CULTIVATION. 55 



organic matter the soil contains, the more will it remain 

 loose and friable ; the less organic matter, the more 

 waterings will be required, which causes the soil to crust 

 over, and to assume a close texture, and necessitates 

 frequent hoeings. As long as the plants have not spread 

 much, the hoeing may be done by a cultivator, followed 

 by some men to perform the heaping. Insects which 

 attack the tobacco must be carefully sought for and killed 

 at once. They can easily be discovered in the mornings ; 

 if not killed, they may destroy the whole crop in a few 

 days. Turkeys are invaluable for their grub-eating 

 propensities. 



Worms, in the American phraseology, here generally 

 known as caterpillars, are the hete noire of the tobacco 

 grower. The most common is highly destructive also to 

 the potato and tomato foliage. The worm as it comes 

 from the egg is so small as to be unobserved, but having 

 an enormous appetite, it devours rapidly, and soon grows 

 to a great size. When not feeding, it lifts up the head 

 and fore-part of the body, and remains apparently lifeless. 

 From its resemblance in this position to the Egyptian 

 Sphinx, Linnaeus gave the name Sphinx to the genus. 

 The larva is of a light green colour, with whitish oblique 

 stripes, and has a horn upon the rear end of the body. 

 Though it is repulsive in appearance, it is perfectly harm- 

 less to touch, and may be picked off with the hands with- 

 out fear. After it has reached its full size, it leaves the 

 scene of its ravages and goes into the earth, where it 

 throws off its skin and becomes a brown-coloured 

 chrysalis. The curious projection, like a handle, at the 

 end of the chrysalis, is a sheath which holds the tongue of 



