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FOREWORDS. 



Ever since the traditional fall of man successive genera- 

 tions of those whose business it is to till the soil for 

 pleasure or profit have had to contend with hordes of 

 insect, animal, or fungoid pests, ever on the alert to levy 

 toll on his crops, destroy them with innumerable diseases, 

 or inflict such injury upon them as to lessen their value 

 as food or their usefulness generally to mankind. It has 

 ever been so, and will, no doubt, continue to be so for 

 all time. 



It is true in these modern times science has come to 

 the assistance of the farmer and gardener, and educated 

 both in more successful ways and means of coping with 

 pests and diseases affecting our crops; and, contsequently, 

 we are in a much better position to prevent or cure the 

 injuries arising, or likely to arise, therefrom than our fore- 

 fathers were able to do. We know more of the life his- 

 tories of insect and animal pests ; also of the various fungi 

 and bacteria that are productive of diseases, and it is 

 therefore possible nowadays to adopt preventive measures 

 to a large degree that will render our crops, our plants 

 and our trees less liable to, if not wholly free from, 

 attack and injury. 



Take the case of our fruit crops, for example. Modern 

 science has clearly demonstrated that, by the judicious 

 spraying of the trees during the winter we may kill 



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