The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1907-07-15

sweet, sticky substance on leaves and
sometimes on the ground that Is COM
monty called honey dew" But is
this substance dew? Webster defines
dew as moisture from the atmos-
phere condensed by cool bodies upon
their surfaces, particularly at night"
Now, we know that the so-called
honey dew does not come from the
atmosphere but from insects working
on trees and plants. These insects
are called aphides or lice. There are
many kinds of these aphides. They
live by sucking juices from plants
and the leaves of trees and from
their bodies exude this sweet, sticky
substance. Bees frequently gather up
these exudations and work it over into
honey Usually such honey is of
poor grade and sometimes it is posi-
lively offensive People who do not
know whence comes this honey dew"
think it a condensation of vapor from
the air, hence the name.
+
Many time l have been asked if
ants, which often are abundant on
fruit trees, do not do harm to the
fruit or foliage No; these ants are
after the so-called honey dew. Others
have asked if the ants do not destroy
the aphides. No, indeed, but rather
they sometimes take care of them.
Some very beautiful stories have been
published telling how the ants keep
the aphides and at stated times milk
them as a farmer does his COWS.
There is some semblance of truth in
these stories but the matter is some
what overdrawn. The ants, according
to our works on entomology, do some
times protect the aphides and carry
them to places of safety and by touch
ing them with their antennae cause
them to drop the sweet exudations be-
fore mentioned This does to some
extent resemble the milking of COWS.
Il
There is discussion going on in
some of our exchanges as to what is
pear blight. Our scientific men say
that it is a bacterial disease, while
some of our fruit growers claim the
bacteria found in connection with
pear blight is not the cause but the
result of the disease. That is, the
pear blight offers a suitable place for
the bacteria to work. These men
claim that it is the condition of the
sap that causes the blight and then
the bacteria appear. On first thought
it might appear that it makes no
practical difference which is the true
version of this matter. But a more
careful study of this matter will show
that it is a very practical question.
If the scientists are right, then, ii
we can keep the particular kind of
bacteria out of the country, we can
keep the pear blight out. But on the
other hand if the blight is the result
of the condition of the sap then the
blight may "break out" wherever the
conditions are favorable, and all our
quarantining and the destruction of
infected stock will do no good. Now,
there is no disputing the fact that
certain vigorous condition of the tree
makes a favorable condition for the
bacteria to enter and carry on their
work But I believe that our scien-
lists are right. 1t is well estab-
lished fact that if tree is free from
blight and is inoculated with bacteria
from a tree affected with the blight,
the disease Immediately develops. This
is unmistakable proof of the cause of
the disease. This shows the impor-
lance of safeguarding against the en-
trance of the disease on infected
stock
4
A man some time ago took me out
to see his lawn and wanted me to
tell him why it was dying in spots.
He is a very careful man and keeps
his lawn very closely cut. He also