Page:The Amateur's Greenhouse and Conservatory.djvu/282

264 of unhealthy plants is one of the chief sources of the vexatious mischief done in the greenhouse; and if the amateur would have the moral courage to utterly destroy all plants as soon as they are out of condition there would not be one half the trouble in keeping the occupants of the greenhouse clean. Therefore, if a plant has from any cause become unhealthy, throw it away to make room for others, and thus prevent its being the means of spreading destruction on all sides.

with tobacco-paper or tobacco itself is the grand remedy for green and black fly and thrips, but, as it may not always be desirable to fumigate the house, dipping must in some cases be resorted to. Tobacco-paper is cheaper than tobacco, and the cheapest and most powerful tobacco is common shag. A quarter of a pound will suffice to fumigate a medium-sized structure. In using tobacco-paper, it must be made moderately moist; when quite dry, it will burst into a flame and scorch the foliage, but if made too moist it will generate steam, and not be so effective as it otherwise would be. In the preparation of the paper, pull it into small pieces, and separate all that is pressed together singly, and then sprinkle it with water if it requiries moistening. There are several forms of fumigators, but the best is Dresehler’s, for by its means the houses can be filled with smoke from the outside. Appleby’s is a simple contrivance, but it does not appear to present any material advantages over the common flower pot, excepting that it is more easily moved about, and not liable to be split with the heat. When a flower pot is used, knock a hole in the side, about an inch from the bottom, and place a few glowing cinders in the bottom; upon these sprinkle a handful of dry brown paper, then a handful of dry tobacco-paper, and when it bursts into a flame commence to fill the pot with the moistened papers, and take it into the house, and blow it steadily to get it fairly lighted. The grand point is to make a good start, for it will then burn freely without much further attention, and render it quite unnecessary to remain in the house the whole of the time. A sharp look-out must be maintained from the outside, and if it shows signs of bursting into a flame stir up the unconsumed materials and damp it slightly; add fresh if the house is only partly filled with smoke. In practice it will be found more desirable to keep the paper burning briskly until the house is filled, and