126 THE CHRYSANTHEMUM 



of the victim, and it is to be hoped this borer will not 

 become one of the regular annual pests. 



Grasshoppers are with us every year, varying in 

 numbers, but always voracious. They make their way 

 in through the open ventilators, and finding young 

 Chrysanthemum a tasty morsel are content to remain, 

 but war must be waged against them. The only effectual 

 way seems to be catching them by hand, a lively occupa- 

 tion, it would seem, and certainly so if pursued at mid- 

 day. Go round in the early morning hours, however, 

 before they have felt the warmth of the day, and it is 

 then tolerably easy to catch and destroy them before 

 they can make a flying leap to parts unknown. 



Other Bugs. Several insects that come into the 

 category usually designated as bugs are inimical to the 

 welfare of Chrysanthemums. One of the worst offend- 

 ers is a small winged beetle or fly usually called "the 

 tarnished plant bug." It infests a variety of plants 

 in the open air and if it finds its way into the Chrys^n- 

 themum house it quickly proceeds to make trouble in 

 large doses unless a speedy check is put upon its inten- 

 tions. The full grown adult is of a yellowish brown 

 color and not quite a quarter of an inch in length. In 

 addition to finding safety in flight it can also run fast 

 and will often hide upon the plant when one is hunting 

 it. Its mouth is armed with a pair of sharp piercers 

 which it thrusts into the stem of the plant, sucking 

 therefrom the sap, and, in consequence, plants that are 

 attacked soon show the result in a drooping of the 

 young growing tip or the growth becomes otherwise 

 distorted. It also lays eggs while feeding, and these 

 hatch upon the plant, the young commencing to feed 

 in the same way, but the young can be destroyed before 

 their wings form. The only way to combat the adults 

 is by diligent searching and catching them by hand 



