316 TYPICAL FLOWERING PLANTS 



into grubs or larvae, which get their food from the sub- 

 stances of the bean seed. If the grubs mature, the weevils 

 may craAvl out, thus leaving large holes in the bean. The 

 loss to the farmer comes not only in the food actually eaten 

 by the weevils, but also in spoiling the beans as food 

 for man. 



If the pods show that the beans have been pierced by 

 weevils, the development of the eggs can be prevented by 

 storing the beans in a cold place. A test for the presence 

 of weevils is to place the beans in water, where those that 

 contain Aveevils will float. 



230. Enemies of Corn. — One great enemy of corn is a 

 fungus (see page 360) called corn smut. This fungus 

 destroys the corn kernels by living on the food in them 

 and filling the whole kernel with black, sticky spores. 



Grasshoppers injure the corn plant by eating the leaves, 

 and plant lice by sucking its juices. 



In speaking of an animal as a friend or an enemy of a 

 plant or of man, we should remember that every plant and 

 animal is only endeavoring to maintain its own life. We 

 regard them as enemies when they destroy or injure some- 

 thing which we are trying to raise to maintain our own 

 lives, and as friends when they destroy our enemies. 



231. The Raising of Beans. — Beans are raised in large 

 quantities for food. In New York, Michigan, and California 

 more than nine million bushels were raised in the year 1915. 

 Michigan raised four and a quarter million bushels, and 

 New York one and a quarter million bushels. 



A crop of beans can be planted, cultivated, harvested, 

 and threshed by tools and machinery. But before beans 

 can be used as food they must be examined by some one 

 so that all those discolored or specked by weevils may be 

 discarded. Beans unfit for human food can be eaten by 

 such animals as hogs and sheep. So we find that where 



