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must be ineffectual, as they are ir- 

 rational. Tying therefore, a bag 

 of salt on the tree, or surrounding 

 it with grease and blubber, can 

 have no effect, except so far as the 

 effluvia might operate to deter the 

 insect. In that view pieces of shin- 

 gles, covered with moist tar, sus- 

 pended in many places, on the ex- 

 terior limbs might be more effec- 

 tual. We think, however, very 

 lightly of all these remedies. If 

 the Curculio is to be extirpated or 

 checked, we think it must be in the 

 ground. It is ascertained that 

 pavements will check them. It is 

 said that tanners' spent bark will 

 do it, and this is now in a course 

 of experiments. It certainly ac- 

 cords better with the history of the 

 insect, and is more rational. Any 

 substance, which will check the de- 

 scent, or ascent^ will occasion their 

 destruction. 



We must enter our protest against 

 all projects of boring holes into 

 trees, and filling them with mercu- 

 ry, or mercurial preparations, or 

 any other substance, as preventa- 

 tives against the Curculio, the Ap- 

 his, and as some say, all insects. 

 This is too empyrical, and there is 

 too much nonsense already in the 

 world to attempt to increase it. 



Aphis. Plant or Tree Lice, Al- 

 most every plant has a species of 

 this insect peculiar to itself. Its 

 powers of reproduction are almost 

 infinite, and more rapid than can 

 well be imagined. It is pernicious 

 to cabbages, Swedish turnips, and 

 to many trees and shrubs. In green- 

 houses they are readily destroyed 

 by the smoke of tobacco, or of sul- 

 phur. But in the open air, fumi- 



gation, though much in vogue many 

 years since, is of no avail. The 

 best remedy is the simplest. Soap 

 suds, forcibly applied, will, after 

 one or two applications effectually 

 destroy them, without apparent in- 

 jury to the plants. 



The cut worm, an insect so 

 called, is an ash coloured worm, 

 with a stripe almost black upon 

 its bark. At its full growth, it 

 is about the bigness of a goose 

 quill, and an inch and a quarter in 

 length. The greatest mischief that 

 they commonly do, is to young cab- 

 bages, cauliflowers, &c. They nev- 

 er choose to appear on the surface 

 in the day time ; but keep them- 

 selves buried about an inch or two 

 beneath it. In the night they come 

 up, eat off the stems of the young 

 plants, and again bury themselves 

 in the soil, often attempting to 

 draw in the plants after them. 



They sometimes destroy other 

 vegetables. I have known them to 

 cut off great part of a field of Indian 

 corn, before the first hoeing : But 

 this is not a common case. 



They begin to devour in May, 

 and cease in June. 



I once prevented their depreda- 

 tions in my garden, by manuring 

 the soil with sea mud, newly taken 

 from the flats. The plants gener- 

 ally escaped, though every one was 

 cut offin a spot of ground that lies 

 contiguous. From the success of 

 this experiment I conclude, that salt 

 is very ofl'ensive, or pernicious to 

 them. Lime and ashes in some 

 measure prevent their doing mis- 

 chief; but sea water, salt, or brine, 

 would be more effectual antidotes. 

 The most effectual and not a labo- 



