INJURIOUS TO CABBAGE AND CRUCIFEROUS CROPS 353 



they are set. The earth should be smoothed down and well 

 firmed by the hand, the card then applied to the plant, and 

 pressed down tight to the ground, so that it fits snugly around 

 the stem and the edges of the slit meet. With a little experience 

 the cards maybe applied rapidly, and though involving con- 

 siderable handwork, the testimony of those who have used 

 them for many years shows that the method is entirely practical 

 and is to be preferred to doubtful remedies. 



FIG. 254. Cabbage roots destroyed by the cabbage maggot. (After 

 Slingerland.) 



A mixture of lime and carbolic acid has recently been 

 used by applying it to the surface of the soil around the 

 plants, so as to form a slight crust, the carbolic acid acting pos- 

 sibly as a repellant. The lime is slaked to a thin cream, and 

 diluted to 3 pints to a gallon of water, to which is added a 

 tablespoonful of crude carbolic acid. It is applied liberally to 

 the soil immediately around the plants with a sprinkling can. 

 This has proven quite effective for cabbage in New Jersey, 

 but in Minnesota cabbage so treated showed but little benefit, 

 though radishes were somewhat protected. Kerosene and sand, 

 gas tar and sand, tobacco dust and many other substances 



