ENGRAFTING. 



ENTOMOLOGY. 



greatest effect, we must watch them through 

 all their changes. There may probably be 

 many persons ignorant that most insects pass 

 through four stages of existence (of which the 

 silkworm affords a familiar instance) : 1. The 

 egg; 2. The caterpillar; 3. The chrysalis; and, 

 4. The butterfly or imago. It is in the second 

 stage that insects generally do the most mis- 

 chief. In the egg and the chrysalis they do 

 none; and in the imago, some do and some do 

 not. Though we are all familiar with the in- 

 sect in the shape in which its ravages compel 

 our attention, we are frequently unconscious 

 of its identity under other shapes. We look 

 on the cockchaffer, without suspecting that its 

 issue is the grub which eats the roots of the 

 grass. But however desirable* a knowledge 

 of entomology may be, no single individual 

 could acquire it all for himself. He would 

 need the eyes of Argus, the patience of Job, 

 and the years of Methuselah. The diligence 

 and sagacity of men who have passed their 

 lives in this study have at length accumulated 

 a body of facts of the highest value ; being 

 printed, they have become the property of 

 everybody who will take the trouble to read 

 them; and thus a school-boy may learn in a 

 few months facts which the labours of his 

 whole life might have been vainly exerted in 

 seeking. 



Messrs. Kirby and Spence in Europe, and 

 Dr. Harris in America, are the great authori- 

 ties upon this subject, and from their books 

 most of the facts stated in this encyclopaedia 

 have been taken. They themselves suggest a 

 similar application to practice of the truths 

 of their favourite science. "With respect to 

 noxious caterpillars in general," say they, 

 "farmers and gardeners are not usually aware 

 that the best mode of preventing their attacks 

 is to destroy the female fly before she has laid 

 her eggs; to do which, the moth proceeding 

 from each must be first ascertained ; but if 

 their research were carried still farther, so as 

 to enable them to distinguish the pupa, and 

 discover its haunts (and it would not be diffi- 

 cult to detect that of the greatest pest of our 

 gardens, the cabbage butterfly), the work might 

 be still more effectually accomplished." 



The process of destroying noxious insects by 

 attacking them in their early stages is not new. 

 P. Musgrave collected the chrysalids in the 

 spring so'as to become acquainted with them, 

 and then employed people to catch and kill the 

 moths and butterflies. If you catch 200 in a 

 day, you destroy 10,000 eggs, which would give 

 120,000 in a fortnight. Might not boys and 

 girls be well employed in doing this ? They 

 have all the organ of destructiveness. 



In short, it is abundantly evident, that if we 

 knew them in all their changes, and know 

 where they are concealed in autumn, winter, 

 and spring, we might exterminate those multi- 

 tudes which are now as the sands which are 

 upon the sea-shore. And if not all the know- 

 ledge required be yet in our possession, a great 

 deal is, and might be easily imparted to the 

 young farmer, if we could catch him in his 

 chrysalis state; and what little is still wanting 



The problem of course is, how to destroy this I would soon be accumulated when we had set 

 legion of enemies. Now to do this with the ! so many keen and interested eyes to obser"*. 



2P 445 



excessive rains. All these methods succeed 

 in dry seasons, but in wet ones the plants 

 treated according to any of these plans are 

 very apt to decay. The one which succeeds 

 best in all seasons, is to fold the leaves round 

 the heart as much as possible in their natural 

 position, and being tied together with a shred 

 of bass mat, covered up entirely with coal 

 ashes in the form of a cone, the surface being 

 rendered firm and smooth with the trowel. 

 Sand will do ; but ashes are equally unreten- 

 tive of moisture, whilst they are much superior 

 in absorbing heat, which is so beneficial in the 

 hastening of the process. If the simple mode 

 of drawing the leaves together is adopted to 

 effect this etiolation, they must be tied very 

 close ; and in a week after the first tying, a 

 second ligature must be passed round the 

 middle of the plant, to prevent the heart-leaves 

 bursting out. A dry afternoon, when the plants 

 are entirely free from moisture, should he se- 

 lected, whichever mode is adopted for this 

 concluding operation. For the production of 

 seed, the finest and soundest plants should be 

 selected of the last plantation, and which must 

 agree with the characteristics of the respective 

 varieties. For a small family, three or four 

 plants of each variety will produce sufficient. 

 These should be taken in March, and planted 

 beneath a south fence, about a foot from it, and 

 18 inches apart. As the flower-stems advance, 

 they should be fastened to stakes ; or if they 

 are placed beneath palings, the supporting 

 string can be nailed to them. They must be 

 kept clear of weeds. In July the seed will 

 begin to ripen ; and here it must be observed, 

 that each lateral branch is to be gathered as 

 the seed upon it ripens ; for if none are gather- 

 ed until the whole plant is changing colour, the 

 first ripened and best seed will have scattered 

 and be lost, so wide is the difference of time 

 between the several branches of the same 

 plant ripening their seed. Each branch must 

 be laid, as it is cut, upon a cloth in the sun, 

 and when perfectly dry, the seed beaten out, 

 cleansed, and stored. Endive seed will vege- 

 tate after being kept five or six years. 

 ENGRAFTING. See GUAFTINO. 

 ENTOMOLOGY. A term signifying the 

 knowledge of insects. The importance of 

 such knowledge to those interested in agricul- 

 ture or rural affairs, must be obvious to every 

 one who reflects upon the advantages derived 

 from the useful labours of some insects, and 

 the devastations committed by others. The 

 first step in proof of the utility of this science, 

 might be to show that insects do a great deal 

 of harm. Besides wire-worms and other in- 

 sects which eat the seed jn the ground, and 

 weevils which destroy the contents of the gra- 

 naries, flies torment the domestic animal whilst 

 alive and blow their flesh when dead. Cater- 

 pillars eat cabbages, and moths riddle holes in 

 cloth. Clover-seed is destroyed by a small 

 weevil (Apion flavi-femaratum) ; Dutch clover 

 by the Jlpion flavipes ; peas in the pod by the 

 small beetle (Bruchus granarius). The turnip- 

 fly is properly a beetle a little jumping beetle 

 (H'lltica nemorum). 



