308 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[August, 
June-bug, and Dor-bug, and we suggested knock¬ 
ing it from the trees where it harbors, and catching 
it upon sheets. A correspondent, “ R. H. R.,” 
Rocky Hill, Conn., writes: “There is near the 
house a large Weeping Willow, and the beetles 
•come to feed upon it. I take a lantern and a 
wash-tub, with a little hot water or strong soap 
suds, set the tub under the tree, and hang the lan¬ 
tern over the tub. The beetles fly against the 
lantern and drop into the water, where they are 
drowned. You would be surprised to see how fast 
they are caught. I have caught about four quarts 
in two evenings. The trap is not patented.”—We 
do not doubt the utility' of this method. Where 
the insects are on low bushes, or in the grass, and 
other small plants, the lantern may be set upon a 
stone placed in the tub to form an island. This 
and other destructive methods persistently fol¬ 
lowed will materially diminish the white grubs. 
PEAR SLUG AND FLY. 
The Pear Slug-Worm. 
— 
More inquiries have been made about the “ Slug- 
Worm” that attacks the pear, and more specimens 
have been sent than in any previous year, and as 
we have not noticed it to be unusually abundant, 
we infer that our friends keep a closer watch upon 
their trees. It is not, as some j, 
suppose, a new insect, as we 
have the record, quoted by 
Harris, that the year 1797 was 
made memorable in Massa¬ 
chusetts by their abundance; 
they completely destroyed the 
foliage, and the air was filled 
with a sickening odor. We can 
best answer the questions as to 
their history, by the aid of 
an engraving borrowed from 
Packard’s “ Guide to the Study 
of Insects.” The parent in¬ 
sect is a small fly shown at the 
upper part of the engraving, 
with a line to show its natural 
size. The body of the fly is 
glossy black, and its trans¬ 
parent wings show changeable 
colors. They appear late in 
May, or early in June, and 
finish laying their eggs in about 
three weeks. The larvae or 
Slugs (a), are at first white, but 
soon become covered with an 
olive-green slime, which gives them a most repul¬ 
sive appearance. When full grown, they are nearly 
half an inch long, largest in front, and are able to 
swell out the forepart of their body. They feed 
upon the upper surface of the leaf, from which they 
eat all the green pulp, leaving the frame-work un¬ 
touched. The leaf in the engraving, shows the ap¬ 
pearance of these naked spots, though when sev¬ 
eral are at upon one leaf, they leave only the skele¬ 
ton. Their growth is completed in 26 days, during 
which they change their skin five times ; they then 
fall, or crawl, to the ground, which they enter to 
the depth of a few inches, make a chrysalis, and in 
15 days come out as perfect insects, or flies, to lay 
eggs for a second brood. The second crop of Slugs 
appears late in July, or early in August, and the 
chrysalids from these, remain in the ground until 
the next spring. Being two-brooded, it is desirable to 
attack the early brood when possible ; at this time, 
the second brood will want attention. As they for¬ 
tunately confine themselves to the upper surface of 
the leaves, it is not difficult to kill them. Lime 
air-slaked, or perfectly and carefully slaked, with 
just enough water to cause it to fall into a fine dry 
powder, is the most effective application ; wood- 
ashes is the next best. Either of these placed in a 
bag of some open fabric, tied to a pole, may be 
dusted over the foliage. If but a very little touches 
the Slug, it is held fast by the slime, and soon fin¬ 
ishes the creature. Hellebore, used as we have di¬ 
rected for currant bushes, is said to be effective. 
It has been stated, that fine road dust thrown over 
the foliage, would kill the insect as well as anything 
else, but it is found, that while this by adhering to 
the skin annoys the insect greatly, and causes it to 
drop from the leaf, if near the time to change its 
clothing, the Slug will cast off its old and soiled 
skin, and go to work anew. The name of this in¬ 
sect is Selandria Cerasi. The meaning of Sdanclria 
does not appear to be known, the specific name 
Cerasi, means “of the cherry,” as it attacks the 
Cherry as well as the Pear, and has also been found 
on the Plum, and Mountain-Ash. The Rose-Slug is 
the larva of another member of the genus Selandria , 
and others still, attack the Grape and Raspberry. 
The Use of the Feet in Sowing and 
Planting. 
BY PETER HENDERSON, JERSEY CITY RIGHTS, N. J. 
[The following are essential portions of a paper 
read by Mr. Henderson at the Annual Meeting of 
“The American Association of Nurserymen,” held 
at Cleveland, Ohio, on June 18th last. The sub¬ 
ject is an eminently practical one, and in the dis¬ 
cussion which followed the reading of the paper, 
some of the most experienced nurserymen in the 
country gave their testimony as to its importance. 
The venerable Robert Douglas, of Waukegan, Ill., 
eminent as a grower of seedling trees, and especi¬ 
ally evergreens, spoke from his 40 years of experi¬ 
ence as to the great importance of having the facts 
here presented generally understood and acted 
upon.—E d.] After some introductory remarks Mr. 
Henderson said : Though I have been extensively 
engaged in gardening operations for over a quarter 
of a century, I candidly admit that I did not, until 
a few years ago, fully realize the importance of the 
proper use of the feet in sowing and planting. Par¬ 
ticularly in the sowing of seeds, I consider the 
matter of such importance that it can not be told 
too often or emphasized too strongly. The loss to 
the agricultural and horticultural community by the 
neglect of the simple operation of firming the soil 
around seed must amount to many millions of dol¬ 
lars annually. In many sections there was, this 
year, little or no rain, from the middle of April to 
nearly the end of May. This was particularly the 
case in the vicinity of New York City, where we 
have hundreds of market-gardeners who cultivate 
thousands of acres of Cabbages, Cauliflower, and 
Celery, with whose seed-beds the dry spring made 
sad havoc. In the way of plants to set out, there 
is not one-fourth of a crop of Celery, and of Cab¬ 
bage and Cauliflower plants they have hardly 
half the usual number ; and this failure is due to 
no other cause than that they persist in sowing 
their seeds wit hout even firming the soil by rolling. 
We sow annually about four acres in Celery, 
Cabbage, and Cauliflower, for the purpose of rais¬ 
ing the plants, of which probably five millions are 
produced, and which we never fail to sell mostly 
to the market-gardeners in our immediate neigh¬ 
borhood, many of whom have even better facilities 
than we have for raising these plants, if they would 
only do as we do, firm the seed after sowing. After 
plowing, harrowing, and smoothing the land, lines 
are drawn by the “ marker,” which makes furrows 
about two inches deep and a foot apart; one man 
sows the seed and another follows him, who, with 
the ball of the right foot, presses down his full 
weight upon every inch of soil in the drill where the 
seed has been sown ; the rows are then lightly 
levelled longitudinally with the rake, a light roller 
is passed over them, and the operation is done. 
With this method our crop has never once failed, 
and what is true of Celery and Cabbage seed, is 
nearly as true of all other seeds sown during the 
late spring or the warm months of summer. 
On July 2d in 1874, I sowed, as an experiment, 
13 rows of Sweet Corn and 12 rows of Beets, tread¬ 
ing in every alternate row of each after sowing. In 
both cases, those trodden in came up in four days, 
while those not thus firmed, remained 12 days be¬ 
fore starting, and would not then have germinated 
had rain not fallen, the soil being as dry as dust. 
The result was, that the seeds trodden in grew free¬ 
ly from the start and matured their crops to a mar¬ 
ketable condition by fall, while the rows not firmed 
did not mature, as the seeds were eight days later 
in starting, and the plants were also enfeebled 
from .being partially dried in the loose dry soil. 
In August of the same year, I treated seeds of 
Turnip and Spinach in the same way ; those trodden 
in germinated at once and made an excellent crop, 
while those unfirmed, germinated feebly, and were 
eventually nearly all burned out, the dry, hot air, 
penetrating through the loose soil to the tender 
rootlets. Of course, this rule, to tread in or firm 
seeds after sowing, must not be blindly followed. 
Very early in spring, or late in fall, when the soil 
is moist, and there is no danger from dry, hot air, 
there is no necessity to do so, and at other seasons, 
the soil may be in a suitable condition for sowing, 
and yet be too damp to be trodden upon or rolled. 
In such cases, these operations may not be necessaiy 
at all, for if rainy weather ensue, the seeds will 
germinate of course ; but if there is a probability of 
continued drouth, the treading or rolling may be 
done a week or so after sowing, if there is reason to 
believe the seeds may suffer from the dryness. 
Now if firming the soil around seed to protect it 
from the influence of a diy, hot atmosphere is a ne¬ 
cessity, it is obvious that it is even more so in the 
case of plants, the rootlets of which are even more 
sensitive to such influence, than the dormant seed. 
Experienced horticulturists are less likely to neg¬ 
lect this, than in the case of seeds, for the result¬ 
ing damage is easier to be seen, and hence better 
understood by the practical nurseryman. With the 
unexperienced amateur, the case is different; when 
he receives his package of trees or plants from the 
nurseryman, he handles them as if they were glass, 
every broken twig or root, calls forth a complaint, 
and he proceeds to plant them gingerly, straighten¬ 
ing out the roots and sifting the soil around them, 
but he would no more stamp down that soil, than 
he would stamp on the soil of his mother’s grave. 
So the plant, in nine cases out of ten, is left loose 
and waggling, the dry air penetrates through the 
soil to its roots, the winds shake it, it shrivels up 
and fails to grow. Then come the anathemas on 
the head of the unfortunate nurseryman, who is 
charged with selling dead trees or plants. About a 
month ago, I sent a package of a dozen Roses 
by mail, to a lady in Savannah, Ga. She wrote me 
a woeful story, saying that though the roses arrived 
seemingly all right, they had all died but one, and 
what was very singular, she said, the one that 
lived, was the one that Mr. J. had stepped on, and 
which she had thought was surely crushed to death, 
for Mr. J. weighs 200 lbs. While we do not as a 
practice advise any gentleman of 200 lbs. to put his 
foot upon the top of a tender rose plant, yet if Mrs. 
J. could have allowed her weighty lord to press the 
soil against the root of each of her roses, I much 
doubt if she would have had to mourn their loss. 
Look to the Cabbage Worm. 
The European Cabbage “worm” is still very 
troublesome in many places, and unless it is vigor¬ 
ously looked after, great damage will result from 
its ravages. The butterfly which lays the eggs, 
from which the caterpillar, or so-called “ worm ” is 
hatched, comes early, and, in its several broods, re¬ 
mains during the season, so that the eggs, which 
BUTTERFLY-NET. 
are deposited on the under-side of the leaves, and 
the worms are to be looked for at all times. It 
should be borne in mind that every female butter¬ 
fly that is destroyed prevents a large brood of 
worms, and the war should begin here. The white 
butterflies, with black spots, are often seen like a 
cloud over the cabbage field, but while mating they 
are found elsewhere. With a butterfly-net, made 
