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New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 23, 8 June 1907, Page 18

In the •’Bay’s Own Paper” is a description of a ’•butterfly jarm,” so to speak, at Bexley, North Kent. Mr. L. W. Newman, the owner of the farm, chose this original occupation in preference to the common place one of book-keeping. Mis garden is full of cages, while the trees and shrubs are often more or less enveloped with fine gauze bagy, wherein are thousands of caterpillars. If not thus covered up, the bird- would have every one. It is easy Io believe that “it is no mean work’’ attending to the feeding of 70,000 or «SO.OOO caterpillars, especially as they are most voracious inserts. The secret of successful butter-fly-breeding is to know what kind of food to give each kind of caterpillar. One sort, for instance, thrive only on wild and garden carrot; another only on willow herb and evening primrose: a third, a very rare kind, on nettles. The prices of insects of course vary’ much. A male “purple emperor*’ costs 4 ; <i female 5 . Ova, larvae, nnd pupae are also sol i. Schoolboys are enthu*ia*tic collectors of caterpillnr*. which they like to breed themselves. Clergy men. schoolmasters, and doctors whose hobby is entomology, usually buy pupa**: while museums order the butterflies in all stages, even the eggs. A butterfly f’armer mud ir.iturallv sprul most of bis time at home attending to h’iB injects; but Air. Newman nevertheless often bicycler about Kent ami a<ljnfen! connties in sear.h of new specimen*. In Mimnier lie. and his as*istan4s often work eighteen hours a day. but in winter there ia a compa ra’.ix ely -hick tea sou