50 THE HOME ACRE. 



appear in immense numbers on the young and 

 tender shoots of trees, and by sucking their juices 

 check or enfeeble the growth. They are the milch- 

 cows of ants, which are usually found very busy 

 among them. Nature apparently has made ample 

 provision for this pest, for it has been estimated 

 that " one individual in five generations might be 

 the progenitor of six thousand millions." They 

 are easily destroyed, however. Mr. Barry, of the 

 firm of Ellwanger & Barry, in his excellent work 

 " The Fruit Garden," writes as follows : " Our plan 

 is to prepare a barrel of tobacco juice by steeping 

 stems for several days, until the juice is of a dark 

 brown color ; we then mix this with soap-suds. A 

 pail is filled, and the ends of the shoots, where the 

 insects are assembled, are bent down and dipped 

 in the liquid. One dip is enough. Such parts as 

 cannot be dipped are sprinkled liberally with a 

 garden-syringe, and the application repeated from 

 time to time, as long as any of the aphides remain. 

 The liquid may be so strong as to injure the 

 foliage ; therefore it is well to test it on one or two 

 subjects before using it extensively. Apply it in 

 the evening." 



The scaly aphis or bark-louse attacks weak, 

 feeble-growing trees, and can usually be removed 

 by scrubbing the bark with the preparation given 

 above. 



