64 



HOW TO DESTROY IXSECTS, 



green icorm is most vigorous in its movemeuts. slie 

 gave several garden-plots of cahhage a sprinkling. 



These were examined soon afrer. and a number of 

 dead worms were pieked from the leaves. The opera- 

 tion was repeated next day, and, after careful observa- 

 tion, wlierewer rhe sohition was tried the leaves of the 

 plants were eleared of these pests. 



Sot Water for Cabbage -worms. 



A gardener who had tried a number of remedies for 

 the cal»l)agL'-worm found that sprinkling of red pepper 

 did well, but the best, simplest, cheapest, and most 

 efficient was applying hot water. It may be wrongly 

 applied, to the injury or destruction of the plant, and it 

 mav be properly applied, doing no injury and killing 

 the insects. Fill a watering-pot with boiling water and 

 sprinkle the infested leaves only for a second or two. 

 It does its work very quickly on the worms, but the 

 leaves, being thick, are not heated or injured. The 

 older the heads become the less the danger. The 

 operator must practise and spoil a few plants to save 

 the rest. The water, by the time it reaches the plants, 

 will l)e several degrees below boiling. He must deter- 

 mine by trying how long the hot water will dc its work 

 before l)ecoming too cold. At the same time he must 

 ascertain liy experiment how long he can contrive to 

 apply the Imt wa^-.^r before the leaves are injured by it. 

 A very little tiu;e v\-iU determine these points. 



