THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. i 247 



weather may determine, the muck will soon disappear, but you can 

 do no harm by washing it off in the course of a few hours after the 

 application. Pardon our prolixity, for the sake of the weaker 

 brethren, when we say that it is as easy to suffocate as to poison 

 aphis, and mud will effectuate the first as easily as tobacco will the 

 second, and of the two mud is the cheapest ! 



But have we nothing to say about the potency of tobacco smoke ? 

 Ah, it is a fine subject ! When roses under glass are much troubled 

 with fly, smoke is a grand settler. But although the books say that 

 by making a canvas or blanket tent to cover a rose tree, you may 

 easily employ fumigation out of doors, we say that to do so is waste 

 of labour, and tobacco, and tent, and time, for however perfect your 

 means of imprisoning the smoke, the absorptive powers of the 

 atmosphere will beat you; andwhy,becauseyou love roses,should you 

 be required to pay a guinea for every green-fly you can kill by means 

 of tobacco smoke out of doors ? Dear friends, give it up. In the 

 rose-house you may fumigate with tobacco, and save your roses ; but 

 in the open ground there is only one thing likely to happen by 

 adopting the smoke process, and that is, that you will waste the 

 tobacco, and contribute, most unjustly to yourself, to the aggregate 

 of our extravagant national revenue. Water and mud cost nothing ; 

 try these cheap and handy remedies first, and when they fail take 

 something stronger. 



On the subject of fumigating the rose-house, we must be suffi- 

 ciently specific to put the inexperienced amateur in the right way. 

 The best fumigator is one with a revolving fan or a revolving cage, 

 containing the tobacco, by means of which the smoke is blown out 

 in a rapid, dense, killing cloud ; but an effectual instrument may be 

 extemporized by knocking a hole in the side of a large flower-pot, 

 and then, having put some hot cinders and damp tobacco into it, the 

 nozzle of a bellows is placed against the hole, and ignition promoted 

 by gentle puffing. Mr. Gidney, of Bast Dereham, Norfolk, some 

 years ago brought out an excellent fumigator, consisting of a tin 

 cylinder and a spirit lamp, the latter being employed to keep the 

 tobacco burning, and the fumes being allowed to spread without 

 help or interference until lamp and tobacco ceased to burn through 

 exhaustion of materials. In any case, as already remarked, the 

 strongest shag tobacco is the best possible material for fumigating. 

 In respect of burning it, the best way is to insure a good brisk 

 ignition to begin with, but to take care what the tobacco does not 

 break out into a flame, for that is at once wasteful of the, tobacco 

 and destructive to the plants. The usual time for fumigating is the 

 evening, and preparatory to the operation the plants should be dry, 

 and wet mats should be laid over the ventilators, and wherever else 

 there may be crevices through which the smoke might escape. 

 Early the next morning the syringe should be used freely, both to 

 refresh the plants and cleanse from the dead vermin. In the course 

 of a few days the operation should be repeated, for it rarely happens 

 that one smoking is enough to settle a serious attack of fly. 



Amongst the many patent fumigators, we give the preference to 

 Drechaler's as the moat effective in operation, and the most service- 

 August. 



