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Terms Used By Gardeners
The General Arrangement Of The Garden
Lawn Paths Beds And Border
On The Duty Of Making Experiments
Some Neglected But Handsome Plants
The Conservatory And Greenhouse
The Tool Shed And Summer-house
Roses For Amateurs
Enemies Of The Garden
The Rockery
Least Viewed
Terms Used By Gardeners
The General Arrangement Of The Garden
Lawn Paths Beds And Border
On The Duty Of Making Experiments
Some Neglected But Handsome Plants
The Conservatory And Greenhouse
The Tool Shed And Summer-house
Roses For Amateurs
Enemies Of The Garden
The Rockery
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Enemies Of The Garden
Slugs, and how to trap them--Blight or green fly--Earwigs--
Wireworm--Snails--Mice--Friends mistakenly called foes.
=The best garden as a rule has the fewest insects=, indeed, no foe is
allowed to lodge for any length of time without means being taken for its
extermination. Some enemies are more easily got rid of than others; for
instance, green fly, or aphis (to give it the scientific name), rarely
attacks healthy plants to any extent; it goes for the sick ones, therefore
=good cultivation will speedily reduce their numbers=. When any is seen, a
strong syringing of =soapy water= will generally dislodge them, or, if
this is impracticable, a dusting of =tobacco-powder= is a very good
substitute. Tait and Buchanan's Anti-blight, to be had of most seedsmen,
is a reliable powder; it is also efficacious in preventing mildew in
potatoes, chrysanthemums, etc.
In some gardens, especially those inclined to be damp, =slugs are very
troublesome=; their depredations are usually carried on by night, so that
it is rather difficult to trap them; many things are sold for this
purpose, but =hand-picking= is the surest method. In the evening, sink a
saucer a little way in the border, and fill this with moist bran; =it is
irresistible to the slugs=, and when twilight comes on they will steal out
from their hiding-places and make a supper off it. Then comes man's
opportunity. Armed with a pointed stick and a pail of salt and water, they
must be picked off and popped into the =receptacle=, there =to meet a
painless death=; one can squash them under foot, but where they are
plentiful this is rather a messy proceeding. Snails may be trapped in
exactly the same way; =salt or sand= should be placed in a ring round any
plant they are specially fond of, or else in a single night they will
graze off the whole of the juicy tops. Young growths are their greatest
delicacy, hence they are most troublesome in the spring.
=Wireworm= is another tiresome enemy well known to carnation growers, and
more difficult to get rid of than the slug, owing to its hard and horny
covering which resists crushing; salt again, however, is =a splendid
cure=. It should be well mixed with the soil though not brought too close
to the plants. =Earwigs= are horrid insects to get into a garden; they
often come in with a load of manure, simply swarms of them imbedding
themselves in such places. Dahlias are the plants they like best, and, if
not kept down with a watchful eye, they will completely spoil both flowers
and leaves. Hollow tubes, such as short straws, put round will collect
many, or =the old plan= of filling an inverted flower-pot with moss is
also useful, though somewhat disfiguring, if perched on the tops of the
stakes supporting the dahlias.
=Mice= are dreadfully destructive, too, especially in the country, and
being so quick in their movements they are troublesome to catch. Traps
must be baited with the daintiest morsels, to make them turn away from the
succulent tops of the new vegetation. Owls and other large birds are most
effectual in doing away with these troublesome little animals, a fact
which should be taken into account. =Many people from ignorance= destroy
birds or insects which may be urgently required to keep down annoying
pests--take, for instance, =ladybirds=--the pretty creatures are
=invaluable= where there is much green fly, yet how often are they doomed
to death by some well-meaning gardener, and it is the same with birds. =A
robin or sparrow will eat hundreds of aphides in one day=, so that,
unless there are many fruit-trees in the garden, it is most unwise to
shoot the dear little songsters; and even in the latter case, if
protection can be afforded, by all means save the birds! A while ago some
farmers had been so enraged by the devastation made by the sparrows and
starlings that they determined to kill all the old birds. The consequence
was that they were so over-run the next season by insects of every
description, that they had to import birds at great trouble, to take the
place of those they had killed. Foes are often mistaken for friends, but
occasionally the reverse is the case!
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