INSECTS. 23 



Place some of this in oyster shells in different parts of the 

 house. Some growers mix the arsenic with tallow put on a 

 stick, which is stuck in the pots : care, however, must be 

 taken that the mixture does not touch the leaves or bulbs of 

 the plants. 



Small ants are another pest in the Orchid-house, as they 

 carry the dirt to the flowers, spoiling their appearance. The 

 best thing I know of to catch these little and troublesome 

 insects is to cut apples in halves, scoop out some of the 

 inside, and lay the pieces in different parts of the house, 

 looking them over very often. I have destroyed hundreds 

 this way in a very short time. Treacle is also a good thing 

 to trap these pests ; place some in a bell glass where they 

 frequent, they are fond of anything sweet ; they go to feed, 

 get into the mixture, and cannot get out again ; it sticks to 

 them and thus causes death. 



The woodlouse and the small shell snail are also very 

 destructive. These, like the cockroach, are very fond of the 

 young roots ; they may be trapped by cutting some potatoes 

 in two, scooping out the inside, and placing them on the 

 pots and baskets, looking over them every night and morn- 

 ing till you clear your house of these vermin. Turnips cut 

 in slices will answer the same end. Toads are very useful in 

 catching insects ; a few of them in a house do good. 



The best way of getting rid of red spider and thrips is by 

 constantly washing the leaves with clean water, and by fumi- 

 gating the house with tobacco. My method is to fill the 

 house with tobacco-smoke three or four times ; this should 

 be done every two or three days till the insects are quite 

 destroyed. Evening is the best time to do this. It is also 

 a good plan to mix some lime and sulphur together, and rub 

 it on the pipes in different parts of the house, taking care not 

 to use too much ; and it should be used only when the pipes 

 are warm. There should be a good supply of moisture at the 

 same time, but not too much heat. The green fly, which 



