62 
THE GARDEN OF THE WORLD 
inches long. There is even a spout at the top. 
This pitcher is usually half full of water; some 
What plants trap of it is rain; some is juice made by the leaves. 
their food? The j u i ce k as an 0 ( j or attrac tiv e to insects, and 
they step in to see what they can find. But they 
never come back! The walls of the pitcher are 
steep and slippery and it is impossible to crawl 
up them. The insect’s dip into the water has 
made its wings so wet that it cannot fly. Even 
if it could fly to the top, there are strong hairs 
which prevent escape from the opening. There 
is nothing for the insect to do but drop back and 
drown. One of these pitchers will often con¬ 
tain many gnats, mosquitoes and flies, and a few 
beetles. In California there are pitchers large 
enough to drown a mouse. 
Why does this plant trap the insects? Be¬ 
cause it needs nitrogen. All plants must have 
nitrogen, but most of them get it from the 
soil. When our garden plants are not getting 
enough, fertilizer must be put on the ground to 
help them out. Human beings need nitrogen, 
too, but we get it from meat and eggs. The soil 
