STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 181 



too closely to the leaves and bark to be easily dislodged, our remedies 

 are limited almost entirely to direct applications of such a character as 

 will kill them without destroying the plant. 



In some cases, as with the cabbage and some other garden vegetables, 

 some small plants, such as flowering annuals, pot-plants, etc., which are 

 attacked by species which limit their operations to the leaves, it is possible, 

 by being watchful, to check them by removing, as soon as they appear, 

 the leaf or leaves on which they commence operations. If this is done 

 in time, and any stray winged specimen seen on the plant destroyed, the 

 remedy may be effectual. This is one of the remedies practiced in Eng- 

 land for the species which attacks the turnip crops. While it is often 

 well to make use of this remedy, especially in cases of isolated, pot and 

 some other plants, the objection to relying wholly upon it even in these 

 cases is, that if but a few stray individuals are overlooked they soon spread 

 their colonies over the foliage, and some more effectual means of destroy- 

 ing has to be adopted. 



As a general rule, fruit, ornamental and other trees, are not very 

 seriously injured by any species belonging to the section or group we 

 have been considering ; but the reader must be careful not to apply this 

 statement to all plant-lice, as there are some yet to be mentioned 

 which very seriously injure fruit trees and other woody plants. It 

 is not often, therefore, that it becomes absolutely necessary to resort 

 to artificial means of destroying any species of this group infesting 

 trees, these plants being sufficiently hardy to withstand their attacks 

 until their numerous enemies find them out and come to the hor- 

 ticulturist's relief. I might refer here to numerous instances where 

 they swarmed to such an extent upon fruit trees that the horticul- 

 turist felt it absolutely necessary to take some active measures to save the 

 lives of his trees, when suddenly they disappeared as if by magic before 

 the attacks of a host of enemies which had discovered them. 



The following are some of the remedies which have been suggested, 

 each of which may, under certain circumstances, be used with advantage: 



One of the most common remedies, and one easy to apply, is drench- 

 ing the plants infected with strong or acrid solutions, such as strong soap- 

 suds, weak lye, tobacco water, lime water, soap-suds and tobacco water 

 mixed, to which sometimes sulphur is added, etc. The application to be 

 made as complete and thorough as possible. Where the plants cannot be 

 thoroughly drenched, which is usually the case, the solution may be 

 applied with a watering pot or garden syringe, or on the limbs and twigs 

 of trees with a whitewash or other similar brush, or even an old broom. 

 Such application, it must be remembered, only destroys the lice*it touches, 

 and if but a few, here and there, are left, their powers of rapid repro- 

 duction will enable them soon to establish new colonies, and the work 

 will have to be done over again ; hence, wherever the plants can be 

 absolutely drenched this is the best method. Where the terminal twigs 

 and leaves only of bushes and low trees are affected, these ma\- be bent 

 down and dipped in a basin holding the solution. A solution of strong 

 carbonate of ammonia — half an ounce to one quart of water — is recom- 



