66 MELON CULTURE 



is one of the mites, consequently is very small and 

 seldom noticed by the novice until his plants begin 

 to show signs of trouble. About the only thing to 

 be done for them is to keep the plants growing vig- 

 orously and maintain a moist atmosphere in the 

 houses at all times, until the fruits begin to mature. 

 This will have a tendency to keep them down, as 

 the mite thrives only in a dry atmosphere. One 

 should not wait, therefore, until the mite appears 

 but strive to prevent its getting a foothold if possi- 

 ble, by frequent sprayings. 



White Fly (Aleyrodes vaporariorum). This little 

 fly belongs to the sucking class of insects, and is 

 often found in greenhouses both north and south, 

 but it is more commonly found farther south. It 

 somewhat resembles the aphis or plant lice, except 

 it is covered by a white, powdery substance which 

 makes it easily visible upon the green leaves. This 

 may be easily reached by contact poisons such as 

 kerosene emulsion or a solution of whale-oil soap. 



Aphis, sp. Forcing melons are not exempt from 

 the attacks of the green aphis, and these too, should 

 be attacked as soon as they make their appearance, 

 or even before. The same remedies that are recom- 

 mended for the whitefly will prove effective for 

 these. Frequent fumigation with tobacco stems will 

 also destroy the lice as well as the fly. 



Mealy Bugs (Dactylopiiis sps.). The mealy bug 

 is so called from the fact that it is covered with a 

 white powdery or waxy secretion. This material 

 serves as a protection from the milder forms of in- 

 secticides; but by constantly spraying the plants 

 with water, using considerable force, they may be 

 held in check. A tobacco decoction, using one 



