AND OTHER INJURIOUS INSECTS OF TQOJ AND iyo8. 1 29 



no possible chance of saying that a swarm of flies might have gone from one 

 side and attacked one end of the bed and leave some other part untouched. 

 Of course, I marked the place and watched results carefully. The mag- 

 gots ate almost every plant on both sides of those that had felt on and my 

 remembrance is that the maggots destroyed only one plant of the one 

 hundred, and that proved to be one that the pad was not on in a proper 

 manner, possibly had been disturbed with a hoe or cultivator. 



"The experiment was so absolute in its results that we at once made 

 arrangements to use tarred felt on all of our early cabbage, and have con- 

 tinued using them ever since. We for some years past have been setting 

 about 20,000 plants as soon as we could get them out after the weather 

 was suitable for setting, and we expect to set about 30,000 within the next 

 week or ten days, and have the pads all ready to put on them. In this 

 locality our experience has shown that plants set later than May 24th or 

 25th, do not need the felt on them. Before we began using the pads, our 

 method was to set only a small bed of cabbage for the first setting, say 

 1,500 or 2,000 plants. These we expected the maggots to take nearly every 

 plant of, and then set again in about four or five days, following at intervals 

 of two or three days with other settings. The flies seem to go to the earl- 

 iest set plants and lay their eggs on them first, only destroying a few of 

 the second planting, and hardly any of the third, but with the tarred felt, 

 they cannot do any particular harm. 



"Referring to the claim that the plants are set too low, and that the 

 ground is too rough, and that the pads cannot be used, I will say that our 

 soil is a good loam, and we smooth the ground a little around the plant 

 with the hand, and put the pads on them, pressing them down carefully. 

 I suppose you know that it does not injure a plant to break off the lower 

 leaves if they are in the way, for they drop off of their own accord a little 

 later. Of course, when setting very short stemmed variety of cabbage, 

 care must be taken to set the plants in such a manner that the pads can be 

 put on. A trifling amount of earth on top of them will not destroy their 

 utility. 



"As you refer to what Prof. Slingerland says, I presume you are fa- 

 miliar with the manner of cutting and using the die. Under separate cover 

 I send you a few of the pads that are used by us and quite a number of 

 gardeners in this locality, and I have been very much surprised that they 

 have not come into general use throughout the country, and that some one 

 has not gone into the business of cutting them by machinery, and placing 

 them on the market. There is absolutely no question about their value in 

 this locality." 



A supply of cards was obtained from Mr. Smith and put around cauli- 

 flower plants. These cards were smaller than those obtained from the New 

 York firm, and were made from what is known as one ply tarred felt. 

 They are hexagonal in shape, and measure 2^ inches in diameter. The 

 plants around which these cards were placed were set May 21st, and the 

 cards applied May 23d. Cards were applied to 5 rows, Z7 plants to the 

 row, and 10 rows at the sides of these were left for checks. Final counts 

 made on these rows August Sth were as follows: 



