion  of  the  double  Avhite  Stock-like  spikes.  I  Avas  therefore 
gratified  to  notice  the  brief  notice  of  it  by  “  J.”  on  page  386, 
and  trust  that  his  note  and  mine  may  help  toAvards  its  Avider 
adoption. — J.  T. 
Thalictrum  aquilegifolium. 
This  is  a  really  noble  plant  Avhen  seen  in  a  thriving  con¬ 
dition.  It  ought  never  to  be  squeezed  into  a  croAvded  border, 
as  it  cannot  thus  receive  the  needful  amount  of  root  nourish¬ 
ment  for  its  beautiful  foliage  to  attain  proper  proportions. 
Apart  from  its  striking  and  useful  leafage,  it  is  the  only 
member  of  the  family  Avith  Avhich  I  am  acquainted  Avhich  pro¬ 
duces  floAvers  Avorthy  of  consideration  from  hardy  plant  lovers. 
The  creamy  inflorescence  borne  on  long  spikes  is  handy  for 
cutting,  and  Avhen  gathered  in  its  early  stage  will  last  some 
days  in  Avater.  Allowed  to  remain  on  the  plant  for  some  time 
after  opening,  it  is  Avorse  than  useless,  as  it  so  quickly  shatters 
and  causes  untidiness  in  rooms.  Comparatively  few  people  know 
this  plant,  Avhich  is  surprising  after  all  that  has  been  Avritten 
of  it,  considering  also  its  great  beauty  in  the  early  part  of  the 
season  Avhen  well  cared  for. — J. 
The  Gardeners’  Association. 
Having  folloAved  the  correspondence  on  this  cjfuestion  with 
keen  interest,  I  venture  to  disagree  Avith  H.  P.’s  ”  supposition 
that  “  a  .society  on  fbe  lines  already  suggested  Avill  not  be 
of  much  use.”  Unless  some  effort  is  made  toAvards  combination 
the  gardener’s  lot  is  bound  to  remain  unimproved,  and  there 
is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  a  principle  which  has  been  success¬ 
fully  applied  in  almost  all  other  trades  and  professions  Avould  fail 
in  the  case  of  those  engaged  in  gardening.  With  regard  to 
benetmlent  societies,  one  cannot  help  thinking  that,  hoAvever 
necessary  these  may  be  under  present  conditions,  if  the  gar¬ 
dener’s  pay  Avas  sufficient  to  enable  him  to  save  something  for 
old  age,  besides  supporting  a  wife  and  family,  he  would  be  far 
happier  and  more  independent  than  having  to  regard  himself 
as  an  object  of  charity.  An  association  having  this  ideal  in 
vieAv  surely  deserves  the  support  of  every  intelligent  gardener. 
—Progress. 
Children’s  Subscriptions  for  the  Orphan  Fund. 
The  sugge.stion  made  by  Mr.  Leonard  Sutton  at  the  annual 
festival  of  the  Royal  Gardenei's’  Orphan  Fund,  and  reported  on 
page  437,  is  Avorthy  of  special  attention,  and  for  that  reason  I 
ask  you  to  publish  this  little  n6te.  One  feels  that  such  sugges¬ 
tions  as  that  of  Mr.  Sutton  are  seen^  only  to  be  forgotten,  Avhen 
they  are  embedded  in  a  general  report.  To  those  Avho  ovez’- 
looked  the  remarks  altogether,  it  may  be  Avell  to  explain  that 
the  proposition  Avas  that  each  of  the  children  of  gardeners 
shonld  be  taught  or  encouraged  by  their  parents  to  save  or 
obtain  Is.  apiece  specially  to  be  sent  to  Mr.  Wynne,  secretary 
of  the  Gardeners’  Orphan  Fund,  at  30,  Wellington  Street, 
Strand,  London,  as  a  subscription  to  Avhat  Avould  be  the  chil¬ 
dren’s  section  of  the  Fund.  By  getting  the  bairns  interested 
in  a  cause  Avhich  exists  for  the  support  of  their  orphan  com¬ 
panions,  it  is  thought  that  the  Fund  will  ensure  numerous 
additional  subscribers  for  later  years,  Avhen  the  children  sub¬ 
scribers  .shall  have  groAvn  up. — J. 
