9 
3 
ST 
ter, to hold up hands that hang down, to 
comfort those that mourn, to bear joy into 
joyless homes? Kind words will not spoil 
a man. If a sermon helps you, it will do 
the preacher no harm to tell him so. If the 
editor writes an article that does you good, 
he can write a still better one if you send 
him a word of thanks. If a book pleases 
you, do you not owe it to the author to write 
a grateful acknowledgement? If you know 
a weary or neglected one, would it not be 
such work as angels do—would it not be 
Christ-like work—to seek every opportuni¬ 
ty to brighten and to bless that life? Do 
not wait till the eyes are closed, till the 
ears are deaf, and till the heart is stilled. 
Do it now. Post-mortem kindnesses do not 
cheer. Flowers on the coffin cast no fra¬ 
grance backward over the weary days. 
— Selected. 
Popular Fallacies About Insects. 
SPHERE is a popular idea that a hard 
“j winter is very destructive to insects, 
and that they will be fewer in the summer 
following. The idea is not a true one.— 
When our winters are steadily cold few in¬ 
sects hatch out of the egg or the chrysalis 
state; in those winters that are mild, large 
numbers of insects come forth on tine warm 
days and nights, and great numbers will 
perish before they can lay eggs or change 
their forms, by frost, storms, or birds. This 
is not theoretical, but proven by the obser¬ 
vations of over forty years spent in the 
study of natural things. Any one may see 
on warm days and nights, plenty of flies, 
moths, gnats, &c., in winter, and these are 
almost invariably destroyed before they can 
breed. In some springs we have a contin¬ 
uance of cold, ungenial winds which hinder 
a good state of growth in plants; at such 
times plants, shrubs, and even trees get in¬ 
fested with great quantities of insects, es¬ 
pecially what is called the green and black 
aphis, or fly; many people still believe that 
these insects are brought in the winds but 
this is far from the truth; the plants by 
their slow state of growth are made more 
favorable places for insects. By those con¬ 
ditions every gardener who knows his busi¬ 
ness knows that insects get most upon his 
plants when they are in a low state of 
growth; the eggs and chrysalides are al¬ 
ways somewhere around, and when cir¬ 
cumstances are favorable they are ready 
for work. An old gardener once expressed 
it, that only ignorance and idleness ever al¬ 
lowed insects to get “boss” in gardens or 
houses. The old man’s word are true. 
Many good people have a happy knack in 
dealing with the insect world; they will see 
a few one day on their plants, and leave 
them to some other time before they under¬ 
take to stop them either from breeding or 
eating, and then often commence to save 
their plants when they are well crowded, 
and it takes as much to destroy the vermin 
as often Axes the plants also. Those who 
wish to keep insects in check must never 
have any “tomorrows” about their ways 
bucmustactas soon as the eggs, chrysalides, 
or vermin in any state are seen. Destroy 
the first lot and it is rare that there’s much 
trouble after. Those who have only a few 
plants in a window can easily keep them 
clean. If the plants are not large take the 
pot in the right hand, by its uottom, and 
let the stem of the plant between the mid¬ 
dle fingers; then souse the head in a pail or 
tub of soapsuds, and then rinse it in clear 
water. If this were done once or twice a 
week, it would benefit the plants even if no 
insects had to be killed. 
It would be easy to write many chapters 
how to destroy insects, but a watchful eye 
and prompt action in destroying them is 
worth all that can be. recommended, and 
the finger and thumb will often keep a large 
place pretty free from such pests. These 
are occasnns when it is needful to apply 
wholesale (as it were) means. The English 
farmers could not grow turnips were it not 
for their free use of coal soot, As soon as 
their turnips get into a second leaf a little 
black fly conies in millions, and would des¬ 
troy the crop (which is there an important 
one), but by covering the plants with soft 
coal soot they are saved. The soot don’t 
kill the insects, but insects are somewhat 
like human beings; if they get well annoy¬ 
ed they shift, and the soot as it washes off 
the plants makes them gr*w faster. Soot 
is used over large aivas of oth^r crops to 
s 
