Corn, Grubs, &c. 231 



To show what may be done by patient perseverance 

 and industry, I mention ; that my tenant, (on shares,) 

 has eighteen acres of Indian corn, equal to the best crops 

 in the most favourable seasons. All my fields are well 

 limed and productive ; and this field about equal to any 

 other. I endeavoured to prevail on the tenant to Jail 

 plough for his corn ; but he is an old fashioned farmer, 

 bigoted in rooted opinions. He thought that early spring 

 and deep ploughing, with the lime, would do every thing. 

 The field was admirably ploughed, clean, and well ma- 

 naged in every respect. But his corn was attacked by an 

 host of cut worms, which I had predicted. My tenant 

 was determined to back his opinion, and unwittingly sta- 

 ked his life to support it : for in the end he had nearly 

 destroyed himself, as well as the grubs. He is an aged, 

 and rather feeble man ; yet he accomplished the extinc- 

 tion of the cut worms, with very little assistance from his 

 family, by actually mashing them with his fingers and 

 feet ; though he might have gathered and destroyed them 

 by means less disgusting. I confess I had not the most 

 distant belief that it was possible for him to succeed. 

 But he is rewarded for his toil ; and is now recovering 

 from an attack of fever, and consequent debility, brought 

 on by fatigue, against which I had often warned him. I 

 do not think his re- seeding (to which re-planting from a 

 seed bed in a corner of your field is far preferable) was 

 anywise equal to that required in common cases. Part 

 of the field is flat and strong ground ; and a part light 

 sandy loam. In this latter the grubs were comparatively 

 few ; and the corn, at first, the best. But now the crop 

 on the low ground, in which the grub most abounded, is 

 equal, if not better. So that from this example we may 



