MV I'lCHT WITH THE ANIMAL KINCDOM. 53 



not disclose <.'^«;^b at all; we saw just a very small, white, furry 

 8oniethin<:^ like a wee fairy in a blanket. In a few days the fur (lis. 

 appeared and an oblong- package of a bluish green color lay in its 

 place. In a very short time we discovered that it had eyes and long 

 gauzy wings, but the wings seemed to be fastened tight to its body 

 to the very tips, and the eyes looked idiotically at us as much as to 

 say "Look if you like, don't you see I am tied hand and foot"? In 

 a little while the wings were loosened and tin}' feet appeared, upon 

 which he blundered about the under side of the leaf, venturing to 

 the very edge, but turning about again with the consciousness that 

 he could go no farther. Our next visit found him arrayed in a very 

 gay tennis suit of buff brown, very pretty, very becoming, but when 

 we attempt to put our finger on him, he "isn't there." He has an 

 engagement with all his relations to dine upon our grape vines. 

 Now what are we going to do about it? We have in our employ a man 

 who should be better known to the horticultural world, a man who 

 has practical ideas. When the tly season came, he said: "Why not 

 catch these fellows with ll^' paper"? So we sent for some, and the 

 druggist sent us the poisoned kind. We placed the roll upon the 

 top pantrj- shelf, where it still remains. Then he suggested that 

 the barrel of useless coal tar in the wagon shed might be utilized. 

 So we took a barrel hoop, stretched muslin over it, attached a 

 handle, smeared it with coal tar and proceeded to capture the 

 enemy. But the}- were not of the kind that fall so easily into every 

 trap, and when we geutl}' shook the vines, they vacated for the next 

 row. So this would not do. Our next experiment was to take eight 

 laths, make two substantial frames, full lath size, cover with strong 

 muslin and paint with tar. Two men would take these frames — on 

 opposite sides of the rows, placing them as nearly together at the 

 bottom as possible — then with a little cluster of the branches of 

 some tree with the leaves still on them gently strike the vines with 

 a downward movement. The first results were astounding. Several 

 times in each row, the workers were obliged to scrape off the enor- 

 mous collection of insects and paint over again. This was kept up, 

 the bugs all the while rapidly decreasing, until the harvest came 

 on, which proved verj^ satisfactory, as we took from mj' vines just 

 four thousand baskets. I wish I might add in story fashion, that 

 the enemy were completely routed and that next year I expected 

 to reap even a larger reward for this season's labor. But I cannot, 

 for the enemy still camp upon my premises, and not knowing his 

 ability for furnishing recruits I can only await developments. 



I will just add a few observations along this line before leaving 

 it. First, that the insects do not seem so plentiful on the grape vines 

 on bright days as on cloudy ones, ami it is useless to try and catch 

 them except on dark days or after sundown. Second, like the man 

 who "sowed tares," they seem to be open for business through the 

 entire night season. Third, that they prefer delicate grapes. My 

 Pockington, Prentiss and Duchess were almost ruined, bearing 

 only about one-fourth of a crop. 



The secretary said I was not to limit myself to grapes but speak 

 of berries anil their enemies too, but my paper is too long already 



