Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1885-04-04
Anaoorte., w. n, Saturday. April 4. 1885

experience concerning his pet cut-worms
An accurate knowledge Of natural history
is shown in a finale OF the story, for it he's
Clcary shown that toads eat cut worms
largely; began early 20 spade up my
angle-worms and other pets, to see II they
had withstood the severe winter. Ifound
they had. They were unusually bright
and cheerful. The potato bugs were
little sluggish at first, but as the spring
opened and the ground warmed up, they
pitched right in and did first. rate. Ey-
cry pnsAof my bugs in May looked splen-
didls. was most worried about my cut
worms. Away along in April bad not
aeen. a cut worm, and began to fear
they had suffered and perhaps perished in
the extreme cold OF the previous winter.
One morning, late in the month, however,
saw cut worm come out from behind
rabbage- stump and take off his ear
muff. He was little stiff in the joints.
but he bad not lost hope. saw at once
now was the time to assist him, If ] had a
spark Of humanity left searched every
work could find on agriculture, to find
out what it was that farmers fed their
blamed cut-wofms, hut ell scientists
seemed to be silent. Tread the agricul~
tural reports. the dictionary. and the en-
cyclopedis, but they didn't throw any
light on the subject. got wild. /
feared that Ihad brought but one cut
worm through the winter, and I was Ii
able to lose him, uDle ss could find out
what TO feed him. asked some Of my
neighbors. but they spoke jeeringly and
Systematically. ! know now how it. was.
An their cut -worns had frozen down last
winter. and they couldn't bear to see me
get ahead.
All at once an idea struck me. Ihsvn't
recovered from the conclusion yet. It
was this; The worm had wintered under
cabbage stalk; no doubt be was fond Of
the beverage, acted upon this thought,
and bought him two dogea red cabbage
plants, at SO cents dozen. had hit II
the first pop. He. was passlonately fond
Of these plants, and would eat three IN
one night. He also had several matinees.
and eaucrkraut lawn festivals for his
friends; and in week bought three
more cabbage plants. By this time I had
collected large group 81 common scrub
cut-worms, carly Swedish cut-wcrms,
dwarf Hubbard cut worms. ard Short-
horn cut~worms, all doing very well, but
still. l thought, little hide-bound and
bilious. They acted languid and hstless
Al my squash bugs, currant worms, POI
tato bugs. etc. were all doing we'll wiih-
out care, devoted myself almost exclu-
sively to my cut~worms. They were all
strong and we'll, but they seemed melan-
choly with nothing to eat, day after day.
but cabbagcs. ], therefore, bought five
dozen tolesto plants that were tender and
large. These fed to the cut-worms At
.hs rate Of eight to ten 10 one night. In
week the cut worms had thrown olf
that air Of ennui and languor that had
formerly noticed and were gay snd lights
hearted. got them some more cabbage
for change. On tho whole ! was = proud
~ any young farmer who has made :
sucoess Of anything. One morning ! me-
ticsd that cabbage Was standing ur-
changed. The next day it was still there.
l was thunder~struck. dug into the
ground. Bly cut-worms were gone. /
spsdcd up tho whole patch, but there
wasn's one. just As had Lecome attrch-
ell to them and they had learned to look
forward each day to my coming, when
they would almost come up and eat :
tomato plant ont Of my hand, some one
had rubbed ms Of them. was alnost
Wild with despair and grief. Suddenly
something tumblsd over my fsot kwas
mostiy stomach, but II had teet in each
csrssr. a nsighbor said It WAS : ~arty
toad. He bad eaten up my summers
work. He hAd swallowed my cunning
littls cat worms. ] tell you, gentle
reader. unless some way Is provided
whereby this wassy toad can be wiped
out, ! for one shall Eslinquish the joys Of
agricultural pursuits Whom common
toad, with salIow complexion and no
intellect, can swallow up my suumer's
wnrf II il TINA In Da,le6.