May 8, 1895. 



Garden and Forest. 



187 



pumped when the gauge-rod is placed in tliedil'ferent notches. 

 Beginningatthe top thenotches read : ,';,. ,'„, ,■'„, ,-;,, ,V,, iV,' -«■ imi °- 

 That is, when the rod is at the Ijottoni notch the stopcock is 

 closed, and when at tlie top notch equal parts of kerosene 

 and water will be pumped, and so on. The gauge-rod can be 

 reached Iiy the hand when operating, so tiiat a change from 

 one proportion to another can be readily made. Thus we have 

 very nearly a perfect apparatus. Kerosene is a most valuable 

 insecticide, and is always obtainable. In spite, however, of the 

 oft-repeated statement that a perfect emulsion can be made by 

 any intelligent farmer, the fact remains that nine-tenths of our 

 farmers never really accomplish this, and this is why the emul- 

 sion has not been more generally successful. 



We now know but little as to the number of injurious in- 

 sects which can lie successfully held in check by this kerosene 

 attachment to the knapsack pump. Many entomologists 

 assure me that they will give it a tiiorough trial during the 

 coming season. For the benefit of any who wish to try this 

 attachment, I would state that it is now being manufactured 

 by theDeming Company, Salem, Ohio. 



Agricull-I Cullese Experim't Stalion, Miss. Howart/ Evarts Weed. 



Fig. 29.— Improved Atlaclinient tor using Kerosene with Knai^saclc Sprayers. 



Insect Pests. 



NO one knows until he undertalces to cultivate the soil Iiow 

 many evils plants are heir to, and these seem to be on 

 the increase. The insect pests, owing, presumal)ly, to the sur- 

 vival of the fittest, seem to be more highly educated than of 

 old, and it is only by continued watchfulness that successful 

 crops can be grown. It seems to me, after a few years' study 

 of this phase of garden routine, that insecticides are most 

 profitably used as preventives. The process of fumigation is 

 by no means the liest method to adopt, especially with houses 

 of mixed plants, such as are generally grown for gardens that 

 exist for the pleasure of the owner, and not for comtnercial 

 purposes. In the use of toliacco in its various forms as an 

 insecticide we have a great advantage over European culti- 

 vators in that we can get an article good, cheap and pure in 

 tobacco-stems fresh from the factory. That they lose much of 

 their strength through keeping and exposure there is no doubt. 

 If fumigation is necessary these stems should not be used, for 

 there is too much heat generated for the amount of smoke 

 given off. A cheap grade of damaged leaf tobacco has been 

 found to be the best and cheapest for the purpose, for so little 

 smoke to kill that it rarely has density or heat enough to burn 

 delicate foliage. It is a long time now, however, since we 

 used the smoke-pot, and this is due entirely to the scattering 

 of the stems on the benches between the pots or on wire net- 

 ting placed on the heating pipes. If used in the latter way, and 

 damped occasionally, so as to give olT a medicated vapor, hot 

 water is almost as good as steam pipes as a vaporizing me- 

 dium, and the stems will retain their strength for many weeks. 

 Those who have tried to grow Cinerarias and Calceolarias 

 know how liable these are to the attacks of aphides, and how 

 difficult it is to fumigate without datiiagina: the plants. These 

 plants furnish a striking proof that fumigation is not the best 

 way to kill insect pests. It is barbarous to subject the plants 

 to such an ordeal, to say nothing of the operator, when a 

 sprinkling of stems around the pots, renewed two or three 

 times during the season of growth, will quite clear them of 

 insects, so that there is a real pleasure in growing the plants. 



We have always had a great deal of trouble with what is 

 known in common garden languageas the Orchid thrips, a little 

 white insect, barely visible to the naked eye, but which, before 

 it is discovered, does great damage to the young foliage of 

 plants. Cypripediums are hapjw hunting-grounds for these 

 thrips, and there is no insecticide that I know that will check 

 them except toliacco-stems liberally sprinkled between the 

 plants. If badly affected it is well to sponge the foliage with 

 an insecticide first to get rid of the older ones, and the young 

 insects will be killed off as they hatch out. It is said that as the 

 tobacco-stems decay a large amount of atiimonia is given off 

 into the atmosphere, producing a healthy green in the leaves, 

 more especially of Orchids. I am of opinion that this is some- 

 thing more than a theory. By taking a tninchof tobacco-stems 

 and damping them it will lie found after fermentation sets in 

 that a pronounced quantity of ammonia is given off into the 

 atmosphere for the plants to breathe. While it might be pos- 

 sible to overdo the matter in the use of too much of the to- 

 bacco-stems at a time, I have never had this occur. If their 

 use is not so plentiful as to causean untidy lookon the benches 

 it is safe to say there need be no fear as to damage, and pre- 

 ventive measures are much cheaper than any others. 



We have lately had for trial a new insecticide, known as 

 Lemon oil ; it is a preparation similar to that called Fir-tree 

 oil, and acts in the same way when mixed with water, but we 

 find that it is not so liable to do damage as the latter, and is 

 of use for a greater variety of plants. There is no need to 

 wash off the mixture from the roots of phmts as it is said to 

 be also a fertilizer of the soil. 



Tobacco-dust is now put up by all dealers and is a most 

 effectual remedy for aphides. This also is a fertilizer, and if 

 it is necessary to give more than one dusting it will benefit the 

 roots as well as kill the insects. There seems to be a great 

 difference in the quality of this article as put up tor sale. We 

 were induced to buy a barrel of it once, the price being low 

 when bought in bulk ; this particular lot was practically worth- 

 less, and it is reasonable that pui'e tobacco-dust could not liave 

 been sold at the price paid. I have found that the coarser 

 grades are the purest and the best to use. 



A word should be said for that liest of all insecticides, cold 

 water with a good force behind it. There are few insects that 

 can withstand this treatment, especially if the Stott sprayer is 

 used. We have four of them in steady use, and plant-growing 

 has been much simplified by tliis invention. When some 

 means is devised for mixing the various insecticides with the 

 water as it comes from the main, there will belittle excuse for 

 unhealthy insect-ridden plants in the garden. White scale 

 insects on Orchids are usually very hard to eradicate, espe- 

 cially on Cattleyas, and these are often infested when brought 

 in from their native woods. The Stott sprayer makes clean 

 work, and does not injure even the young growing tips of the 

 roots if used carefully. If the least trace of scale is noticed 

 it is best to apply this cure at once, for it is surprising how 

 rapidly this insect debilitates plants. It should, perhaps, be 

 said that our water-pressure is over one hundred pounds as it 

 comes from the main, but a much less force would be suffi- 

 cient, though how little would be enough I am unable to say. 



Soutli Lancaster, Mass. E. O. Orpet. 



About Daffodils. 



1 T would be interesting to know which of the Spanish Daffo- 

 -'■ dils are referred to by Mr. Orpet as not reliable in Massa- 

 chusetts. The mountains of southern Europe, from Spain to 

 Italy, are rich in Daffodils of many forms, and it might be 

 expected that some of these would fail in other countries, 

 although the cause of the failure might be something besides 

 the rigor of our winters. Certainly Narcissus major and N. 

 minor are as hardy as anything in the family, and many of the 

 Ajax, or large trumpet section, which, though bearing fancy 

 names, are collected and selected bulbs, bear witness to the 

 general hardiness of the family. Outside of the Tazettas, 

 which come from the lowlands, and the Bulbocodiums, which 

 are mostly north African, the entire family is very hardy here 

 and I can see no distinction in that respect between the species 

 and the hybrids. White Daffodils are credited with being 

 rather more delicate than the yellow kinds, but of these my 

 experience is limited, having grown only N. moschatus and 

 Mrs. J. B. Cannon, both of which hold their own with the other 

 varieties, and the little white N. triandrus is quite as hardy and 

 vigorous within its limits as N. Emperor. As the white of a 

 Narcissus- flower is not necessarily due to lack of vigor, like the 

 variegation of a leaf, there seems no reason why they shouUl 

 be weaker than plants of other colors. In the case of white 

 Narcissi, which are not plentiful, and of other rare and expen- 

 sive kinds, the trouble comes from the anxiety to do the very 



