The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1878-03-14
Insects on House Plants.

Nitcll liitS dtc tNtichiclN tIOuBlcSolnc
to most soft wooded plants, rs pelar-
goniums, pinks, primroscs, heliotropes
and the like, rs well as to the young
and growing points and flower-buds of
roses, bouvardias, fuchsias. etc., and
how to etfectually rid ourselves of this
pest, is dcsidcratum. | commend
simplicity and energetic application
washing with soap and water and a
sponge. Gardeners fumigate their
greenhouses with tobacco trash to kill
green fly, and amateurs sometimes try
it, too, and scorch their plants; hence,
l advise ladies and others having few
window plants, not to fumigate them.
Neither use whale oil soap nor any
it will do little or no good, but, per-
haps, much evil. Take the tly-infested
plant to the sink, lay it on its side, so
that the pot may rest on the woodwork
and the crops or plant be over the sink;
then place basin OF clean water, soft
ened by common soap, under the
crops, and, with sponge and plenty
of water, remove every intruder. Turn
the plant over and over, till it is certain
not a fly is left, and if this washing is
done carefully, calmly and earnestly,
only the work of minute, it is thor
oughly effective and in no way dele
FERROUS to the plant. Now that the
plant is clean, place it aside, away
from the unclean, and take the rest,
one by one, and wash them in the same
way.
Don't turn on the water and hold the
plant under the tap; that is a clumsy,
injurious and Intellectual plan. Neither
use your hands as if Il cat a-fishing-
afraid to wet your fingers; but roll up
your sleeves and go to work with an
energy worthy the cause, and in ten
minutes you will accomplish as much
and better work than you can in an
hour by either the tap or clean-fingered
policy.
If the plants be infested with scale,
the sponge will erase them from the
leaves, and sharp-sided piece of wood
or the back of knife may be used to
scrapc them off the stems and branch
es, and sharp-pointed-with the point
u little dull, so as not to scratch-stick
to fetch the tenacious vermin out of
creyices in the bark and elsewhere,
leaf-axils and about buds. Use. the
sponge after the scraper. If there be
any big brown scales that look dry, and
from which, when you displace them, a
shower of dust OF meal (eggs) is scat
tered, be sure to remove these with the
fingers, so carefully as not to drop or
disseminate an egg, and squeeze all out
of existence between your finger and
thumb.
| Thrips are little black insects that
suck the life-blood Of plants, and do
more mischief in week than the same
number of any other Lice will do in
a month. They breed innumerably,
and in little colonies, OH the under side
of the leaves. The young ones are
green and yellowish-grcen. Gardeners
| fumigate them to death, or dip the in
tested plants in water impregnated
with whale-oil and tobacco-water. II
the mixture be not too strong, and the
plants be syringad with or dipped in
clean water Immediately afterward, the
cure is good, and no evil is done; hut il
the mixture be too strong, then the
leaves suffer as if they were scared OF
blightcd. Therefore, for window-plants,
1 hluSu ICSoniIAlCAeA 1oI tNll w llstV StO
for the green-tiy washing with soap
and water and sponge. At the sink
this washing rs good enough, but in the
greenhouse it wont do, as many thrips
would escape to propagate their species
and perpetuate their work. Conse.
quently, l would recommend in the
greenhouses, where dipping and fumi'
eating is not practiced, to bruise to
death with the fingers every thrip tina,
can be seen, and wash after bruising.
When fully matured, they arc such
hard little customers that the sponge
won't kill the half Of them.
| Mealy bugs are known at glance,
and the washing method is the cure fol
them also. But must advise that al
their nests Of eggs be squeezed between
the fingers, so that none escape. Mealy
bugs often secrete themselves about
the leaf-axils, fower-heads, growing
points, or any interstice that may oc.
cur between the root and apex; and il
there be any stakes or strings used,