80 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



and burnt, to prevent later broods. Dressings 

 of superphosphate and nitrogenous manures 

 have been found beneficial, doubtless because 

 they encouraged the rapid growth of the plants. 



Begonia disease (Tarsonymus). — Properly 

 speaking, this is not a disease, but an insect 

 pest. The young leaves, flowers, and shoots 

 assume a crippled, rusty appearance as a result 

 of injury done by a small mite only half the 

 size of Red Spider, and being white or colour- 

 less, not readily detected without the aid of a 

 pocket-lens, should be looked for on those leaves 

 just commencing to reveal its presence. The 

 same or an allied mite attacks the young 

 leaves of many other kinds of plants both under 

 glass and in the open air. It is often found on 

 Gesneriads, Acanthads, Cyclamens, Bouvardias, 

 Primulas, &c. 



Remedies. — The same causes which induce 

 the rapid multiplication of Red Spider would 

 also operate here. The gardener should always 

 be on the alert for the first attack, and not wait 

 till the leaves become brown and the flower- 

 buds and young leaves drop, because by that 

 time the plants are in all probability ruined for 

 a season. Irregularities of temperature and 

 moisture, cold draughts, and anything that 

 would cause a check to growth should be 

 avoided. When the mite makes its appearance 

 in a batch of young plants the latter should be 

 lightly syringed, then dusted with flowers of 

 sulphur, especially about the buds and under- 

 side of the leaves where the insects abound. 

 Thorough syringing with a strong solution of 

 Gishurst Compound, or anything containing I 

 sulphur, will also be found serviceable. Dip- 

 ping the afl'ected plants in weak tobacco-water 

 has also proved effective. Another remedy is i 

 to lightly fumigate the house containing the 

 plants once a week during the critical period of ! 

 growth, or even as a preventive. In the case j 

 of Codia?ums and young Vines, a good culti- < 

 vator found a safe and certain remedy in syring- 

 ing the plants with water from a tank in which 

 a bag of soot had been placed. 



Black Aphis (Aphis Rumicis). — The wing- 

 less, viviparous females are fat, velvety -black, 

 and get so crowded sometimes that they have to 

 stand on their heads to get at the plants infested. 

 Broad and Long Pod, and Dwarf or French j 

 Beans suffer most from their ravages. 



Remedies. — The attack on Broad and Long 

 Pod Beans is commenced at the toj) and con- 

 tinued downwards upon the stem and leaves, 

 therefore it is a good plan to remove the tops 

 after some of the lower pods have set. Place 



them in close baskets with the aphides upon 

 them, and burn or bury them deeply. Syringe 

 infested Dwarf Beans in their young stages with 

 strong soap-suds, but later on with clean water 

 for the sake of the pods. Good culture and 

 supplies of clean water or liquid manure will 

 often enable the plants to make good growth 

 in spite of the aphis. 



Black Vine Weevil (Otiorhynchus sulcatus). 

 — The weevil is 4J lines long and black. The 

 wing-cases are deeply furrowed, and thinly 

 covered with grayish-yellow scales. The grubs 

 are fat, legless, curved, dirty -white, thinly 

 hairy, and may be found at the roots of various 

 plants from August till the following spring. 



Fig. 96.— Black Vine Weevil (Otiorhynchus sulcatus). 



1. Weevil. 2, 3. Larva (natural size and magnified). 4. Pupa. 5. 0. picipes 



(see p. 83). 



The perfect insect is sometimes very injurious 

 to Vines, eating the leaves, shoots, flowers, and 

 fruit. Strawberries are occasionally attacked. 



Remedies. — The weevils feed by night, and 

 hide by day in the crevices of walls, under clods, 

 boards, &c. Crevices may be stopped up, and 

 all shelter removed save some boards, which 

 may be placed in the vineries and other places 

 as traps. Spread a white sheet beneath the 

 Vines by day, then take a bright light into the 

 houses at night and suddenly turn it upon the 

 weevils as they are feeding; the Vines may also 

 be tapped, and the weevils will drop on the 

 cloth, when they may be quickly collected and 

 destroyed. 



Blue Cabbage Flea (Haltica consobrina). — 

 This beetle is oblong, violet, shining, and only If 

 line long. The wing-cases are finely punctured. 

 The six -legged maggot, when hatched, pierces 

 its way into the leaves of cabbages and turnips, 

 feeding upon the soft tissues, which it tunnels 

 into galleries. There are several broods in a 

 season, but the early ones do most damage 

 while the plants are young. 



Remedies. — Ground that is known to be in- 

 fested with this beetle should be deeply trenched 

 in winter to bury the pupae hibernating in it. 

 Hoeing and rolling between the rows of plants 

 destroy the beetles in large numbers. Good 

 culture favours the rapid growth of the plants 



