THE FLORISTS MANUAL. 



J09 



Violet House Showing Arrangements for Fumigating with Hydrocyanic Acid Gas 

 Recommended by the Department of Agriculture. 



Some growers profess to keep down 

 the aphis by strewing the stems on the 

 pipes and paths, or laying them be 

 tween the plants in bunches. This will 

 keep down the aphis if you start per 

 fectly clean and change the stems every 

 two weeks, but it will not kill the fly 

 if they once have a start. 



Although tobacco contains the nico 

 tine which is so useful yet a deadly 

 poison, the stems when rotten are not 

 in the least injurious to the soil. I 

 have seen tons of decayed tobacco stems 

 plowed into the land which produced 

 fine crops. 



Tobacco Extracts. 



The nicotine extracts are now largely 

 used and save the florist the trouble 

 of making his own solution out of the 

 stems, and it is doubtless better. They 

 can be used greatly diluted and will 

 rid plants of aphis, red spider and 

 thrips. Eose growers who heat with hot 

 water and cannot vaporize as described 

 above can use this extract to great ad 

 vantage. In a 20 or 22-foot house, at 

 every thirty feet, you can place a pie 

 dish, say 12x6 inches and six inches 

 deep. Dilute some extract in ten parts 

 of water and pour into the dishes to 

 the depth of one inch. Have some old 

 pieces of iron, 8x4 inches and two or 

 three inches thick. We use pieces of 

 old railroad iron of the old style, cut 

 into 8-inch or 9-inch lengths. These are 



made red hot in the fire and carried 

 with the help of a coal scuttle and 

 tongs to the dishes on the walk, and 

 when one is dropped into the tobacco 

 extract there is directly a cloud of vapor 

 which is very effectual in killing the 

 aphis, and of no possible harm to the 

 roses unless it be the softening of the 

 growth. 



The vaporizing of the extract by 

 diluting it in ten parts of water and 

 placing in small tin troughs that are 

 made to lie on the upper pipe of a 

 steam coil is a method used by many 

 growers and answers the purpose well. 

 The tins are replenished frequently 

 and while you have steam in the pipes 

 evaporation is continuous. It is too 

 slight to any more than just notice, 

 but so continuous that the aphis gets 

 no chance to thrive. 



We have seen excellent results from 

 using the nicotine extract and the 

 Eclipse compressed air pump. A 2-inch 

 pot full of extract and water enough 

 to fill the pump two-thirds full was the 

 right proportion in this case. The com 

 pressed air pump sends out a fine, color 

 less spray that will keep chrysanthe 

 mums, carnations or roses clean of every 

 thing in the insect line. 



The several extracts on the market 

 vary in strength, so that the dilution 

 must be different for each, but each 

 manufacturer gives definite and general 

 ly reliable directions for applying in the 

 several ways described. 



Fir Tree Oil. 



This is an article largely used to 

 kill the brown and white scale. The 

 latter is much the worst to contend 

 with. To ten gallons of water add a 

 half pint of the oil. If the water is at 

 a temperature of 100 degrees, so much 

 the better. Large palms and other 

 plants can be syringed and in half an 

 hour be given a good syringing of 

 clear water, when most of the scale will 

 be destroyed. Small palms can be dipped 

 or immersed entirely in the water, ex 

 cepting, of course, the ball of earth, and 

 shortly afterwards syringed with clear 

 water. That is doing it most effectually. 



Palms received from Europe are often 

 infested with this white scale and should 

 be thoroughly cleaned before placing 

 among your other stock. 



Water. 



There are many compounds and mix 

 tures advertised and sold for fungicides 

 and insecticides, but those quoted will 

 about fill the bill. And finally there is 

 a plain pure water, properly applied. 

 The use of the syringe or hose will save 

 much labor and expense with insecticides 

 if properly applied. Red spider, thrips 

 or mealy bug should never be seen and 

 never would be if a good gardener 

 handled the hose. 



All the patent sprayers and hose at 

 tachments are not worth one cent. The 



