Norwich bulletin., 1918-04-08
War Gardens As City Assets Home Vegetable Plots Add Community
 CHARLES LATHRoP PACK
Plots Add to Veal tn and Attraetivenes
BY CHARLES LATHRoP PACK

The home gardener should prepare early to combat plant disease>and in- sect pests which are practically cer- tain to appear in his garden and which if not, fought effectively will interfere seriously with yields or even destroy the crops. Provision to combat these foes of garden vegetables is of equal importance with other phases of gar dening and under no circumstance should be neglected. The wise garden CT does not wait for the appearance of insects and disease, but takes steps against them by spraying his plants at reasonable intervals, or by other protective measures, from early spring until his crop have been harvested Simple methods of protecting plants from the larger eating insects are to pick them by hand or to knock them with stick into a pan containing wat CT on which a thin film of kerosene is floating. Insects collected by hand should be destroyed promptly. Some young plants may be protected by set | ting over them woolen frames covered ! with mosquito netting, wire mesh, or cheesecloth.
 | If the home gardener finds it nec-
 essary to adopt other than these sim plest methods he should secure early
 in the season the necessary implements
 and materials in his anti-insect cam .paign. He may need a substantial l hand sprayer and concentrated solu- tion with water. Every effort should be made this year to prevent waste of these chemical materials. Where a soap emulsion would be sufficient it | should be preferred. Gardeners who obtain a supply of chemicals too great | for their needs can help by supplying l the surplus to a neighbor.'
 Disease and Insects Grouped. The disease which affect garden 1 plants may be divided into two groups, parasitic and constitutional diseases 1 The parasitic malalies, such as the blights, are caused by fungi or germs | and usually may be prevented or con l trolled by spraying with Bordeaux
 mixture. Little is known, however, of 1 the SO called constitutional diseases and little can be done to prevent their ravages. If some malady which does not yield to reatment with Bordeaux 1 mixture manifects itself on isolated plants in the garden, it may be well to pull up these plants and burn them
 The insects which attack garden plants may be divided into two groups those which eat or chew the foliage or fruit and those which suck the plant juices. Eating insects may be
 killed usually by spraying poisonous
 solutions or dusting powders on the plants which they attack. Arsenate
 of lead is the poison in most general I use for this purpose. This substance
 is poisonous to persons as well as to insects and must be used with care
 It should not be applied to vegetables that are to be used soon. All vege- +a bles sho11ld he washed carefully be- fore they are eaten. regardless of whe-
 ther they have been sprayed.
 Most of the garden plants may be guarded against disease and al the same time protected from attack
 by certain eating insects by spraying
 at intervals of two weeks with a. com
 bination of Bordeaux mixture and arsenate of lead.
 Sucking insects, such as plant-lice,
 or "aphis," can not be killed by. poi
 soning the surface of the leaves and