Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-18
ROSE PESTS

With rose buds swelling rapidly ant
breaking into flower In warm locations
attention of the gardener will be focused
on this beautiful habitant of the garden
for several weeks, If not for the re-
mainder of the growing season, since
the monthly blooming hybrid teas and
teas remain on duty until heavy
Autumn frosts come. Careful examina-
ton of the young buds and shoots will
be quite apt to reveal small. green in
sects congregated on the soft Succulent
tissue. These are plant aphids placed
there by enterprising ants and which
are busily engaged in sucking up the
juices of the plant. Nicotine sulphate,
sold by all seed stores and many hard
ware and drug stores, is the generally
accepted remedy for aphidS. Diluted
according to directions on the package
and sprayed on the plants, nicotine sui
phate will quickly rid roses and other
flowers of these harmful insects. Ac-
cording to one writer on rose culture.
the house wren Is an effective enemy
of the rose aphid but, in the final
ANALYSIS, the control will rest on the
use of tobacco extracts.
Roses have three conspicuous disease
troubles, namely, black spot, mildew
and canker. Black spot Is the most
serious of the three because Of its wide
distribution and universal occurrence.
Bordeaux mixture, applied with an up
turned nozzle to reach the under sur
face of the leaf, is a very effective
remedy If used before the disease has
gained much Roadway. Presumably
the fungus gains entrance to the inner
tissues OF the leaf through the stomata
or breathing pores which are on the
lower surface. Massey dust, nine parts
OF very finely divided sulphur and one
part of powdered arSsnate of lead. is
also effective If applied to the under
side of the leaf. Lately, spray manu-
featuring firm has devised green-col-
ored massey dust which does not dis
color the foliage and which should have
wider appeal. Black spot is a tough
problem at the best and the gardener
that is completely successful in COM
batting this pest Is rare. Early and
persistent treatment Is the key to Sue
cess. The home gardener usually plants
somewhat resistant varieties such as
the two radiances and does not realize
the difficulty of controlling black spot
until he branches out into some of the
newer, less common and more suscep-
tible varieties.
Mildew is not generally serious except
white Dorothy climbers. Treatment of
the plants with busting sulphur will
do much to check mildew.
Canker is a serious pest which ac-
counts for many dead branches and
entire stems. 1t kills by girdling the
stem and may be seen as dark, dis
colored areas. Winter killing and
canker have much the same result and
probably are often mistaken one for
the other. Farmers Bulletin No. 1547,
written by Miss Alma M. Waterman,
presents a thorough discussion of the
nature and control of this and other
troubles of the rose.
One must not conclude that roses
have so many troubles that 1t does not
pay to grow them, for this Is not true:
There are undoubtedly thousands OF
rose plants in the city and suburbs
that are never sprayed but return a
good crop of flowers. This is not ad-
hitting, however, that they would not
respond to better care.