NEW ZEALAND GARDENING. Ipl 



every morning, and the vermin shaken out into boiling water 

 or the fowl yard. Another way is to keep some dry hay 

 between two ordinary paving tiles ; examine every day, and 

 destroy those trapped. By so doing, their numbers will 

 very soon be materially decreased. 



Earwig. This is the great enemy of the Dahlia grower 

 (in the old country). They also feed upon other plants. 

 They are shy creatures, and only feed at night. They 

 devour the petals of Dahlias. They may be trapped by half 

 filling thumb pots with dry moss, placed on the top of the 

 Dahlia stakes. A better plan is to place some small tiles 

 half full of moss near the plants they feed upon. Pieces of 

 bamboo will answer equally well. They should be examined 

 every morning the first thing, and the vermin destroyed. 



Mildew on Vines (Oidinin Tuckeri). This vegetable 

 pest is caused by sudden chills, cold damp, and badly- 

 ventilated atmospheres. Mildew first made its appearance 

 in England in 1845 and 1847. It appeared on the Con- 

 tinent, and laid waste hundreds of acres of vineyards. In 

 1851 the disease appeared in Italy, and in 1871 it appeared 

 in the colony of Victoria. The first notice of it appeared in 

 the Australasian of the i6th December, 1871. At last it 

 was discovered that the fumes of sulphur had the effect of 

 completely destroying the pest if properly applied, and at 

 the right time. The action of sulphur in the cure of oidium 

 (mildew), is due to the formation of sulphurous acid gas by 

 the action of the oxygen of the atmosphere on the finely 

 subdivided particles ; and as dryness and heat are essential 

 to the oxidation of sulphur, it may be readily understood 

 how it is that sulphur will not act curatively in wet, cold 

 weather. After pruning, every bit of refuse should be 

 collected and burned. The stems should then be washed 

 with a solution of sulphur and lime ; this will stay the 

 development of any germs which may be present. The 

 addition of cow-manure and yellow clay will render the appli- 

 cation more efficacious. By painting the hot-water pipes 

 with this mixture an atmosphere will be created which will 

 destroy mildew or red spider. Dusting with flour of sulphur, 

 applied with a fumigating bellows, is also efficacious. When 

 mildew attacks melons, cucumbers in frames or elsewhere, a 



