Recent Chrysanthemums. 261 



■where once it gets a, footing, it speedily becomes plentiful. The 

 insects feed upon the juices of the plant, which soon shows the rC' 

 suit in its sickly appearance and ultimate death. The insects and 

 their deposits also render the foliage and flowers very unsightly 

 even before they have effected any serious injury. Tobacco smoke 

 is the best remedy. 



Lady Birds are common everywhere during the summer 

 months, and they sometimes make their appearance in green- 

 bouses in winter and spring. They and their larvae feed largely 

 on the various aphids, and in this way do valuable work while they 

 cause no injury to the plants. Sometimes they are very common, and 

 appear to pervade every nook and corner, and at other times it is 

 difficult to lind a single specimen. They should never be destroyed. 



Mites. — Much havoc was made among verbenas some years ago 

 by insects commonly known as mites. This is the two spotted 

 mite, Tetranychus hi7na(yulatus, a close relative of the red spider. 

 It appears to be common now in the greenhouses of many parts of 

 the country, attacking plants of various kinds, chrysanthemums 

 among the number. It is a small whitish insect, more incon- 

 spicuous than the red spider, and affects the plants in much the 

 same way. It is extremely difficult of eradication, and thrives best 

 in a dry atmosphere. If the house and plants are kept constantly 

 damp, the mite does less damage. It can also be despatched with 

 kerosene emulsion. The emulsion should be diluted — twenty-five 

 to thirty parts of water to one of the emulsion — and applied often, 

 say three or four times or even more a month. Two applications 

 made in quick succession will probably annihilate all the fully 

 developed insects on the plants, but the numerous eggs are probably 

 still unaffected, and in the course of a week or two the plants are 

 as bad as ever. A dilute mixture is preferable to a strong one for 

 the reason that it spreads more readily over every part of the plant, 

 and some care should be taken to wet the entire plant. The mites 

 are generally most numerous on the lower side of the leaves, and 

 particular pains should be taken in applying the material to these 

 parts. It is generally supposed that the peculiar " frozen" appear- 

 ance of Golden Wedding and other varieties is due to the ravages 

 of these insects, but this is a mistake. The trouble with those 

 varieties is of an altogether different nature, and one that is said to 

 be caused by a fungus, which may be exterminated by a liberal use 

 of Bordeaux mixture. 



