herrick] SOME ENEMIES OF THE GARDEN 121 



of the plant but as soon as the frait sets it goes to the young toma- 

 toes and attacks them as described. This tomato fruit-worm is 

 the same caterpillar that gnaws into the tips of ears of corn and 

 farther south it works in bolls of cotton. In fact it is known as 

 the corn ear-worm and the cotton boll-worm. 



It is possible and practicable in a home garden to collect and 

 destroy the caterpillars by hand. When tomatoes are found 

 with the caterpillars wholly buried within the fruit they should 

 be picked and destroyed. At the end of the season the vines and 

 fruit, if infested, should be burned or otherwise destroyed. 



The Tomato Green Worm: This is a magnificent caterpillar when 

 fully grown, often measuring four inches in length. It may be 

 dark green or brown and has eight whitish V-shaped marks on 

 each side of the body; it has a horn near the posterior end of the 

 body and has a way of rearing up when disturbed that is very 

 impressive. It is the caterpillar of a large sphinx moth and it is 

 also known as the "tobacco worm." 



These large caterpillars eat ravenously and sometimes consume 

 considerable foliage although they are usually not abundant 

 enough to cause serious injury. They may ordinarily be control- 

 led by hand-picking. 



The Enemy of Radishes 



The radishes are fortunate in having but one insect pest, as a 

 rule ; but are unfortunate because this pest is such a nuisance and 

 does so much damage. It is in fact the common cabbage maggot, 

 the larva of the little fly. These maggots are sometimes so abund- 

 ant that they burrow through and through the radish interiors 

 causing decay; and what is even worse, when they are not so 

 numerous, we sometimes eat them inadvertently, which strange 

 to say, we regard as a greater hardship to us than to the maggots. 



There are two practicable methods of fighting this pest on 

 radishes. First, experiments have shown that when radishes are 

 sown early enough so that they can be pulled during the latter 

 part of May or certainly by the first week in June in Central 

 New York they will not be injured to any extent by this insect. 

 Second, it has been shown that radishes grown under muslin, 

 will grow more rapidly, become more succulent and tender and 

 will, of course, be entirely free from maggot injury. 



