244 Forty-fifth Report on the State Museum. 



and employing children to catch with insect nets the moths 

 that are attracted to the flowers at twilight, and killing those 

 that bear the five orange-colored spots upon the sides of their 

 abdomen. A pair of them and of the several other species of 

 Sphinges that would at the same time be captured, might be 

 preserved and placed in frames with which to ornament their 

 homes, and to serve, perchance, as the commencement of a 

 general collection of insects and of the fascinating study of 

 entomology. 



If the information asked of me be not of these tobacco worms, 

 but of another kind that attack the roots at their setting, then 

 the injury, without much doubt, is chargeable upon the ubiquitous 

 cut-worm which we have been considering. Fortunately we 

 have two ways — both pronounced excellent — of dealing with 

 him, in order to prevent his immoderate use of tobacco. 



The first, is dipping the young plants, before their setting, in 

 a solution of white hellebore in water — one-fourth of a pound in 

 ten quarts of water. A writer, from West Meriden reports, that, 

 on the 22d of June, he set 3,000 plants, and on the 

 following morning he took from one row of 180 plants 214 

 cut-worms. On the same day, in the same field, he set twelve 

 plants dipped in the hellebore solution, which remained untouched, 

 while the rows on either side were more than half destroyed. 

 On June 24th, he set over 2,000 plants treated in the same 

 manner, of which he subsequently found but one plant eaten, 

 and that but slightly. He believed the hellebore v to be a spec fie 

 for the tobacco cut-worm. 



The second, is poisoning with Paris green in the following 

 manner: Four acres of tobacco plants were badly cut down, with 

 sometimes as many as a half-dozen of the woimis attacking a 

 single plant. The owner went to a wood toward evening, and 

 collected several kinds of leaves, which he laid in rows between 

 the plants. The worms appeared to prefer the leaves of the 

 chestnut for eating. The following day a large basketful of the 

 chestnut leaves was. gathered. These were dipped into a mixture 

 of (wo gallons of water and two tablespoonruls of Paris green, and 

 a leaf put on each hill in the field, with a piece of ground or stone 

 to hold if in place. The next morning, on examination, "the 



