Insect Pests and Remedies 137 



face. When these symptoms appear a dose of lime 

 water should be applied. This will either kill him 

 or drive him in a moment or two wrigghng to the sur- 

 face whence he can be removed without ceremony. 

 The lime water can be made by steeping a lump of 

 common builder's lime in water and after it has 

 settled the clear water on top is. ready for use. Where 

 a number of plants are on hand some of this water 

 should be always available. A good plan when pass- 

 ing a building in course of construction is to secure a 

 good sized lump of lime, say two pounds in weight, 

 which will cost little and often nothing, and take it 

 home. Steep it in a large pailfull of water and after 

 it has settled bottle the clear water and keep it for 

 future use. A small quantity may, of course, be pro- 

 cured at a drug store. Occasional waterings (once a 

 month) are not injurious to any plants except Azaleas, 

 and these are seldom troubled by worms. 



Suc\ing Insects 



The insects mentioned above are all of the suck- 

 ing kind, as distinguished from those that chew up 

 the leaves or shoots bodily. The kinds of insecticides 

 that will destroy the latter are entirely harmless to the 

 former. This is an important fact and should be well 

 understood, particularly by those who have the care 

 of a garden out of doors as well as their house plants. 

 The sucking insects, as their name implies, obtain 

 their food by piercing through the tender leaves or 

 shoots and sucking the juice from the inside, conse- 

 quently it is useless to offer them poison, as they can- 

 not eat it. They breathe through innumerable little 

 pores scattered all over their bodies, however, and this 



