. DISEASES OF FRUIT-TREES; 



that is abroad ; and every slug that is touched with the 

 lime will die. If rain come it will destroy the power of 

 the lime, and then it will be necessary, perhaps, for you 

 to repeat the remedy several different times. 



304. ROOK- WORM. This is an underground 

 enemy ; a miner and sapper. It is a short worm or long 

 maggot, as big round as a thick goose-quill, body white, 

 and head partly red and partly black. It is a fact, I 

 suppose, that the May-bug, or chafer, comes from this 

 worm. The French call it the ver hanneton, which cor- 

 roborates that opinion. It attacks the roots of plants, 

 and will even attack the roots of trees, and will now- 

 and-then destroy some young trees. It will clear a 

 patch of cabbages in a very short time. It is under- 

 ground, and, therefore, not to be guarded against ; but 

 a garden may very goon be ridded of it. First, kill every 

 one that you meet with in digging ; next, the moment 

 you see a plant begin to flag, dig it up and take up the 

 worm. If the worm be on its travels, you are sure that 

 it is gone towards the next adjoining plant, to the right 

 or to the left. Pursue it both ways with the spade, and 

 ten to one but you overtake it. A little perseverance in 

 this way will soon clear a garden of the rook-worm j 

 but as to our fields, their crops would be absolutely de- 

 voured, in many cases ; or, rather, the plants would be 

 destroyed, were it not for the rooks, which are amongst 

 the most useful of the animals in this country ; and really 

 it is too hard to grudge them a little of the corn when 

 they have so largely contributed towards bringing the 

 whole of it to perfection. 



305. BLACK GRUB. It should be called the brown 



