43° 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



December, 1913 



most convenient and effective for use. 



Mealy Bugs. — These intruders grow 

 inside white cottony masses which are 

 easily seen, but which you might not 

 take at first to contain any living thing. 

 They also thrive in a hot dry atmosphere 

 and are especially fond of such soft 

 wooded plants as fuschias and coleus, 

 and appear first usually at the axles of 

 the leaves. A fine brush or the tip of a 

 feather dipped in alcohol or kerosene 

 and applied to the bugs will finish them 

 in short order, but be sure not to leave 

 any in out-of-the-way corners. 



Red Spider. — -This little fellow is so 

 minute that you would never imagine 

 until you have had experience with him 

 that he could do any serious damage. 

 Besides being very small, just about the 

 size of a grain of red pepper, he works 

 on the under sides of the leaves behind 

 a tiny web. You may be warned when 

 he has arrived by the condition of the 

 leaves, which show first an abnormally 

 light green color and then very small 

 yellow spots which spread until finally 

 the leaf turns a complete yellow and 

 drops off. Spray the plants with as 

 much force as possible, using clear, cold 



The Fuschia is one of the most satisfactory 

 window plants for indoors 



water; also dust them with flour of sulphur. If you have 

 only a few plants, the most effective and convenient method 

 is to dip the top of each plant (holding the ball of earth 

 so that it will not slip from the pot) two or three times 

 very quickly into hot water, heated to 140 to 160 degrees. 

 This treatment is effective against the aphids and the mealy 

 bug as well as against the 

 red spider. Water of this 

 temperature is uncomforta- 

 ble to the hand, but will not 

 injure the plants if they are 

 quickly immersed and with- 

 drawn. 



Scale. — This attacks such 

 thick -leaved and smooth - 

 barked plants as ferns, palms, 

 lemon and orange trees, 

 abutilons (flowering Ma- 

 ples) and so forth. There 

 are two sorts — the Brown 

 Scale, a scale almost circu- 

 lar in form and slightly con- 

 vex that attains a diameter 

 of about a quarter of an 

 inch, is the most common. 

 The other is white in color, 

 smaller, and forms dense 

 colonies. Neither one ap- 

 pears to do any injury, as 

 they suck the juices, but the 

 plants soon show the effect 

 of their presence. Remove 

 them with a stiff brush dipped 

 in strong soapsuds, or, bet- 

 ter still, in kerosene emul- 

 sion, and be sure to get every 

 one. Watch the plant very 

 carefully for several weeks 

 after, so that you will know 

 at once if any return. 



Root Aphids. — If your 



plant seems to be ailing and you cannot 

 discover the cause and you are sure that 

 it is not the result of your soil from 

 poor drainage or overwatering, exam- 

 ine the roots of the plant for a blue 

 colored aphids which sometimes is to be 

 found clinging in clusters to the feeding 

 rootlets. If he is there, wash all the 

 soil from the roots carefully and re-pot 

 in fresh soil, or, if it is Winter and fresh 

 soil is not available, put tobacco dust 

 on the surface of the pot and wash it 

 thoroughly into the soil every other day 

 for a week. 



Fungus and Mildew. — These do not 

 usually attack plants in the house if they 

 are kept in a healthy growing condition, 

 but, if they do put in an appearance, 

 Bordeaux Mixture is the only thing to 

 use for the former; the latter is usually 

 caused by sudden exposures and drops 

 in temperature. Flour of sulphur 

 dusted over the foliage will prevent its 

 spread. 



To make the kerosene emulsion, use 



2 ounces of soap (whale oil is much 



better than the common), a quart oi 



boiling water (over brisk fire), 2 quarts 



of kerosene oil. Dissolve the soap in 



boiling water, remove from fire and add oil. Churn or 



beat until the consistency of cream. If correctly mixed, the 



emulsion on cooling will adhere without oiliness to glass. 



Use rain water if possible; if not, add a little baking soda 



to the water. For scale insects, dilute with 10 parts of 



water; for aphids and soft insects, with 15 or 20 parts of 



water. In using the emulsion 



apply in fine spray. Remem- 

 ber, it must come in contact 

 with the insect to be effective. 



Last, but by no means 

 least, be sure to keep your 

 plants scrupulously clean at 

 all times, removing all dead 

 leaves, faded flowers and so 

 forth. Furthermore, as dust 

 will collect and settle on the 

 leaves, every fortnight, or at 

 least every month, give them 

 a copious showering with 

 plain cold water in a tub or 

 sink. This keeps them fresh. 



Sometimes, even when 

 watering is not done over- 

 frequently, the soil in pots or 

 boxes will be found to re- 

 main in a soggy semi-sticky 

 condition, and as a . result 

 the health of the plants will 

 not be satisfactory. One of 

 two things will be found to 

 be the trouble; soil that is 

 unsuited for potting, or 

 faulty drainage. In the for- 

 mer case, a lighter, more fri- 

 able soil must be used; in the 

 latter, take the soil out of 

 the pots, and put in the bot- 

 tom of each half an inch of 

 The blossom of the Pelargonium Geranium repays the trouble of culti- Cinders, broken pots, small 



vating it indoors stones or similar material. 



