THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



123 



the work was btidly done by a careless 

 bungler. Where the work was well 

 done all lived. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



EXTERMINATION OF WHITE GRFBS. 



It has been a matter of consideiable 

 surprise to me that such journals as the 

 American Agriculturist and such bodies 

 as the Fruit Grower's Association of 

 Ontario, have decided that nothing can 

 be done to cnt short the supply of white 

 grubs. To produce a marked effect in 

 this case as in the case of most of the 

 insects, a general war is highly desirable. 

 If there is a supply of available chil- 

 dren they will enter into the sport with 

 gi*eat glee. A supply of ducks or other 

 fowls to consume the raw product is no 

 disadvantage. Early in June, so soon 

 as the May beetles (the parents of the 

 gi'ubs) make their appearance, is the 

 time to operate the most effectually. 

 The beetles may often be found in the 

 daytime in cracks and crevices in the 

 ground, and more especially at the 

 roots of plum trees, and here the ducks 

 will be seen seai-ching for them. But 

 so soon as the shades of evening are 

 fairly settled the great beetle harvest 

 begins. 



One child carries the stoppered can 

 or large bottle, another carries the lan- 

 tern, if the night is dark, and the fun 

 begins. Many can be picked from the 

 plum tree, but jarring is the quickest 

 method. By making the round of the 

 plum trees a few times the local su])ply 

 will be bottled in short order. A few 

 may be found on cherry trees and a 

 few on raspberry bushes, but the plum 

 trees are their headquarters. 



By catching them every evening for 

 a few weeks, one family will destroy 

 beetles enough to furnish a full suj)ply 

 of grubs for several acres of ground. If 

 fruitgrowers generally would pay at- 



tention to the beetles at the time spoken 

 of their numbers would be greatly dim- 

 inished. Where clean cultivation is 

 the rule grubs do not incline to deposit 

 their eggs. A growth of grass or weeds, 

 or of say strawberries, gives them some- 

 thing to found their hopes upon. Sod 

 land is often very full of grubs, which 

 proceed to destroy strawberries or pota- 

 toes if planted thei-eon. After a few 

 years good cultivation the grubs dis- 

 appear. Salt is used as a remedy, but 

 it is doubtful if enough to destroy the 

 grubs would not destroy the vegetable 

 crop as well. Remedies in this as in 

 other cases get a cheap reputation be- 

 cause the trouble happens to disappear 

 simultaneously with their application. 

 I train hens to follow the plough and 

 eat the grubs. Robins understand 

 the grub business better than anybody 

 else. My lawn was nearly destroyed 

 by grubs. In the fall a few robins 

 took the contract of resurrecting those 

 grubs. They did it thusly : Hop 

 along. Listen. Down goes the robin's 

 bill. Out comes the grub. A brief ray 

 of sunshine and then all is darkness for 

 that grub. I suspect, too, that crows 

 know more about grubs than they have 

 ever told us. 



E. MORDEN. 

 Drummondville, Ont. 



CODLIN MOTH. 



To THK Editor of the Canadian Hokticulturist. 



Sir, — We sustained very little injury 

 last year from the ravages of the Cod- 

 lin Moth, but in the course of the sum- 

 mer I noticed in the agricultural de- 

 partment of the Toronto Globe a receipt 

 for capturing the moths, by hanging 

 wide-mouthed ghiss jars under the 

 branches of the trees containing a mix- 

 ture of water and molasses, or sugar 

 and vinegar, so I resolved to try ic. 

 I hung up in different parts of my 

 orchard, about one acre in extent, three 

 glass preserve jars with the al>oy«- 



