How to Destroy Insects. 
Slugs are occasionally seen eating large 
holes or notches in the leaves of all succu¬ 
lents and begonias. They usually feed at 
night. Cut potatoes, turnips or some other 
fleshy vegetable in halves and place con¬ 
veniently near the plants. The slugs will 
gather upon the vegetable, and are easily 
destroyed. 
The white worm which infests, occasion¬ 
ally, all soils where plants are kept in pots, 
may be removed as follow: Sprinkle lime 
water over the soil, or sprinkle a little 
slacked lime on the earth and in the saucer 
of the pot. Lime water may be easily made 
by slacking a large piece of lime in a pail of 
cold water, letting this settle, and then bot¬ 
tling the clear water for use. Give each 
pot a tablespoonful twice a week. 
To destroy the little bugs on the oleander 
take a f>iece of lime the size of a hen’s egg 
and dissolve it in about two quarts of water. 
Wash the stock and branches with this 
water. 
To destroy plant lice take three and a half 
ounces of quassia chips, add five drachms 
Staves-acre seed in powder; place in seven 
pints of water and boil down to five pints. 
When cold, the strained liquid is ready for 
use, either by means of a watering-pot or a 
syringe. 
Hot alum water will destroy red and 
black ants, cockroaches, spiders and chintz- 
bugs. Take two pounds of alum and dis¬ 
solve it in three or four quarts of boiling 
water, let it stand on the fire until the 
alum is all melted, them apply it with a 
brush (while nearly boiling hot) to every 
joint and crevice in your closets, bead- 
stead, pantry r -shelves, etc.— American Flor¬ 
ist and Farmer. 
Mildew. 
Mr. Edward Martin, West Freehold, N. 
J., has written us as follows concerning 
mildew, which often proves destructive to 
the gooseberry: 
U I noticed the article on Gooseberries in 
the January number of The Farm and Gar¬ 
den. 
The writer says there is no remedy for 
mildew. This is a mistake. I have grown 
the English varieties, both here and in 
Westchester County, N. Y., for twenty-five 
years, and have saved them by a very sim¬ 
ple preventive without any expense except 
that of a garden syringe, which can be pur¬ 
chased for one dollar and a half. Immedi¬ 
ately after the fruit begins to form I save 
the soap suds on wash days and syringe 
the bushes with the suds twice a week for 
three or four weeks. I have never known 
this plan to fail.*’ 
In his Small Fruit Cidtuiist , which is the 
standard work on small fruit growing, Mr. 
A. S. Fuller mentions the use of soap suds, 
and several other preventives of mildew, 
but adds that while they are worth trying, 
“all of these remedies will often fail.” He 
also suggests that as old bushes are more 
liable to be attacked by mildew than those 
which are growing rapidly, it will be well 
to keep a stock of young plants constantly 
on hand.— Farm and Garden. 
--- 
Editor Seed-Time - a d Halves': 
Dear Sir: In looking over your Number 
Eight I find an extract expressing Mr. 
Hale’s longing for water, and yet a little 
more water to grow his strawberries larger. 
I am aware that there are many other grow¬ 
ers who entertain the same opinion, and I 
have no doubt that if some of them could 
possess a floating island they would try to 
grow them so large as to necesitate cutting 
them in order for the consumer to get out¬ 
side of them. I think this idea an erroneous 
one as facts have proved. I have known 
them to be planted on bogs prepared the 
same as the Cranberry bogs, where the 
plants did get all the water their capacity 
would permit, and were in the same condi¬ 
tion as Mr. H. was when he first sampled 
the Manchester at friend Battys, “As full as 
a tick.” Now the average size of these ber¬ 
ries was no larger than those grown on 
high land, and they were so weakened by 
their copious draughts of water that they 
would not bear transportation, and I have 
often seen the floor of the truck that carted 
them thoroughly wet by the water that ran 
from them which was as pure and free from 
color as before its absorption. 
C. W. IDELL, 
383 Washington St , N. Y. 
