_OZ OKCHID-GROWER S MANUAL. 



kept under. It is also a good plan to lay some damp moss as 

 a decoy in the hottest part of the house ; this should be looked 

 over every two or three days. We have killed many in this 

 way. They may also be destroyed by the use of a mixture of 

 honey, lard, and arsenic, the latter in very small quantity, 

 j)lacing some of this on oyster-shells, and laying them in 

 different parts of the house. Some growers mix the arsenic 

 with tallow, and put it on a stick, which is stuck in the pots ; 

 care must, however, be taken that the mixture does not touch 

 the leaves or bulbs of the plants. Bell-glasses are also used 

 for catching these pests, inverting them so that they are level 

 with the soil or moss, and then half filling them with treacle 

 made a little thinner by admixture with water ; it should be 

 thick enough to stick and prevent them from climbing up the 

 glass ; the dead ones should be removed every day. 



Small Ants are another pest in the Orchid house, as they 

 carry the dirt to the flowers, and thus spoil their appearance, 

 as well as smother the plants, and if allowed to accumulate, 

 they frequently cause great injury to them. The best plan we 

 know for catching these little troublesome insects, is to cut 

 apples in halves, scoop out a portion of the inside, and lay 

 the pieces in different parts of the house, looking them over 

 very often. We have in this way destroyed hundreds in a 

 very short time. Treacle is also a good thing as a trap for 

 these pests ; place some in a bell-glass in the places which they 

 frequent — they are fond of anything sweet ; they go to feed, 

 get into the mixture, and cannot get out again, as it holds them 

 down, and thus causes their death. We have also found hollow 

 bones a very good means of enticing them, but these should 

 be dipped in boiling water and the bones laid down again, or 

 the water may be poured on the bones as they lay on the stages. 

 They should be frequently looked over. 



The best way of getting rid of the Red Spider and the 



