THE CHEM AW A
AM ERICAN
25
earliest p art of th e season th e young anim al is born alive; later in the
sum m er w hen tim e is not so m uch valued the egg route is adopted for
u sh erin g in th e young. You will know th e form er from its having
w ings and being able to move from place to place m ore rap id ly . T he
latter is sluggish, aw kw ard, and hence does not move around m uch.
T h e plant louse does not eat th e leaves, as m any o th er insects do,
b u t sucks th e sap from the leaves and tender shoots of the plant, th u s
robbing th e cells of m oisture and food; for th is reason, P aris green and
arsenic will not destroy it. Some substance m ust be p u t on th a t will
sm other it. K erosene em ulsion is, perhaps, th e most effective k n o w n
rem edy. Dissolve one-half pound of lau n d ry soap in a gallon of hot
w ater, add two gallons of kerosene, and m ix u n til a light mass is form ed,
w hich will become thick w hen cool. T h en add the desired p ro
portion of w ater, w hen sp ray in g . O ne part sour m ilk to two parts
kerosene m ay be used, if desired. Tobacco sm oke is used in hot-houses
to rid plan ts of th is pest. If only a few p lan ts are raised, hellebore
may be dusted on the p lan t, or a spray can be made by adding w ater.
T h e lady-bug and an t both assist the plant grow ers in rid d in g the
plan ts of these pests.
T h e p lan t louse w hen touched or molested
gives off a fluid as a m eans of defense. T h is fluid is sweet. O ften ants
may be seen stro k in g these lice; when th u s engaged, it is for the p u r
pose of in d u cin g them to give off an additional supply of the fluid. T he
ants are fond of it.
T h e louse is the the a n t’s “ cow ” and it is being
m ilked.
W atch yo u r house plants; these little green pests like to live
in th e house as well as in the open air, and often destroy a favorite g e r
anium before you are aw are of it.— M. L. I).
T IIE S T O R Y O F A P P L E S E E D J O H N
John C hapm an, or A pple Seed John as he is m ore com m only know n,
lived m any years before the great N orthw est was settled, w hile even a
large part of New Y ork and Pennsylvania was still a w ilderness. A c
cording to trad itio n , he w ent th ro u g h th e forests of w hat is now w est
ern P ennsylvania, O hio, and In d ian a, before the forests were cut away
and planted orchards for the settlers, w ho, he was sure, would come
later. M any people th o u g h t his occupation a foolish one, as they did
not then realize the value his orchards would prove to others com ing
la ter. M any stories have been told of th is rem arkable m an. Perhaps,
th e best is Rev. Newell D w ight H illis’, “ T h e Q uest of John C h a p m an .”
It has been said th a t “ A pple Seed J o h n ” spent his w inters in the se t
tlem ents near th e A tlantic Coast, teaching the children and doing odd
jobs about the farm . In those days the teachers “ boarded a ro u n d ,” go-