174 



CASSELL'S POPULAR GARDENING. 



Jittle dry sulphur over the plant, which will drive 

 them away. This must be repeated whenever they 

 are observed. 



Scale are likelj' to want a stiff brush to he used to 

 get them oft ; if not moved in some way, the insecti- 

 cide does not reach them. 



Insects are more likely to be a source of trouble to 

 those growing plants in-doors than to persons whose 

 plants are exposed to wind and rain. Most of the 

 lusects which are injurious to in-door plants are 

 readily removable by syringing with rain-water, but 

 this is a remedy which an invalid cannot apply 

 usually. So also fumigation with smoke of tobacco 

 is not an amusement which wiU commend itself 

 to any lady confined to her room ; neither would she 

 care to dust her plants over with tobacco-powder, 

 which is another means of destroying insects. But 

 there are other methods which may be adopted. 



crock. This should be repeated several times, using 

 the same fluid over and over again, until no more 

 live insects can be seen on the plant. After this, .the 

 plant should he similarly washed two or three times 

 with water slightly warmed, and thus the plant will 

 derive no injury from the process. 



Where it is not inconvenient to move the infected 

 plants into another room in which they can be 

 fumigated with tobacco-smoke, the following method, 

 devised by Mr. I. C. Xiven, curator of the Botanic 

 Gardens at Hull, deserves to he recorded for its 

 simplicity and effectiveness. Lay your plants care- 

 fully on their sides in the bottom of a washing-tub^ 

 over which stretch a towel that has previously been 

 well wetted. FiU a long large claj- pipe — a " church- 

 warden" — with tobacco, and then light it. "Wien 

 thoroughly alight, put the stem of the pipe under 

 one edge of the towel, and push the mouthpiece 



Pig. 16. 



Fig. 17.- 



Fir. 18. 



One is to immerse the plant in water, or in some 

 fluid destructive to insect-life, which will not injure 

 the plant. This, however, is not always easily 

 done in a room without the risk of making a mess. 

 The easiest and least troublesome plan is touse a soft 

 brush with some destructive wash, strong enough to 

 kill the insects, but not strong enough to hurt the 

 plant. Soap-suds, made by dissolving an ounce of 

 soft soap in a quart of hot water, and applied, when 

 you can only just bear your finger in it, with a 

 camel's-hair brush, will be found very killing. 



Where it is practicable to immerse the plant, no 

 doubt the insects are removed or destroyed much 

 more expeditiously. It will be well therefore to 

 •explain how this should be done. First lay down on 

 the carpet several sheets of newspaper put out 

 to their full size, or, better still, a large square of oil- 

 cloth or American leather. Upon this place a foot- 

 pan or bread-crock, over which you must hold the 

 plant horizontally, with the palm and fingers of the 

 left hand covering the soil to prevent its falling out. 

 If the soil is much below the edge of the pot, this 

 space must he filled up with moss or with crumpled 

 pieces of paper, so that the soil may be kept firmly 

 in its place. Having a large jug full of the fluid to 

 be used, the right hand is free to pour tliis over 

 the plant, thus washing off the insects into a pan or 



down to the bottom of the tub, and as near the 

 centre as you can. Fold two or three thicknesses of 

 a cloth over the bowl of the pipe, and through these 

 blow into the pipe. The inside of the tub wiU 

 quickly be filled with smoke in which no aphis, 

 thrips, or red spider can survive for more than a few 

 minutes. The leaves of the plants must be quite dry 

 before they are put in. 



Fluid insecticides may be applied in a small way 

 by means of a couple of glass tubes fastened at right 

 angles to each other, as shown in Fig. 16. If the 

 vertical tube be immersed in any fluid, and the hori- 

 zontal one be blown through, it wiU cause the fluid 

 to be distributed in the form of minute spray. By 

 this means the branches affected with insects can 

 have the spray directed upon them without its going 

 all over the plant. 



They are to be bought in the form indicated in 

 Fig. 17, which is a convenient form of using them. 



Fig. 1 8 shows another modification of this instru- 

 ment, where the blowing is done hy squeezing a 

 hollow india-rubber hall. This may suit invalids; 

 but most people will prefer to use the mouth. 



TroulDlesome Plants Under this term we 



merely refer to parasitical plants, and of these fortu- 

 nately there are very few. Mildew is a general term 



