yipr.l THE FRUIT GARDEN. 391 



them only live for one season, but their powers of reproduc- 

 tion are so great, that no time should be lost in destroying 

 them as they appear, or in removing all appearances of them 

 in a yet imperfect state. That industrious naturalist, Leuwen- 

 hoeck, by calculation discovered that two house-flies, a male 

 and female, will, in three months' time, produce no less than 

 seven hundred thousand of its species. The insects most in- 

 jurious to the productions of the garden are : the red spider, 

 {Acariis icllurius, of Linnaeus,) {Aphis lanigera,) or Ameri- 

 can blight; the wasp {Vesha vulgaris, of Linn.) ; the ear- 

 wig, {Forjicula auricularia) ; the bug, {Chnex)', the thrips, 

 the chermes, the cabbage-moth {Phalcence oleracect)\ the 

 gooseberry-moth {PhalcencB wavaria) ; the currant-moth {Pha- 

 li^nce grossularice) ; and the codling-moth, very common on 

 fruit-trees {Phalccnce pomonella)] the wood-louse {Omscus)', 

 the earth-worm {Lumbricus) \ the slug {Limax)] and the 

 snail (Helix) ; the ant (Formica) ; and caterpillars (Papi- 

 Uo) ; the aphides, or green-fly, and grubs, or the larvas of the 

 beetle (Scaraboeus) tribe. 



The destruction of these insects ought now to occupy our 

 attention, and will be no difficult matter, if taken in time 

 The red spider makes its appearance in dry hot weather, on 

 peach, nectarine, and many other trees and plants; and, as 

 Nicol observes, is always found on the under sides of leaves, 

 but most often on rough downy leaves, where it is protected 

 in its young state by the hair on the leaves. This, however, 

 is not without an exception, for we find it also on leaves per- 

 fectly smooth, and devoid of all covering. Its attacks are less 

 frequent upon the apricot, than on most other fruit-trees. It 

 is amonijst the smallest of the genus, and is not easily distin- 

 guished without the assistance of the microscope. If the back 

 of the leaf be viewed by the aid of that instrument, it will 

 appear full of its webs, and if many abound on it, the leaf 

 appears full of punctures, becomes discolored and brown on 

 the upper surface, fades and falls oiW This insect is more 

 troublesome in hot-houses than out of doors, and more in dry 

 v^arm seasons, than in moist and cold ones. Water has been 

 considered to be the only cure, and it must be used in con- 

 siderable quantities. If the insect has got once established on 



