102 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



same purpose, — burrowing in the ground. At 

 night only does the Mole Cricket leave its burrow. 

 Though belonging to the jumping section of the 

 Orthoptera this insect, from the construction of its 

 thighs, cannot jump, even if its body were not so 

 heavy. It has large and beautiful wings, though 

 they are little used. It is said that the larva? are 

 three years in reaching maturity but, from their 

 subterranean habits, they are not easily observed. 

 The Crickets have very long antennae, and a^e of 

 plainer colors than most of the Grasshoppers. 

 The domestic Cricket is perhaps more often heard 

 than seen. It loves warmth so much that it may 

 generally be found about bake-houses, and similar 

 places, living in close proximity to the hottest 

 fires. Like the Cockroach it devours almost any- 

 thing, and, but for a superstition that it is ''lucky" 

 to have crickets, it would probably be persecuted 

 as much as the " unappreciated " Cockroach. 



Our illustration of the order, on Plate i, Fig. 2, 

 is the common green Grasshopper, ( GrylLus 

 viridissima). We shall xext speak of the Neurop- 

 tera, or Dragon Flies. 



ENEMIES 

 TO GARDEN CROPS. 

 THE CABBAGE TRIBE. 



By S. L. Mosley. 



Destruction of the cabbage crop begins when 

 the plants are very young, as soon, in fact, as they 

 are planted out of doors, by them being nibbled by 

 small slugs, and thus prevented growing. These 

 creatures are great pests to almost all garden crops 

 when the plants are in a young and tender state, 

 and they are very difficult to get rid of in many 

 cases, as those remedies which would destroy them 

 will also prove injurious to the plants themselves. 

 The best preventative seems to be to dress the 

 ground well with soot and salt before the plants 

 are ready for transplanting. Another plan which 

 might be resorted to in addition to the above is to 

 allow some ducks to range the garden ; they will 

 destroy the slugs and caterpillars without injuring 

 the plants, and what were enemies before will by 

 this means be turned to good account in fattening 

 the ducks and making them ready for the table : 

 and a duck fattened on snail flesh is quite as good 



as one fattened by any other means. Fowls do 

 not answer the purpose so well, as they do not, 

 content themselves with what they find on the 

 surface but scratch beneath, thereby causing more 

 injury than benefit, especially in seed beds, but 

 they should be allowed full liberty where there is 

 nothing they can injure. Black birds and thrushes 

 also render considerable assistance in the winter 

 season, though rather troublesome when fruit is 

 ripe, but a very little matter suffice-, to frighten 

 them away at this season, such as a stuffed cat put 

 up in the trees, and the position shifted erery day 

 or two, pieces of paper made to swing in the air, 

 children playing in the garden, &c. Another very 

 good plan to get rid of snails and slugs is to throw; 

 down some tender leaves, such as lettuce, upon 

 which the slugs will congregate, and they may 

 then be picked up and destroyed, the most 

 economical way being to give them to the fowls. 

 Any thing may be preserved from their attack by 

 laying loose saw-dust about the Stem, as slugs 

 do not seem able to crawl over such substances 

 When the cabbages grow older they are attacked 

 by three other enemies, in the shape of caterpillars 

 One of them produces a moth called Mamestrc 

 brassiccc, [b-assic.i being the scientific name foj 

 the cabbage tribe). This moth belongs to a larg< 

 familyof moths called noctuce, {nocta, night) ; the] 

 fly by night only, and therefore are not often seer 

 except by collectors, but occasionally they may b< 

 found through the summer, perched under windov 

 sills and about out-buildings. The female mot! 

 deposits her eggs on the cabbage leaves, and 

 soon as the young caterpillars are hatched they ge 

 between the leaves and bore into the interior, am 

 the plants are sometimes so completely riddled 

 to be totally unfit for table use. When full grow, 

 they are about an inch and a half long, greenis 

 or blackish. They should be picked off th 

 cabbages, as they happen to be seen, and de 

 troyed ; and if the plants are visited after dar 

 with a lantern many will be seen which have con 

 out from their hiding places to feed. After the 

 are full-fed they burrow in the ground and chanj 

 to a red-brown chrysalis, which may be fouf 

 while digging under walls, &c, during the wint* 

 The other kinds are the caterpillars of the larj 

 and small cabbage white butterflies, ( Pier 1 

 brassicce and rapce), but these do not do so mui 

 damage as the last, as they do not bore into t lie 

 interior, and may be easily seen and picked off Kr 

 any painstaking gardener. The caterpillar of t iV( 



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