Mine Enemies 127 
The new horror was the oil beetle, a bright blue metallic in- 
sect without visible wings, fully two inches long, with a ridic- 
ulously small waist, and an enormous distension of body 
tapering toa point. This also infested the Anemone Pennsyl- 
vanica, now in complete rags and tatters, the wild clematis, 
Japanese clematis, and occasionally the larkspur. Drowning 
in kerosene is the only fit death for this disgusting vulture. 
I despatched about forty thousand of these despicable ene- 
mies, had my usual bout with the potato-bug which devours 
the Nicotiana affinis, and thought to breathe something be- 
side the nauseating fumes of kerosene, when I discovered the 
aster beetle at work, not so much on the China asters as on 
the Michaelmas daisies. It is a jet black beetle, less than an 
inch long, and must be hand picked, or more correctly speak- 
ing—hand-scraped into kerosene. I am sure these enemies 
have been with me in previous seasons, but either in less num- 
ber, or the scales had just fallen from my eyes. We had un- 
usual rains that year and in consequence more bugs. Drought 
may be my chief blessing after all. 
With the establishment of a white woody variety of late 
aster, came a horde of yellow wasps, which were despatched 
by scraping them into a glass of soapy water, either early in 
the morning, or late at night when they were a trifle stiff with 
the cold. 
The green louse that infests the tender tips of roses, also the 
Gaura and pinks can be controlled by spraying with a strong 
solution of Ivory soap-suds; or add to hot soap-suds two 
tablespoonfuls of kerosene to four gallons of water; mix 
thoroughly with a sprayer and then spray two or three times 
at intervals of two weeks. This is a weak kerosene emulsion 
and may be used for white worms, rose beetles and aster 
beetles, but is better for sucking insects. A solution of one 
pound of whale oil soap to eight gallons of water will also 
