426 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 





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A.::.. 



Fig. 2163. Window Box. 



The mealy bug is easily seen and found by 

 the white flowery or mealy appearance this 

 insect presents when fully developed. Pick- 



it is feeding, and is easily mistaken 

 as being part of the bark of the 

 plant itself. Roses, hydrangeas, 

 fuchsias, ficus, dracenas and similar 

 hardwooded plants are specially 

 liable to scale. The best remedy is 

 to wash off the scale with a weak 

 solution of whale oil soap and water. 

 It used to be a common saying 

 amongst gardeners in my appren- 

 ticeship days that " to move the 

 scale was to kill it," so that friction 

 sufficient to move the scale is desir- 

 able, as well as the application of 

 the solution mentioned. Ordinary 

 soap suds, if not too strong, will 

 answer just as well as whale oil 

 soap and is safer to use. Both 

 should be syringed or washed off 

 the plants before it has time to dry 

 on, as unless this is done the plants 

 will look dirty and unpleasing in 



appearance. 



Keeping the atmosphere where the plants 



are growing as moist as possible, not 



ing out the bugs with a small pointed piece allowing the temperature of the room to 

 of stick is about the best and safest method ^o beyond 70° or 75° at the most, will 

 of keeping down these white, but objec- prevent the appearance to a great extent 

 tionable and undesirable pests. The scale is of both the other pests mentioned, viz.: 

 not as easily detected as the mealy bug, as green fly and red spider. Constant wash- 

 it is— except when quite young — scarcely ings and syringing with clean water will 

 discernible oftentimes from the bark of the materially assist to prevent the intrusion of 

 plant from which it is slowly but surely these pests. All house and window plants, 

 sucking the life blood from. Its appearance except a few, such as coleus, begonias — 

 when mature can perhaps be best described especially the Rex and rough-leaved varie- 

 by terftiing it a miniature tortoise of very ties — should be syringed or sponged once 

 wee proportions, it being in most cases every week or two, as neither of these in- 

 scarcely yi of an inch in measurement and sects mentioned appreciate the application of 

 almost oval in form. When near maturity water to the foliage of plants. A very weak 

 the scale does very little harm to plants, but solution of whale oil soap applied once or 

 from the time that it is about the size of a twice during the winter will help to prevent 

 small pin's head until it is near maturity is attacksofthesepests, butbe surenot tousethe 

 when it gets in its work of destruction. It solution too strong, or the remedv will prove 

 is also at this period very hard to be seen more injurious to the plants than the insects, 

 on some plants, as it will if left unmolested Weak tobacco water will kill and keep down 

 entirely cover the bark of the plant on which the green fly or aphis. If these applica- 



