120 QUARTERLY JOURNAL. 



and the whole accurately marked — and without these marks the] 

 cannot well be distinguished — no superiority indicating the steeped ; 

 portion, is discernible. 



No part of the field is injured by the well known cut-worm! 

 {phalena devastator,) which has committed great ravages in thij; 

 country generally ; but I owe this exemption to the winter furi) 

 row, which exposed the pupa to frost ; indeed, the whole beiujiJi 

 free from this pest, the steeps cannot claim credit for it. ,; 



But unfortunately for these steeps, as protective against insecUi^ 

 several spaces of some square perches of my corn have been iclh 

 fested by numerous aphides on the roots, which I was led to dete«i 

 by the yellow color and stunted growth of the plant ; the micr(|tt 

 scope disclosed the agents of the mischief, which, at their firiii 

 period, were not visible to the naked eye, though subsequent!;; 

 plainly so ; these injured spaces were partly within the range < 

 each of the steeps — unequivocally contradicting the idea of the 

 protective character. Upon some portions of the injured spaces, 

 applied the guano in powder, mixed with three parts earth, wi 

 out any advantage yet experienced from it — but possibly thei 

 may be, in more time. With the same view to this insect, I 

 lately applied a strong solution of the guano about the roo 

 which will probably have an earlier and better effect. Indeed, 

 have no doubt this is the most economical and effective mode of 

 application for nutriment also ; the whole dose will then cor 

 within the immediate command of the organs designed by natu 

 to introduce it into the circulatory system, for the final purposes, 

 the plant ; and without waste. 



I will here remark, that with one of the infested portions 

 corn, I made trial of a strong infusion of tobacco stems, pourii 

 around each plant half a pint of it. In a few days — to my surprise 

 for I had supposed the case desperate — the plants thus treated, fc 

 gan to assume a green color, and are now improving. ^ 



It is to be lamented, that a branch of science (entomology) ii 

 intimately connected with the farmer's interest, should be so mUj' 

 neglected. Were the habits of the numerous insects injurious to veg( 

 tation,intimately understood, the farmer would have his antidote i 

 the various tribes — perhaps infallibly at hand, on all occasions. 

 periodical entitled the "American Quarterly Journal of Agrici 

 ture and Science," lately established at Albany, New- York, condu( 



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