Packard.] 
INSECTS OE THE GARDEN. 
25 
gnaw that off and fasten itself to the stump of the branch 
so gnawed and suck the sap of the vine till it was so full 
that it seemed almost ready to burst, then descend to the 
ground and bury itself out of sight/’ 
It is well known that a roll of paper or tin surrounding 
the plant and its roots is the best preventive against the 
insidious attacks of the cut worm. Mr. Cochrane in deal¬ 
ing with the Apple-bud Cut Worm says, u there is no 
known remedy, salt has no properties repulsive to them; 
they burrow in it equally as quick as in lime or ashes. 
Tobacco, soap and other diluted washes do not even pro¬ 
voke them; but a tin tube, six inches in length, opened on 
one side and closed around the base of the tree, fitting close 
and entering at the lower end an inch into the earth, is 
what the lawyers would term 4 an effectual estoppel ’ to fur¬ 
ther proceedings.” 
The best remedy is, then, to watch for the worms at dark 
or dig around the roots by day and kill by pressure under 
foot. The next best remedy is to surround the plant with 
a roll of paper or pasteboard, and avoid the use of nostrums 
recommended to kill the worm. It is also a good plan to 
set boards under which the worms are inclined to hide ; they 
should be examined every day and the worms if found killed. 
Riley suggests that many cut worms may be entrapped by 
making smooth holes with a stick and examining them the 
next day, when the worms may possibly be found at the 
bottom. 
The Wire Worm .—Another universal plague in gardens 
is the wire worm. It is omnivorous in its tastes, feeding on 
the roots of grain, lawn grass, various flowers and vegeta¬ 
bles, and in some cases attacking fruits and flowers. They 
occur in all sorts of places, but more abundantly than else¬ 
where under the bark of trees and stumps, where they feed 
on the decaying wood and thus are not harmful. We have 
between one and two hundred species in this country. The 
25 
