AND CITY BEAUTIFUL 95 



Scale Insects. Scale insects are killing many of 

 our trees and shrubs. As a preventative it is well to spray 

 in winter with a "scale-cide" or something prepared espe- 

 cially for scale pests. Kerosene Emulsion, one part stock 

 solution to ten parts water may help some. Spraying may 

 be done any warm day in winter. Two or three applications 

 are better than one. For the ordinary home garden the mix- 

 tures here given will be found easy to make or obtain, 

 and inexpensive to apply. A little care will bring big 

 results. Never allow plants to become ' weakened by 

 insect attacks as they are then likely to be attacked by 

 disease germs. Keep them growing and the soil tilled. 

 Encourage the enemies of insects as the birds and toads. 

 Birds eat millions of destructive insects and a single gar- 

 den toad has been proved to eat in one season destructive 

 worms and bugs, that if left, would destroy over nineteen 

 dollars worth of produce. (See Nature Eeaflet, No. 28, 

 State Board of Agriculture, Boston, Mass. Free.) 



DAMPING OFF FUNGUS. 



This often causes small seedling plants and cuttings 

 to disappear, sometimes in a single night. A simple 

 remedy usually effective is to sift clean dry sand (baked 

 or sterilized sand is best) over the young plants and 

 withhold water until they become rather dry. A high 

 temperature and a damp soil favor damping off fungus. 



Potato Scab. 



Suspend the potatoes in sacks, in 30 gallons of 

 water, to which i pint of Formaldehyde has been added. 

 Potatoes should be sprayed 6 times with Bordeaux mix- 

 ture. Paris Green should be added to kill the beetles 

 when necessary. Use 4 lbs. lime, 4 lbs. blue stone (copper 

 sulphate) and i lb. Paris Green to 50 gallons of water. 

 Shake the lime in 5 gals, of water and dissolve the copper 

 sulphate in 5 gals, of water by suspending it in a sack. 

 Pour these into 40 gals, of water. Never pour the stock 

 solutions together before adding water. Never use iron 



