CULTURE, ETC. 249 



valuable adjuvants to the practical entomologist. The 

 hog is a most useful scavenger, and also a great economist 

 in the orchard, for, being omnivorous, after feeding upon 

 the luxuriant herbage of the red clover, he takes his dessert 

 from the fallen fruit, which, being defective, would other- 

 wise be wasted: but we must remember that most of 

 these wind-falls are occupied by the larvas of insects which 

 are thus put out of the way of doing further harm, while 

 contributing variety to the porcine diet. The additions 

 of manure to the soil, which are distributed over the orch- 

 ard by these animals, are also found to be of service. 

 Trees, which are frequented by swine, are generally 

 healthy, and the bitter-rot is reported to have disappeared 

 from orchards that were badly aflFected with that malady 

 before the swine were admitted. 



The advantages resulting from keeping both swine and 

 poultry, but particularly the latter, confined among plum 

 trees, is a matter of general notoriety ; nor need we in- 

 quire whether this depends upon the far-reaching instinct 

 of the insect, which warns her against depositing her eggs 

 where the progeny must surely be destroyed, or upon the 

 actual destruction of the larvae by these animals, to such 

 an extent as to diminish the number of depredators the 

 following season. We must not, however, depend upon 

 these and other valuable aids, to the exclusion of personal 

 efforts, if we desire to secure good crops of the delicious 

 fruits that usually fall a prey to their attacks. 



In conclusion, the orchardist cannot be too strongly im- 

 pressed with the importande of cultivating his young trees 

 in the most thorough manner ; nor can he exercise too 

 much care in avoiding injury to the stemS and roots, in 

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