COMBATING PLANT ENEMIES 
221 
FORMULAS FOR SPRAYS —Continued 
Aphis on Chrysanthemums. 
Spray with quassia-chip water, or with: 
1 wineglassful paraffin 
*4 pound soft soap 
2 gallons warm water 
(well mixed) 
Or use tobacco powder, blown on dry 
for red, green or black Aphis. 
Aphis or Thrip. 
For Chrysanthemums, Salvia, Roses, 
Nasturtiums, etc. 
1 heaping tablespoonful of soap 
1 gallon of water 
One-third ounce of nicotine. 
Dissolve the soap in the water after it 
reaches the boiling point, then add the 
nicotine, stirring vigorously. Spray plants 
after the mixture becomes cold; or dip 
the affected parts into the mixture if very 
thickly covered. 
Scale Insects. 
These should be attacked when plants 
are dormant. 
“Arsenate of lead is superior to Paris 
Green, as it does not settle so quickly in 
the spray-tank, is much more adhesive to 
the foliage, and does not burn the plants.” 
— (By permission of the Texas Agricul¬ 
tural Experimental Station. Bulletin No. 
187.) 
Scale on Cacti. 
“The customary instructions to wash 
scales from plants cannot apply to spiney 
cactus-plants; therefore other methods 
must be used. Spray with: 
1 pint of denatured alcohol 
54 pint of water 
10 drops of Black Leaf 40 
“A cheap atomizer is very handy for 
spraying the plants. After one or two ap¬ 
plications of this mixture have been made, 
a few days apart, use a forceful, fine 
spray of clear water to wash off the dead 
scales.”—(Courtesy of Desert Magazine; 
recommended by E. E. Davis.) 
For stink-bugs on cacti, see page 189. 
Scale on Magnolias and Other Shrubs. 
Spray freely with: 
2 tablesponsful lime sulhpur 
1 gallon of water 
Kerosene Emulsion. 
Kerosene emulsion has been found most 
effective in ridding Opuntia of stink bug. 
It can be used for other large bugs that 
have gathered on trees, or among trash, or 
to kill scale. This is advised during the 
dormant season. It will prove dangerous 
for delicate foliage. It can be used to con¬ 
trol all sucking insects. 
STOCK 
54 pound whale oil (preferably) soap 
1 gallon water 
2 gallons kerosene 
SMALLER QUANTITIES 
1 ounce soap 
1 pint water 
2 pints kerosene 
Cut the soap into chips or shavings and 
dissolve in the water, while it is boiling. 
Remove the hot solution from the fire and 
add the kerosene very slowly, stirring 
constantly. It is important to have the 
solution hot, as well as to agitate it thor¬ 
oughly, while adding the kerosene. After 
all the kerosene has been added, pump the 
emulsion through the nozzle for several 
minutes back into a suitable container. 
This will make a creamy emulsion that 
may be kept tightly bottled until ready 
to use. 
On trees or plants that are dormant, 
dilute this with five or seven parts of 
water, forming a spray containing eight 
to eleven per cent of oil. On trees or 
plants that are in leaf, one should dilute 
the stock solution with ten to fifteen 
parts of water. Soft-bodied insects are 
usually killed with a five per cent solu¬ 
tion . . . 12 54 parts of water to one part 
of emulsion—this is the strength to use 
on Cacti. 
Kerosene emulsion should be applied 
on bright, sunny days when the wind is 
not blowing, since a considerable quan¬ 
tity will evaporate quickly and the danger 
to the plants will be reduced. 
