No. 151.] 519 



when deprived of food, they trim my cedar trees beautifully. They 

 nip off with perfect regularity, three or four inches of the tender ex- 

 tremities of the branches in their efforts to get the cedar berry, leav- 

 ing the form of the tree very handsome, and the trees all grow the 

 better for their pruning. If I had the power, not a solitary crow 

 should ever be killed. 



Samuel Allen. — Sometime since in Ohio I stopped to inquire into 

 the cause of the destruction of a neighboring forest. I was told that 

 an army of worms or insects which traveled on the ground, from 

 tree to tree, had done it. That a kettle was placed in such a man- 

 ner as to catch some of them in their journey, and that a basket full 

 of them was caught in it. 



Dr. Field. — My orchards are affected in the same way as Dr. Un- 

 derbill's. No allusion has been made to the mode of destroying in- 

 sects on trees by syringes. Great service can be done that way, 

 even by pure water; but I advise the use of a decoction of tobacco 

 or of soot mixed with sufficient molasses to make it adhere to the 

 leaves. Dr. Underbill's mode of scraping off rough bark is good. 

 I have examined the rough bark and lound immense numbers of lar- 

 vae of insects in it. If we had as proper an antipathy to them as 

 we have to snakes, we should soon destroy them. 



Judge Van Wyck. — The insects and their larvae are many of them 

 so minute and their form so changing that it is hardly possible to ex- 

 terminate them. We can only lessen their numbers. I examined 

 some apple trees in Jersey lately, and found the leaves curled up, 

 and on opening them, out flew small flies of slender forms like wasps. 

 I do not know whether this is a new enemy of the apple. After heavy 

 dew or rain sprinkle lime, fresh slaked, in moderate quantity, not 

 enough to burn grain, and the insects on it will be destroyed or dri- 

 ven away. It has been effectually tried on strips of grain; some 

 limed, others next to them not. The limed parts all free of insects, 

 the others nearly destroyed by them. This is one of the many valu- 

 able properties of lime, which seems to have been placed e^ery where 

 by the Deity for good purposes. It is the alkali of the lime which 

 does this service. Where lime is not at hand, ashes will do nearly 

 as well, owing to its alkali. Potash is also good. Scouring trees 

 well is an excellent practice. 



Dr. Field. — We need accurate information, and I move the adop- 

 tion of the following resolution: 



