INJURIOUS INSECTS. 323 



with the birds, in which it shall be the duty of the party of the 

 first part to plow the land early in the fall, so that blue-bird, 

 robin, and grakle may have a cut-worm feast before leaving for 

 more genial climes. Deep harrowing will aid the party of the 

 second part, while a repetition of the same as early in the spring 

 as the season will permit will insure a thanksgiving repast of 

 the same nature. I feel very certain that from this cause, and 

 not freezing of the larvae, has originated the unquestionable fact 

 that fall plowing is an advantage. When unprotected larva) can 

 survive a temperature of 30, as I have proved the past winter, 

 we may be slow to credit the freezing method of destruction. 



Our early spring birds are much put to it to gain sufficient 

 food for themselves and brood, and with the opportunity will 

 become chief abettors in cut-worm destruction. That the three 

 birds above named do merit loudest praise for such valuable 

 service I have personal proof. 



The only method to supplement the above measures when 

 they are not adequate to remove the evil, with our field crops, 

 is digging out by hand and destroying. This is by no means 

 so tedious a procedure as would be thought at first, as by passing 

 along the corn-field early in the morning the cut stalk will reveal 

 the whereabouts of the night-marauder, which, by digging around 

 the stub, may soon be found and crushed. As this plan implies 

 the loss of at least a single stock to a larva, it would be very 

 well in planting to practice the advice of the poet : " Two for the 

 blackbird, two for the crow (they have earned them), two for 

 the cut-worm, and four to grow." This advice will be all the 

 more pertinent if the corn is to be planted after late spring- 

 plowed greensward ; I need hardly say late, as our wet springs 

 usually necessitate late spring plowing. 



If our farmers will heed the above, and give the go-by to 

 all those quack remedies which obtain annually an unmerited 

 place in our periodicals, such as salt, plaster, etc. (though all fer- 

 tilizers which promote rapid growth are always to be commended 

 as aids in the work of insect destruction), this cut-worm evil will 

 soon assume less importance. 



The following are the species which T have found injurious 



