Introduction 



THIS work deals with the insects and other animals having a 

 detrimental or beneficial influence upon horticulture in New 

 Zealand. Its purpose is to supply such general information as will 

 enable the common animal inhabitants of the garden to be identified 

 and controlled, to act as a popular guide for the use of practical 

 gardeners and schools, and at the same time serve as a source from 

 which the examination requirements set out in the syllabus of the New 

 Zealand Institute of Horticulture may be met. 



As this work is for the benefit of the gardening public, and an 

 endeavour to diffuse some knowledge of certain natural problems, the 

 language of the scientist which, unfortunately, tends to guard what is 

 known of these problems from the general reader has been avoided as 

 much as possible ; at times, however, this ideal cannot be adhered to, but 

 in such cases the reader should find no difficulty, and should be prepared 

 to become familiar, with the few terms used. To know the scientific 

 names of animals without being acquainted with the animals themselves 

 is a habit to be avoided, and is just about as instructive as memorising 

 the names of people in a town or telephone directory. But animals 

 must be named; though their popular names are~ used in the following 

 pages and as such names are very often misleading, the scientific names 

 are given in brackets in order to avoid confusion. 



In such a work as this, illustrations are of great value, and these 

 are given wherever possible. One drawback to illustrations is that the 

 relative proportions of animals may be lost; for example, a microscopic 

 organism might require magnification by some 4,000 times its natural 

 size and so become equal to that of some of the most conspicuous insects. 

 Even with the best illustrations, however, it is essential that the reader 

 becomes familiar with the animals themselves. This should present no 

 difficulty to the reader, since he will find in his garden all of the 

 animals with which he is concerned mostly insects and their near 

 relatives. Further, of very; great assistance to him, he will find the 

 several excellent public museums throughout the country, as well as the 

 specialists at such research institutions as the Cawthron Institute at 

 Nelson. 



To keep a work for the general reader in a readable form, the desire 

 of the author to cite the sources from which he derives his information 

 must be suppressed. If this were not done, the text would rapidly become 

 littered with endless references, much to the weariness and confusion of 

 the( reader. Therefore, it should be remembered that a work of this 

 kind is a compilation from the publications of many scientists, to which 

 is added what little original information the writer himself might 

 possess. 



Opportunity must be taken here to express one's appreciation of 

 the assistance given by Mr. W. C. Davies and Mr. L. J. Dumbleton in 

 the preparation of the photographs and drawings, respectively. 



