packakd] insects of the GAKDEK. 25 



gnaw tliiit off and fasten itself to the stump of the branch 

 so gnawed and suck the sap of the vine till it was so full 

 that it seemed almost ready to burst, then descend to the 

 ground and bury itself out of sight." 



It is well known that a roll of paper or tin surrounding 

 the plant and its roots is the best preventive against the 

 insidious attacks of the cut "worm. Mr. Cochrane in deal- 

 ing with the Apple-bud Cut Worm saj's, "• there is no 

 known remedy, salt has no properties repulsive to them ; 

 they burrow in it equally as quick as in lime or ashes. 

 Tobacco, soap and other diluted washes do not even pro- 

 voke them ; but a tin tube, six inches in length, opened on 

 one side and closed around the base of the tree, fitting close 

 and entering at the lower end an inch into the earth, is 

 what the lawyers would term 'an effectual estoppel' to fur- 

 ther proceedings." 



The l)est remedy is, then, to watch for the worms at dark 

 or dig around the roots by day and kill by pressure under 

 foot. The next best remedy is to surround tlic plant with 

 a roll of paper or pasteboard, and avoid the use of nostrums 

 recommended to kill (he worm. It is also a good plan to 

 set Ijoards under wliich the worms are inclined to hide ; they 

 should be examined every day and the worms if found killed. 

 Riley suggests that many cut worms may be entrapped by 

 making smooth holes with a stick and examining tlieni the 

 next day, when the worms may possibly be found at the 

 bottom. 



The Mure Worm. — Another universal .plague in gardens 

 is tlie wire worm. It is omnivorous in its tastes, feeding on 

 the roots of grain, lawn grass, various flowers and vegeta- 

 bles, and in some cases attacking fruits and flowers. They 

 occur in all sorts of places, but more abundantly tlian else- 

 where under the bark of trees and stumps, where they feed 

 on the deca3ing wood and thus are not harmful. We have 

 between one and two hundred species in this country. The 



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