THE CARNATION MANUAL. 187 



grower will soon become acquainted with them ; 

 they are most hurtful to plants grown under glass. 

 The insects are of small size, green and very soft, 

 so as to be easily crushed with the fingers ; they 

 cluster in large numbers on the ends of the young 

 growths, where they soon cripple the plants, and 

 would, if undisturbed, render them worthless. They 

 increase with the most marvellous rapidity. The 

 insect deposits its eggs on the leaves of the Car- 

 nation in autumn, and these are hatched with the 

 warmth of spring. The produce of these also 

 deposit eggs which are speedily hatched. In hot 

 weather the insects become viviparous, ejecting 

 young insects instead of eggs at a rapid rate. 

 They may be destroyed by tobacco-smoke if the 

 plants are under glass, or tobacco-powder when 

 they are out of doors. A solution of soft-soapy 

 water, two ounces to the gallon, will kill them, 

 if the plants are dipped into it. 



In using any mechanical means to brush the 

 fly off the plant, care must be taken not to crush 

 the insect, as the acrid juices contained in them 

 injure the plant materially, and a young shoot 

 fi'om which the fly has been roughly removed, say 

 with the fingers, will henceforward aftbrd by its 

 injured and diseased appearance evidence of the 

 fact. 



Thrips. — This is a genus of small lively insects 

 well known to cultivators of Carnations for ex- 



