68 
this has been done in Part I. of my Handbook, and also in Part IT., 
the latter being now in the hands of the binder.) You will thus 
see that by making a study of the subject you can save a deal of 
useless experiment, and devote the time which you would have 
spent therewith in a more profitable direction. 
We will suppose the aphides on the branches to have been all 
disposed of—no easy matter, 1 can assure you—when lo! next 
morning we find countless numbers swarming up the stems of the 
tree. Then the man who neither reads nor observes for himself 
would doubtless say—‘ Why, those that I sprayed yesterday have 
recovered from the effects of the spraying, and are as lively as 
ever again.” But the careful observer will examine with his lens 
the parts of the tree sprayed with proper material, and thus satisfy 
himself as to the efficacy or otherwise of his attempts to destroy 
them, and, if successful, he would look over the tree for further 
indications of their presence. 
The trained man knows that the insects are on the roots, where 
they hybernate, as well as on the tops. He at once concludes 
that he should first strike at the “root” of the disease. Whereas 
the man who knows nothing of the subject, and probably cares 
little either, proceeds to lament and predict the destruction of all 
orchards, and not infrequently winds up by chopping out his trees. 
This man, then, probably returns to the city again to seek employ- 
ment likely in some menial position, where he thinks, as did the 
historical London tallow-chandler, “ that the profits, though slow, 
are sure.” 
When one goes on the land, whether it is for the purpose of 
growing anything, from wool to special products, he will find that 
there are leisure moments which may be profitably spent in the 
interesting and useful study of economic entomology. Laying 
aside the many marvellous and wonderful provisions which nature 
has provided even the simplest of insects with a means of main- 
tenance, the study is both useful, intellectual, and delightful. 
We will suppose that a grower comes across an insect eating the 
epidermis, or outer skin, from the foliage of his fruit trees, and 
thereby admitting the direct rays of the sun at a time when such 
may not be desirable. If he has a well-trained eye, and knows 
anything of the subject, he will naturally think to himself, well, 
I will poison these leaves, and when the insects eat the tissue of 
the leaves they will all be destroyed. He gets out his sprayer, 
gives the trees a good spraying, and finds in a few hours his 
caterpillars dead under the trees. His knowledge that the leaves 
have been eaten by insects which are not suctorial therefore proves 
to be of practical use to him. 
As an example of “how not to do it,” we will take the case 
of a grower (I have seen many) who, whilst either digging, 
planting, or ploughing, keeps his gun near to his hands, Ask 
