SPRAYS AND POISONS 35 



of lead with a quart of bran, and make it into a 

 paste with sweetened water ; this he prefers to any 

 other food. It kills at once all worms that eat 

 vegetation. Sugar and molasses are equally good 

 for sweetening. Drop the bait in small doses a 

 yard or two apart on the soil you intend to plant. 

 There seems to be little danger to birds or animals 

 from this poison. 



How to Protect against Other Worms. — Other 

 worms with habits like those of the cutworm are 

 always present, but seldom do great harm in the 

 small garden. White grubs and wire worms some- 

 times harm the roots of growing plants. They are 

 checked best by frequent cultivation. Plow up the 

 land in the fall, and you will expose their nests and 

 eggs to the cold, which will greatly decrease their 

 number. 



The Earthworm the Gardener's Friend. — Com- 

 mon earthworms, or angle worms, should be wel- 

 comed in any garden. They harm nothing and do 

 much good, making the soil more porous, opening 

 it to water, and refining the humus. The habit of 

 digging them in the garden plot for fishing bait 

 should be discouraged. 



Hellebore. — There are. some plants, such as 

 cabbages and cauliflowers, on which it is not wise to 

 use, shortly before they are to be eaten, such a 

 ppwerful poison as arsenate of lead. In such cases, 

 hellebore is a satisfactory substitute. This is es- 



