140 INJURIOUS INSECTS. 



allowing one in five to be male, there are no less than 1,280 nests destroyed. 

 Granting that the breeders produce, on an average, 1,000 young, there will 

 be 1,280,000 young destroyed ; which, with the pax-ent Wasps, form 1,281,600 

 — the total number which the vicinity of High Elms has been freed from. 

 Supposing (which is within compass) that every half dozen wasps destroy 

 2 apples, 2 plums, 1 peach, 1 pear; the fruit thus saved from destruction 

 would be— apples, 427,200 ; plums, 427,200 ; peaches, 213,600 ; pears, 213,600. 

 Keckoning the apples at 10 a penny, plums 24 do., peaches 2 do., pears 12 do.; 

 we have the money saved, thus — in apples, ^173 ; in plums, ^74. 3s. 4d. ; in 

 peaches, ^445; in pears, ^76. 3s. 4d. ; total, ^771. 6s. 8d.! 



Again : The " Gardeners and Farmers' Journal " for July, 1848, states that 

 the Earl of Traquair, in Scotland, has for many years been in the habit of 

 giving a premium of threepence per dozen to the children in the neigh- 

 bourhood, in the months of April and May; and that the present has not 

 been a barren season, the following account will show. The children are 

 directed to attend in the ancient hall of Traquair on certain days, when they 

 are drawn up rank and file, like a regiment of soldiers, with their bags in 

 hand, filled with their tiny game. Beginning at one end of the line, the 

 Wasps are all counted, and immediately the young sportsman is paid ready 

 cash for the booty produced; when off he goes, like a lamp-lighter, ready to 

 renew the sport. On the 6th of May, 22 girls presented 219 dozens, (one of 

 them had 24 dozens,) weighing 11 ounces : 9th of May, 24 boys brought 380 J 

 dozens, weighing 18 ounces; one boy had 34 dozens: 13th of May, 23 girls 

 brought 375 dozens, weighing 20 ounces; one fortunate girl had 43 dozens, 

 being the highest number taken by one person that season : 16th of May, 

 9 boys brought 111|^ dozens, weighing 6 ounces; the highest number being 

 26^ dozens : 20th of May, 31 girls brought 151^ dozens, weighing 7^ ounces. 

 The total, in round numbers, and weight, was, 14,750, or 1,237^ dozens, 

 weighing 63 ounces. 



Now, by following the rules of calculation adopted in Kent, let us see 

 what desti-uction such a batch of Wasps might have effected. It will be 

 observed, that there was considerably more than nine times the number of 

 Wasps killed at Traquair that were killed in Kent; consequently, the loss in 

 fruit and honey must have been quite beyond conception. In apples it 

 would be 3,844,800, in plums 3,844,800, in pears 1,922,400. As very few 

 peaches are cultivated out of doors in the neighbourhood of Ti-aquair, we 

 will place apricots in their place, and at the same time give the crop of 

 cherries into the bargain; we have the number of apricots, 1,922,400. It is 

 well known, that a strong nest of Wasps will, in eight or ten days, render 

 the best bee-hive useless. But, leaving the loss of honey out of our calcula- 

 tion, let us glance at the loss of money for fruit alone. In apples, at 10 a 

 penny, ^£1,602; in plums, 24 do., ^£647 10s.; in apricots, ^£4,105; in pears, 

 12 do., ^647 10s.: total, .567,002!! 



