876 



DISEASES AND INSECTS. 



3. Moles. — ^These are easily poisoned and driven off, by 

 putting pills of flour mixed with arsenic into their holes, 

 and shutting them up. "We have seen them banished by 

 bits of dried codfish placed in the entrance of their 

 holes. 



4. Cats often commit seiious depredations on trees by 

 scratching the bark. Quite recently we saw a large 

 number of beautiful fruit trees nearly ruined by them. 

 A few briers secured around trees in the vicinity of the 

 house, where they frequent most, will be a sufficient pro- 

 tection. 



5. Hogs. — It is not generally supposed that these ani- 

 mals will attack trees ; but we have heard of a western 

 farmer who turned in a large number of them to consume 

 the corn that had been grown in his young orchard. 

 When the corn began to grow scarce they attacked the 

 trees, and not one out of several himdred but was complete- 

 ly girdled — ^the bark gnawed off as far up as the brutes 

 could reach. 



"Where it may be desirable to turn hogs into an orchard, 

 unless the feed be very abundant, the trees should be 

 protected around the base w^ith thorns, briers, or some 

 prickly brush. 



