The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-07-07

pests are prone to put in an appearance
and feed upon the young growth. One
| can understand the disappointment it is
to lovers of a pretty window to discover
that. some insect has taken complete pos
| session OF the most beautiful! ct the
! plants, even before the owner was aware
that there was anything of the kind
| about.
Whenever you notice that your plants
nave stopped growing, that they have
! taken on a sort of stunted appearance,
| especially when but short time back
! they were bright and vigorous looking
| depend upon it that an injurious insect
! is at work which must he combatted at
once to prevent its further development
Plants that are kept perfectly clean
! ana not TOO warm or too dry and with
| plenty OF fresh air and sunlight are not
| apt to be troubled with insects But
these cond tons in the house are not
| always easily obtained. Some may have
| their plants in a nice south window up
stairs, where there is plenty of sunlight
and not too much dry heat, and where
they can have plenty of fresh air on all
| fine days.
| Others again have not a convenient
place OF this kind. Their plants are in
a window, where it becomeJ very warm;
at time very hot, dry heat, just the
contrary to what plants should have,
and in this kind of a situation there will
be much trouble with the many insect
enemies. Constant diligence is necessary
to eradicate them when they first appear.
Some plants are much more subject to in
sects than others, and they are apt to
attack these first
AS soon as you find a plant is infected
with insects remove it from the rest
| and try to clean it. Just as soon as it is
free from insects it will start to grow
again. Soft-wooded plants of quick
| growth are more subject to insect attacks
| than hard-wooded varieties. The hard
wooded ones, like palms and rubber
| plants, can generally be kept clean by
soft growth are difficult to wash and
clean, as anything like washing would
bruise and destroy the foliage. These
| plants are generally attacked by the
mealy bugs, coleus, lantanas and hello
trope are especially easy prey. The bugs
| appear under the leaves and often in
punches in the end of the shoots. They
wonderful rapidity. They are white,
mealy-looking and SOFT very tiny in size.
| If you discover them when they first
| appear they. can easily be brushed off
with small, soft brush. But if plants
are badly infested you should lay them
freely with alcohol diluted with water:
| The solution should be rather weak, and
one or two thorough sprayings with it
will clean them off. The object in laying
the plants ON their sides is to get at the
under parts of the foliage, for the mealy
bug is there.
The pest known as scale, an insect
/ that adheres closely to the stems and
foliage of many ferns and hard-wooded
plants, is very hard to destroy by any
but a slow and tedious process of clean
ing them off by hand with a tooth brush.
Its back is shell-like, acting as a sort of
armor that is proof against the syringe,
and it can not be washed off, no matter
how much force of water you have, and
any solution strong enough to penetrate
the armor of the scale would destroy
the plant also.
Keep your plants carefully washed
and you will not be troubled with it,
for when by neglect the plant once be-
comes infested it is a very tedious job
to clean in.-Philadelphia Record.