172 THE CARNATION MANUAL. 



flowering, and so maimed that it is only Avorth 

 wliile in the case of a very scarce variety even to 

 keep it for stock. One finds maggot at all seasons, 

 but principally in the autumn and winter. It is 

 most prevalent in cold, moist seasons ; thus in 1886 

 we were overrun with it, in the long dry season of 

 1887 it was wholly absent, while again in the wet 

 season of 1888 whole beds were destroyed by it. 

 In my experience — and I have been told the same 

 by other growers- — it is far more prevalent among 

 the plants in the borders than among those in 

 pots, where we get it very partially, and it is con- 

 fined, in fact, to particular sorts, like certain of the 

 Rose Flakes, some of the Purple Flakes, and Pink 

 and Purple Bizarres (Wm. Skirving especially 

 among the latter), which have a tendency to 

 succulent growth. 



The worst affected are the common Clove, 

 Souvenir de la ^lalmaison, and, as already said, 

 some of the Rose Flakes and Pink and Purple 

 Bizarres. From this it would seem that the softer 

 or more succulent the growth, whether such be the 

 habit of the variety, or the effect of gToss culture, 

 the more likely it is to be selected by the fly for 

 the deposit of its eggs. Our means, whether of 

 cure or prevention of this pest, are thus only 

 partial, and we can but apply them such as they 

 are. 



Earwigs are particularly troublesome when the 



