INSECTS. 



177 



co-water, w ith elder leaves infused in water, or with com- 

 mon soap-suds, any of which will destroy the insects." — ■ 

 Loudon, Tie up some flour of sulphur in a piece of mus- 

 lin, or fine linen, and with this the leaves of young shoots 

 or plants should be dusted, or it may be thrown on them by 

 means of a common swan's-down puff, or even a dredging 

 box. Sulphur has also been found to promote the health 

 of plants, on which it was sprinkled, and that peach trees, 

 in particular, were remarkably improved by it." — Dom. 

 JJncyc, " In green-houses they are readily destroyed by 

 the smoke of tobacco, or of sulphur. But in the open air, 

 fumigation, though much in vogue many years since, is of 

 no avail. The best remedy is the simplest. Soap-suds, 

 forcibly applied, will, after one or two applications, effectu- 

 ally destroy them, without apparent injury to the plant." — 

 Deane. 



A writer for the New England Farmer^ vol. iii. p. 9, after 

 stating a number of experiments with soap-suds, for destroy 

 ing aphides, which were unsuccessful, or but partially suc- 

 ceeded, says, " I was led to conclude, that it is not sufficient 

 to wet the upper side of the leaves, thinking to make them 

 disagreeable or poisonous to the insect, but that they must 

 be w^ell drenched or immersed in the suds. I therefore 

 applied again the same remedy ; but with this difference, — 

 instead of sprinkling the upper side of the branches, I car- 

 ried a pailful of suds from tree to tree, and, bending the 

 tops of small trees, and the branches of larger ones, im- 

 mersed all the parts infested with lice, holding them in the 

 liquor for a moment, that none might escape being well 

 wet. On examining the trees the next day, the greater 

 part of the lice were destroyed. It was found necessary to 

 repeat the same process once or twice, with suds not too 

 weak, say about two or three ounces of soap to a gallon of 

 w^ater." Another writer in the same paper, p. 10, says, 

 ^' I have applied soap-suds to my apple-trees, in order to 

 kill the lice. It will be sufficient for me to say, that just 

 sprinkling them with suds will not kill them ; neither will 

 dipping the branches, which are infested with them, kill 

 them. But dipping and holding them in as long as I can 

 conveniently hold my breath, will destroy every one. The 

 suds do not appear to injure the leaves. I tried suds made 

 on purpose, and suds which had been used for family wash- 

 ing. The latter answers the purpose much the best." It 

 is possible to make soap-suds so strong as to kill the ten- 

 der branches, as well as the insects which infest them. 



