GARDEN FOES AND GARDEN FRIENDS 



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tribute equal to one tenth of all that is raised. This tax will 

 strike even the optimist as extortionate. If for no other rea- 

 son than to diminish the number of pests, a plea is being 

 made that the gardener will cultivate beautifully a small plot 

 which can be held in check rather than a large farm that runs 

 wild. This course is recommended independently of the fact 

 that by intensive treatment a small field will yield at the very 

 lowest estimate a double crop. Any countryside has cause 

 for rejoicing if it has united in some cooperative scheme 

 that will wage common warfare on these enemies. For they 

 are great rovers ; therefore one family's garden depends 

 upon another. In the work of extermination a whole neigh- 

 borhood must pull together. If one lone garden goes to the 

 bad, all the rest suffer. 



It would be hopeless to try to enumerate even the common 

 insects that bring sorrow to the farmer. The best that can 

 be attempted here is to lay down a few principles and to 

 suggest a general working plan. To learn more, one must 

 consult some of the many manuals on the subject. 



The first step, however, towards learning to protect plants 

 from pests is to determine what sort of feeder each insect is. 

 Among the injurious inSects there are what we may call two 

 grand methods of feeding. One method is chewing by means 

 of an elaborate set of jaws ; the other is piercing the tissues 

 and sucking out the juices. A potato beetle and a squash 

 bug are representatives of these two types. After examining 

 their mouth parts with a magnifying glass, no comment will 

 be required upon "their tricks and their manners"; suffice 

 it to say that each does full justice to the delicate tools, 

 whether for sucking or for lace-making, with which he is 

 equipped. To destroy chewers it will be necessary to sprinkle 

 some sort of poison on the plant, either in liquid or in powder 

 form. If the plant in question is like the potato in that its 



