DISEASES AND INSECTS. 57 



The insects are stupefied by the smoke, fall from the foli- 

 age, and are easily washed away by a subsequent syringing. 

 This latter is important, as the tobacco seldom kills, but 

 only stupefies, the fly ; and if not washed off, and drowned 

 by the water, the insects crawl up on to the foliage again, 

 and the labor is lost. It is also useful to wash off any 

 which may still cling to the leaves. 



MEALY BUG. 



This enemy is much more difficult to conquer than the 

 two preceding, as no general application will be effective. 

 Fortunately, bulbs are but little infested. The remedy is to 

 pick or wash off the insects by a careful sponging of the 

 foliage. A touch of kerosene oil, applied to the bug with a 

 very fine camel' s-hair pencil, is instant death, and not injuri- 

 ous to the plant. 



Where these insects infest the scales or skin of green- 

 house bulbs, as is not uncommon, they are with difficulty 

 extirpated. The treatment is to peel off so much of the old 

 skin as can be done without injury, and then carefully 

 remove all bugs that can be seen, and repeat the process as 

 often as any bugs can be found. 



