166 Southern Gardener's Practical Manual 



Draw loose soil upon it until all wet soil is covered, 

 leaving exposed only a few inches of the growing end of 

 the cutting. Select the cuttings from the most healthy 

 and productive plants of the best varieties. As far as 

 practicable, both plants and cuttings should be set late 

 in the afternoon. If properly transplanted, the loss 

 should not be more than 2 per cent. A piece of stout 

 paper folded around the plant, extending an inch into 

 the soil and three or four inches upon the stem of the 

 plant, will keep off the cutworm. 



Cutworms seem to be omnivorous, showing no prefer- 

 ence for any particular species of plants. Our attention 

 is not drawn to their attacks upon the wild species; but 

 when we destroy these in the preparation for our culti- 

 vated species, there is nothing left green except the 

 latter for them, and we suffer. The cutworm hibernates 

 in the larval state, and hence is ready to attack our 

 early spring plants. If the land intended for early crops 

 is plowed several times during the winter, many of them 

 will be destroyed by the cold and many more by our 

 friends, the birds. If hens are allowed to scratch in the 

 freshly plowed ground, very few of the larvaB will 

 escape. If grain of some kind is plowed in, the hens, 

 while scratching for this, will destroy many enemies. 

 Many of them may be destroyed by placing poisoned 

 food upon the area to be planted before setting out the 

 plants. The following substances may be used: Wheat 

 bran poisoned with Paris green, sods of grass, clover 

 plants, cabbage or coUard leaves, bunches of small 

 grain, etc., all poisoned with Paris green. If these fail 

 or are not used, then the gardener must personate the 



