FRIENDS AND ENEMIES OF PLANTS 185 



into the fruit and cause poor, wormy apples. To keep this pest 

 in check, spray the trees with arsenate of lead, three pounds to 

 fifty gallons of water, once just after the petals fall, once again 

 in ten days, and a third time three weeks later. Never spray 

 with a poison while the tree is in bloom. 



The Hessian fly is a small insect that lives on the stems of spring 

 and winter wheat an 1 causes great damage. It is a good plan to 

 burn over the stubble after harvest and to destroy all trash and 

 rubbish. As a further protection against the Hessian fly it is also 

 generally advisable to delay sowing fall wheat until the weather 

 becomes cool enough for frost. 



The San Jose scale is a small insect, but it is one of the most 

 destructive pests of fruit trees now known. The adult females 

 are much smaller than a pin head, but they occur in such large 

 numbers that they soon cover the bark of the tree and cause 

 death. Sprays of kerosene and fumigation with hydrocyanic 

 acid gas are used to check this insect. A solution made by 

 boiling lime, salt, and sulphur together is likewise said to be a 

 very good remedy. It is generally a good plan to cut down and 

 burn all trees on which the scale makes its appearance. In some 

 States this has been made obligatory upon fruit growers, and heavy 

 penalties have been prescribed against those who fail to observe 

 and keep the law. 



Birds. Many farmers unjustly look upon birds as a nuisance 

 and do not stop to consider the great service they render man. 

 Birds are being killed by the hundreds every year, not only to 

 gratify the whims of inconsiderate hunters, but also to supply 

 the demands of milliners, who use them as decoration for 

 ladies' hats, etc. Boys ruthlessly collect and destroy hundreds 

 of eggs every year, and it is almost impossible to estimate the 

 number of young birds that are caught and devoured by cats. 



Sometimes we hear the complaint that birds destroy a great 

 deal of fruit, and in some instances it may be true ; but the reason 

 and the remedy are not hard to find. It is usually during a dry 

 season that birds attack fruit the most, and then it is only the juice 

 of the fruit that they seek as a substitute for water. If we only 

 take the precaution to place cans or pails of water in several 

 places convenient to the birds, and give them some of the bread 



