86 



ing they begin to decline, and plant-lice and other insects assist in 

 their extermination. 1 had three vines (Lonicera) running over my 

 porch. All grew well for a couple of years, when one ])ecame badly 

 affected by plant lice, while the others were comparatively free. 

 Upon examination I found that the label wire that had been left on 

 the infected plant was checking its development, and the vine was 

 therebj' weakened. Upon removal, new shoots rallied to the support 

 of the plant, but the insects were too numerous and the plant l)ecame 

 discouraged, although it never thought of giving up life. The next 

 year I noticed that this same plant was again affected with the aphides, 

 also one of the others, but the third seemed healthy as ever. Upon 

 diagnosing their cases I found the healthy one stood alongside a 

 shrubby border, and its roots had ready access to rich cultivated soil, 

 while the others were in sod ground. Thinking the poverty of their 

 food supply perhaps accountable for their condition, they were ferti- 

 lized, with the result that, although the insects did not leave the plants 

 entirel}', the plants themselves overcame their previous debilitated 

 condition and, as far as the casual observer could tell, were perfectly 

 healthy, Man}^ other facts have come to my notice that also point to 

 the conclusion that, if we understood what the proper culture of the 

 plant should be, many insect troubles could be avoided, I have taken 

 much interest in getting the practical man's views of plant culture, and 

 many object lessons are gained therefrom. Insects and fungous dis- 

 eases are by no means as troublesome to the man who knows how to 

 get best results from plants themselves as they are to another who 

 knows everything about insects and their control and but little about 

 plant culture, 



1 have had college graduates who could identify insects and recite 

 on insecticides perfectly, but who found it practically impossible to 

 combat red spider and the like without practically destroying the 

 value of the plants themselves. Another man w\th little knowledge 

 of entomology or insects, but thoroughly understanding plant culture, 

 has grown the same plants under exactly similar conditions, and I 

 have failed to even iind red spider present. If plants are allowed to 

 suffer from crowding, over or under watering, too much or too little 

 ventilation, extremes of temperature, insufficient plant food, neglected 

 breeding, etc, of course one will have trou])le, and simple remedies, 

 although under other conditions they might be efficacious, here are 

 utterly useless. 1 might enumerate further examples, l>ut hope I 

 have sufficiently emphasized the idea that entomologists can not know 

 too much about plant culture, and were it possible I should like to 

 see ever}' economic entomologist as far as possible a practical grower. 



