THE INSECT 



you will certainly be justified in congratulating 

 yourself on an experience that falls to few per- 

 sons who attempt plant-growing in the house. 



The fact is, every person who sets out to 

 grow plants must take it for granted, from the 

 beginning, that she will have to wage war with 

 all these enemies. Unless she is willing to do 

 this she ought not to make the attempt. "Fore- 

 warned, forearmed" holds good here, pro- 

 vided she studies the subject until she knows 

 the nature of each enemy she has to deal with, 

 and the weapons to make use of against it, 

 before he arrives upon the field of action. 

 Wait until he is there and he has you at a great 

 disadvantage. 



The aphis appears to be the chief enemy of 

 plants because he is found in great numbers, 

 is large enough to be easily seen, and can be 

 found almost everywhere. But he, though 

 dangerous when allowed to carry on his work 

 unmolested, really does far less injury to ordi- 

 nary plants than the red spider. This enemy 

 is so small that he can hardly be seen by the 

 naked eye, and on this account his presence 

 is often unsuspected for some time after he lo- 

 cates himself upon your plants. Indeed, I 

 have been told many times by persons who had 



