ENEMIES OF PLANTS 



substance is the home in which he hides the 

 greater part of the time. When this pest con- 

 gregates in a mass, as it has a habit of doing, 

 it can be easily killed by pressure if one is 

 not too squeamish to deal directly with it. 



Like the scale, the mealy-bug subsists on 

 the juice of the plant, and if allowed to in- 

 crease its progeny will soon take entire pos- 

 session of it, and the result is speedy death. 

 There are several effective remedies in the 

 market. Fir-tree-oil soap, lemon oil, and 

 thrip juice, are all good, if vised according 

 to the directions which accompany them. 

 They, like Nicotocide, can be procured of most 

 florists, and all dealers in plants and seeds. 



The eggs of the woolly aphis or mealy-bug 

 are generally deposited in places where they 

 are not readily discoverable, therefore it is 

 necessary to fight this pest with liquids that 

 will penetrate to all parts of the plant. 



If any plant becomes badly infested before 

 you find it out, I w^ould advise destroying it 

 at once, before the rest of your collection be- 

 comes contaminated. 



It should be borne in mind that all insecti- 

 cides are always to be applied to the plant 

 itself — never to its roots, as some suppose. 



93 



