
          Now it is a well known fact that worms pray
 upon their appropriate foods & will not generally
 eat plants promiscuously. Now if a worm will
 prey exclusively ^[added: on] our plant & not touch its
 near relatives, is it not a strong reason for
 pronouncing this a different plant & then
 may they not aid us in determining doubtful
 species?


 I give you one more circumstance. Last
 august year I saw a patch of Potatoes
 (Convolvulus Batatas) destroyed by a 
 Caterpillar never before seen [crossed out: illegible]
 It destroyed the entire leaf, leaving the 
 stems & midrib. It was a large black 
 worm the size of a mans finger & 3 1/2 to 4
 inches long. They burrowed in the ground
 & in digging the potatos, (which by the by
 did not produce one fifth of a crop, in
 consequence of the destruction of their leaves)
 thousands of them were dug up, in their
 chrysalis states. a potato patch close
 by the present year was not affected by 
 them. I fear I tire you with remarks
 about worms, if so I will not allude to them
 again.


 I am sorry to tell you I have lately
 been quite sick


 Very Sincerely yours
 S Boykin

        