etter to remove
the earth, wash the soil from the roots, carefully clean the pot--if the
same one is to be used--and repot in good porous fresh earth. Keep on
the dry side until growth is resumed.

As a rule, insects do much more damage to house plants than is caused by
diseases. One characteristic of nearly all plant insects which will
astonish the amateur is the marvelous rapidity with which they increase.
One to-day, and to-morrow a million, seems no exaggeration. While it may
be true that, as one of our erstwhile best-selling heroes said, "a few
fleas is a good thing for a dog; they keep him from broodin' on bein' a
dog," a few bugs are certainly not good for a plant, because in a day or
two there will be enough of them to endanger its life and surely,
quickly to ruin its appearance. Never let the bugs get a start. If you
take them in time they're easy: if not you have a very difficult and
disagreeable task on your hands.

PLANT ENEMIES

_Aphis._ Aphis or green plant louse is the most commonly encountered of
all the insect pests. It used to be dreaded, but with modern methods it
may be readily and effectively exterminated. There are several forms and
colors of these pests. If you have attempted plant-growing you are
undoubtedly familiar with them. In the house, shaded places, crowded
plants, poor ventilation, dry plants, all furnish environment favorable
to the development of aphids. Change these conditions at once. The old
method of fighting used to be by burning moistened tobacco stems, or
steeping them in water and making a very weak tea for spraying. But
either was a difficult, disagreeable and unsatisfactory method. There
are now on the market three forms of tobacco all of which are easy to
use and efficient. Tobacco dust--but it must be strong and made
especially for the purpose; liquid nicotine, to be diluted and sprayed
on according to directions; and prepared paper for fumigating. The last
is perhaps the most effective. Besides these, and in my experience
pleasanter and quicker, is the comparatively new compound called Aphine,
which can be had from almost any seedsman in quart tins--enough to make
five gallons of very effective spray, which will not discolor flowers or
foliage.

_Red Spider._ This very serious pest is about the size and color of a
grain of red pepper--although sometimes appearing brown or dull red. To
make himself inconspicuous, he works on the under side of the leaves and
behind a t