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to be present, though in some cases it is possible that the moths may 

 enter through open ventilators' and lay their eggs, from which the 

 cutworms will hatch. 



The cutworms usually feed at night, burrowing into the ground 

 during the day time; and the first indication of their presence is the 

 discovery of wilting plants, which examination shows to be due to a 

 more or less complete "cutting" off of the stem. 



Sometimes the easiest way to remove these insects is to dig up the 

 soil around the injured plants and find and destroy the worms while 

 they are quiet in the day time; sometimes a careful examination in 

 the evening by the light of a lantern will reveal them at work ; but 

 when neither of these methods is practicable, for any reason, a poisoned 

 mash may be made use of. To prepare this, take sixty pounds of 

 bran or middlings, molasses enough to sweeten well, one pound of 

 Paris green, and water to make a dough or mash. Mix thoroughly, 

 and place a little beside the stem of each plant late in the afternoon. 

 The cutworms coming up to feed at night will find in this mash some- 

 thing which they prefer to the plants, and will be poisoned by it. 

 Smaller amounts than those given above can easily be prepared, using 

 the different materials in their proper proportions. 



Snails. 

 These pests of course are not insects, but are so often troublesome 

 that they are included here. They are really shells, but forms which 

 appear to have nearly or quite lost their shelly covering. They 

 conceal themselves under boards, pieces of bark or elsewhere during 

 the day, and feed at night. As they move along, large amounts of 

 slime or mucus are poured out to aid them in travelling, and this can 

 be taken advantage of in destroying them. Sometimes it is possible 

 to surround plants attacked by snails with air-slaked lime, which 

 kills the animals when they attempt to cross such bands toward the 

 plants. If for any reason it is not wise to use the lime, similar bands 

 of dry bran may be used, the animal in trying to cross such material 

 soon exhausting its supply of slime and becoming covered by the bran, 

 being rendered helpless and unable to move. Bran used in this way, 

 however, is successful only as long as it is dry, and when it becomes 

 wet must be replaced by a new supply. 



Red Spiders. 



These common pests are also not insects, but are mites, having 

 eight legs when adult, instead of six. They vary in color from yel- 

 lowish to dark brown, and sometimes have a greenish tinge. 



The red spiders spin a very delicate web, beneath which they live, 

 the web being difficult to see. They are most plentiful near the 

 midribs on the under side of the leaves, where they may frequently 

 occur in large numbers, sucking the plant juices. They move about 

 freely, however, and may travel some little distance in a short time. 



Their list of food plants is a long one, including tomatoes, cucum- 

 bers, carnations, roses, violets, and in fact most ornamental plants, 

 which they injure to varying degrees according to their abundance. 

 The eggs are deposited on the under side of the leaves, about Hxe on 

 an average being laid per day, till each female has laid about a hun- 

 dred. These eggs hatch in three or four days in the warmest weather, 

 but in cold weather this may be delayed to about two weeks. It is 

 probable that from the time an egg is laid till the mite becomes adult 

 requires between three and four weeks. 



