24 THE ORCHID-GROWER'S MANUAL. 



makes its appearance in spring on the young flower-buds may 

 also be destroyed by tobacco-smoke. I always use tobacco- 

 paper, which I keep ready prepared for use. 



The brown and white scale and mealy-bug I keep under 

 by constantly sponging the leaves and bulbs with water ; 

 the white scale is very troublesome if not looked after. I 

 have found a little soft soap a good thing to destroy white 

 scale; mix a little with water, and rub it over the leaves 

 and bulbs ; let it remain on for a day, then wash it off, 

 and all will be destroyed : care should, however, be taken 

 not to use it too strong. Cattleyas are very subject to this ; 

 the following is .a recipe for destroying these insects : viz. 

 to one gallon of rain water add eight ounces of soft soap, 

 one ounce of tobacco, and three table-spoonfuls of turpen- 

 tine ; stir well together, and leave the mixture for forty- 

 eight hours ; then strain it through a cloth : what you have 

 to spare must be bottled oif. It is necessary to rub the 

 plants over two or three times, if they are much infested, 

 but once will be sufficient in most cases. 



This recipe is also a cure for thrips. I have been informed 

 by Mr. Smith, gardener to Sir James Watts, of Abney Hall, 

 near Manchester, one of our best plant growers, that he has 

 used this mixture ever since I wrote the first edition of this 

 book for destroying thrips on his Azaleas ; he gets a large 

 tub and mixes the ingredients as recommended, he then dips 

 his Azaleas in it, completely destroying this pest; and he 

 also uses it for his stove-plants, large specimens of which are 

 cleared of mealy-bug and scale by the use of this mixture. I 

 am therefore glad to find that others have found it useful as 

 well as Orchid-growers. It will prove a great saving for 

 those who grow large plants for exhibition, or even those 

 who have a quantity of small plants, to clear of these pests 

 without much labour. We have kept mealy-bug away from 

 this place by constant watching ; and when we buy a plant 



