THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



245 



about half full of dry moss, aud then, to place them bottom upwards 

 upon the stakes supporting the growth. The end of the stakes will 

 prevent the moss from falling out of the pot, and the earwigs will 

 congregate in the moss during the daytime. Then if the pots are 

 examined every morning, soon after eight o'clock, all that have 

 taken refuge in the moss can be destroyed by shaking them into a 

 vessel of hot water. A large number of pots may be examined in a 

 very short space of time by taking the pot in one hand and holdiug 

 it over the water, and then drawing the moss out with the other, and 

 giving it a sharp shake to dislodge the earwigs; it rnay then be 

 returned to the pot and the latter replaced upon the stake. The 

 prudent cultivator will not depend wholly upon the pots placed 

 upon the stakes, but will put others bottom upwards upon 

 the ground close to the stem of the plant, and elevate one side 

 sufficiently to afford means of ingress. Ha} r , or indeed any dry 

 material of a similar character, may be employed instead of 

 moss if more convenient. Snails are not capable of doing much 

 harm after the plants are full-grown, but they should be looked 

 after sharply and caught by laying cabbage leaves on the surface 

 of the border, as they will take shelter underneath and may then 

 be readily caught and destroyed. The only other insect pests that 

 are likely to do much harm are thrips, and it is only in dry seasons 

 that they will be found troublesome, and the best means of keeping 

 them in check is by frequent washings of the foliage with the garden 

 engine or syringe. The protection of the flowers from the above- 

 mentioned pests and the vicissitudes of the weather must now 

 engage our attention, and we must at once consider the most desir- 

 able means of effecting the desired object. First of all, a number 

 of stakes of the desired height; must be procured, and also a number 

 of boards, seven inches square, and half an inch in thickness. The 

 boards must have a hole in the centre, with a cut from one side to 

 allow the stalk to pass, and a larger hole on one side to fix it on the 

 top of the stalk. The buds are fixed in the centre of the board as soon 

 as they begin to expand, and the space about the stalk and the slit 

 iu the board are packed with cotton wool to prevent the earwigs 

 reaching the flower. The 

 blooms are then covered with 

 a flower-pot turned bottom 

 upwards, and usually a cork 

 is placed in the hole iu the 

 bottom to exclude the light. 

 As the colours of many of 

 the varieties undergo a con- 

 siderable change when the 

 blooms are kept in the dark, 

 it is preferable to knock the 

 bottom out of the pot, as 

 shown in Fig. 1, and then it 

 can be covered with either 

 wire-netting of a very fine 

 mesh, a square of glass, clear, or painted to subdue the light, or a 

 piece of thin board. The blooms of varieties that require a con- 



Fig. 1. — Dahlia covered with Flower-pot. 



