CHAPTER XII 

 PESTS AND DISEASES 



Among the worst garden pests we have to deal 

 with are the millipedes, or, as some call them, wire- 

 worms. There seems to be no way of ridding the 

 soil of these pests except by trapping, a very slow 

 and unsatisfactory method. Lime and wood ashes 

 bother them a little, but only a little, and anything 

 strong enough to kill them will also kill the plants. 

 They are especially fond of the bulbs of callas, lilies, 

 gladioli, begonias and anemones, and the roots of 

 stocks, snapdragons, pansies and many other plants. 

 The easiest way to trap them is by laying pieces of 

 boards on the ground, stepping on each piece to see 

 that they are firm. Once a day these should be 

 taken up and the millipedes underneath killed, after 

 which replace the boards and repeat each day until 

 no more are found. 



THE INDUSTRIOUS ANT 



The most persistent garden pest for a great part 

 of the year, and one that multiplies rapidly unless 

 checked, is the industrious ant. One of our agricul- 

 tural colleges states that greatest success in exter- 

 mination of ants has come through use of an arsenic 

 solution. For instant death of invading ants a one 

 per cent solution with enough syrup to sweeten it is 

 used. 



Prof. Woodworth of Berkeley states that he has 

 found that a solution of between one-eighth and one- 

 fourth per cent is best for the reason that it acts 



