104 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING 



CHAPTER X 

 COMMON PESTS 



THE pests which attack Chrysanthemums are neither 

 numerous nor difficult to combat. 



Green and Black Fly are the most persistent enemies, 

 the young shoots being liable to an attack from these 

 at any time during the growing season, both indoors and 

 in the open garden. 



I have never found anything more effective for killing 

 them than dusting with tobacco powder, dusting the tips 

 of the shoots overnight and syringing it off with clear 

 water early next morning. This answers well where only 

 200 or 300 plants are grown, but where they are cultivated 

 in large numbers a light spraying with an insecti- 

 cide is quicker and equally effective. The foliage is 

 slightly injured sometimes, even if the plants are syringed 

 over with clean water afterwards, but if ordinary care is 

 taken with most of the advertised insecticides they will 

 exterminate the Aphides. In no case should the plants be 

 allowed to get badly infested, or the foliage and young 

 shoots will suffer deformation. 



In the early stages (indoors) fumigation is sometimes 

 practised, but this I do not advise, as the young leaves 

 often show traces of injury even from light fumigation 

 by the edges turning yellow, thus spoiling the look of the 

 plants as well as checking their growth for some consider- 

 able time. 



