THE FARMER'S MACiAZINE, 



107 



cabbigc-leaf plant-louse (A. Brassicie), which is very in- 

 jurious to the cabbage tribe, and also to the Swedish 

 turnip. 2nd, the black-spotted turnip -leaf plant-louse 

 (A. Dubia). 3rd, the bean-plant louse, or Black Dolphin, 

 (A. Fabe). 4th, the turnip-flower plant-louse(A. Floris- 

 rapse) ; these infest the leaf of white, or common turnips 

 in July and August. 5th, the wheat plant-louse (A. 

 Granaria) ; it is sometimes abundant upon the ears of 

 wheat, sucking the stem and impoverishing the grain. 

 6th, the hop fly (A. Humilia); the lady-birds pursue 

 them on the hop leaves, and destroy them by thousands. 

 7th, the turnip-leaf plant-louse (A. llapte) ; and, 8tb, 

 the Indian Corn plant-louse (A. Zea-). All of these are 

 beautifully engraved, and shown magnified and in their 

 natural size, in the columns of the Cyclopcadia, to which 

 I would refer my readers. Who can wonder at the 

 destruction made by these formidable enemies, although 

 80 small ? Their increase is most astonishing : in four 

 days from their birth they breed, and that rapidly. 

 Every farmer has viewed their progress and course upon 

 his crops with surprise and wonder. At this very season, 

 within a short distance from where I write, a crop of 

 peas has been cut for fodder, which a few days ago were 

 covered with blossoms, and looked healthy, and pro- 

 mising an abundant crop ; and there appears no help 

 for it. Cutting off the tops of beans is a partial good ; 

 and no effort in management can prevent their attacks, 

 which may truly be considered unaccountable, as no 

 season is altogether a preventive, but in hot and fine 

 weather they most abound. I some time ago ventured 

 to foretel an unusual attack from the insect tribe, as I 

 believed their progenies were uninjured by the exceed- 

 ingly fine and ua-Eiujlish winter through which we had 

 passed — nor do I yet believe we have arrived at the 

 worst. The black caterpillar has commenced ravaging 



tho turnips in Vorkshiif, and in August and September 

 the caterpillar and grub may be expected to maka work 

 with late crops of green food and the pasture lands. 

 There is no better remedy than a continuous course of 

 pood farming, with all its corresponding advantages. 

 The hedge rows and ditch banks should all be annually 

 cleansed, so that insects' deposits of every kind may be 

 destroyed. 



We have had mnny showers in this district in the past 

 two days, which have dashed vast numbers of aphides 

 to the ground. The wheats are tolerably clear this morn- 

 ning (July 7), although a good deal thrown down. 

 The mangel crop has fared the best ; not a leaf is se- 

 riously damaged, and it is growing luxuriantly. Swedes 

 have a considerable number upon the leaves, but have 

 not yet suffered severely. Cabbages look well and clear, 

 and potato crop is tolerably free ; but all these matters 

 are causes for anxious care amongst farmers, and the ge- 

 neral inquiry now is as to the state of the crops. I am 

 pleased to be able to say that a fair prospect awaits us : 

 all things are progressing, notwithstanding these untoward 

 things, and an early harvest must ensue, and I believe 

 it will upon the whole be a prolific one. 



We have always some little drawback or other, and 

 these aphides form the hindrance this year ; but put 

 against them this beautiful season — why it has brought 

 up into full vigour every backward ear and shag of oats. 

 We have only barley, beans, and peas somewhat defec- 

 tive, and these but partially. Should it please Him 

 " who overrules all mortal things" to bless us with 

 suitable weather for the ingathering of the harvest, it 

 will be one of the best and most prosperous years we 

 have for some time enjoyed, commencing as I do the 

 farmer's year with the sowing of his spring grain. 



THE GREAT ART OF HORSE-TAMING. 



There is an old story of a clever showman at a 

 country-fair who invited the people to walk up and see 

 a horse with his head where his tail should be ! With 

 a horse-loving nation like ours, of course the thing 

 took, and many a man paid his shilling to see — an 

 animal turned round in his stall with his tail to the 

 manger, and his head facing the audience. In a neat 

 apologetic speech, the exhibitor begged the forbearance 

 of his visitors, requesting as an especial favour that 

 they would keep what they had seen a profound secret, 

 as "there were sure to be plenty more fools in the 

 fair." 



" The horse-taming humbug," as it is now called, is 

 said to have come to this. Never was there so com- 

 plete a revulsion of popular feeling. Ten-guinea sub- 

 scribers, who a week or two since shook their heads 

 knowingly when you asked them a question, have been 

 amongst the first to cry out. The coming man of the day 

 before yesterday — the petted of palaces, and the hero 

 of horsemen — is almost anything else you now choose 

 to say of him. The simple fact is, there is no secret 



after all. We have Mr. Rarey's own word for this. 

 In an evil hour he did what it is said any one would 

 wish his enemy to do — he wrote a book. He details 

 in this his own practice and reasoning — how to make a 

 horse do almost everything he is declared to have done 

 in the Round House. And there is scarcely an actual 

 novelty in this book from one end to the other. It is still 

 well worth looking through, and may be had anywhere 

 for sixpence. At the same time the art, please to re- 

 member, is a profound secret. You or I certainly may 

 try to practise it by our sixpenny book; but should his 

 Grace, or my Lord, or Sir Harry dare openly to do 

 so, he is liable at once to a five hundred pounds fine. 

 There is a rich absurdity about this, altogether un- 

 paralleled. 



A countryman of Mr. Rarey, a clockmaker by 

 trade, has told us how fleeting a thing is "popularity — 

 soon won, soon lost ; cried up sky-high one minute, and 

 desarted the next. The multitude are always fickle- 

 minded." We have very little doubt but the last wonder 

 amongst us will soon find how true this is ; cried up 



