24 The Principles of Fruit-growing. 



mg grounds and the court-house happened to be in 

 their way, a proxy was appointed to represent the 

 accused insects, who debated the whole subject with 

 the accuser, after which judgment was rendered, 

 invariably against the accused insects in the form 

 of an excommunication, which was carried into 

 effect only when the insects disappeared at the time 

 of pupation." 



The suggestion which Washington is said to 

 have made upon the constitution whilst that in- 

 strument was under discussion, is not inapplicable 

 to the present subject. A clause having been pro- 

 posed that the standing army should be limited to 

 five thousand men, he suggested that another clause 

 be inserted forbidding any foreign power to in- 

 vade us with more than three thousand men! 



It is probably advisable to provide for inspection 

 of plants at ports of entry, but too much should 

 not be expected of such examinations. The exam- 

 ination soon comes to be largely a perfunctory 

 matter, and the most serious pests may easily slip 

 through the hands of officers. It is probable that no 

 law could be devised which could have kept the 

 codlin-moth, Hessian -fly, gipsy -moth, and a score of 

 other pests, out of the country, to say nothing of the 

 fungous diseases, which are more difficult to detect. 

 Then, again, one can never tell what insects are likely 

 to become troublesome upon introduction into a new 

 country. Many insects which are comparatively innoc- 

 uous in their native country, and against which, there- 

 fore, no suspicion exists, may become scourges in an- 



