40 FARM SPIES 



When Johnny told Mr. Welden what he had seen, 

 the old man asked : " Where do they stay? I have 

 never been able to find any." 



Johnny answered: "The beetles are unlike boys, 

 because these little pests are early risers. They 

 enjoy a good breakfast and supper, but during the 

 hotter parts of the day they hide in shade or just 

 underneath the soil at the base of the plants. " 



"That must be the reason that I never saw them ; 

 I looked at the wrong time of the day/' Mr. Welden 

 replied. "But see here, sonny," he continued; "it 

 seems to me that when we move the stalks from the 

 field after harvest we are taking the beetles with 

 them ; don't you think so ? " 



" Right there is where the the beetles get the best 

 of us, because they do not stay in the stalks. I have 

 cut hundreds of them open and never found a single 

 insect, but if you will cut open the stubble or root, 

 you will have no trouble finding them. When we 

 carry our stalks away we must take stubbles and 

 roots also," Johnny explained. 



Old Mr. Welden was now as tickled as a school- 

 boy who has had good luck. He had such a broad 

 grin on his face that Johnny wondered how he could 

 do it without hurting his face. 



"Sonny," he said, "do you remember when I told 

 you to destroy your corn stubble? I have farmed 

 all my life and I have noticed that where you leave 



