ON VEGETATION. 
243 
In the years 1825 and 1826, the foliage of our 
hedges in the spring months was unusually mangled by 
the caterpillars of different moths; but in 1827 these 
creatures had increased so much, that the entire leaves 
of the sloe, and the white thorn, were consumed by 
them; the hedges, when consisting of these shrubs 
alone, presented for miles the appearance of winter 
sprays, covered with a cottony web. The other hedge 
plants were little injured. The larvae of several species 
of small creatures were concerned in this annihilation 
of verdure ; but the little ermine moths (phalsena evony- 
rnella, and ph. padella) were the chief performers in 
this denuding process. In July the perfected moths 
swarmed about the scene of their birth in vast numbers ; 
yet such was the retrieving power of nature, that by 
the middle of August only a small portion of the injury 
occasioned by these creatures was to be observed, the 
summer shoot bursting out, and covering the sprays 
with the verdure of spring. The chief singularity in 
all this was the appearance of the sloe bush, all the. 
foliage being consumed by insects, or crisped away by 
severe winds, leaving the sprays profusely covered with 
the small young fruit, perfectly uninjured, and proceed- 
ing in its growth ; so that, by the time the foliage was 
renewed in August, it had obtained its usual size. This 
was the case too with the crab, and some of the orch- 
ard fruits, presenting the unusual sight of fruit grow- 
ing alone on the boughs without leaves ; so that in fact 
the offices of inspiration, transpiration, and all their 
consequences, usually accomplished by the leaves of 
plants, must have been suspended, or performed b 
other organs, as no deficiency of vegetative powers was 
apparent. 
But insects alone were not the cause of all the denu- 
dation and unsightly appearance which our orchards and 
other trees so remarkably presented this year ; for the 
destruction of the foliage was accomplished in part by 
some malignant influences, not well understood. Like 
the Egyptian king, we are accustomed to attribute all 
our evils of this nature to the “ blasting of the east 
wind ; ” yet we find all aspects and places obnoxious to 
