22 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



Floral Edition 



appearance of the insect, not only be- 

 cause it is good practise to keep the 

 plants free from pests, but because 

 more thorough work can be done on 

 small plants. The plants and insects 

 must be completely covered with the 

 spray. 



The foregoing brief sketches of po- 

 tato beetles and plant lice simply il- 

 lustrate the two types of insects with 

 which the gardener has to deal, and 

 deal severely, if good crops are ex- 

 pected in any season. Scores of other 

 insects of both fruits and vegetables 

 will be encountered. And fungous 

 diseases of many kinds will have to be 

 controlled. The gardener will be well 

 advised to fortify himself long in ad- 

 vance with the necessary materials. 



Caring for the House Plants 



Henry J. Moore, Islington, Ont. 



Starting Hotbeds 



Horse manure free from straw or 

 chips, is satisfactory for hotbeds. 

 The reason horse manure is used is 

 because it is a hot manure. Hotbeds 

 can be made in ordinary garden 

 frames during spring, provided they 

 are raised to afford perfect drainage. 

 They should be sheltered from the 

 north and east. Drainage and posi- 

 tion are the greatest factors. If straw 

 is placed round the outside of the 

 frames they will retain their heat 

 longer. The manure should be turned 

 every three or four days, and should 

 not be left for six or seven days. If 

 . it is at all burned in the centre it 

 should be discarded. If it does not 

 heat properly pour a little water on it 

 while turning. After the third turn- 

 ing it can be put in the beds. The 

 manure should be placed two feet 

 thick at the back of the frame and 

 eighteen inches in the front. Cover it 

 with a layer of two inches of soil. 

 When the temperature declines to 80° 

 F. the seeds may be sown. In tem- 

 peratures higher than 80°, harm may 

 result to the seeds. Few seeds will 

 germinate in a temperature higher 

 than 90°. They germinate best be- 

 tween 70° and 80°. Radishes and let- 

 tuce are satisfactory crops for forcing 

 in hotbeds, but cauliflowers, cabbages, 

 tomatoes and other vegetables may be 

 started thereon for later planting out- 

 doors. Water the hotbeds carefully 

 by means of a watering can with a fine 

 spray, and with tepid water. Cold 

 water will check the growth of the 

 plants. 



Get materials ready for topworking 

 fruit trees next month. 



Spraying should be done at just the 

 right time. Two days before or after 

 may make all the difference in the 

 world. — Prof. L. Caesar, Guelph. , 



PLANTS, used to ornament our 

 greenhouses and homes, require 

 to be kept clean and free from 

 insect pests. Carelessness in home 

 sanitation will soon extend its evil in- 

 fluence to the plants. Where fdth 

 abounds, so will vermin of many kinds. 



Generally speaking, all insects which 

 attack ornamental indoor plants, whe- 

 ther grown for their flowers or their 

 foliage, are harmful. Some are com- 

 mon, others not so much so, like the in- 

 sects of our orchards and woodlands. 

 Those which attack indoor plants are 

 of two classes — biting and sucking, 

 and may be controlled respectively by 

 employing stomach poisons and ma- 

 terials which smother or kill by con- 

 tact when spraying. 



Atmospheric conditions exert quite 

 an influence in the control of insects 

 indoors, and are largely responsible for 

 the kinds which attack the plants. A 

 study will show that red spider, mealy 

 bug, and thrips are usually prevalent, 

 and increase rapidly in a high tempera- 

 ture. Green and black aphids, white 

 fly, and others will live and multiply 

 equally well in a temperature consider- 

 ably lower. 



The most serious insect offenders of 

 the greenhouse and home are scale, 

 green and black fly, red spider, thrips, 

 mealy bug, white fly, mites, slugs, and 

 caterpillars. 



Prevention. 



The attacks of nearly all insects may 

 be prevented by sponging the plants 

 thoroughly or by spraying them, when 

 laid down on a piece of burlap or other 

 clean material, with pure water. If 

 really in need of a wash, a little pure 

 soap should be dissolved in the water. 

 To remove traces of soap on the leaves, 

 a further sponging or spraying with 

 pure water should be given. 

 Remedy. 



Insecticides may be applied in the 

 form of a spray from a hand syringe to 

 large and to hard-wooded plants. In- 

 sects may, however, be more effectively 

 removed from the smaller plants by 

 dipping them in the insecticide. In the 

 home, large plants may be removed to 

 a convenient place and sprayed. 

 Wherever the operation is performed, 

 however, the temperature should ap- 

 proximate that of the room in which 

 the plants are grown. 



Scale Insects. 



Scale insects are hard to get rid of, 

 as the insecticides, which are effective, 

 are usually of such strength as to in- 

 jure the leaves of the plants also. With 

 a fine scrubbing brush, scale may be 

 removed from woody stems and foli- 

 age of a firm texture, and from cracks 



and crevices with a toothbrush dipped 

 in soapy water, or in weak lime sul- 

 phur solution. Badly infested plants 

 of this class should be dipped or be 

 sprayed with a solution of lime sul- 

 phur. Tender plants, like begonias or 

 ferns, should be carefully sponged with 

 soapy water, the worst of the leaves 

 or fronds being removed and burned. 

 Experiments tried on tender plants 

 with lime sulphur or other scale re- 

 moving material must be at the own- 

 er's risk. 



Green and Black Fly. 



Spray with or dip the plants in a 

 weak solution of tobacco water. One 

 gallon of water, three teaspoonfuls of 

 nicotine, and a little purp soap will 

 make an excellent solution. 



Again, one may stand the plants in 

 a large box with an airtight lid, or in 

 an airtight cupboard, or disused room. 

 Fumigate by burning tobacco paper, 

 which is procurable at seed stores. 



Red Spider, Thrips and Mites. 



The treatment for these insects is 

 much the same. Mix flowers of sul- 

 phur, one handful to each gallon of 

 warm water. Add one-half oTmce of 

 pure soap to this. Immerse the stems 

 and leaves of the plants therein for a 

 few minutes. The sulphur will adhere 

 to the plants, and $hould not be re- 

 moved for a few days. Before the mix- 

 ture is used, it should be thoroughly 

 stirred, and be allowed to cool to the 

 temperature of the room. 

 Mealy Bug. 



Sponge the leaves and stems of 

 plants infested with this insect with 

 soapy water. If the masses of insects 

 are touched with a camel's hair brush, 

 dipped as required in wood alcohol, 

 they will immediately succumb. 'The 

 alcohol, however, should not be 

 painted on the plants or injury will 

 result. 



White Fly. 



It is generally supposed that fumi- 

 gation with potassium cyanide or 

 sodium cyanide is really the only effec- 

 tive way to extirpate the white fly. 

 Such is not the case. It may be de- 

 stroyed with strong tobacco fumiga- 

 tions if the plants are removed to a 

 small airtight chamber, and after fumi- 

 gation are allowed to remain therein 

 over-night. The insect lays eggs, 

 these hatch in four days. The plants 

 should then be re-fumigated. Failure 

 to fumigate every four days until the 

 last insect and egg is destroyed will 

 result in failure to control the pest. 

 Beware of the poisonous cyanide un- 

 less you have a greenhouse and know 

 iiow to use it. 



