INSECTS AND HOW TO FIGHT THEM 3 1 



effectively than anything else I have ever tried, though 

 the soap insecticide advised for the extermination of 

 the aphis will do good work against the mealy bug 

 if you are sure to get it where he lurks. Scale, 

 however, does not succumb to it so readily, and it 

 becomes necessary to use something stronger to rout 

 this formidable enemy of Palms and other smooth 

 leaved plants, and of many kinds of Fern, especially 

 the Sword varieties, which are now so extensively 

 grown. Let me say, in this connection, that the scale 

 on Ferns is generally somewhat different in shape from 

 that on such plants as the Palm — so much so that 

 some persons hardly think it possible for them to 

 be of the same family. Palm scale is generally small, 

 and quite flat, sometimes white, sometimes brown. 

 Fern scale is generally plump and well rounded on its 

 upper part, and is almost always brown, or greenish- 

 brown, in color and considerably larger than the sort 

 found on harder foliaged plants. The use of either of 

 the oils named will rout this enemy. Directions for 

 the preparation of the wash accompany them. Apply 

 with a soft rag, or a brush stiff enough to remove the 

 insect after the application has done its work. Use this 

 bath frequently, after you have rid your plants of the 

 pest, to prevent its return. 



