316 



Cut-worm, — Clover, — Lime. 



Vol. VII. 



the family, but at length disappeared, hav- 

 ing, as was then supposed, been shot by 

 some vagrant gunner, or destroyed by acci- 

 dent. About eleven months after this, as 

 the gentleman one morning, in company 

 with several others, was standing on the 

 river shore, a number of crows happening 

 to pass by, one of them left the flock, and 

 flying directly towards the company, alighted 

 on the gentleman's shoulder, and began to 

 gabble away with great volubility, as one 

 long absent friend naturally enough does, 

 on meeting another. On recovering from 

 his surprise, the gentleman instantly recog- 

 nised his old acquaintance, and endeavoured, 

 by several civil, but sly manoeuvres, to lay 

 hold of him : but the crow, not altogether 

 relishing quite so much familiarity, having 

 now had a taste of the sweets of liberty, 

 cautiously eluded all his attempts; and sud- 

 denly glancing his eye on his distant com- 

 panions, mounted in the air after them, soon 

 overtook and mingled with them, and was 

 never afterwards seen to return." — Jesse's 

 Gleanings. 



The above anecdote reminds us of a little incident 

 recently mentioned by a friend, who in his travels in 

 the summer of 1832, stopped for the night at a public 

 house in Bucks county, and was much amused by the 

 motions of an active, voluble and intelligent crow 

 who vigilantly superintended the business of the 

 hostler. He first leaped into the carriage, apparently 

 to give directions about the baggage. The hostler 

 either intentionally, or accidentally, left a part of it 

 behind, but the crow, on discovering it, was exces- 

 sively restive and vociferous until it was all removed. 

 He then followed the horses to the shed where they 

 were hitched, in order to be properly groomed. He 

 walked round and round them, examining their heels 

 while the hosller was cleaning them, and wherever a 

 speck of mud was observed that should be removed, 

 his boisterous gabbling gave the servant no rest, till it 

 was attended to. When every thing was done to 

 please him, he strutted off with all the consequence of 

 a gentleman who felt that his orders were law. Mine 

 host himself, could hardly have shown more interest 

 in the baggage and the horses, than did his jet-black 

 crow-ship. — Ed. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Cut-worm,— Clover,— Lime. 



I have been making some observations 

 respecting the cut-worm since my last com- 

 munication, and I think the whole round of 

 its existence may be traced in the following 

 manner: First; a minute insect emerging 

 from an egg. This small creature continues 

 to grow several weeks, consuming green 

 food indiscriminately, until full size and ma- 

 ture age arc attained. It then crawls into 



the ground, to the depth of three or four 

 inches, and prepares to undergo a change — 

 begins to draw up, shorten, and gradually 

 receive a hard shell. This apparently tor- 

 pid state continues about one month; the 

 shell then opens and lets out a fly, much 

 resembling a common candle fly ; and judg- 

 ing from every thing else of a similar na- 

 ture, this fly lays the foundation for a new 

 crop of little worms. 



So much to prove that cattle have no 

 agency in the production of cut-worms; 

 they being in every stage, totally unfit to 

 encounter the difficulties belonging to the 

 trade of a tumble bug. As still further 

 proof — I once mowed a part of a field and 

 left the other part without mowing or pas- 

 turing. Next spring, the corn growing on 

 the part on which the grass was left, was 

 nearly all cut off by the worms. The corn 

 on the mowed part was not injured at all; 

 both ploughed in the spring, and at about 

 the same time. 



A correspondent, X., through the Cabinet, 

 sixth vol., page 208, inquired how to pre- 

 serve clover best through the winter. From 

 my own experience I am confirmed in the 

 belief, that clover should not be pastured ; — 

 the surface of the earth should be kept as 

 light and dry as possible, and if the subsoil 

 is a stiff clay, so much the better. If the 

 surface is rendered compact by treading, it 

 unites firmly to the top of the clover roots, 

 at the commencement of frost; and as freez- 

 ing advances, the surface of the earth rises, 

 taking the clover with it, even defying the 

 strength of the tap-root, fastened in the clay 

 beneath. The earth settles every thaw, and 

 takes lower hold on the root every freeze. I 

 have seen, in wet places, young apple trees 

 with tap-roots two feet long, pulled entirely 

 out of the ground by a winter's frost. Should 

 the surface be light and dry, it will not ad- 

 here so firmly to the root by freezing; the 

 earth may rise around, and leave the plant 

 undisturbed. 



I was much pleased with an article in a 

 late number of the Cabinet, on the use of 

 lime, from the pen of I. W. Vanleer ; and 

 so far as my farm is concerned, I cordially 

 endorse his doctrine; however, this is a 

 limestone country, and every farmer may 

 make his own lime if lie will. I have used 

 lime in various ways, and I think the trowel 

 applies it better than anything else. If it 

 is applied to land, the further it is hauled, 

 in a general way, the more good it does. 



Micajah T. Johnson. 



Short-creek, Harrison co. : Ohio, 1843. 



