DISEASES OF THE CARNATION 87 



burning them. Mr. G. S. Saunders writing in the 

 "Century Book of Gardening," p. 495, thus describes 

 the eelworm : "The Stem Eelworm {Tylenchus devas- 

 tatrix) has only lately come into notice, but this is 

 due to a considerable extent, I expect, to their minute 

 size, for they are quite invisible to the naked eye when 

 among the tissues of the plants they are attacking, 

 though they may be detected with the aid of a strong 

 magnifying glass. A large number of different kinds 

 of plants are known to be infested by them, even 

 those of such diverse natures as Clover, Hops, Carna- 

 tions, various corn crops and bulbs, so that most 

 things are probably liable to be infested. This eel- 

 worm is about 2V inch in length, very long and 

 narrow, being only y^Vti inches in diameter, and 

 tapers gradually to a fine point both at the head 

 and tail. When under a microscope with a low 

 power it looks like a thread of clear glass. As these 

 creatures live and breed in the tissues of the plants 

 it is impossible to reach them with any insecticide, so 

 that practically the only way of destroying them is by 

 pulling up the plant and burning it, or, at any rate, 

 cutting off the infected parts and burning them. This, 

 with such plants as hyacinths and onions, or where 

 the main stem of a plant is infested, is impossible. A 

 good dressing of suitable manure will, of course, 

 greatly help a plant that is attacked ; the vitality of 

 these worms is astonishing, and they have been known 

 to revive after having been dried up for more than two 

 years. They will pass quite unhurt through the body 

 of an animal that has been fed on an infested crop, so 



