340 



INSECTS AND BIRDH 



248. Some harmful insects cannot be reached by sprays. 

 Cutworms, for instance, do much damage in fields and 

 gardens by cutting off the tender plants. To destroy 

 them, one half a pound of Paris green is mixed with 

 twenty-five pounds of dry bran. The mixture is stirred 

 up in two gallons of water and sweetened with a little 



sugar or molasses. Small 

 quantities of the mash 

 are placed here and there 

 in the soil as the vege- 

 tables come up. 



Mosquitoes are de- 

 stroyed by the use of 

 kerosene on the ponds in 

 which they breed, a 

 pint of kerosene to 250 

 square feet of water sur- 

 face. The grain moth is 

 killed by evaporating 

 carbon bisulphide where 

 the grain is stored. The 

 potato vine borer is de- 

 stroyed by gathering up 

 the vines and burning 

 them. The peach tree 



borer must be dug out 

 when once in the tree. 



249. The Great Variety of Insects. There are more than 

 200,000 different kinds of insects known. Only few of 

 these can be found on one farm ; but if a man who has 

 made a special study of insects should make a list of all 

 the different kinds which he can find in one neighborhood, 

 the number would, no doubt, be surprisingly large. 



Not all insects are harmful. Some are beneficial ; and 



