Insects and Other Foes.— 117 



what green stuff they can devour. The illustration presents both 

 worm and moth of one of the species. 



Cut Worm — Moth and Larva. 



Fortunately these worms have many natural enemies, 

 among them the robin, thrushes, quail, wren and other birds, 

 toads, etc., which together keep their numbers down quite well. 

 Fall plowing serves to bring many of the worms to the surface, 

 and to expose them to " bird's-eye view " and perhaps to 

 destruction by frost. 



The fresh effects of their night's work can best be noticed 

 bright and early in the morning, and they can then be found near 

 the place of mischief, hunted up and killed. Before a piece of 

 plowed ground is planted, we can often dispose of the majority 

 of the worms by placing pieces of sod, sprinkled with a 

 poisonous solution, at regular intervals over the ground. The 

 remedy is simple, and may be repeated, thus making the way 

 clear for setting plants. Beans are sometimes planted for bait, 

 and in advance of the real crop, whatever that may be. The 

 field is looked over on several mornings after the beans are up 

 and the worms hunted up where plants are seen cut off. The 

 regular crop is planted after most of the worms are destroyed. 

 A practice often resorted to, is to encircle 

 each plant to be set out, with a piece of 

 paper, which should reach down into the soil, 

 as the worm cannot crawl under it, and extend 

 several inches above the surface, so it cannot 

 crawl over it. 



The picture shows how this is done, and 

 how the plan works. I often use plant pro- 

 tectors somewhat resembling bottomless flower 

 pots, which I had made for the purpose, as a 

 mechanical obstacle to the cut worm's progress. 



Flea Beetle [Ha/tica). In this we have 

 another, and often a very troublesome enemy. 

 On soil where cabbage, radishes or turnips were grown the year 

 before, or in the vicinity thereof, these little jumping things 

 appear often in such numbers, that it is difficult to make headway 

 against them. Change of location is, therefore, to be recom- 



Cut Worm and Pro- 

 tected Plant. 



