58 FARM PRACTICE IN RELATION TO INSECTS 



pests thus destroyed, but the fowls themselves obtain a fair share of 

 their living. 



In orchards several serious pests transform or hibernate in the soil, 

 or hide away under weeds and in clumps of grass. An example is the 

 plum curculio. Fowls will secure many of these. In the fields 

 chickens will readily follow a plow, and will find many specimens 

 that live in the soil, such as white grubs and wireworms. Bugs and 

 caterpillars in grains and grasses are destroyed by the wholesale. 



Stimulating Plant Growth 



Where it is not possible to prevent the attack of an insect, it often 

 is feasible so to stimulate plant growth that the injury will not prove 

 disastrous. Or, to put it the other way, crops that are kept growing 

 vigorously and are fed liberall}'- are able to withstand insect attack, and 

 to make a good yield in spite of it. Since we cannot always predict 

 what pests will be prevalent in a given year, the wisdom and the ad- 

 vantage of maintaining vigorous and healthy growth by all practicable 

 means is apparent. The fact is again here emphasized that whatever 

 constitutes good farm practice in one regard is apt to help out as well 

 in others. 



