20 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ July 10, 1866. 



for the Roses worked on this stock for the open ground ; and 

 the advantages will he equally great in the case of Tea Roses 

 grown on the White Banksian Rose for pot-culture and in-door 

 sultivation. — J. Wills. 



RED SPIDER AND THRIPS ON VINES. 



I could not discern a single insect on the Vine leaf sent hy 

 ~R. H. B. ;" but there were traces of red spider, and two or 

 three marks as if thrips had also been nibbling. He will easily 

 know the red spider, whether it has obtained the red colour or 

 not, by its quick movements and its rather round dimensions. 

 The thrips, whether of a blackish, brownish, or whitish colour, 

 according to its age, is two or three times the length of the 

 red spider, but no thicker in the body, and he must have quick 

 eyes to note the dimensions of the insect, as when he comes 

 near it, it is almost sure to jump beyond reach. This jumping 

 will at once enable him to guess what insect he has, or if he 

 has both. 



"R. H. B.'s" Vines are quite forward enough, the berries 

 being nearly swelled to their full size, to enable him to use 

 strong measures ; but if the berries are not colouring I would 

 not hesitate under the circumstances to give the whole plant, 

 and especially the foliage, a good lashing with Gishurst, or with 

 softsoap water at the rate of from 1 to 2 ozs. to the gallon, 

 shading the house the day afterwards, keeping it rather close, 

 and then following for a week afterwards with good syringings, 

 about 4 o'clock r.M., with clear water at 120°. Moisture is the 

 aversion of the red spider ; a dry heat its greatest enjoyment. 

 Sulphur fumes are also a great annoyance, though I do not think 

 they kill the intruder so much as make him uncomfortable, 

 and cause him to be glad to shift his quarters. As for sulphur 

 itself, he cares no more for it than he would do for any other 

 dust, walking amongst it with the greatest seeming enjoyment 

 when it is scattered over a leaf. When the active principles 

 of the sulphur can be conveyed in water, or the fumes driven 

 off at a temperature not above 160°, the red spider seems to be 

 rendered very uncomfortable. 



The washing with Gishurst, as an antagonist to the red 

 spider, depends very much for its efficacy on the sulphur sus- 

 pended. In the case of Gishurst, or softsoap water, if either 

 be boiled ten minutes and then allowed to settle, they mix 

 better with the -water, and no marks are left on the foliage. 

 Followed the day after with clean water, I do not think that 

 the slightest marks would be left on the berry. As easily ob- 

 tainable, no better remedy for many insects is to be found than 

 softsoap water. I have found that it quickly settles red spiders 

 which are alive, as well as other insects quite as difficult to 

 master. The mischief is, that wherever they find a lodging 

 they keep their place good for some time by successive genera- 

 tions. For destroying insects softsoap is far superior to bar 

 soap ; but I am not learned enough to know whether that is 

 owing to the potash it contains, instead of the soda, which 

 forms a part of the bar soap. The softsoap water seems to act, 

 to a certain extent, like glue water; but at the strength stated, 

 and referred to lately in " Doings of the Last Week," it leaves 

 no traces behind it, and does no harm to Peach trees nor 

 Vines. At that strength it would not be safe to syringe Cu- 

 cumbers or Melons, unless they were much shaded, until they 

 had had two or three syringings with clear water. I mention 

 this by way of a caution. 



The mode of application is also of importance. People hear 

 of a remedy and straightway resort to it ; but they are either too 

 careless or fail to attend to some simple matters of detail, 

 and then they blame the plan instead of themselves. 



This spring some shoots of Peaches, quite killed with Gis- 

 hurst, were sent to me. It had not only been applied hot, but 

 three times stronger than any directions of the inventor would 

 have warranted. A short time ago, a few Peach leaves, spotted 

 and disfigured, were sent with an angry note, the purport of 

 which was — " See what your soap water has done." As for 

 the water I can say nothing, nor of the strength, but from the 

 few leaves I could have collected as much as a quarter of an 

 c-unce of softsoap in its original state— how applied I know 

 not. If the softsoap had been previously boiled, and then 

 mixed with the warmed water, I make bold to say not a particle 

 of the soap in its original form would have been found on the 

 stems or leaves. Many of our best medicines are poisons 

 when taken in quantity. 



While adverting to red spider, I may also allude to a case of 

 killing some shoots with strong lime sulphur water, a wash 



which, as recommended by me, keeps down, if it does not 

 destroy, the intruder, and leaves no trace of its application on 

 the foliage of Peach or Vine, nor yet on the fruit when young ; 

 but which is injurious to such fruit, and especially the fruit of 

 Strawberries, after they begin to swell. The liquid had been 

 used far too strong. The strength which I advised, and which 

 never should be exceeded, and for all tender plants should be 

 much reduced, is as follows : — Take 1 lb. of sulphur and 1 lb. 

 of quicklime, mix together with a gallon of water, boil for ten 

 or more minutes, allow to settle until cool, then pour off the 

 bright liquid into a vessel that can be kept close ; earthenware 

 is best. Add one quartern, or a quarter of an English pint, of 

 this strong acrid liquor to six gallons of water, and stir and 

 use, and even then the milky liquid will smell more than a bed 

 of Onions when you walk through them. I know of no method 

 superior to this for communicating the acrid properties of 

 sulphur to water. At the above strength, though whitish in 

 appearance, the liquid will leave no mark or residuum on the 

 foliage ; it will also clear the leaves of Strawberry plants, but 

 it will injure the fruit if the latter has come to its second 

 swelling. A few quarts of such a powerful liquid will go a 

 long way, but if people, disregarding minutiffi, will use a quart 

 instead of a quartern, or gill, and do mischief, that is their 

 affair. 



As involving a little more labour but making more certain 

 in the end, there is another remedy for red spider, and that is 

 to shorten and remove all laterals, and then sponge the leaves 

 with softsoap water at about 2 ozs. to the gallon. The red 

 spider chiefly congregates on the lower side of the leaves, and 

 a handy man will soon go over a small house and thus sponge 

 every leaf. 



Much may be done with the hands and fingers ; in fact, 

 many insects might thus be destroyed in the time we are 

 getting other means and appliances ready. For instance, early 

 in the season green fly is apt to attack the buds of Straw- 

 berry plants just coming into bloom in houses. A good smoking 

 with tobacco will destroy all the insects that are alive, but as 

 we go along, examining as to watering, I much prefer that all 

 such should be squeezed between the thumb and fingers, the 

 heads being afterwards well washed with the syringe. By at- 

 tending to such matters at once, I have often passed through 

 many seasons and never required to give any smokings to 

 early Strawberries. 



Even when it would not be advisable to wash the leaves 

 owing to the forwardness of the fruit, a damp atmosphere may 

 be maintained by damping the walls, floors, stages, &c, and 

 fumes of sulphur may be given off by daubing the walls with 

 sulphur paint made of sulphur and water, and better still with 

 sulphur and strong soap water. The heating pipes, or flues, 

 may also be well smeared, but the heat of either in such a 

 case should not exceed 100°. 



For thrips, all such means as the above will also be so far 

 effectual in making the merry jumping fellow uncomfortable ; 

 but to destroy him tobacco smoke must be resorted to, and 

 that frequently, each time following within two or three days 

 of 'the other, as, if ever allowed to establish themselves, fresh 

 broods will be hatched for some time after the first colonies 

 have been destroyed. For moveable plants much infested, I 

 have found no plan better than immersing the head of the 

 plant in soap water, glue water, or tobacco water, allowing the 

 plant to stand in a shady place for a couple of days, and then 

 syringing it well with water at about 120 c . After smoking a 

 house and keeping it as close as safety will permit the follow- 

 ing day, a good syringing with clean water would be advisable, 

 but if the Grapes are colouring it is best dispensed with. 



Even with the hands a great deal may be done with this 

 insect in a small way. If on Vines, the insects usually exhaust 

 one leaf before they go to another, and most generally prefer 

 old leaves to younger ones. A good deal may be done in the 

 way of riddance by going over the vinery, and taking off quietly, 

 but quickly, every leaf so affected, rolling it up, and placing it 

 at once in a bag or the pocket, and then burning the proceeds. 

 When I had less to do I used to keep Cucumbers and Melons 

 clear of this destructive visitor by examining those grown on 

 trellises in a small house, and, whenever one showed on a leaf, 

 daubing him at once with thumb and finger wetted either with 

 clean, or, better still, with soap water. In such a case the eye 

 and the thumb must be quicker than the flea-like jump of the 

 intruder, or the art must be obtained, which can only be 

 learned by experience, of perceiving as it were by intuition 

 which way the little fellow will jump. A very little time thus 

 spent in a morning would go a good way towards keeping 



