The age-herald., 1902-05-18

our seed or DeaIS IOT beeu dpoul lnis season-the first week in June-and so hardly ever had any trouble. This Is partly the reason why northern grown beans and peas are free from bugs They have either been destroyed by some of tho methods mentioned or planted so as to miss the laying season of the flies. But peas must be planted early in order to secure a crop, and so are generally treated or frozen seed beans would prove more a success In the south than seed peas.
 Field Mice.
 These sometimes prove very annoying as well as destructive, their greatest mischief being that of digging out eu- cumber squash and melon seed. They usually walt until the seed are sprouted' then dig out the whole hill of young plants These can easily be gotten rid of by using poisoned squash or pump kin seed. Take some large squash seed, the hubbard will answer. split the seed in center from the large and slip In small quantity of strychnine and then press the two parts of the seed together. Be careful and not split the seed clear through, and lay few of the seed around on the top of the melon hills The mice are very fond of the squash seed. and so will take them readily and before disturbing the planted seed. Mice 
 or seed beds, and here, too, is where they may be quickly disposed of by us- ing the poisoned squash seed. But one must be very careful in the use of strych- nine on the farm. There are, in fact, al most an innumerable host of insect ene- mics for the farmer to have to contend with and as the acreage of truck farm ing increases so will the insects for they follow after fruit and vegetables. 41.t 70 <A.,rr Nlan,,a Nrrfn have to become a part of the farmers work. But, to commence in time will save lots of the work as well as the damage which they do the crops. As stated before. regular and clean cultiva- ton will go far in keeping and driving insects from the fields.
 Our Insect Friends.
 To go after the insects indiscriminate- ly killing friend and foe alike, is a lit- tie hard, for while we have our insect enemies we also have our friends among them. The only trouble is that so often our friends can not get in their work fast enough to save our crops, and so have to be killed along with the foes. Among the bugs we have the lady bug, a small pink or red back bug which feeds greedily on the eggs of other bugs ana are especially fond of the eggs of the potato beetle, but the potato bug lays too fast for them and when we come to use arsenic on the vines friends and foes are alike destroyed. The lancet bug is very fond of the young soft slugs of the potato beetle and pierces thousands of them but they, too, are too few and too slow to get away with the slugs Then We have many other friends, birds, toads snakes and Hazards. These should all be protected in our fields. The toad has a voracious appetite and will devour all kinds of insects In great numbers The value of the toad as an insect eater is more quickly recognized In England and France than in this country. They have become a regular article of trade in the markets of London and Paris. The de- mand for toads by English gardeners far exceeds the home supply and dealers have begun to look to this country{for the toads or allow them to be hurt or shamefully killed. Now, 1t may seem strange for any one to speak a word In favor of snakes. Yet there are many of the non poisonous snakes which should not be killed. for they, too, de- stroy a great many insects and mice and about the only harm they ever do is to catch now and then a toad which might be worth more than the snake on the farm. Then, the birds; don't wilfuny harm or kill any of the birds. The robin Redbreast, bluebirds, Quails and even the crows are our friends In destroying worms In the fields. Then, there comes in the skunk; don't kill them; they de- your an enormous amount of worms, es- pecially of the white grub worms. The good that we get from all these friends mentioned far more than overbalances what tile mischief some of them may do. So we should learn to know our friends, and knowing them protect them. We should teach our children . not willfully kill toads and birds and break up the birds nests as thoughtless boys are so apt to do. But. I want to mention here in connection with thls insect sub ject that many of our bad worms can and should be destroyed while in the chrysalis stage. A chrysalis Is a form which butterflies, moths and most other insects assume when they abandon the larvae or caterpillar state and before they arrive at their winged or perfect state; specifically the pupa of butter fly. In the chrysalis form the animal Is In state of rest or insensibility and ex- ists without nutriment for a length of time, varying with the species and sea- son. During this period an elaboration Is going on in the interior of the chrysa- la giving to the organs of the future animal their proper development before 1t breaks It's envelope. The form of the case of the chrysalis varies with the diff ferent orders.
 Chrysalis Style.
 There are entirely too many of these to attempt description of them all, and only mention one or two in order to illus trate the whole of the species Now, a great many of these chrysalis are found fastened to trees and plants of various kinds while others burrow down deep in the earth. The chrysais of the cabbage worm is found on the under leaves of the cabbage plants. and so may be de- stroyed by the thousands by breaking off the under leaves and blowing them in the ground or by by killing the chrysalis There arc many ways to get rid of them, and when these are killed there will be just that many less butterflies. Just how long 1t takes this cabbage worm in mak- ing the transformation from worm to butterfly. I cannot say, but the time is short. In this order or species. the but terfiy has to survive the winter in some sheltered place. The common tobacco, tomato and potato horn worm makes only one brood during the season. So soon as this worm is fully grown they drop off the plant. work themselves down into the ground and enter the chrysalis stage where they remain until