250 AMERICAN HUSBANDRY. 



be sown, will make as many furrows as it has teeth ; 

 and if the first furrow is made accurate by a hne or 

 a straight-edged board, the succeeding ones will be 

 so too, since a tooth may be allowed to run in the 

 last-made furrow in drawing the drill across the bed. 

 After the seed is deposited and covered, a roller 

 should be passed over the furrows, to press the 

 earth closely about the seed and ensure germination. 

 All garden ground, when planted, should be rolled, 

 as a smooth, level surface is one of the best preven- 

 tives against insects, cutting off many of their hiding 

 places, or exposing them more readily to capture. 



Nearly all cultivated vegetables have their pecu- 

 liar depredators among the insect tribes, and all gar- 

 dens are more or less infested with some of them. 

 The cut-worm feeds on beans and cabbages, or 

 seems to prefer such plants to most others. The 

 surest way of eradicating these is to examine the 

 parts of the garden allotted to such plants early in 

 the morning, and, where a plant is cut down, the 

 depredator may be found either immediately by it, 

 or within a few inches of it, and destroyed. A 

 good dressing of lime incorporated with the surface, 

 besides benefiting the soil, will have the effect of 

 destroying many of the worms and small bugs, and 

 the eggs of such insects when near the surface. 

 The yellow bug so destructive at times to cucum- 

 bers, squashes, melons, &c., can only be effectually 

 prevented 'from preying on these plants by hunting 

 them out and killing them. A squeeze between the 

 thumb and finger is the most certain method of ar- 

 resting their career. The cabbage is liable to the 

 attacks of a small fly or bug. which, when they are 

 young, inflict great injury upon them. As they col- 

 lect on single plants, by paying attention to these, 

 and destroying as many of them as possible around 

 such plants, and by frequently hoeing the plants to 

 aid their growth, much of the loss that would other- 

 wise be incurred may be prevented. A caterpillar 



