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Corn Grubs, or Cut Worms. Fall- Ploughing. 



Belmont, August 8th, 1815. 



This season has been remarkably unpropi'ious to our 

 crops of Indian corn ; which, however, an far better 

 than we could have expected ; and will on the whole, 

 be tolerably plentiful, (although, in many parts of our 

 country, they have been greatly injured,) if* we shruld 

 be favoured with a mild autumn. The ravages of 

 the grub, or cut- worm, have been uncommonly ru- 

 inous. The prevention of this scourge, so often de- 

 plored, and so seldom guarded against, is always in 

 the power of every provident firmer, and, if he will 

 not prevent, he ought not to complain of, the injuries to 

 which the corn crops are subject. The preventive is fall- 

 ploughing \ which exposes the progeny of the grub to 

 destrction, by frosts, and other inclemencies of the win- 

 ter. During a period of more than fifty years, I have 

 been personally engaged, or constantly interested, in 

 practical farming ; and I can truly say, that I never suf- 

 fered any material injury from the grubs; when I turn- 

 ed up my fields intended for corn, in the fall of the year 

 I generally harrowed the fallow : and, previously thereto, 

 often rolled down the sod. When I could procure lime 

 at that season, or early in the spring, I was, and am 

 still, in the habit of spreading it on the corn fal- 

 low ; and although this is a destroyer of the nascent 



