Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-09-17


admit the newly pardoned TO the regis
tration lists and the ballot box, they
could do nothing but obey; and the belief
so widely entertained, that such orders,
if given, could be countermanded by
General Grant, is entirely erroneous.
General Grant has no more power under
the act than any one of the military
commanders, except that he may remove
any officer by them appointed.
ne. II is known fact that what is
called the army, or real cotton worm,
never eats grass, forest leaves, or under
growth of any kind; nothing but the
leaves of cotton When the leaves have
disappeared the worm also disappears,
Notwithstanding they may roll them
selves up in other vegetation, and, to
some extent, reproduce the hy. Neither
will the worm eat anything but cotton
leaves, nor will the fly deposit its eggs
anywhere except under the leaves of the
cotton. The consequence is that they
disappear, 1t has, moreover, been OBJ
served that they do not eat the leaves
around the edge Of the fields, near the
woods, and along the branches, where
the inAue3ce of the surrounding foliage,
add the roots OF trees and bushes
impart their own natures, in meas
ure greater or less, to the cotton
plant and leaf. The leaf of the cotton is
thereby made tougher, or its flavor and
qualities are so changed that the worm
cannot subsist upon it. And you may
see them crawling in every direction and
to the tops of the highest dead treea in
field in search Of food or leaves to roll
themselves in, when yet few leaves
remain on the edges of the fields, which
they will starvc and die rather than eat.
The reason is that such cotton is distaste-
full or unhealthy for them to such an
extent that it will not support life. The
full grown cotton worm is little different
from pulp made Of the cotton lsaf You
will never find that particular worm
where you find no cotton. And they are
so a part of it that, wherever you do find
cotton, though a thousand miles from
any other field and on virgin lGEds, they
appear in numbers just proportloned to
the size Of the field and just sufficient to
consume it, whenever the combination of
natural causes and conditions is precisely
that which is adequate to their produc-
ton. They come not from abroad. They
are as much the product Of the plant
itself as the worm in the peach is the
product of the peach, as much as the
worm peculiar to the china or poplar
trees are q product OF those trees-that
is to say, they exist only with them, and
where their natural food is alone are
they generated
Now, from observation OF facts and
considerations Of this kind, we are led
to conjecture, as at least not so improb-
able as to be unworthy Of thought, that
the planting of field in alternate rows,
one Of cotton and another Of corn might
be more or less efficient as q preventive
measure. il might remove some Of the
unseen causes extracted from the soil or
by breathing the same atmosphere, or
otherwise so modify the growth as to re-
duce the quantity or prevent the worm
altogether. Perhaps tbe Jerusalem srti
choke, planted at greater distances,
might DO the same thing, without being
drawback on profits too great 10 war
rant the experiment Such az expert
meut with these or other desirable
products OF the farm, whether successful
or not, would cost nothing. We know
that cotton and corn may DO very well
together planted in alternate rows, and
that the cora will thrive better if so
planted. while the cotton viii do very
we'll, Il not better on account Of such an
attempt at prevention. We throw out
these suggestions for what they are
worth, without pretending to any pro-
fciency in science or agriculture which
warrants any respect Tor ouF opinions.
We know, at least, that experiments
hitherto tried have proved failures, and
that making fires aud spunkling the
plants with acids and the like, are al
simple ahsurdiiies. j is quite probable
ihere is no adequate remedy, though ~
have Yeuinred to suggest vhat may but
prove another very ridiculous expert