3b0 
CULTURE OF CABBAGE. 
to cauterize the wounded part. In the summer, twenty-four hours 
are sufficient, and two or three days in winter: rubbing a little 
wood-ashes on the part greatly assists in cauterising the wound, and 
prevents, bleeding. Plant them, and they require no further trouble.’’ 
See Gardeners’ Magazine, Vol. 9 page 227, and our Register Vol. 2, 
275. It is, however, probable this system will not be much practised 
except in particular cases, though we do not doubt but it will answer. 
Insects .—Amongst the most destructive insects that infest Cab¬ 
bages are the caterpillars of the Large Cabbage Butterflies (Pontia 
Brassiere) figure 1 on the plate, the Green-Veined White (Pontia 
Napi) fig. 2, and the Small Cabbage Butterflies (Pontia Rapes) fig. 
3. The first of these appears early in spring when the plants are 
small, when if not destroyed they usually make great devastation. 
The two latter seldom do much damage until June or July, when 
they get into the hearts of the plants and quickly spoil them. The 
only sure way of getting rid of these, is to gather them off with the 
hand, or destroy as many as possible whilst in the chrysalis state. 
Slugs arc also very troublesome, but these may be destroyed by 
dusting lime over the ground at the time the are travelling about, as 
noticed Vol 1, page 166. The Limax Agreslis fig. 4 is one of the 
most common. 
Whilst the plants are young, they are sometimes bitten off by a 
brown grub about an inch and a half long. A mixture of strong 
lime water, mixed with tobacco water, and poured at the roots, will 
effectually kill this grub ; besides this we know of no other way except 
catching them. Many other insects infest the Brassiere tribe, but as 
we shall have occasion again to enter into the subject we pass over the 
remainder, and merely notice, that many thousands of the caterpillars 
are destroyed annually by a small insect of the Ichneumon Family 
which is named on the plate as Platygaster ovulorum, but which we 
have since understood to be the Microgaster glomeratus. This mi¬ 
nute insect the figure of which is the natural size, deposits its eggs 
in the bodies of the caterpillars, some time after which the cater¬ 
pillars cease to feed, and leaving the cabbages, usually crawl up any 
wall near, and there instead of going into the pupae state, become 
transformed into a number of little silken balls, as seen on the plate, 
from these in a few days issue a number of the perfect insects. 
There is something wonderful in the instinct of these little insects, 
that when feeding on the body of the caterpillar they should avoid 
touching any vital part, that should take the caterpillars life; and 
when full grown that they should eat through the skin, to spin their 
cocoons without killing it, although none live more than a few days 
afterwards. 
