152 Select Carnations, Picotees, and Pinks. 
vapour, if not too strong, is harmless. The hot- 
water pipes might even be painted or wetted with a 
dilute solution in water, repeating the operation 
once a week. Cuttings put in propogating cases 
early in the season should first be thoroughly cleaned 
upon the least sign of aphides. 
Carnation Maggot. 
In some gardens and in some seasons this proves 
a destructive and inveterate pest that must be hunted 
down and destroyed. The enemy is the grub of a 
fly (Hylemyia nigrescens), of a brown colour, and 
similar to the Onion fly. The grub is yellow-white, 
with a horny process at the mouth, by which it gnaws 
its way into the interior of the Carnation. The 
mother fly lays eggs on the leaves, very often the 
young unfolded ones, and the grub hatching out 
gnaws its way into the interior, passing downwards 
until it gets into the stem or axis of the shoot. Cut- 
tings or layers, more especially those in the open 
air, are most liable to attack. Passing down the 
pith, and feeding, as it goes, the grub ultimately 
causes the death of the layer or young plant. Fora 
time after the mischief has been done it takes a 
keen eye to detect the presence of the enemy, 
although later in the season the layers show signs 
of distress by the discolouration and dying of the 
leaves. The whole central crown comes away in 
the hand when lightly pulled. The cultivator who 
is on the alert will carefully test his plants in this 
way early in the season and immediately commence 
to hunt for the culprit. 
REMEDIES AND PREV is no 
insecticide that can prove effective after the enemy 
has got securely ensconced inside the plant. By 
applying the above test the cultivator, armed with a 
sharp knife and a pin, may commence cutting off 
the stem piece by piece, or cutting it open till he 
finds the grub The latter may sometimes be picked 
out with a pin, thereby saving a portion at least of 
the plant. Occasionally two grubs may be found in 
the same hole. The grub, if taken in time, may often 
be intercepted in its passage down the leaf, and 
thereby prevented from getting into the stem. _ Its 
presence may be detected by a pale line on the leaf 
caused by a burrow under the skin. 
Hitherto little seems to have been done in the 
way of preventive measures; but as many plant 
enemies may be deterred from laying their eggs by 
