Pests and Remedies 137 



noticed only in the winged stage, which keeps 

 up intermittently for a couple of months. 

 White flies hide under the leaves and in the 

 joints of the shoots, flying about aimlessly when 

 disturbed. They bite and suck the juices of the 

 tender stems though not so incessantly as do the 

 black or green aphids. They are particularly 

 fond of the flower bud in its tenderest stage, and 

 it is these little wretches we may thank for 

 our one-sided or malformed blossoms. They are 

 the most difficult type to combat, especially as 

 tobacco solution is only a cure and not a pre- 

 vention. By this I mean that, to take effect, 

 tobacco must be sprayed direct upon the bodies 

 of the insects to be killed. It will not drive away 

 those which did not happen to be killed. It 

 irritates the skin and closes their breathing pores, 

 and they dry up where they happen to be. 



Often confused with the white fly, and for some 

 reason, usually associating with it, is the tiny 

 green or white leaf -hopper. In its final winged 

 state it very closely resembles it, and plants 

 its eggs in the mid-ribs and veins of the dahlia 

 leaves. This halts the circulation of sap within 

 the leaf, causing it to turn yellow and curl at the 

 edges. Surely every one who has grown dahlias 

 will recognize this trouble. The "nymphs," 

 or newly hatched babies, are always to be found 



