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G4WYW > GARDEN 07.04.08 17:35l 163 Lines 8140 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 760268G4WYW
Read: GUEST DJ1JM DB1BU DK3HG
Subj: GARDEN PESTS
Path: DB0FHN<DB0MRW<DK0WUE<GB7FCR
Sent: 080407/1514Z @:GB7FCR.#16.GBR.EU #:1425 [Blackpool] FBB-7.03a $:760268G4W
From: G4WYW@GB7FCR.#16.GBR.EU
To : GARDEN@WW
GARDEN PESTS AND HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM
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AMERICAN BLIGHT.
This is the chief pest to affect the apple tree, and its presence
may be quickly discerned by the appearance of strange fluffy and
cottony substances in the interstices of the bark and where the
branches join the trunk of the tree. If noticed in time, the remedy
is a simple one. It is only necessary to take a paint brush and dip
it in methylated, petrol, or other crude spirit, and wash over the
offending trunk and branches thoroughly.
ANTS.
The presence of ants should give no concern whatever. A colony of ants
seeks to establish itself in a garden, it does so at a spot a little
distance from the roots of the plant or shrub which it seeks to undermine.
The establishment of a colony of ants in their endeavour
to establish a citadel in a garden is as easily observed as would be
the movements of a troop of soldiers. As soon as the pest has been
discovered, all that is necessary to do is to pour a kettle of boiling
water upon the colony. The pest is thus easily exterminated and the soil
does not suffer from the application of pure hot water as it would have
done from the use of chemical pest killers which are, at the same time, of
doubtful manurial value.
BELL-MOTH.
This is the small caterpillar pest which gets a hold on the leaves of
rose-trees, and causes them to curl up and wither away. There is no
real remedy for the pest which, owing to the fact that it has curled
itself up inside the leaf, cannot be reached by chemical means. The
best method of eradication is to take a pair of small sharp scissors
and snip off every affected leaf, taking care to burn them afterwards.
BULB-MITE.
This pest is found among the roots of spring flowering bulbs, in
Begonia tubers, and sometimes in the newly formed roots of freshly
layered carnations. The pests cannot be dealt with while the bulbs are in
the ground, for obvious reasons, but when taken up and examined,
or when, as in the case of the carnations, the layers are separated,
the following formula is an excellent remedy which is as follows:
Dissolve half a pound of sulphide of poyassium in a quart of warm
water, and soak the bulb or root in it, at a temperature of about
120 Degrees fahrenheit for the space of a quarter of an hour or
twenty minutes.
CATERPILLARS.
These insects are found throughout the garden generally, but seem to have
a special likeness for gooseberry bushes. They are most surely
exterminated by hand picking, but where the plague is general, the
best remedy is to put a half gallon measure of soft soap into a nine
gallon tank and nearly fill the receptacle with boiling water. When
the soft soap has dissolved and the water is cool, add a generous quart
of paraffin and spray indiscriminately. This mixture should not be
used on fruit trees and in the case of gooseberries already mentioned
hand picking is one of the best remedies.
CELERY FLY.
These insects infest not only celery but parsnips and other root crops
as well. The grub is a short transparent object, something like a silkworm
in appearance and about half an inch in length. The pest may
be found in the leaves of the plant during summer and autumn. If it
is discovered when young they should be pinched to death between the
leaves by the fingers, but later on in the season they should be
driven off by a strong solution of soap and water sprayed through a
syringe.
EARWIGS.
The earwig is one of the most familiar of garden pests, affecting
principally flowers such as the dahlia, carnation and chrysanthemum.
The old fashioned method of dealing with these pests was to invert
a flower pot containing hay or grass upon the top of a stick, and
then after a lapse of time, search for the earwigs and destroy them.
Sometimes this method was efficient but it was always unsightly. Where the
presence of earwigs is suspected, a simple remedy may be employed.
Cut a potato into slices and buiry a few of the slices lightly, just
covering them with soil, at the foot of a suspected plant, during the
evening. In the morning it is only necessary to dig up the slices of
potato upon which the earwigs have been feeding and drop them into a
bucket of boiling water. In addition to potato, any root crop such as
swede or parsnip will serve the purpose equally well.
GREEN FLY.
This is probably one of the most dangerous pests of all in the garden,
as it attacks all sorts and conditions of plants, both in the open
garden and the greenhouse. Its appearance is too well known to need a
description. A crude but effective way of dealing with green flies out
of doors, especially when they are infesting roses, is to put on an
old pair of cotton or woollen gloves and gently squeeze the bushes upon
which the pests have established themselves. The best way of dealing with
green fly in the open air is to spray the stems of the plant with a
solution of soft soap, paraffin and water, or, if the shoots are young and
succulent enough, to dip them bodily into a bowl of the same solution.
Tobacco smoke is also an excellent cure, and two or three hardened smokers
in a closed greenhouse can wreak havoc among green fly! The same remark
applies to the open air, where smoke from a pipe
of tobacco, or a strong cigar, may easily save a favourite rose bush
from ruin. In the greenhouse, greenfly vaporizers, of which there are
several on the market, are the best remedy.
RED SPIDER.
This pest chiefly attacks greenhouse plants. In appearance it may,
perhaps, be best described as somewhat resembling a tiny baby ladybird.
The red spider usually makes its appearance upon plants which are
suffering from a want of sufficient moisture, and therefore that should
be addressed. Here is an invaluable remedy for the destruction of red
spiders, providing the fluid is always sprayed upwards, as the pest is
invarioubly found on the under-side of leaves. To every five gallons of
paraffin emulsion wash, add one ounce of liver of sulphur, one pound of
flowers of sulphur and two pounds of fresh lime. Boil up with four gallons
of water and then add one pound of soft soap and four more gallons of
water. This will provide an effective and sufficient mix to last for a
long time.
WIRE WORM.
This pest is especially dangerous if it attaches itself to Carnations
and other members of the Dianthus family, and, although there appears to
be no natural connection between the two, to tulips. As the damage it does
is chiefly underground, insecticides, dressing, and other orthodox means
are useless. The best way to catch wire-worms is to trap them with slices
of root (potatoes) as described in dealing with earwigs.
WOOD LICE.
These pests are everywhere, particularly in old fashioned gardens and
outhouses, and, in fact, in any place where rubbish is allowed to
accumulate, and disused bean-sticks, old flower pots, and other neglected
details are permitted to lie about unattended. Insecticides are of no use
as wood-lice are what are known as 'shell backed.' The best and simplest
method is to find out the haunts of the pests and deluge them with boiling
water. This drastic process is not, of course, intended to apply to living
plants, but it is effective in stamping out the base or source of the pest
and is usually successful in eradicating it entirely.
The use of boiling water as a pest eradicator is not perhaps fully
appreciated in the garden. Whenever there is a rubbish heap, waste piece
of ground, or wherever a portion of fresh bed or border has been made
ready, it is an excellent plan to drench it with buckets of boiling water,
that is, of course, if it is know that there is no dormant plant life
underneath. The boiling water will not hurt or damage the composition of
the soil, but it will effectually kill any latent or active insect life,
to a considerable depth.
The insect pests mentioned and dealt with above are those which
principally infest the garden generally. Pests which prey upon one or two
particular sorts of fruit trees only, will be dealt with in another
article...
73 - Mel, G4WYW @ GB7FCR
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