82 BRECK’S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. 
A DESCRIPTION OF SOME OF THE INSECTS THAT 
ARE INJURIOUS TO PLANTS IN THE 
FLOWER-GARDEN. 
To give a description of all the insects that infest the 
plants of the flower-garden, it would be necessary to 
write a volume, so numerous are the voracious tribe that 
prey upon the roots, stems, foliage, and flowers of the 
floral kingdom. The depredation of insects is one of the 
greatest offsets to the pleasures of the garden. To nurse 
some favorite plant, watching over it from day to day, 
‘anticipating its opening beauties, and then, just as one’s 
hopes are upon the point of being realized, to see the 
plant suddenly smitten with some mysterious disease, or 
as suddenly destroyed by some noxious vermin,—perhaps 
dying in a night, like Jonah’s gourd,—who can help feel- 
ing a little ruffled, or even like justifying good old Jonah, 
who thought it “well to be angry for his gourd?” 
The knowledge we possess of the habits of the various 
insects is very scanty. We are indebted, mainly, to that 
excellent work, “A Treatise on some of the Insects of 
New England, which are injurious to Vegetation,” by 
Dr. T. W. Harris, of Cambridge, Mass., for all that is im- 
portant in relation to them, and have freely quoted from 
it in the following pages. Dr. Harris’ Treatise should be 
accessible to every one who has anything to do with the 
cultivation of the farm or garden. His descriptions are 
so plain, that almost any person may get all the desirable 
information of all those insects of which he treats. 
Some of the most annoying insects of the flower-gar- 
den, are the Rose Saw-fiy, or Rose Slug, and the Rose 
Bug. 
