138 Milady's House Plants 



is a very vulnerable point of attack. A mixture of 

 Ivory Soap suds and extract of nicotine (tobacco) 

 has been found most effective in stopping up these 

 pores and quickly suffocating the insect. An excel- 

 lent preparation was put upon the market some 

 years ago called Imperial Soap Spray, which is most 

 effective in the destruction of these insects. Instruc- 

 tions come with these preparations. It is necessary 

 when spraying or dipping, that all the insects be 

 thoroughly "wetted." Fumes from burning tobacco 

 are also fatal, but as this requires some skill in apply- 

 ing, and as special facilities for its use are generally 

 lacking in the home, it is not considered a practical 

 way. 



Chewing Insects 



Insects of the biting or chewing kind, such as 

 cut worms, brown tail moths, gypsy moths, canker 

 worms and rose bugs, that make stich disastrous on- 

 slaughts on out-of-door crops, do all their destructive 

 WQrk while in the caterpillar stage and may be de- 

 stroyed by sjDraying arsenate of lead on their food. 



Diseases 



Very few diseases, as the word is commonly under- 

 stood, attack house plants. Whenever symptoms of 

 sickness appear, such as leaves turning yellow and 

 falling from a rubber plant, tips of palni leaves turn- 

 ing brown, flower buds attaining a certain size and 

 then shrivelling up, they can always be traced to 

 neglect of the fundamentals which have been ex- 

 plained, and somewhat persistently reiterated, in the 



