SOIL AND [Chap. 



The brown grub keeps snugly just under the sur- 

 face of the ground in the day time, comes out at 

 night, bites off the plant nearly close to the 

 ground, and re-enters its retreat. 



41.1 was once going by the house of a quaker 

 in Long Island, and drove up to it for the pur- 

 pose of getting entertainment for man and horses. 

 After introductory matter, I said, " how is your 

 corn ?" which is the common question in that 

 country. He shook his head, and said, " Now, 

 " William Cobbett, can thee, that knows so 

 *' many things, tell how to destroy the brown 

 " grub ?" " Ah," said I, " that devil has mas- 

 " tered me all my life-time. Your only remedy 

 " is patience, or absolutely going with a candle 

 " and lantern, and watching every plant all 

 '^ night long." After breakfast he took me into 

 his field, which was in fact an orchard, with 

 trees widely planted in it, and which, according 

 to the custom of the country, had been ploughed 

 up at the fourth or fifth year, for the double 

 purpose of benefiting the trees and obtaining a 

 crop of corn. It was fine land, some of the best 

 in the whole Island, on the side of one of the 

 little inlets from the east river. The sight was 

 truly distressing. The cursed creatures (saving 

 their right of nature) had cut off the corn, when 

 it was two inches and a half or three inches high, 

 hill after hill, in many places for ten hills toge- 



