INSECT ENEMIES AND FRIENDS. 



401 



a plant or crop is found to be infested by any insect something should be done at once, without 

 loss of time, to destroy the pest, for the rate at w hich some insects breed is almost incredible. 

 The common green fly will give birth to liv ing young ones at the rate of one every half-hour, 

 and these will begin to breed when thev are three days old, so it is no wonder that they 

 sometimes seem to appear as if by magic. When quite youn^ plants are attacked by 

 insects it is desirable to force them into a healthy rapid growth as quickly as possible, by 

 judicious watering or manuring, as they then feel the attack less. Many gardeners do not 

 realise what assistance they receive from the natural enemies of insects. Most birds, 

 toads, and even moles, and several kinds of insects that will be mentioned later on, are of 

 great use in gardens. Birds, as a rule, feed their young entirely on insects, and the amount 

 of food required by a nestful of young birds every day is astonishing. Sparrows and 

 bullfinches, however, I am afraid, do more harm than good. Moles, though almost intolerable 

 in gardens, on account of the way they disturb the soil, kill an enormous number of ^ruhs 

 that are very difficult to destroy otherwise, as thev live under ground. Toads — except 

 that the)' are repulsive to some persons — are perfectly unobjectionable in gardens, and 

 kill an enormous number of insects, vvoodlice, etc. ; thev should be encouraged in every 

 possible way. Tame seagulls and rooks are also very useful in destroying many kinds of 

 insects, particularly those grubs and caterpillars that live on the roots of plants, and which 

 are so difficult to kill by other means. 



In the following list are the names of 

 attack them : 



certain plants and the pests that most often 



In 



THE F) OWHR ( 1 VRDEN. 



Narcissi 



Bulb mites, narcissus fly, snake 





Snake millipedes and wireworms. 





millipedes. 



Anemones 



Paeonies 



Rose beetles. 



Asters 



Dart moth and caterpillars of other 



Tansies 



Snake millipedes. 



Auriculas 



nu it lis. 



Dart moth and caterpillars of other 

 moths. 



Phlox . 



Roses 



Froghopper, thrips. 

 Aphides, bell moths, rose beetle, rose 

 saw flies, red spider, scale insects. 



Balsams 



Dart moth and caterpillars of other 

 moths. 



Stocks 



Snake millipedes. 



Begonias 



Black vine weevil. 



In the 



Kitchen Garden and Orchard. 



Carnations 



Aphides, l>ull> mites, carnation fly, 

 eelworms, earwigs, froghoppers, 



Apple Trees . 



American blight, apple weevil, codlin 

 moth, scale insects, winter moth. 





red spider, thrips, and wireworms. 



Asparagus 



Asparagus beetle. 



Chrysanthemums 



Aphides, earwigs, Marguerite daisy 



Broad Beans . 



Aphides. 





fly. plant bugs. 



Cabbages 



Aphides, white butterflies, various 



Cyclamens 



Aphides, black vine weevils, wire- 





caterpillars. 





worms. 



Celery 



Celery fly. 



Dahlias 



Various caterpillars, earwigs, thrips. 



Currant Bushes 



Currant saw fly, magpie moth. 



Terns 



Black vine weevils, froghoppers, 



Nut Bushes 



Nut gall mites, nut weevils. 





plant bugs, and various caterpillars. 



Parsnips 



Celery fly. 



Fuchsias 



Aphides, red spider. 



Pear Trees 



Apple weevils, pear gall mites, pear 



Gladiolus 



Red spider, wireworms. 





saw flies, winter moths. 



Honeysuckles 



Aphides, froghopper. 



Peas 



Pea weevils. 



Hyacinths 



Bulb mites, narcissus fly. 



Plum Trees 



Winter moth. 



Lilies 



Aphides, bulb mites, wireworms, 

 snake millipedes. 



Strawberries . 



Cockchafers, ground beetles, snake 

 millipedes. 



Mignonette 



White butterflies. 



Turnips 



White butterflies, turnip weevil. 



It is impossible in the present work to mention all the insects that attack plants 

 cultivated in gardens, but a selection has been made of those that are generally the more 

 injurious. Descriptions are also given of certain insect friends that are most useful in 

 destroying insects that prey upon vegetation. 



American Blight (Schizoneura lanigera). — Among the 

 numerous pests to which Apple trees fall a prey, few, 

 if any, are more injurious than this member of the familv 

 of aphides. When once the American blight gets a 

 footing in an orchard it is very difficult to eradicate, so that 

 the owners of orchards that are free from this pest should 

 do all they possibly can to keep them so. One of the 

 most important things to do in (his matter is to keep a 

 sharp look-out for the foe, and immediately the smallest 

 patch of the cottony substance, with which these insei is 

 are covered, is seen on a tree, some means should be 

 taken to destroy the latter, as they spread very quickly 



from one part of a tree to another, and even from tree to 

 tree. When only a few small patches are to be found, a 

 thorough wetting with methylated spirit, applied with a 

 small brush, is quite sufficient ; but when the insect 

 has spread over a tree, the rough bark of the parts affected 

 should be scraped off, cloths having first been placed so 

 that all that has been scraped oft may be collected and 

 burnt. It is also well to wet the bark first with soapsuds, 

 so that nothing scraped oft' may blow away ; the 

 affected parts should then be scrubbed with a stiff 

 brush clipped in a solution of paraffin emulsion, and take 

 particular care that the mixture penetrates into any crack 



