Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-15

In writing of gardens one is inclined
to think of human beings and flowers
as the only living things in them,
whereas in truth these protected areas
TEEN with living creatures.
This seasons dryness has driven
away several old friends, chief of these
being the large black and yellow spiders
which bob themselves backward and
forward so ferociously when their webs
are touched.
We have not seen one of these big
fellows this year, and no doubt the
drought is to blame, since it seems to
be the fashion to blame everything
upon it.
Mostly those big spiders are bluff. one
may suspect. After watching their
gyrations for several seasons we man.
aged to work up almost an affection for
them, for they reminded us so much OF
ourself.
Poke one with a stick, he will roar,
in spider fashion, but mostly his roar
is worse than his bite. His idea, 1t
seems, is to scare one away, which, &C
complished, leaves him in peace to
mind his own business.
Big black and yellow spiders, we sus-
pect ask nothing more than to be let
alone to finish their dinner as they
please.
They frown furiously upon human
beings who insist upon prying into
their nets. as If trying to tell them how
to catch and eat flies.
Here comes a busybody," no doubt
the spider says, who thinks to instruct
me in how to weave bigger and better
net than my ancestors wove.
But like the pattern, understand
how to weave 1t, and I am going right
ahead and make my web according to
the tin,e-tried pattern. Watch out for
mel"
And he hGbs back and forward in his
web, until %hu go away and leave him.
There are 3 lot of human beings like
that.
Aphids, or plant lice, are noticeably
fewer this year. These mllky-green
creatures need plenty of water for their
existence. They come into being mostly
in the Spring, when showers have re-
freshed the earth and caused all green
life to come into being.
The aphidS, being as much a part OF
that green life as leaves, twigs, and so
on, multiply by the millions, destroying,
in the process, many perfectly good rose
leaves.
Plant lice. thanks to the drought, were
few in numbers in the beginning, and
SOON esdDOIdlSu we DCllGhC
that the word "evaporated" is correct,
in reference to the disappearance CT
aphids. They are so much liquid that
it seems entirely plausible to say that
they simply dried up.
Fleas, however, stayed very much on
deck-or in the grass. Fleas thrive in
dry weather. Water is something they
hate, although they can manage to sur
vive a food, if given half a chance.
Those who have engaged in the neces-
sary task of Kidding pet animals OF f1eas
know that these insects have power
of survival second to no other created
thing. A good average specimen Of
flea will be able to live in water for
18 or "a hours.
II he can escape at last, in a few
minutes, after he has dried out bit,
he will be just as good flea as ever.
A curious thing about fleas is that the
larger they are, the quicker they sink,
and the less likely they are to come
UP again. One new to flea lore might
think the fat fleas would float better
than the small ones.
Dry rustling grass has given hordes
of fleas conditions resembling the Sahara
desert. Who remembers the dissertation
on the hopping proves of the flea con-