FRUITS. CHAP. 



too big for it and open it themselves, they sally forth in 

 every direction, and strip the tree of its leaves. Preven- 

 tion is not, however, in this case, very difficult. If they 

 come on espaliers, you pick the bag off as soon as you 

 perceive it, and crush it under your foot. If they come 

 on standard-trees, you must take a ladder; but a better 

 way is, to load a gun with powder, and to blow the bags 

 from the trees. If once they escape from the bag and go 

 on their travels, you have no remedy. If you shake the 

 tree and bring part of them to the ground, they crawl up 

 again. Lime has no effect upon them 5 and your only 

 hope is, that your other enemies, the sparrows, will lend 

 their assistance in delivering you from these 3 and I do 

 verily believe, that, were it not for the sparrows, and 

 other birds, these insects would make it next to im- 

 possible to cultivate gardens in England. They have no 

 slugs and snails in America j but caterpillars they have, 

 and they sometimes strip an orchard of every one of its 

 leaves. There are caterpillars which infest the cab- 

 bages and the Swedish turnip, and some other herbaceous 

 plants. These manifestly proceed from the butterfly : 

 but, unfortunately, they do not make their appearance in 

 little pockets or bags ; but you make the first discovery 

 of the honour of the visit that they are paying you by 

 perceiving their gnawings upon the edgings of the leaves 

 of the plants. Let them alone for a little while, and they 

 will go from cabbage to cabbage until there is not a bit 

 of leaf left in the whole patch. They leave you the 

 skeleton of a cabbage, taking away all the flesh, and 

 leaving all the bones ; that is to say, the stalk of the 

 cabbage r.nd the ribs of the leaves. These are most 

 mischievous things j they are wholly insensible to the 



