OF THE FARM AND GARDEis^. 



281 



wasliing. The lime crumbles under the feet of the in- 

 sects as they attempt to climb, and 2:>revents their getting 

 up. By their persistent efforts, however, they gradually 

 wear oif the lime and reach a higher point each day, so 

 that the whitewashing must be often repeated. Trees 

 with short, rough trunks, or which lean over, are not 

 \evj well protected in this way. A strip of smooth, 

 bright tin answers better for the same purpose. A strip 

 three or four inches wide brought around and tacked to a 

 smooth tree will j^rotect it, while on rougher trees a piece 

 of old rope may first be fastened around the tree with 

 small nails, and the tin tacked to the rope, so as to leave 

 a portion of it both above and below. Passages between 

 the tin and the rope or the rope and tree can then be 

 blocked by filling the upper area between the tin and tree 

 with earth. The tin must be high enough from the 

 ground to prevent the 'hoj^pers from jumping from the 

 latter beyond it, and the trunk below the tree, where the 

 insects collect, should be covered with some coal-tar or 

 poisonous substances to prevent girdling. This is more 

 especially necessary with small trees, and coal-tar will 

 answer as a preventive. 



One of the cheapest and simplest modes is to encircle 

 the tree with cotton batting, in which the insects will 

 entangle their feet and thus be more or less obstructed. 

 Strips of paper covered with tar; stiff paper tied on so as 

 to slope roof -fashion; strips of glazed wall-paper, and 

 thick coatings of soft-soap, have been used with varying 

 success; but no estoppel equals the bright tin. The oth- 

 ers require constant watching and renewal, and in all 

 cases coming under our observation some insects would 

 get into the trees, so as to require the daily shaking of 

 these morning and evening. This will sometimes have to 

 be done when tlie bulk of the insects have become fledged, 

 even when tin is used, for a certain proportion of the in- 

 sects will then fly into the trees. They do most damage 



