Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1873-08-29

off at the top of the ground. BY inves-
tigation | ascertained that the mischief
was done by greasy, brownish looking
worm, commonly known / think, as the
cut worm. We went to work and dug out
and hashed about peck of those worms.
We then hattered ourselves that the
rest of the tobacco was safe. The next
morning another third of the plants
we're cut off in their youth and vigor.
If there is anything that will make a
man forget his early religious training
it is to go into his tobacco field and find
his largest and finest plants thus stricken
down before their time.
For ten days we waged relentless war
against those worms. We set new plants
in the place of those destroyed until we
had reset the whole field five times.
About the 4th of July the worms re-
tired from the field and we took breath.
But we didn't have long to rest. Soon
another sort of worm made its appear
ance and set about having a good time
at my expense.
This worm is known to science as the
Carolina sphinx or some other sphinx,
and the only object of its existence
seems to be to chew tobacco. They are
greenish, striped fellows, and look some
what like animated BARRIERS poles. They
grow TO be several inches in length and
thick as ones finger. They are quick
tempered and when angry will jerk
their heads about and snap their teeth
in an extremely vicious manner. The
usual mode of treatment is TO grasp
them with the thumb and forefnger
just back of the ears, and drawing the
finger back with a quick sliding motion
to twist their heads off 1t is rather try.
ing to the nerves at first, bnt one gets
used to it.
These worms stay until the tobacco is
harvested, and sometimes hang round q
week or two after it is housed l have
seen them after the tobacco had begun
to cure, thin, dirty and forlorn, crawling
up around the barn and begging each
other for "chaw."
The boys and spent nearly the whole
OF our time during July and August
trying to exterminate those worms, but
the more we killed the thicker they be
came. Then the grasshopoers took tc
chewing. bought flock Of turkeys
to catch them, but my expectations were
not realized The turks would eat grass
fed hoppers readily enough, but they
didn't seem to like the flavor of the
| tobacco chewers. Consequently the hop.
pers had things pretty much their own
way.
Towards the last of the August, when
the tobacco was nearly ready to harvest
violent wind and hail storm visited us
and converted the most Of the tobacco
in my neighborhood into "ine cut
The storm was followed by a cold snap
and frost. A good deal of the tobacco
was badly frozen. One of my neigh,
bors plowed in his whole crop, not consid
ering it worth harvesting. harvested
mine. In the barn it pole sweat badly.
During the Winter | stripped, sorted
and packed it into boxes. 1t wasn't g
difficult lot to sort. After throwing GU
that which was spoiled by the frost anC
sweat, it all ranked as filters. 1t weigh
ed exactly 913 lbs.
Mr. editor, 1 am still proprietor of tina
tobacco. have twice refused FIVE cent
per pound for it, but don't think 1 shall
again. Five cents is about one fftl
what it cost me. Probably | shall grow
beans in the future.
.. j. SPENCE.