Ins 



INS 



233 



a white maggot, of the shape and 

 size of those in cheese, preying 

 upon the roots of young cabbages, 

 turnips, and radishes. My ra- 

 dishes, when sown early, seldom 

 escape ; those that are sown in 

 June mostly prosper. 



A person in my neighbourhood, 

 who has often been defeated by 

 these insects, in his attempts to 

 raise cabbages, declares, that last 

 spring, as usual, the maggots at- 

 tacked his cabbages before he 

 transplanted them ; and that, hav- 

 ing a scarcity of plants, he trans- 

 planted, on the same spot where 

 they used to fail, some which had 

 magyots in their roots among sound 

 plants : That as soon as he had 

 done transplanting, he watered 

 them plentifully with sea-water : 

 That the watering was not repeat- 

 ed ; but the maggots did no da- 

 mage at ail ; and that his crop was 

 very large and good. Some that 

 were left without watering were 

 destroyed, as before, by the mag- 

 gots. 



I have since tried this experi- 

 ment, with a good effect. Very 

 few of the cabbages were touched 

 by the maggots. But 1 find there 

 is danger in applying the sea-water 

 plentifully, unless it be in a wet 

 season. The plants are in danger, 

 when the gromid is dry, of imbib- 

 ing too much of the salt. In this 

 case their growth is greatly ob- 

 structed. 



'ihojigh I have conceived that 

 it would kill all sorts of plants, to 

 pour seawater upon them, the 

 cabbage, having an oily surface to 

 which water does not easily ad- 

 here, is perhaps an exception. 

 30 



The farmers who are remote from 

 the sea cannot apply the sea-water 

 to their cabbages, without too 

 much expense of carriage. But 

 they can afford to water their 

 plants with a brine of equal salt- 

 ness. I wish them to make the 

 experiment, not only on cabbages, 

 but on radishes, &c. It is safe 

 to apply salt-water in a wet sea- 

 son, or just after a rain. 



The Hessian jiy, so called, is an 

 insect that is pernicious to wheat, 

 while it is growing. It made its 

 appearance in the time of the late 

 war, in the vicinity of New- York, 

 and is supposed to have been im- 

 ported with the German troops. 

 From thence it has spread into 

 Connecticut and New-Jersey, lay- 

 Hig waste whole fields in its course. 

 A more formidable insect has 

 scarcely ever appeared in the 

 country. 



But against this enemy it seems 

 an easy antidote has been already 

 discovered. A letter, signed D, 

 Wadsworlh, which has lately been 

 published in the newspapers, com- 

 municates a method of prevent- 

 ing its depredations, which the 

 writer says has seen used with 

 effect. It is only steeping the seed 

 before sowing for twelve hours in 

 a strong infusion of the leaves of 

 elder. 



In the latest edition of Dr. 

 Morse's Geography, there is an ac- 

 count, that yellow-bearded wheat, 

 sown late in autumn, escajjed the 

 Hessian fly. 



The Hessian fly, although for- 

 merly supposed to be of German 

 origin, is, we believe, not known 

 in Germany, nor any other part of 

 Europe. 



