APHIDES. 355 



painter's brush. This I prefer doing in spring, or 

 as soon as the hoariness appears. The substance 

 soon sufficiently hardens, and forms a varnish, which 

 prevents any escape, and stifles the individuals. 

 After this first dressing, should any cottony matter 

 appear round the margin of the varnish, a second 

 application to these parts will, I thinly be found to 

 effect a perfect cure. 



The prevalence of this insect gives some of our 

 orchards here the appearance of numerous white 

 posts in an extensive dry ing- ground, being washed 

 with lime from root to branch a practice, I appre- 

 hend, attended with little benefit. A few creatures 

 may be destroyed by accident ; but as the animal 

 does not retire to the earth, but winters in the clefts 

 of the boughs, far beyond the influence of this wash, 

 it remains uninjured, to commence its ravages again 

 when spring returns. 



July, 1829. All the early part of this month 

 has been hot and damp, tending apparently to the 

 production of the insect race ; yet in general the 

 vegetation is remarkably free from their depreda- 

 tions, and, excepting the commonest insects, very 

 few indeed are to be observed, and our migrating 

 small birds, which feed upon them, are as scarce as 

 their food : but for some days there has been a 

 profusion of aphides upon everything, and the 

 under sides of many leaves are almost hidden by 

 the numbers which have taken shelter there. Even 

 plants removed from cover are soon spotted with 

 the winged aphis, not apparently feeding, but 



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