V.J 



DISEASES OF FREIT-TKEES. 



223 



Upon worms, and do not touch plants of any kind. The mis- 

 chievous thing is the linle slug that hides itself in the ground or 

 under grass or leaves, and that comes out in the night, or in the 

 rain, and eats the garden plants of almost every description more 

 or less, and sometimes pretty nearly clears a field of wheat. Slugs 

 cannot live under the shining sun, nor can they move about much 

 except when the ground is wet or moist from dew or rain ; then 

 it is that they come forth and make up for lost time. They are 

 propagated amongst weeds and grass, and any thing that affords 

 constant shade and tranquillity. A garden constantly clean is, 

 therefore, the most effectual prevention ; but if they come, they 

 must absolutely be killed, or you must give up your crop. The 

 way to kill them is this : take hot lime, m a powdered state^ put 

 it into a coarsish bag ; and after night-fall or before sun-rise, in 

 the dew, or on the moist ground, go over their haunts, shake the 

 bag and let the fine powder fall upon the ground : some little par- 

 ticle will fall upon every slug that is abroad ; and every slug that 

 is touched with the lime will die. If rain come it ^\ ill destroy the 

 power of the lime, and then it will be necessary, perhaps, for you 

 to repeat the remedy several different times. 



305. ROOK-WORM. — This is an underground enemy; a 

 miner and sapper. It is a short worm or long maggot, as big 

 round as a thick goose-quill, body white, and head partly red 

 and partly black. It is a fact, I suppose, that the may-bug, or 

 chaffer, comes from this worm. The French call it the ver hanne- 

 ton, which corroborates that opinion. It attacks the roots of 

 plants, and will even attack the roots of trees, and will now-and- 

 then destroy some young trees. It will clear a patch of cabbages 

 in a very short time. It is under-ground, and therefore not to 

 be guarded against ; but a garden may very soon be ridded of it. 

 First, kill every one that you meet with in digging ; next, the 

 moment you see a plant begin to flag, dig it up and take up the 

 worm. If the worm be on its travels, you are sure that it is gone 

 towards the next adjoining plant, to the right or to the left. 

 Pursue it both ways with the spade, and ten to one but you over- 

 take it. A little perseverance in this way will soon clear a garden 

 of the rook-worm.s ; but as to our fields, their crops would be abso- 

 lutely devoured, in many cases ; or, rather, the plants would be 

 destroyed, were it not for the rooks, which are amongst the most 

 useful of the animals in this country ; and really it is too hard to 



