566 Annual Report of State Agricultural Society. 
the insect resorts to the nearest covert it can find, in which to pass its 
pupa state. ' 
To search the cabbage leaves over and with scissors cut asunder 
every worm that can be found, repeating this search so often as is 
required, is a task so formidable, that many persons, instead thereof, 
have dusted their plants with some powder or sprinkled them with 
some solution, hoping hereby to destroy at least a portion ot the 
worms or banish them from the plants. But, I am informed by seve¬ 
ral persons, that of the many substances of which they have thus 
made trial, not one has appeared to possess any efficacy. I notice, 
however, that my esteemed friend, Mr. Riley, states that “ white 
hellebore will kill the worms if sprinkled on to them.” From the 
experiments I had made with this substance on several different larvae, 
I had supposed it would have no effect upon these cabbage worms. 
Whilst it is certain and immediate death to the larvae of different spe¬ 
cies of the saw-flies (Tenthreditoidai), the larvae of the Lepidoptera 
appear to be unaffected by it. Even when the latter are forced to eat 
it largely with their food, though its acridity produces purgation and 
violent inflammation of the intestines, they always recover from tins 
severe illness. Mr. Riley’s statement, however, being so positive, has 
induced me to make a trial of this substance upon these worms. 
Hellebore, which had a few weeks before killed every currant worm 
where it had been applied, and was thus known to be a good article, 
was dusted upon a cabbage worm till it was so coated therewith as to 
wholly hide its green color, except on the under side ot its body. 
And I could not discover that the worm was in the least affected 
thereby. Crawling between the leaves in its cage, it in about three 
days had rubbed off all this powder, being no more discommoded by 
it, apparently, than if it had been road dust. As this and other poi¬ 
sonous substances have no effect on these worms, it seems hopeless 
that any remedy can be found, which, dusted upon the cabbages, will 
destroy them without destroying the cabbages also. And we are 
thus left to capturing the butterflies, and searching out their eggs, 
their larvae and pupae, and destroying them one by one, as our only 
resort for saving our cabbage crops from the ravages of this insect. 
