Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1881-07-08
SPEED THE PL0W."
Ravages of the Insect Army.

are in danger OF forgetting that we
have an enemy of far greater power,
because working often insideously and
unseen, which requires to be as much
guarded against, namely, the insect
enemy. We complain of weeds be-
cause they rob the plant of food, and
like the place where a good plant ought
to be; and we fight with the feathered
enemy because he takes the fruit, that
has struggled through all other trou-
bles; but the insect which We do not
see rarely troubles us very much, tho
after it is too late to apply remedy,
we see what terrible havoc has been
done. Then, overwhelmed with our
great loss, we think there is no help
for it. Yet we have the evidence all
about us that much less labor than is
often expended by the exasperated far
mer or fruit grower in shooting birds
that are rather his friends than his
enemies, would be more than sufficient
to preserve fruit crop against the
worst enemies that ever existed.
We are moved to these remarks by
a communication We recently read in
a horticultural journal in regard to
the celery grub. All who have had
experience in the culture of this vege-
table know that they have much trou-
BILE some seasons from the operations
of a very small worm, which gets I'M
derneath the surface of the leaf and
feeds on its green cellular matter
Celery, when attacked by this insect,
rarely does any good. This correspon-
dent tried lime, and ashes, and sui phur
and all the easy remedies so often NAM
ed, but with no good at all. Finally
he wrote To some one Whum he'll ous HI
could tell him what 70 do. and wis
told to so over the leaves on the first
appearance Of the inst CT and Pic
them dead" He though. this very
absurd; but was tempted to try the al
vice, and found to his surprise that j.
took no more time than one or two
good waterings or weddings. and ther
fore he writes to thank his friend for
his advice. and to praise his own g Cd
sense IN having taken it, Yet, this is
70 more than we. in this department.
and most other agricultural laborerS,
are continually intoxicating. namely:
the necessity of personal labor if We
would do anything in this way with
much hope of success
This hes been exemplified in tho
case of the curcu'io on the plum. All
sorts of easy scarweevis have been
thought o.: Some dust the trees With
lime, with sulphur, with ashes-others
stick tar in rags about the tree. NJ
merous other nostrums have been poI-
ular, but the first great blow at the
curculio was to cut off bough close
up t. .the trunk, place sheets under
the trees, and with mallet suddenly
strike the stump and thus shake the
insects off, which were then burnt
Do this every morning for couple of
weeks, and you can get plenty of plums
and they will pay handsomely. DR..
Hall, of Illinois, improved this idea.
He invented a sort of wheelbarrow
with sheets spread on frames, which
shook off and collected the insects at
once. He olso has plums in plenty
and finds it pays. 1t is indeed the ex
perience of every one that the war a
gainst insects, as against weeds, is one
in which We must personally engage
if we would have success. People be-
lieve that the climate is a fearful one
and look with envious eyes on foreign
countries from which fruit flows so
freely to our shores. But all who
have had personal experience in these
countries tell us that personal effort
to keep off these animal pests is some
thing enormous and they laugh at us
because we sit down and do nothing
but cry over our hard fate.
Of course we can getsome help from
outside agencies, and of these birds
are the best. But even these we have
to assist in order to get tie best results
from their work. We remember once
when the cut-worm question was one
of the most engrossing with the press
generally. Asking a farmer friend
what he regarded as the best remedy, |
and we suspect that the great world
of disputants would have been sur
prised at his answer, that he encour-
aged the blackbirds, as the purple
grakle is called in these parts. This,
the white curb, and similar root de-
vourers, he thought he kept complete
ly down by encouraging them. His
neighbors shot at them whenever they
had chance, and they focked to his
farm, where they were protected; and
they followed his pillow and hoe, har-
row, to use his own words, like flock
of ducks, and thus kept them closely
checked. When he found his corn or
any of his hoed crop troubled in this
way, he put the cultivator at once to
work, and this gave the birds chance.
These little hints may be of service