CHAPTER X. 
INSECTS AND DISEASES. 
HE wise gardener uses the spray to pre- 
vent disease and the attacks of insects, 
instead of waiting to fight them after 
they have arrived. But if they attack your 
garden you must fight them intelligently and 
without ceasing. 
The destruction by insects, is, generally speak- 
ing, easily seen, but diseases of plants are not so 
plain, and have only been carefully studied even 
by experts during the past fifty years. At 
present, all we know is how to fight insects and 
diseases by different substances, put on or about 
the plants. As fresh discoveries are constantly 
being made, we will some day get rid of all these 
difficulties. It is always better to get the advice 
of an expert when insects or diseases become 
troublesome. 
Anything in the soil or surroundings of your 
garden which interferes with the plants during 
the growing season, weakens the crop and lays it 
open to attacks. Plants are like children. If 
they are badly fed, poorly clothed, ill housed or 
neglected, they are far more likely to become 
diseased than if they are kept in a good state. 
So look after your drainage, the character of the 
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