76 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE 



farther end and place a spoonful of cayenne pepper on each 

 plate, working out of the house as quickly as possible. Do not 

 inhale the fumes as they may be dangerous if the pepper is used 

 freely. This is recommended for American Beauty especially, 

 which is so long in perfecting its flowers that much damage is 

 sometimes caused by thrips. If in doubt as to whether you 

 have spider or thrips, it is important to know that the latter 

 causes white spots on the leaves, while the former shows the 

 foliage brown and often curled under at the edge of the leaves. 

 At first sight, the general appearance is the same and the results 

 are similar, in that Roses can be put out of commission in one 

 or two weeks when either pest gains a foothold. 



Beetles are sometimes troublesome. There is a weevil 

 of a dull brown color, with a hard shell and a pointed nose 

 with two horns or feelers on the end of it. These weevils eat 

 the foliage. They are about one-third of an inch long; they 

 feed at night and rest in hiding during the day; they may be 

 caught in the early morning easily, as they have no wings. I 

 have seen them in two places recently but, as a rule, they are 

 not a serious menace. If caught and killed when present in 

 small quantities, they are easily controlled. An easy way to 

 catch them is to hang pieces of burlap over the bushes, resting 

 them on the stakes and letting them lie among and on the plants. 

 The weevils will hide in these, and as many as a hundred have 

 been caught in one small house at one time during the past 

 Summer in Massachusetts. A very light jar will dislodge them, 

 and, as they are about the color of the earth, and lie still, 

 shamming death, they are sometimes hard to find if they fall to 

 the ground. 



The weevils lay their eggs in the ground. These change to 

 white grubs with brown heads and without legs. The grubs 

 do their damage to the roots of the plants. Carbon bisulphide 

 is used to kill them. Make holes in the ground, where the 

 grubs abound, with a pointed stick. These holes may be one 



