THE FRUIT GARDEN. 



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liquid, hung up in the trees amongst the fruit, will destroy 

 many, whilst a number maybe destroyed during the time they 

 are buried in the fruit, which they excavate quite hollow, and 

 are so intent upon the fruit, that they will scarcely come out 

 of it. They are most voracious, and will devour a vast quan- 

 tity of fruit daily. The pieces of meat which they have been 

 observed to carry off from a butcher's stall is truly astonish- 

 ing. They are furnished with a natural saw-like proboscis, 

 which they are very expert in using to cut off such pieces of 

 fruit or meat as they choose. Oil is fatal to all insects when 

 dropped upon their backs ; it closes up the pores by which 

 they breathe : this may be readily applied to them while half 

 buried in the fruit. 



The Ear-wig {Forficula) and Wood-louse {Oniscus) will 

 now prey upon the ripe fruits, and should be destroyed by 

 placing bean-stalks (which contain a sweetness within, of which 

 they are supposed to be fond) or other hollow substitutes 

 for them to retreat into during the day, as both, for the most 

 part, commit their depredations in the silence of night ; and if 

 these be examined every morning, and the insects they contain 

 blown out, they may be readily destroyed. 



Slugs will also now ascend the walls in cloudy weather, and 

 secrete themselves behind the larger branches, and in the holes 

 of the wall, and will commit sad havoc upon wall-fruits, par- 

 ticularly nectarines, even in an unripe state ; they will strip 

 them of their skin, and sometimes eat them up altogether; a 

 strict search should be made for them every day, and no part 

 of the wall left unexamined ; a close attention for a few days 

 will rid the trees of them, and no method so good as carefully 

 hand-picking them. 



A very infallible trap for these depredators is to make small 

 thimble holes, about an inch in depth, near the plants attacked ; 

 into these holes the slugs are certain to retreat during the day, 

 where 4hey may be destroyed by sprinkling a little quick-lime 

 into the holes. We have always found the use of barilla to 

 be an efficacious method of killing these vermin. If a person 

 were to go over his garden early in the morning, with a little 

 bag of barilla, and sprinkle a little on every slug and snail, 

 their inunediate death will ensue. 



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