138 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN 



The parasitical diseases are also difficult to control, once 

 they have been allowed to get a start, but various sprays 

 are effective preventives. Within the last few years a great 

 advance has been made in putting remedies into con- 

 venient forms for use by the small gardener, and also in 

 making apparatus to apply them. 



Own a Good Sprayer 



Every gardener should have a compressed-air sprayer 

 and a powder gun or bellows for dry dusting. There are 

 a number of cheap blowers, but it will pay better to invest 

 a dollar and get a substantial one, not only because it will 

 last longer and do better work but also because it is essential 

 to have a gun with which the under sides of the leaves can 

 be reached. 



Dusting with the powder forms of materials that have 

 been used successfully for wet spraying, such as arsenate of 

 lead, has been developed rapidly within the last few years. 

 It is proving as efficient as the wet spray for many pur- 

 poses, and is much more convenient to use in the small 

 garden. 



In addition to the sprayer and the blower take half an 

 hour off some time and make the following apparatus for 

 hand picking, which is still the quickest and most effective 

 method of getting the best of some pests, such as mature 

 squash bugs, rose bugs, aster beetles, potato beetles on 

 eggplant, and so on: To a medium-sized tin can fasten a 

 handle eighteen inches long at an angle of sixty degrees, 

 so that the can may easily be held level. Fill the can with 

 kerosene and water. Make a small paddle, pointed at the 

 end, and with one flat edge. 



With sprayer, blower and handpicker you will be pre- 

 pared for anything in the way of an insect invasion that is 

 likely to occur. Ammunition must be of several kinds, to 

 meet the different methods of fighting adopted by the 

 enemy. 



