48 A MANUAL' OF 



Nature has furnished them with but one 

 mode of accomplishing this, and that is by the 

 sense of smell. It then follows, that if we in 

 some manner destroy or change the natural 

 smell of the young plants which we wish to 

 protect, no further trouble will result. This 

 must be done by creating some other smell 

 powerful enough to overcome the scent of the 

 cabbage plant. There are several ways of 

 accomplishing this. Turpentine, mixed with 

 dry plaster, and sprinkled upon the plants as 

 soon as they come up, and repeated as often as 

 it ceases to send out its peculiar scent, will 

 often effectually keep them away. Coal-tar, 

 which can be bought at the gas-works for 

 $2.50 per barrel, has a very strong, disagreea- 

 ble smell, and is probably as cheap as any thing 

 which will answer this purpose. It is not 

 necessary to put it directly on the plants. If 

 a few quarts are spread upon boards and 

 placed in the immediate vicinity of the young 

 plants it will completely hide the scent of the 

 cabbage, and but an occasional chance bug 

 will find them, especially if the bugs are fur- 

 nished with an abundance of food elsewhere, 

 as described above. Remember, the idea is 

 not to let them come on the plants, and then 



