FRUIT TREES. Chap. V. 105 



& its fecundity is prodigious. Destroying the first aphids that appear on a tree eliminates 

 the very active & numerous progeny that are very difficult to eradicate later. 

 Nevertheless, a lot of them can be killed by pressing those leaves already infested with 

 them between two sponges steeped in a strong decoction of tobacco (powdered tobacco 

 spread on aphids kills them instantly). Or use quicklime in water or a solution of soap in 

 water (all oily substances are destructive to insects, but they also harm trees - apparently 

 they block their pores) or a decoction of tobacco, of chimney soot, of sage, of hyssop, of 

 wormwood & other very strong & bitter plants, boiled in ordinary water down to half the 

 volume. Or strip off the leaves & the tips of the shoots & throw them into water or into 

 the fire. Some gardeners blame this cutting back for generating the growth of a lot of 

 weak branches. 



3°. Ants, according to M. de Reaumur, are attracted by the sweetened excrement 

 of aphids. Despite the reputation of this distinguished naturalist, I believe that it's still 

 questionable whether it's the aphids or the ants that are involved. I actually had rid a tree 

 of ants, and they attacked a nearby tree. From the next day on, its most tender leaves 

 began to curl up. The veins contracted and recesses formed along this large blockage. The 

 disease progressed for five or six days without my having been able to detect a single 

 aphid. In the end I found a few, & in a short while their number grew considerably. I also 

 noticed that the aphids didn't last long on trees from which the ants had been dislodged; 

 that ants attack fruit with very thin skin, like violette peaches & early peaches, when 

 they're ripe, or they take advantage of holes left by other creatures. They feed on them 



