CHAPTER XX 



PLANT ENEMIES AND INSECTICIDES 



Fkom the burgeoning of the first leaf until the lay- 

 ing aside of the garden after the completion of its 

 season of growth, all sorts of enemies dispute the 

 possession of flower and leaf. We plant a garden 

 in April fondly cherishing the happy delusion that 

 it belongs to us, but, apparently, this is not the case, 

 as every bug and worm and beetle and fly known to 

 science claims squatter 's-right to the free enjoyment 

 of our possessions. 



Almost the first pest to put in appearance will be 

 aphis of all sorts and colors, but of a uniformly 

 raTcnous appetite. Usually the first plants to be af- 

 fected will be the roses. These, indeed, may be said 

 to set the pace for the garden pests, for, first or last, 

 nearly all those which make life a burden for the 

 gardener make their initial appearance in the rose 

 bed. 



The aphis first appears as a fly, a tiny, and, under 

 the microscope, a beautiful creature of gauzy wing 

 and slender body. In some species of aphis eggs 



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