PllOCEEDINQS OF THE FAUMERS' CLUB. 49 



to the l)ost way dF (>xt<'rniinatiii.t^ tho.s(« posts. In oxaiiiiiiiiia: a Ixisli that 

 iias rcL'ciitly W'vii attacked one will find loaves with niinierous small holes 

 in tliem. On t>xaniiniiii^ llie niuler surface oi" sucli a leaf tnauy small 

 worms may l>c* found which have jrnawed these holes, and in the veins of 

 the leaf, luore espeeially on the midrib, will be I'ound the remains of the 

 of^izfs from which tlu-v hatched. Very commonly in close proximity to the 

 |K'rlorate<1 leaves will l)0 found others, en the under surface of which 

 lire tudiatclied e<;'jj:s. These are white, about the twentieth of an inch lorij^ 

 antl one fourth as wide, laid end to end along tin; midrib and larger veins. 

 On larger leaves there may be found several groups — evidently distinct 

 litters, as some are diniinulive and show no appearance of embryo under a 

 magnifying glass — while (ttiiers are sw(iilen and exliibit clearly tlu; un- 

 liatched worm within. About twenty-live eggs appear to constitute a 

 litter, and the average nuniber of eggs on a leaf is perhaps fifty, many 

 large leaves have over one hundred on them. When lirst hatched the 

 worms cat little holes through the leaf. When they have finished this, 

 they begin on another, commoidy eating from the edge of tlie leaf. The 

 large veins an? left untouched, and tliis is in huruinny with the fact that 

 the eggs are laiil on these portions of the leaf. I have found leaves with 

 all the intervening substance devoured, while the veins are left covered 

 with unhatched eggs. The practical deduction from these facts is the 

 plan of searching for these leaves with eggs on them, as well as those 

 with small holes in them. They may be picked off into a pan, the larger 

 worms that are found being] added to the collection. They stay content- 



iiy iu the pan if there are leaves in it also. At convenient intervals 

 empty the contents of the pan into a fire. Of course this method must be adopted 

 early to be successful. From one currant bush in a few minutes I picked 

 over one hundred leaves with eggs equivalent to, perhaps, 5,000 worms. 

 It appears, also, from these facts why simpl}'^ picking off the worm does 

 not rid the bushes fnnu the evil, as in a fvw days, or perhaps hours, the 

 eggs left behind send out ik'W legions of devourers. Probably lime and 

 other applications reach only the worms, without affecting the unhatched 



:g8. I suppose these eggs are laid by a winged insect, but have not yet 



-'•ertiiined what insect itis.'' 



How TO Make Aspar.\gus Beds. 



Mr. Wm. n. Prince — I prefer in making my asparagus beds to trench 

 the ground at least twenty inch<?s deep, and see that the bed is situated so 

 tli.it no vr,\ter stands in it. I'ut ati abundance of strong manure at the 



• ttom, and make the soil fine and rich, and set the roitls fifti-en inches 

 apart, with the cr<iwn of the roots four inches below the surface. Those 

 of two ur thn-e \-ears ohl are the most suitable for making a bed, and the 

 best time to set the roots is in aututnu. 



In the winter the top (»f tin' bed is coveretl with litter, early in the s[iring 

 thi.>» should l)e forked in. .V small fjuantity of salt, sprinkbsl over the bed 

 will be found of groat advantage. 



Farmers Should Economize Time. 



Mr. lJol>rrt Willis, II;imilton county, Iowa, wishes tiie following ipiestion 

 di.scus3ed by farmers' clubs. He says : 

 [Am. Inst.] D 



