REMEDY FOR THE SQUASH-BUG. 57 



bores into the root. You will find them with their heads in 

 the root, and their bodies out. I have seen them a great 

 many times. 



Mr. MuKEAY. About twenty years ago, when I built my 

 house up here on the banks of Charles River, I planted a 

 number of melon and cucumber hills; and I found, to my 

 sorrow, that these black squash-bugs were making complete 

 destruction of all my vines. I commenced to kill them ; but 

 the smell made me sick. I collected a lot of them, and 

 poured boiling water upon them, and destroyed them in 

 that way. I put shingles down under the vines, as Mr. 

 Philbrick suggests; but I could not stand killing the dis- 

 gusting insect. I thought if I lived another year, I would 

 try another experiment, which I did live to try, and very 

 successfully. I found that tobacco was very repugnant to 

 these black bugs ; and, when I found they did not like it, I 

 went into Boston, and bought about a barrel of tobacco-stems 

 from the cigar-makers, and took a quantity of those stems, 

 and cut them up with a hatchet upon a block, as you would 

 cut up hay to feed horses ; and then I collected it all in a 

 basket, and went to ray melon and cucumber vines, and 

 laid it about two inches thick all around my vines. I 

 watched the process very closely to see what would be the 

 result, — whether those fellows loved tobacco or not. I never 

 had a better crop of melons in my life than I had that year. 

 I had no trouble whatever with the black rascal. He never 

 came near me ; or, if he did, he kept out of my sight. It is a 

 very cheap experiment. I think I paid half a cent a pound for 

 all I wanted, besides the expense of bringing it up by express. 



QUESTioisr. I would like to inquire if there are any here 

 who have had any experience in raising French turnips with 

 the Stockbridge formula for turnips. I am a little one-horse 

 farmer on the sands of Cape Cod, where we raise turnips. I 

 manured a little piece with the Stockbridge Fertilizer, and 

 they grew very well, and looked handsome ; but, when I came 

 to harvest them for market, I found they were worthless as 

 a table turnip. They were watery, and tasted very turnipy. 

 What I wanted to inquire was, if there had been any trouble 

 in manuring with the Stockbridge Fertilizer for turnips. I 

 do not know but the trouble was with the soil ; but 1 am in 

 doubt, and want information. 



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