128 THE PBINCIPLES OF FLORICULTURE 



ported ; otherwise few will produce satisfactory flowers. 

 The earlier it is supported, the better the grade of blooms 

 produced. 



99. Fumigation. The truth of the old adage that " a 

 stitch in time saves nine," was never truer than in the 

 treatment of plants for insect attacks. If insects once get 

 a foothold in houses, they are eradicated with difficulty. 

 A first class grower rarely has insects in his houses. 

 Benches and beds are thoroughly overhauled each season, 

 and a coat of whitewash or paint is applied. As soon as 

 plants are well established in the houses, a light fumi- 

 gation with some tobacco preparation, or with cyanide of 

 potassium is given, and is repeated every week or two. 

 If this treatment is adhered to, insects cause little trouble. 



100. Treatment for diseases. In the human family, 

 careful attention to sanitary surroundings has much to do 

 with the health of individuals. The same statement holds 

 true in the vegetable kingdom. When plants are in proper 

 soil, nourished by proper food in the right amounts and 

 surrounded by pure air of correct temperatures, they can- 

 not fail to be healthy. It is true that in some cases, disease 

 is inherited, but correct environmental conditions help 

 greatly in keeping this in check. The caretaker should 

 study his plants and their requirements, and then airn to 

 make their surroundings as nearly ideal as possible. 



101. General repairs on the greenhouse. Every man 

 in charge of greenhouse work should have a knowledge of 

 setting glass and of doing general repair work, both in 

 wood and in the piping of the heating system. The 

 range should be repainted frequently, for if the paint 

 wears off from the putty, water may get under the glass 

 and decay of the sashbars result. Greenhouses should 

 be repainted as often as once in two years (Fig. 17). 



