132 GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS 



fungoid growth which develops between the membranes of 

 the leaves ; it ultimately bursts and scatters its coffee-coloured 

 spores. There is no cure except to cut off the affected leaves 

 as soon as the disease is noticed. A good preventive is spray- 

 ing with one part of methylated spirit to 100 parts of water 

 by measure. The next disease is " Spot " (Uredo dianthi) ; it 

 is not so deadly, nor is it really infectious. The plants should 

 be placed in a light and airy position, and in as dry an atmos- 

 phere as possible ; the parts attacked should be cut off. I 

 find it useless to dip or dust the plants. Another very trouble- 

 some pest is the "eel worm" (Tylenckas). This is a minute 

 nematoid worm, which produces the disease known as " gout." 

 The worms attack the collar of the plant, causing it to swell ; 

 they seem to eat their way up the stem, and ultimately kill 

 the plant. When they have made a lodgment in the plants 

 there is no cure ; best destroy the plants and remove the 

 soil. 



The Carnation maggot (Hylemyia nigrescens) is very trouble- 

 some, and sometimes does much damage to the plants. It 

 does more mischief to those planted in the open garden than 

 to those in pots. It is the larvae of a small dipterous black- 

 fly, which greatly resembles in appearance the house-fly ; it 

 is generally found in the centre of the plants, and it eats its 

 way down until the heart is totally destroyed. It is easy to 

 see where the depredator is at work, and it can be dug out 

 with a needle. Wireworm is the larva of a small beetle 

 (Agriotes lineatus). In the larval period they remain in the 

 ground from three to five years. A full-grown wireworm is 

 about an inch long, of a yellow colour, hard and wiry to the 

 touch. They work underground and eat into the stem, work- 

 ing up the centre of the plant, and the first sign of its being 

 there is the decay of the leaves. By that time the worm has 

 gone into the ground again, and is probably engaged on 

 another plant. For pot plants it is best to look the potting 

 soil well over when it is being mixed. In the open garden 

 a good plan is to dig in a coating of fresh gas lime about six 

 months before planting out the Carnations. Slices of carrots 

 inserted in the soil attract the wireworms ; these traps may 

 be examined three times a week and destroyed. 



Aphides, or green-fly, if allowed to increase, do more 

 mischief than most people imagine ; they suck the juices of 

 the plants, and cause them to become polluted by their excre- 

 ments, the leaves becoming dirty and sticky from the glutinous 

 substances. They spread rapidly in warm weather, but can 

 always be destroyed with tobacco smoke, or the plants may 



