CONTROL OF GARDEN DISEASES AND INSECTS. 



21 



RED SPIDER. 



Practically all vegetables are subject to attack by the reel spider 

 (fig. IG). It is not a true spider but a mite, the latter name being 

 indicative of its minute size. It is well distributed 

 throughout the country. Among vegetables and 

 truck crops most attacked are beans of all kinds, 

 cowpeas, eggplant, cucumbers, tomatoes, melons, 

 squashes, strawberries, raspberries, beets, and 

 celery. It is also a greenhouse pest and does great 

 damage to cucumbers and tomatoes, as well as to 

 ornamental plants grown under glass. It is a 

 general feeder in the broadest sense, infesting the 

 foliage of shade and fruit trees and some field 

 crops. It is often present on the under surface of 

 leaves like beans Avithout being suspected. This 

 mite injures plants by sucking the juices, and p„, ig.-tug female 

 when plants are neglected their vitality is slowlv i-^^d spider (Tet- 

 reduced by loss of sap, and in time all of the plant's '^^^ ^^ 

 functions are deranged. In case of severe attack, (McGregor and mc- 

 millions of red spiders can be found on the foliage, ^^o^^ugii.) 

 and the webs which the insect spins from plant to plant can be easily 

 seen, with the mites themselves passing rapidly over them and con- 

 gregating in swarms. Sometimes the plants look 

 as though stricken by fire. 



Control. — The remedies are spraying with soap 

 solutions, kerosene-soap emulsion, and sulphur 

 preparations. Flowers of sulphur mixed with 

 water at the rate of 1 ounce to 1 gallon sprayed 

 over infested plants is of great benefit. Unless 

 remedial measures are adopted early and applied 

 as often as necessity demands, red spiders are 

 almost certain to do great harm to delicate plants, 

 since if the plants become thoroughly infested 

 they seldom survive. Frequent spraying with 

 soap and water will often keep the pests in check, 

 especially in greenhouses. 



SLUGS AND SNAILS. 



Much harm is done by slugs (fig. 17), little 

 animals sometimes classified as insects, but really 

 mollusks. They are not provided with shells, 

 while snails are shell bearers. The latter are also 

 sometimes troublesome, but their injury is limited. 

 Attack is most severe on delicate seedlings grown in hotbeds, and in 

 coldframes. Delicate garden vegetables of nearly all kinds also are 



re. 17. — The import- 

 ed garden slug (Li- 

 max maximus). 



