64 HOW TO DESTROY INSECTS. 



f/reen worm is most vigorous in its movements, she 

 gave several garden-plots of cabbage a sprinkling. 



These were examined soon after, and a number of 

 dead worms were picked from the leaves. The opera- 

 tion was repeated next day, and, after careful observa- 

 tion, wherever the solution was tried the leaves of the 

 plants were cleared of these pests. 



Sot Water for Cabbage-ivorms. 



A gardener who had tried a number of remedies for 

 the cabbage -worm found that sprinkling of red pepper 

 did well, but the best, simplest, cheapest, and most 

 efficient was applying hot water. It may be wrongly 

 applied, to the injury or destruction of the plant, and it 

 may be properly applied, doing no injury and killing 

 the insects. Fill a watering-pot with boiling water and 

 sprinkle the infested leaves only for a second or two. 

 It does its work very quickly on the worms, but the 

 leaves, being thick, are not heated or injured. The 

 older the heads become the less the danger. The 

 operator must practise and spoil a few plants to save 

 the rest. The water, by the time it reaches the plants, 

 will be several degrees below boiling. He must deter- 

 mine by trying how long the hot water will do its work 

 before becoming too cold. At the same time he must, 

 ascertain by experiment how long he can contrive to 

 apply the hot water before the leaves are injured by it, 

 A very little time will determine these points, 



