THE GRUB. 133 



ture as among lea-corn; for a case is mentioned in the 

 spring of 1813, where in Holderness, in Yorkshire, several 

 hundred acres of pasture were destroyed by the grub. 

 Grass plots in London were said to be attacked by them, 

 as well as many garden plants, such as lettuce, dahlias, car- 

 nations, &c. It was related too, that in some of the mid- 

 land counties of England, where they are in the habit of 

 taking a crop of potatoes after clover, it has been found 

 necessary to breast-plough the turf and burn it before 

 planting the potatoes, to prevent this grub from destroying 

 the crop. In France also the grass land suffers from it. 



"The grub remained under turf and flat stones during 

 the day, coming out to feed after dark, and during the 

 night they might be found eating at the tender blades of 

 the young braird. It is probable they attack the roots, but 

 it seems to be the green blade they prefer. About the 

 month of July, the grub assumes the state of a pupa or 

 chrysalis, casting its skin, and being covered by a brownish 

 membraneous case; and after a week or two the brownish 

 membrane covering the head and thorax splits, and the 

 creature having wriggled up to the surface, gradually extri- 

 cates its limbs from their covering, and out it comes as 

 the Daddy Langlegs certainly a most marvellous transfor- 

 mation. 



" The grub was not a new pest ; for it was known long 

 ago under the name of the ' torrie-worm.' Some people 

 said that guano and other artificial manures now in use 

 helped to breed grub. This notion was very like that of 

 the farmer, who answered Sir Robert Peel's advice to get 

 some improved implements, by saying, 'We farmers, Sir 

 Eobert, have got an idea that iron ploughs breed weeds.' 

 In England the grub was particularly abundant in 1816, 

 1817, and 1818, and was not much felt again until 1829 

 and the following years. From our experience here it 

 would seem that grub abounds in certain seasons more 

 than in others ; but he had no doubt that there was more 

 or less grub every season, though their effects are not al- 

 ways equally marked. Many farmers were of opinion that 



