THE COUNTRY HOME [chapter 



which is really at the root of our fruit industry and 

 spoiling our country homes has not been poisoned, 

 and cannot be punched out of existence. We have 

 not even discussed him and found out where he 

 hibernates; neither do we know his life history. 

 *'We could send scores of specimens from any 

 county to the experiment stations to illustrate their 

 blighting effects. All others combined cannot be- 

 gin to do the damage that is done by ignorance. 

 The untaught engineer lands his passenger in the 

 morgue, but the ignorant farmer lands himself in 

 the tenement-house or the poor-house. Ignorance 

 is the worst worm that breeds in the country." 



In the flower garden we have pests enough to vex 

 the patience of any lover of the beautiful, yet they 

 are mostly managed with patience and petroleum. 

 Kerosene emulsion must be always on hand for the 

 grower of roses. The white fly and the slug, 

 which are sure to appear in May and early June, 

 should be promptly met by a thorough sprinkling of 

 weak emulsion and hellebore. If the first applica- 

 tion proves to be too weak, try it a little stronger, 

 but go very slow or you will blister the foliage. I 

 am happy to say that I have no personal experi- 

 ence with the rose chaffer or beetle on my roses. 



[270] 



