AND RURAL ECONOMIST. 321 



All I pray is, that it may prove successful and relieve us 

 from this dreadful scourge, which defaces our country, while 

 it impoverishes and disappoints the farmer.' 



The remedies proposed by professor Peck were, 1st. Turn- 

 ing up the ground carefully in October, as far as the branches 

 of a tree extend, to half a spade's depth, or five inches, so 

 as completely to invert the surface. A great number of 

 chrysalids would thus be exposed to the air and sun, and of 

 course destroyed. 2dly. Breaking the clods, and smoothing 

 the surf.ice with a rake, and passing a heavy roller over it, 

 so as to make it very hard, and without cracks. In grass 

 grounds the sods should be turned with the grass side down, 

 and placed side by side, so as to be rolled. The winter's 

 frosts would heave and crack a smooth surface, but it might 

 be smoothed and hardened by the roller, or by other means, 

 in March, with much less trouble, time, and expense, than 

 rolling requires. Ap lime, when slacked, is reduced to an im- 

 palpable powder, and is thus well adapted to close the open- 

 ings in the surface, Mr. Peck was inclined to think its good 

 effects are produced this way as well as by its caustic quali- 

 ties. — Thachers Orchardist, p. 93. 



John Kenrick, Esq., of Newton, Massachusetts, proposed, 

 between the time in June after the worms had disappeared 

 and the 20th of October, to take the whole of the soil sur- 

 rounding the trees, to the extent at least of four feet from 

 the trunk, and to a suitable depth, and cart it away to a dis- 

 tance from any trees which the canker-worms are in the 

 habit of feeding on ; and returning an equal quantity of com- 

 post or rich earth intermixed w^ith manure. 



A writer for the Neio England Farmer, vol. iii. p. 327, 

 states a case of an orchard having been preserved from 

 canker-worms by means of a large number of locust-trees, 

 equal t"* about double the number of apple-trees. 



Mr. Poland Howard, of Easton, Massachusetts, observes, 

 (iV. E. Farmer, vol. iv. p. 391,) that ' a quantity of lime 

 was collected from the sweepings of a lime-store, and spread 

 on the ground around a certain apple-tree, some time in the 

 month of November; (the foliage of which tree haa been 

 destroyed by the canker-worm the preceding summer ;) the 

 ground being in a pulverized state, the lime was spread as 

 far from the trunk of the tree as the drippings from the 

 branches extended : the effect was stated to be the entire 

 disappearance of the worm, and an increased vigor of the 

 tree.' The same writer observes, that ' moving the earth 



