Fighting the “Furries”

In the earlier years, before agriculture became so reliant on chemicals, the chore of protecting gardens and flowers from insects and other predators required some innovative thinking. I recently came across the story of one Women's Institute and their battle with tent caterpillars.

The Agriculture convener organized a competition designed to involve school age children of the community to find and destroy the tents made by the caterpillars. The insects had overrun the area, and were very destructive to gardens. This was so successful in the initial year that it was continued for a number of years. In one year a total of 5,000 tents were located and destroyed and undoubtedly many more fresh vegetables were saved for the dinner tables of local gardeners.

What an idea! A win-win-win arrangement! It kept the youngsters active and getting good exercise, saved your garden, which in turn then graced your dinner table. But seriously it was a great idea – insects can decimate vegetables quickly. There was no mention of what the prizes were, but probably a small bounty was set up at a designated value for each tent destroyed.

I remember my grandmother talking about a similar contest directed at the serious population of gophers in South Dakota around the early 1900's, and again it was the children who were gainfully occupied and were paid 1 cent for each gopher tail turned in. She also said with a wry grin, “some of the boys split the tails in two (length-wise) and received 1 cent for each half!”

I also remember spending time in the garden dusting the potato plants to save them from potato bugs which could ruin the immature plants very quickly, if they were not cared for regularly. These stories come from a time when all members of the family needed to be involved in helping to maintain the home and food supply. Everything from hunting down and destroying pests, to hoeing the garden, feeding poultry, gathering eggs and probably many other tasks

Things do change, and I am not sorry that youngsters are no longer encouraged to destroy small creatures, but it was one of the few options busy mothers had in those days.

So we are now into gardening times. Whether you are a serious vegetable gardener or one who concentrates on beautiful flowers, there will be ample to do in these warm spring days.

It is wonderful to watch the seedlings sprout and develop into sturdy plants.

Good luck to all of you with your vegetable or flower gardens, and with whatever else you may be growing. In our diverse climate here in British Columbia we can grow things that our friends on the prairies and in other regions cannot.

Until next time, Ruth Fenner, Provincial Historian, British Columbia Women's Institute