FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 435 



DESTRUCTION 15 Y MECHANICAL MEANS. 



Many insects from their large size, like the tomato worm, and grape-vine 

 sphinx, and others from their gregarious habits, like the tent caterpillar, fall- 

 web worm, and red-humped caterpillar, are easily reached and crushed with 

 the hand. A glove may make the work more pleasant, but no more tliorough. 

 All of the above except the first may be dispatched by use of a musket loaded 

 with a light charge of ywwder, or by a torch at the end of a long pole, though 

 not without danger to the trees attacked. 



Otlier insects, like the borers and radish and onion maggots, are so out of 

 reach that poisoning is impracticable. The first may be dug out and crushed, 

 or crushed with a wire, while scalding with boiling water has been practiced 

 successfully in destroying both the borers and maggots. 



KEEPING THE DESTROYERS AT liAY'. 



Many cut-worms, from their habits of climbing trees and vines in search of 

 the tender buds which they destroy, or plants to cut them off, are easily foiled 

 by the gardener or pomologist. A band of tin about vine or tree is an impass- 

 able barrier to these terrible destroyers, which spend the day in the earth and 

 go forth to their evil work when night and darkness serve them as a shield. 

 .Sized paper about cabbage and tomato plants, held close by a mound of earth, 

 are an equally efficient barricade to the garden cut-worms. 



PREVENTING EGG-LAYING. 



To nip evil in the bud, has been the study and desire of philanthropists ever 

 since the primal temptation. To secure against the egg-laying of injurious 

 insects, is one of the ways. 



The best, if not the only, way to accomplish this, is to render the plants 

 obnoxious, so that the female insect shall pass by on the other side. 



Thus washing fruit trees, especially young apple trees, with soft soap early 

 in June, and again early in July, keeps the borers from egg-laying; and this 

 is most desirable in orchard culture. Carbolic acid and kerosene mixtures, 

 and even strong soap-suds either of whale oil or common soft soap, are valua- 

 ble to repel the peach and squash-vine borers, the radish, onion, and cabbage 

 flies, the cabbage butterfly, and I have much reason to think that frequent 

 drenchings of an apple tree with strong soap-suds the past summer was an abso- 

 lute protection from the codling moth. From my recent experiments, I think 

 this one of the most hopeful fields for experiment in practical entomology. 



HOW TO DUST OR SYRINGE PLANTS. 



For dusting plants with Paris green, hellebore, etc., there are several pat- 

 ented machines, though I have yet to see a more convenient or easily managed 

 appliance than a simple bag of muslin tied to the end of a broom-stick. To 

 prevent waste while filling, this should be placed in the vessel which holds the 

 powder, or in some other vessel, — a common milk pan serves admirably. To 

 sift the powder onto the plants we have only to jerk the bag containing it, 

 above tiiem, gauging the force according to the amount of the substance which 

 it is desired to apply. On small plants, like young potato vines, I think this 

 the most economical method of applying the poison. 



To use the liquid mixtures or solutions in a small way on low vines or shrubs, 

 a common sprinkler with a finely perforated rose serves well, and requires no 

 expense, except perhaps for a new nozzle, as the usual nozzles are too coarse. 



