CHAPTER XLIV. 

 FUNGOUS AND INSECT FRIENDS. 



Fortunately, all fungi and insects are not enemies. 

 While many of them are arrayed against the grower, and, 

 at times, interfere seriously with the cultivation of his 

 fruit trees and other plants, on the other hand a consider- 

 able number, a by-no-means-insignificant force, wage war 

 against the insects which destroy his crops. The two forces, 

 one working in harmony with the cultivator, the other 

 against him, frequently balance each other, and the injury 

 to the trees and fruit is slight ; sometimes his friends over- 

 come the injurious insects and so greatly reduce their 

 numbers that the crop matures without injury; at other 

 times his enemies, under favorable conditions, increase 

 more rapidly than his friends and when such is the case 

 the fruit crop suffers severely unless the grower himself 

 intervenes. 



Where fungi and insects can be relied upon to hold 

 the enemies of citrus trees in check, the grower possesses 

 a very considerable advantage over the cultivator who is 

 not so fortunately situated. The latter must resort to 

 spraying or fumigating to protect his fruit and trees from 

 injury, and the added expense is quite an item. If fun- 

 gous and insect friends can be relied upon to do their part 

 and do it efficiently, the control of insect enemies should 

 be left to them. Many growers have been able to do this, 

 others have not. As a result the growers of citrus fruits 

 have separated along these lines and we now have advo- 

 cates of spraying, advocates of non-spraying and those 



