158 



GARDENING FOR THE SOUTH. 



130° ; or with infusions of aloes, tobacco, quassia, China 

 berries; also with soapsuds, especially that made from 

 whale oil soaj), guano dissolved in water, fumigating with 

 tobacco smoke, etc. 



A camphor and aloes preparation is also found service- 

 able for sprinkling plants, and was first recommended by 

 Dr. Batty, of Georgia, in the Southern Cultivator, and is 

 thus prepared : Put into a barrel of water a quarter of a 

 pound of camphor, in pieces the size of a hickory nut ; fill 

 with water and let it stand a day, and with this water your 

 plants, and fill the barrel for the next watering. The 

 camphor is slowly dissolved, and will last a long time. If 

 the camphor water is too weak, add to a barrel of water a 

 cupful or more of strong lye, and more will dissolve. Add 

 also a pound of cheap cape aloes to a gallon of lye (or 

 water in which a pound of saleratus or potash has been 

 dissolved) ; add a pint of this to a barrel of water, and 

 use as the camphor water. Camphor and aloes (especially 

 the former) are offensive to most insects. 



Preventive measures are of more value than remedial, 

 in protecting plants from insects. Among those most 

 likely to be of value, are the following : 



Rotation Of Crops. — Each species of insect generally 

 feeds on the same species of plant, or at least on plants of 

 the same natural family ; hence a constant change of crop 

 prevents the forthcoming brood from finding their proper 

 food, and many of them perish. This is, however, more 

 applicable in the case of field crops, than in orchards and 

 gardens. 



Decaying Trees. — Destroy all decaying trees in the 

 neighborhood of orchards and gardens, as they are often 

 a refuge, and tend to propagate insects destructive to the 

 neighboring crops. 



Scraping of the rough bark of trees, and washing thern 

 with tobacco water, lime water, or a wash of lime, sulphur 



