230 



INS 



INS 



rious remedy even in field culture 

 is to go round every morning and 

 open the earth at the foot of the 

 plant, and you will never fail to find 

 the worm at the root within four 

 inches. Kill him and you will save 

 not only the other plants of your 

 field, but probably many thousands 

 in future years. 



Top worms, oy spindle worms, a 

 white worm, resembling a grub, 

 found in the hose, or socket, of a 

 plant of maize, which eats off the 

 stem of the plant, and renders it un- 

 fruitful. When its excrements ap- 

 pear on the leaves, it may be known 

 that a worm is in the socket. They 

 are most commonly found in places 

 that are rich and dungy, particular- 

 ly in corn that grows near to barns ; 

 but they will sometimes prevail 

 through whole fields. Sprinkling 

 the corn, when they begin to eat, 

 with a weak lie of wood ashes will 

 effectually destroy them. So I sup- 

 pose, would almost any bitter infu- 

 sion ; but of this 1 have made no 

 trial. 



The striped bug, or yellow fly, is 

 a small four winged insect, the out- 

 ward wings of which are striped 

 with yellow and black. They eat 

 and destroy the young plants of cu- 

 cumbers, melons, squashes and 

 pumpions. They begin to eat while 

 the plants are in seed leaf; and, 

 unless they are opposed, will total- 

 ly destroy them, especially in a dry 

 season. 



These insects may be consider- 

 ably thinned, by killing them in a 

 dewy morning, when they have not 

 the free use of their wings, and 

 cannot well escape. 



I have sometimes defended the 



plants in some measure, by encir- 

 cling them with rock weed. But 

 nothing that I have tried has proved 

 so effectual, as sifting, or sprinkling 

 powdered soot upon the plants, 

 when the morning dew remains on 

 them. This forms a bitter cover- 

 ing for the plants, which the bugs 

 cannot endure the taste of. Per- 

 haps watering the plants with some 

 bitter infusion might equally pre- 

 serve them, if it were often repeat- 

 ed. I prefer soot, as 1 know by 

 experience that once sprinkling 

 with it will answer the end, unless 

 it happen to be washed offby rain. 

 When this happens, the sooting 

 should be repeated ; lime and 

 washes will answer as well. 



The turnip jiy, a well known 

 winged insect, which eats the seed 

 leaves of turnips, before the first 

 rough leaf appears. Their ravages 

 are so general, and of such conse- 

 quence, that the ingenious have at- 

 tended to the matter, and explored 

 many methods, both preventive and 

 remedial, to oppose them. 



One of the preventive methods 

 is, making the ground so rich that 

 the plants will grow rapidly, and 

 continue but for a short time in the 

 seed leaf ; for, after the evolution 

 of rough leaves, the plants are al- 

 most or quite out of danger of this 

 insect. 



It is also recommended, to pass 

 a roller over the ground, as soon as 

 the seed is sown. This not only 

 prevents the too sudden escape of 

 the moisture in the surface, and 

 causes the plants to rise sooner and 

 more vigorously ; but fills up or clo- 

 ses ten thousand little interstices in 

 the surface, which serve the insects 



