A Struggle with the Web-worm 



The farmers who neglect this rapidly Farmers 

 increasing nuisance seem to me like the 

 Turk who sits under a crumbling wall, 

 murmuring, " God is great ! if it falls it 

 falls ! " and takes no pains to get out of 

 the way. 



So far as our own little farm is con- H<nuthf 

 cerned, some tall Wild Cherry trees that we 

 depend on for a screen give us timely no- 

 tice of the arrival of the pest, and bring us 

 all out promptly to do battle. The worms 

 are fought with fire on the end of a pole, 

 with a tall clipping knife, and with a wire 

 brush attached to the end of a long bam- 

 boo rod, which reaches to the very top of 

 the tallest trees, where, being judiciously 

 twisted, it brings down a crop of crawlers 

 for more positive destruction below. The 

 clipping is the most thorough method, for, 

 if done late in the evening, the nest, with 

 all its occupants, can be secured and its 

 contents burned or trampled to death. In 

 this way all the insects can be destroyed, 

 but, of course, it is only possible where 

 the web is on the end of a small branch. 

 Where it lies in the great crotches, the 

 torch or the wire brush must be applied ; 

 103 



