Everyone admired the little peach tree that Farmer Pomeroy planted, and looked forward to the fine peaches it would produce. Even the South Wind and the birds loved and watched over it ? and it was they who first told the Pomeroy children that a horde of health and hungry young aphids had decided to make it their home. Soon the little tree was in a terrible state, but Farmer Pomeroy knew just what to do. He invited a horde of equally healthy and hungry young ladybugs?and they soon restored the balance of nature. This is a fine lesson in ecology, making the point with quiet charm that all creatures, great and small, are part of the food chain, and that we all are totally dependent on one another for survival.