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State Ilorticullnral Society. 



this purpose. However, this fact is not known among fruit growers 

 and agriculturists in general. I will therefore call your attention very 

 briefly to a few of our common beneficial insects, and especially because 

 of the fact that many of these insects are continually destroyed by the 

 fruit grower, he mistaking them for injurious ones. 



This is especially the case with the Praying-mantis, or Devil's Rear- 

 horse, a picture of which is shown, natural size, in Fig. 7, in the act of 

 feeding upon an insect which it has just captured. To be sure, these 

 insects are shunned by most people because of the fighting attitude which 

 they assume when one approaches them, but they are really perfectly 

 harmless so far as handling them is concerned. They lay their eggs in 

 the fall of the year, in masses upon twigs, weeds, grass and other suit- 

 able places, and as these egg masses (which are shown natural size in 

 Fig. 8) are very conspicuous, it continually happens that fruit growers 



Mantis eggs 



especially, in passing through their orchards, notice the large, brown 

 masses of eggs, mistake them for the eggs of some injurious insect, and 

 remove and burn them. Many cases have come under my notice where 

 fruit growers have removed hundreds of these egg masses from their 

 orchards and burned them before taking the trouble to write to me and 

 inquire about their nature. Of course, it is unnecessary to say that these 

 egg masses should be preserved. One cannot have too many of them 

 about his premises. 



