THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 



All newly set plants are at the mercy of cut- 

 worms, and the rows must be gone over every 

 morning early to see what, if any, damage has oc- 

 curred over night. Wherever a plant is found cut 

 off, immediate search must be made for the cul- 

 prit. A moment's search will generally discover 

 him just below the surface of the soil near the de- 

 capitated plant. Any loose dirt or rubbish will 

 serve as a hiding place for him, and this tendency 

 may be taken advantage of to trap him by laying 

 pieces of board or chips on the ground near the 

 plant, under which he may hide. But as he does 

 not hide until he has had his meal, this is much like 

 locking the stable door after the horse is stolen; 

 but then, of course, his capture and execution will 

 prevent his eating other plants. 



Where the plantings are small, it pays to sur- 

 round the plants with collars of stiff paper, three 

 or four inches high. These should be pressed into 

 the ground a half inch, and care should be taken 

 to see that there are no worms inside the collar 

 when it is placed. Old tin cans with the bottoms 

 burned out are also a good protection, but the 

 trouble with these is that they must all be gathered 

 up in the fall and disposed of in some way. An- 



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