INSECTS AND OTHER ENEMIES, 81 



which the inexperienced grower will have to search closely for 

 in order to find them. Some of them are to be seen in the 

 shape of eggs ; others appear as young insects but so minute 

 that a magnifying glass should be employed in searching the 

 foliage, to discover them. If, however, the plan recommended 

 above be followed, all traces of them will be cleared away. 

 We find in the case of plants as well as animals, that cleanli- 

 ness is one of the first steps towards securing good health. 

 "We have now, we trust, shown what to do and what to avoid, 

 in the case of imported plants and established specimens 

 affected by these pests. 



Cockroaches are among the greatest plagues with which we 

 have to deal ; they will do a great deal of mischief in a few 

 nights if not intercepted, and they should therefore be sought 

 after on every opportunity. The food they like best is the 

 young tender roots and flower stems, and we have known the 

 roots of a plant completely eaten off in one night by these 

 depredators. The only way to keep these insects under is by 

 constantly looking after them, both by night and day, searching 

 for them in the evening by candle-light, and in the day-time 

 by moving the pots and baskets under which they harbour. 

 They leave their hiding-places in the evening, to seek after 

 food, and it is then that they are most easily caught. Chase's^ 

 Beetle Poison, a phosphoric mixture sold in boxes, is a capital 

 thing to destroy them, if laid in different parts of the house in 

 the evening, or two or three nights a week, and then removed 

 for a week, repeating the operation every other week until 

 they are destroyed. It should be placed on oyster-shells or 

 pieces of tile or slate, the pieces of shell being collected 

 every morning, and put down again in the evening. There are 

 also several other kinds of Beetle powders, which should 

 be placed upon the stages amongst the plants. 



By using these preparations from time to time they may bo 



D 3 



