12 WESTKRN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



INSECTS. 



There are many kinds of these to which plants are subject, 

 particularly in the dry atmosphere of the house. The 

 Aphis or green fly is the most common, and every one will 

 know it who has tried to grow plants in the house ; these 

 insects are easily killed with tobaoco smoke, if you have 

 means of confining- the smoke around the plants, but you 

 might smoke until you were tired, if you simply blew the 

 smoke among the plants, as it goes away from the other side 

 without having the beneficial effect. Any plant that can be 

 washed easily can be kept .clean by washing it, but an}' per- 

 son having a number of plants can keep them clean of green 

 flies in the following manner : Take a tin trunk or any other 

 kind of a trunk just as long as it is air tight, into which 

 place tobacco stems from six to twelve inches deep, all you 

 then need to do would be as soon as you see green flies on 

 your plants to place them in the trunk over night (be sure 

 and close the lid down tight), and in the morning your plants 

 would be free from green flies. The trunk you must keep 

 closed for this purpose, keeping the strength of the tobacco 

 in the same, and it would always be ready whenever the 

 insects are discovered on our plants. Thrip, or red spiders, 

 are very small insects, and are caused by the atmosphere 

 being too dry. Rose trees and fuchsias are the worst plants 

 for these to get on as they generally lose all or most of 

 their leaves before the insects are discovered, you will see 

 the leaves turn a. little yellow or a lighter shade than it is 

 natural for them to be, and the only remedy for these is to 

 keep the plants sprinkled as often as possible on the under 

 side of the leaves. 



Mealy bug is another insect which looks like a small 

 piece of cotton on the plant, and is very easily washed off 

 with either a sponge or a small brush with a mixture of fir 

 tree oil and water. 



Scale is an insect which I think is the worst of them all, 

 as it is so difficult to wash off, and it needs the help of a 

 small tooth or nail brush to dislodge it. In washing all 



