INSECTS. 53 



Toads are very useful in catching insects ; a few of them in a 

 house do a great deal of good. 



The best way of getting rid of the red spider and the thrips 

 is by frequently washing the leaves with clean water, and by 

 fumigating the house with tobacco. My method is, to fill the 

 house with tobacco smoke three or four times, at intervals 

 of two or three days, till the insects are quite destroyed ; 

 evening is the best time to do this. It is also a good plan to 

 mix some lime and sulphur together, and rub it on the pipes 

 in difi'erent parts of the house, taking care not to use too much ; 

 and it should be used only when the pipes are warm. There 

 should be a good supply of moisture at the same time, but not 

 too much heat. There is also a kind of red thrip, which 

 sometimes gets into the heart of the plants, and is very 

 troublesome ; tobacco smoke is the best remedy for this. It 

 is very difl&cult to perceive, but will soon disfigure the tops of 

 the plants if not kept under; when discovered, the house 

 should be smoked every two or three nights till it is destroyed ; 

 the parts on which the insects had established themselves 

 should be washed with tobacco water. 



The green fly, which makes its appearance in spring on the 

 young flower buds, may also be destroyed by tobacco smoke ; 

 and of late we have a yellow fly introduced, which is a great 

 pest if not kept under, and requires more looking after than 

 the green fly; smoke will kill this nuisance, and wherever it 

 is seen wash it off with a sponge to prevent its increase. 



The brown, and white scale, and mealy-bug may be kept 

 under by frequently sponging the leaves and bulbs with water ; 

 the white scale is very troublesome if not looked after. A 

 little soft soap mixed with water, and rubbed over the leaves 

 and bulbs, is a good thing to destroy this kind of scale ; it 

 should remain on for a day, and if then washed off, all will 

 be destroyed ; care should, however, be taken not to use it too 



