PROTECTING PLANTS 



183 



have been attacked by fungi should be raked up and 

 burned, and in the fall all diseased wood should be cut 

 out and destroyed. It is important that diseased plants 

 are not thrown on the manure heap, to be distributed 

 through the garden the follo\ving season. 

 Practice a rotation or alternation of crops (p. 114). Some 

 of the diseases remain in the 

 soil and attack the plant 3^ear 



after year. Whenever any ^^^- A garden hand syringe.^ 

 crop shows signs of root disease, or soil disease, it is partic- 

 ularly important that another crop be gro^vn on the place. 

 See that the disease or insect is not bred on weeds or other 

 plants that are botanically related to the crop you grow. 

 If the wild mallow, or plant known to children as 

 "cheeses" (Malva rotuncUfolia) , is destroyed, there will 



be much less difficulty with 

 hollyhock rust. Do not let 

 the cabbage club-root disease 

 breed on wild turnips and 

 other mustards, or black- 

 knot on plum sprouts and 

 wild cherries, or tent-cater- 

 pillars on wild cherries and 

 other trees. 

 Always be ready to resort to 

 hand-picking. We have 

 grown so accustomed to kill- 

 ing insects by other means 

 that we have almost forgotten that hand-picking is often 

 the surest and sometimes even the most expeditious 

 means of checking an invasion in a home garden. Many 

 insects can be jarred off early in the morning. Egg- 

 masses Qn leaves and stems may be removed. Cut- 

 worms may be dug out. Diseased leaves may be picked 



119. A knai:)sack pump. 



