454 SPANISH-TOAVN. 



sickly appearance of the whorl of terminal leaves. 

 In such a state, " the sooner the whole of the field 

 be trashed, and all such sprouts drawn out, the 

 better." 



When the canes have advanced in growth, and the 

 joints are forming, repeated trashing, or removal of 

 the lower leaves, must be resorted to : once every 

 two months, or at intervals of twelve weeks at most. 



" The sheathing footstalk is not only a shelter for 

 this weevil, but it hinders the outer covering of the 

 cane from hardening, and fixing that deposition of 

 white powdery glass which resists the puncture of its 

 proboscis. If with all this care, the planter finds 

 himself overwhelmed by the numbers of his assailants, 

 or by the success with which they have established 

 themselves in his fields, nothing remains, but de- 

 struction by fire." 



" But great as is the damage which this insect 

 does in the field ; it is a still greater calamity to 

 have it in the mill-house. To mingle the juice of 

 the injured cane with the uninjured, is to ruin a 

 crop. The expedient of tempering the liquor, while 

 running into the pans, may arrest the increase of the 

 evil, but it does not get rid of it. If, however, the 

 most pains-taking watchfulness has not secured the 

 manager from an occasional bundle of infected canes 

 getting into the mill, and if the pernicious conse- 

 quences have begun to tell upon the proceeds of the 

 boiling-house, I would recommend correcting the 

 cold liquor with an alkaline mixture of potash and 

 alum, in equal quantities. These, with the addition 

 of as much boilinj? water as will hold them in solu- 



