iny web, but his presence is soon made manifest by the leaves
upon which he is at work, which first turn light green, then show
minute yellow spots, turn yellow and finally drop off.

The red spider is very tenacious of life, and hard to get rid of when he
is allowed time to become well established. The best weapon to use
against him, where it can be done, is clear cold water with as much
force as possible against the under side of the foliage. Damp atmosphere
assists in the work; so keep the air damp, and be on a sharp lookout.
Evaporated sulphur, or flowers of sulphur dusted upon the leaves will
also help.

Where the collection of plants is not too large a one, the quickest and
most certain way to be rid of the spider is to dip the top of each plant
quickly two or three times into hot water--140 to 165 degrees. Although
uncomfortable to the hand, water of this temperature will not injure the
tenderest plant. It is effective against aphis and mealy bug, as well as
against the spider.

_Mealy Bug._ The mealy bug inhabits a white, cottony looking mass, which
is easily seen. Remove this covering and the real intruder is there. It
is most fond of the soft-wooded plants, such as coleus and fuchsias,
thrives in a hot, dry atmosphere, and will keep out of sight, if not
watched for, in a mass of leaves or under some branch axis, until there
are a large number.

If they are discovered before multiplying to any great extent,
exterminate them with a fine brush or feather dipped in alcohol,
coal-oil or kerosene, any of which, if applied directly to them, will
kill them on the spot.

_Scale._ The scales infesting house plants are of two kinds. The more
common is the brown scale, which has a hard, slightly convex, circular
shell, one-quarter of an inch or so in diameter. The white scale is much
smaller, and soon forms quite dense colonies. Both attack the
thick-leaved, smooth-barked plants, such as palms, ferns, lemons, and
abutilons. They do not appear to be doing any damage, but invisibly suck
the juices of the plant. They should be destroyed at once. This is
accomplished by the use of fir-tree-oil soap, whale-oil soap, or
kerosene emulsion and a stiff brush.

_Thrips._ These do not often appear in the house, but may where plants
are crowded in a shady place. They eat the substance of the leaves,
leaving only the skeleton structure. They are small, about a quarter of
an inch long, and brown or black. Aphine, kerosene emulsi