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INS 



The palmer zvorni, a wanderer, 

 as its name signifies. This is a 

 small worm, about half an inch in 

 length, with many legs, and ex- 

 tremely nimble. It appears at dif- 

 ferent times in different parts of 

 the country. 1 have seen them 

 only on apple trees and oak trees, 

 in any great abundance. They 

 give trees the same appearance 

 that the canker worm does. They 

 appeared in the county of Cum- 

 berland in the year 1791, about 

 the middle of June, eating off' the 

 covering of the leaves on both 

 sides, and leaving the membranous 

 part entire. The following year 

 there was none to be seen ; and I 

 have not known them in any place 

 two years in succession. The 

 seeds of them may be constant, 

 wanting only a particular state of 

 the weather to produce them. 

 The spring which preceded their 

 appearance had been remarkably 

 dry, both in April and May. The 

 history of this insect is so little 

 known, that I will not undertake 

 to say how they may be success- 

 fully opposed. I made smokes 

 under the fruit trees, without any 

 apparent effect. As they let them- 

 selves down by threads, they may 

 he thinned by shaking the trees, 

 and striking otf the threads. Their 

 ravages had not any lasting effect : 

 For the orchards that had been 

 visited by them bore plentifully 

 the following year. 



Weevil, an insect injurious to 

 corn in granaries. Shutting up an 

 apartment and filling it with the 

 smoke of burning sulphur will de- 

 stroy them. But the smoke should 

 be continued as much as twelve 



hours. Grain may be cleared of 

 them by sifting, in a sieve so made 

 that the insects will pass through, 

 and the grain stay behind. Sprink- 

 ling wheat with lime in the bin, 

 which may be afterwards winnowed 

 out; making bins of Lombardy 

 poplar, and sprinkling salt among 

 the sheaves before threshing, have 

 been recommended. 



The timber worms should also 

 be mentioned. These are of two 

 kinds. The smaller kind eats only 

 the sappy parts of the wood, turn- 

 ing it to what is vulgarly called 

 powder post. To prevent damage 

 from this insect, nothing more is 

 necessary than to fell the timber 

 in December or January, in which 

 month it is sure to be freest from 

 sap. When it is necessary to fell 

 trees that are full of sap, some- 

 thing should be done to divest it 

 of the sap, or alter the quality of 

 this juice. Soaking it, even in 

 fresh water, will be of some ser- 

 vice. But in salt-water, soaking 

 will be quite effectual, against most 

 kinds of worms. 



The large boring worm is far 

 more mischievous than the one I 

 have mentioned ; and no season of 

 felling secures timber wholly from 

 this insect. They make the great- 

 est havock in pine. They are 

 hatched in the cavities of the bark, 

 and being small when they enter 

 the wood, they grow larger as they 

 proceed, till their boring may be 

 heard, like the cutting of an augur, 

 to a considerable distance. They 

 proceed to eat the wood in every 

 direction, till they become as large 

 as one's finger, or till the juice of 

 the wood, being altered, is unfit to 

 nourish them any longer. 



