Insects and Other Foes. — 123 



will also check or dispose of the other. The results of recent 

 experiments seem to indicate that heavy dressings of kainit, 

 muriate of potash, or possibly of nitrate of soda, and other 

 fertilizers have a tendency to drive these pests from our 

 fields, and possibly cut worms and other creeping and crawling 

 things also. I usually make annual dressings of this kind to my 

 garden soils, and I find that my crops suffer less every succeed- 

 ing year from the attacks of maggots, cut worms, etc. I have yet 

 to mention the collars of tarred paper devised for the protection 

 of cabbage and cauliflower plants against maggot attacks. These 

 collars may be round, square, or six-cornered. They should 

 have a hole in the centre for the stem of the plant. A slit from 

 outside to centre allows the collar to be easily slipped around 

 the plant at the top of the ground. Good results in preventing 

 maggot attacks have been reported as secured by the use of 

 these collars. 



Snails. — One effective method of dealing with slugs and 

 snails, where troublesome, especially in greenhouses and frames, 

 is to set traps by scattering pieces of orange-peel over the ground. 

 The snails are so fond of this delicacy that they will remain 

 clinging to the peel rather than go back to their hiding places at 

 break of day. Examine the traps every morning, and destroy 

 the marauders. 



Sometmies these disgusting, slimy creatures appear in 

 countless numbers, attacking peas, beans, corn, and other crops, 

 and almost utterly denuding the lower parts of the foliage. They 

 keep in hiding during the day, and begin their work of devasta- 

 tion after sundown. I can get rid of them very easily. The 

 knapsack sprayer is charged with water in which a handful or 

 two of common salt, or of muriate of potash, or kainit is dis- 

 solved. Lime-water will give the same results. Shortly after 

 dusk I begin the dance, giving the attacked plants a thorough 

 spraying. If necessary, this may be repeated in a day or two. 

 Every slug touched by the spray will be dissolved, and nothing 

 but " grease spots" will be left in the morning. 



Squash Vine Borer. {Algeria aicnrbitce?) — Our first aim 

 should be to repel the moth, and prevent her from depositing 

 her eggs on the plants. Perhaps this may be successfully ac- 

 complished by placing corn-cobs smeared with coal tar, turpen- 

 tine, kerosene, or carbolic acid near the roots of the plants. If 

 we have not been successful in keeping the moth off, we should 

 hunt up and destroy the larvae (borers) when they first begin to 

 tunnel through the main stock near the surface of the soil. They 

 give the preference to pumpkins, squashes, and similar members 

 of the gourd family, but also attack melon and cucumber vines, 

 riddling the stem near the ground, and often cutting off all com- 



