Destruction of. As we propose in this article to point out the means of destroying some of those animals that are hurtful or troublesome to man, we shall employ the term vermin, in a more extended sense, including also under it, mice, rats, moles, &c. We shall endeavour to collect the most useful observations that have been made on the means of diminishing or extirpating such animals as are obviously injurious. We cannot avoid here remarking, that although the seemingly excessive increase of one species of animals is hurtful or inconvenient to another, or to man himself, and their existence is attended with great loss and damage, by their infesting and destroying grains and other fruits of the earth destined for the food of man or those animals that are subservient to him; we are not of opinion that this excess ought to be considered merely as a useless excrement in the great scale of being; nor are we of opinion that their numbers ought not to be reduced, because we are too short-sighted to comprehend the wise purposes for which they are called into life. We have vermin heard such a doctrine held up, although we are inclined to suspect that it is founded on a love of singularity or indolence, rather than proceeding from pure motives of benevolence. But we must abstain from such disquisitions, and occupy the limits allotted to the proper subject of consideration.

Rats and Mice.—Various methods have been proposed for the destruction of these vermin. The following preparation has been recommended as very effectual. Take of the seeds of flax-flower (delphinium flophifragia), or of lousewort (pedicularis polybris), powdered, more or less as the occasion requires, one part; of oat meal, three parts: mix them well, and make them up into a paste with honey. Lay pieces of this paste in the holes, and on the places where mice and rats frequent; and it will effectually kill or rid the places of those kind of vermin by their eating of it.

Some time ago the society for encouraging arts proposed a premium of 50l. for a preparation capable of alluring or fascinating rats so that they might be taken alive. In consequence of this, a great number of new traps, &c. were invented, and the following methods of alluring the rats to a certain place were published. One of the methods which is most easily and efficaciously practised, is the trailing of some pieces of their most favourite food, which should be of the kind which has the strongest scent, such as toasted cheese or boiled red herrings, from the holes or entrances of the closet to their recesses in every part of the house or contiguous building. At the extremities, and at different parts of the course of this trailed track, small quantities of meal, or any other kind of their food, should be laid to bring the greater number into the tracks, and to encourage them to pursue it to the place where they are intended to be taken; at that place, when time admits of it, a more plentiful repast is laid for them, and the trailing repeated for two or three nights.

Besides this trailing and way-baiting, some of the most expert of the rat-catchers have a shorter, and perhaps more effectual method of bringing them together; which is the calling them, by making such a whistling noise as resembles their own call; and by this means, with the assistance of the way-baits, they call them out of their holes, and lead them to the repast previously prepared for them at the places designed for taking them. But this is much more difficult to be practised than the art of trailing; for the learning of the exact notes or cries of any kind of beasts or birds, so as to deceive them, is a peculiar talent which is attained only by few.

In practising either of these methods of trailing or calling, great caution must be used by the operator to suppress and prevent the scent of his feet and body from being perceived; which is done by overpowering that scent, by other scents of a stronger nature. In order to do this, the feet are to be covered with cloths rubbed over with afaefacta, or other strong smelling substances; and even oil of rhodium is sometimes used for this purpose, but sparingly, on account of its high price, though it has a very alluring as well as disgusting effect. If this caution of avoiding the scent of the operators feet, near the track, and in the place where the rats are proposed to be collected, be not properly observed, it will very much obstruct the success of the attempt tempt to take them; for they are very shy of coming where the scent of human feet lies very fresh, as it intimates to their lagacious instinct the presence of human creatures, whom they naturally dread. To the above-mentioned means of alluring by trailing, way-baiting and calling, is added another of very material efficacy, which is the use of oil of rhodium, which like the marum syriacum and valerian in the cafe of cats, has a very extraordinary fascinating power on these animals. This oil, as it is extremely dear, is therefore sparingly used. It is exalted in a small quantity in the place, and at the entrance of it, where the rats are intended to be taken, particularly at the time when they are to be left brought together, in order to their destruction; and it is used also by finearing it on the surface of some of the implements used in taking by the method below described; and the effect it has in taking off their caution and dread, by the delight they appear to have in it, is very extraordinary.

It is usual, likewise, for the operator to disguise his figure as well as scent, which is done by putting a sort of gown or cloak, of one colour, that hides the natural form, and makes him appear like a poft, or some such inanimate thing, which habit must likewise be scented as above, to overpower the smell of his person; and besides this, he is to avoid all motion till he has secured his point of having all the rats in his power.

When the rats are thus enticed and collected, where time is afforded, and the whole in any house and outbuildings are to be cleared away, they are suffered to regale on what they most like, which is ready prepared for them, and then to go away quietly for two or three nights; by which means those that are not allured the first night, are brought afterwards, either by their fellows, or the effects of the trailing, &c. and will not fail to come duly again, if they are not disturbed or molested. But many of the rat-catchers make shorter work, and content themselves with what can be brought together in one night; but this is never effectual, unless where the building is small and entire, and the rats but few in number.

The means of taking them when brought together are various. Some entice them into a very large bag, the mouth of which is sufficiently capacious to cover nearly the whole floor of the place where they are collected; which is done by finearing some vessel, placed in the middle of the bag, with oil of rhodium, and laying in the bag baits of food. This bag, which before lay flat on the ground with the mouth spread open, is to be suddenly clofed when the rats are all in. Others drive or frighten them, by flight noises or motions into a bag of a long form, the mouth of which, after all the rats are come in, is drawn up to the opening of the place by which they entered, all other ways of retreat being secured. Others, again, intoxicate or poison them, by mixing with the repast prepared for them, the coccus indicus, or the nux vomica. They direct four ounces of coccus indicus, with 12 ounces of oat-meal, and two ounces of treacle or honey, made into a moist paste with strong beer; but if the nux vomica be used, a much less proportion will serve than is here given of the coccus. Any similar composition of these drugs, with that kind of food the rats are most fond of, and which has a strong flavour to hide that of the drugs, will equally answer the end. If indeed coccus indicus be well powdered, and infused in strong beer for some time, at least half the quantity here directed will serve as well as the quantity before mentioned. When the rats appear to be thoroughly intoxicated with the coccus, or sick with the nux vomica, they may be taken with the hand and put into a bag or cage, the door of the place being first shut, lest those who have strength and sense remaining should escape.

In destroying rats, advantage may be taken of that remarkable degree of instinct which they possess of deserting one place, where they find themselves disturbed or harassed, and retiring to new haunts. It is well known, that after one or two rats are poisoned, or taken in traps, or wounded or otherwise injured, and afterwards permitted to escape, the whole colony immediately disappears. The practice, however, of destroying rats that frequent dwelling-houses, by poison, should be as much as possible avoided; for they retire to places behind the wainscot, &c. from which, after death, their putrid bodies emitting a most offensive smell cannot be removed. But it is far less difficult than is generally imagined to secure the different apartments of a dwelling house, and even the cellars, from the inroads of rats and mice, and thus to prevent their unwelcome visits, by shutting up the passages through which they enter. Stone and lime, when they can be applied, are effectual; but common plaster, by introducing pieces of broken pottery ware or glass, along with it, will also answer the purpose; and even a piece of cork, with a pin or two stuck through it to prevent them from eating it away, is a complete barrier to mice entering through a hole in wood, and may even prevent the entrance of rats.

We have seen this method of shutting up the holes, as soon as they were opened by the industry of the enemy, readily purified for some time, attended with the fullest success, even in an old house of considerable extent, and finished from top to bottom with wood, some of which was much decayed.

Often for the sake of food, rats and mice frequent gardens, fields, and woods, in the summer season; but, on the approach of winter, they return to their former haunts in the habitations of man; and, accordingly, it is observed, that houses which are free from those vermin during the summer, swarm with them about the end of harvest. Attention to this circumstance in the habits of these animals, may be the means of securing us from their visits and depredations; for if, at the time alluded to, every hole and cranny through which rat or mouse can enter, be shut up, and carefully kept close and secure, the perseverance of the foe is exhausted and overcome by repeated and constant resistance, and thus he is forced to abandon the unequal contest, and to retire to other haunts where his motions are less interrupted.

Various other methods have been proposed for the destruction of rats; and although we have thrown out a hint against the use of arsenic for this purpose, in dwelling houses; yet where it can be employed with perfect safety, and without risk of the nuisance alluded to, as in cellars and outhouses, it is undoubtedly one of the most effectual to which we can have recourse.

Suffocating these vermin by means of the fumes of sulphur, as on board of ships, in granaries and other buildings which can be shut up, is sometimes also suc- Vermin. cessfully practised. Rats and other vermin have also been effectually destroyed and eradicated by burning wood in close apartments, thus producing fixed air or carbonic acid gas, by which they are also suffocated.

Moles.—Various methods have been proposed for the destruction of these animals. But the following observations on this subject, which we shall give in the words of the author, seem to be more satisfactory than any thing we have met with.

"The great damage (says he) which moles occasion in cultivated land, and particularly gardens, is well known; and the best means of remedying this evil is by destroying all those that make their appearance, as far as possible. The secrets which quacks fell for extirpating these destructive animals are of very little avail; and even poison produces no effect, as the mole does not drink, and lives only on roots and worms. In regard to gins and traps, the moles must be enticed to them by some kind of bait, which does not always produce the intended effect. Buffon advises a trench to be dug around the hills under which they conceal themselves, and thus to cut them off from all communication with the neighbouring ground. This method requires three or four people to dig trenches; and though it may prove effectual, it is attended with too much trouble. The other methods proposed by different naturalists are neither easier nor more certain.

"It is well known that this animal lives under the earth; and if at any time it comes forth from its holes, it is only when compelled to do so, in consequence of large quantities of water accumulated after the heavy rains which fall in summer, or when the earth is so much parched and dried by the continued drought, that it can no longer continue its labour; but it again creeps back into the earth when it finds a spot convenient for its purpose.

"This animal, as already remarked, feeds upon roots and worms, and for this reason is generally found in rich fertile soil; but never in that which is marshy or stony. In the winter time it retires to elevated places, because it is there best secured from inundations. In summer, however, it descends to the low hillocks and flat land, and above all makes choice of meadows for the place of its residence; because it finds the earth there freer and softer for it to dig through. If the weather continues long dry, it repairs to the borders of ditches, the banks of rivers and streams, and to places contiguous to hedges.

"The mole breeds generally at the beginning of winter, and the months when they are found big with young are January and February. In the month of April a great many of their young may be seen. Among 122 caught in the month of May by my method, there were only four big with young. This animal cannot live without digging; it is obliged to find its nourishment in the bowels of the earth; and on that account is under the necessity of making those long subterranean passages which are found between one mole-hill and another. In general it begins to dig five or six inches under the surface; it scrapes the earth before it on one side till the quantity becomes too great for it to labour with ease; it then works towards the surface; and by pushing with its head, and the assistance of its nervous paws, gradually raises up the earth which incumbrances it, and which produces those small hills so common in fields. After getting rid of the earth in this manner, it proceeds forwards, and continues its labour as before. The farther it goes the more hills are produced. At each period of its labour it throws up four or five.

"In places overgrown with grass and thubs, the mole is often contented with only forcing a passage through between the roots: and when the earth in gardens has been newly watered, it keeps itself at the depth of scarcely half an inch under the surface. This animal shews an equal aversion to great cold and violent heat; and in order to avoid both, it forces its way, when either prevail, to the greatest depth in the earth.

"It continues its labour at all times, because it is necessary for it to procure nourishment. It is absolutely false that it sleeps throughout the winter, as some naturalists have asserted; for it throws up the earth in the coldest season, as well as during the summer. It is most busily employed towards the end of winter, and at that period forms the greatest number of hills. To this it is impelled by more than one reason. In the first place, it must provide nourishment for its young; secondly, it finds it easiest at that time to dig its way through the earth; and lastly, as the air begins to be milder, the animal then recovers that strength which it had lost during the intense cold. At this season, therefore, it is most proper to pursue means for extirpating this animal, as it can be destroyed with greater ease while employed at its labour.

"The male is much stronger than the female, and the hills thrown up by the former are much larger as well as more numerous. The periods when the mole is most busily employed in digging are in the morning, at sunrise, at noon, and at sunset. In dry weather moles are observed to throw up the earth for the most part only at sunrise, and in winter when the earth has been somewhat heated by the sun's rays.

"A person may easily discover how many moles are contained in a certain space of ground, by counting the fresh raised mole-hills which have no communication with each other. I must remark also, that this animal has very bad sight, being almost totally blind; but its hearing, on the other hand, is so much the more acute.

"I shall now proceed to the method of destroying them. Immediately at day-break it will be necessary to make a tour round the garden or meadow, from which it is wished to extirpate the moles; for at that time they will be all found at work, as may be seen by the hills newly thrown up. If the person is then close to the hill, he must proceed as the gardeners do, and turn up with a stroke of the spade the hill together with the digger. The passage is then cut through before the animal is aware of the attack, and therefore it has not power to escape. If the mole-hill be fresh, even though the animal may not be throwing up earth, the person ought not to lose his time in waiting, but should immediately proceed to the operation above mentioned.

"If you find a fresh hill standing by itself, which seems to shew by its situation that it has no communication with any other, which is always the case when the mole has worked from the surface downwards in endeavouring to procure a more convenient habitation, after the hill has been turned up with the spade, a bucket of water should be poured over the mouth of the passage. By these means the animal, which is at no great distance, will be obliged to come forth, and may be easily caught with the hand.

"You "You may discover also whether a hill has any communication with another, if you apply your ear to it, and then cough or make a loud noise. If it has no communication with the neighbouring hills, you will hear the terrified animal make a noise by its motion. It will then be impossible for it to escape; and you may either pour water into the hole, or turn up the hill with a spade until the mole is found; for in general it never goes deeper into the earth than from fifteen to eighteen inches.

"When any of the beds in a garden have been newly watered, the mole, attracted by the coolness and moisture, readily repairs thither, and takes up its residence in them, making a passage at the depth of scarcely an inch below the surface. In that case it may be easily caught. When you see it at work, you need only tread behind the animal with your feet on the passage to prevent its retreat, and then turn up the hill with a spade; by which means you will be sure to catch it.

"When you dig after it with a spade, the animal forces its way downwards into the earth in a perpendicular direction, in order that it may better escape the threatened danger. In that case it will not be necessary to dig long, but to pour water over the place, which will soon make the animal return upwards.

"People in general are not aware of the great mischief occasioned in fields and gardens by these animals. We are, however, informed by Buffon, that in the year 1740 he planted 15 or 16 acres of land with acorns, and that the greater part of them were in a little time carried away by the moles to their subterranean retreats. In many of these there were found half a bushel, and in others a bushel. Buffon, after this circumstance, caused a great number of iron traps to be constructed, by which in less than three weeks he caught 1350. To this instance of the devastation occasioned by these animals, we may add the following: In the year 1742 they were so numerous in some parts of Holland, that one farmer alone caught between five and six thousand of them. The destruction occasioned by these animals is, however, no new phenomenon. We are informed by history, that the inhabitants of the island of Tenos, the Trojans, and the Aeolians, were infested by them in the earliest ages. For this reason a temple was erected to Apollo Smythius, the destroyer of moles.

"Insects.—Many insects, in the different states of existence through which they pass, are exceedingly troublesome and destructive. Sometimes they spread their devastations in the state of larva or grub, and sometimes in that of perfect insect.

"Of the coleopterous insects, the grub of the cock-chaffer, which is a brownish or chestnut-coloured beetle, commits the greatest ravages. This beetle appears during great part of the summer, the most plentiful in May or June, and hence called the May bug. It flies only in the evening, and lodges during the day under the leaves of trees, which it devours, and is sometimes in such numbers, as to defoliate whole woods. The beetle deposits its eggs in the earth, and from these are hatched white or bluish grubs, that feed on the roots of grass, corn, and other vegetables, during the whole summer. In the winter they lie deep in the earth; but in the spring, as vegetation advances, they rise to the surface, and renew their work of destruction. In this state they continue for four, five, or six years, before they change to the chrysalis state, in which they remain till the month of May, when the perfect insect appears. As these insects require so many years to assume the perfect form, they only appear occasionally sufficiently numerous to be extensively destructive to the crops of grain, or vegetables in general. Their numbers, however, have often produced great alarm, and even excited the attention of governments to offer rewards for an effectual method of destroying them.

"In the spring season, if the weather prove warm, when the land is ploughed, up, these grubs are generally so near the surface as to be turned up with the plough; and being thus exposed, they are picked up and devoured by various birds, which, it is suggested, should not be disturbed or driven away in this salutary labour. When these grubs infest meadow land, it has been proposed to drown them in their holes by overflowing it. But it is supposed that this plan would not be successful, even where it is practicable, unless there is a bed of clay immediately under the soil, to retain the water for a sufficient length of time. A more efficacious way is recommended to prevent the increase of the grubs, by destroying the flies in May or June, before they have deposited their eggs. This may be done by shaking and beating the trees and hedges in the middle of the day; and, as this is a work which may be performed by children, it is a less difficult task than would at first sight be imagined. Domestic fowls are remarkably fond of these beetles, so that a double object is thus gained, the destruction of the beetles and the procuring of food for the poultry.

"Some species of the dermestes, and also of the genus ptinus, are exceedingly destructive in the cabinets of naturalists, and also to furniture. Various methods have been recommended to stop their ravages. We believe the most effectual is spirit of turpentine, when it can be properly applied. A solution of corrosive sublimate is sometimes employed, but it should be recollected that it seldom fails in time to produce some chemical change on animal and vegetable matters. Objects of natural history, as birds, animals, &c. are sometimes exposed to the moderate heat of an oven, or before a fire, for several hours; but this method will also be attended with injurious effects, unless practised with great care. Insects which infest furniture have been destroyed by the application of oil, and allowing it to remain for a day or two, before the furniture is rubbed up. Japanned or varnished furniture may be secured from the effects of these insects, by re-coating it, when they are in the larva state, by which they are deprived of air. Railing, and other works out of doors, which are exposed to the weather, are sometimes eaten with insects, and particularly by some of the larvae of the genus curculio. The wood thus attacked may be prevented from farther ravages, by a fresh coat of paint.

"The earwig is a destructive insect in the flower, kitchen, and fruit garden. To prevent their depredations, it has been recommended to take them by the hand, when they come out during the night in search of food. They may be taken also by rolling up a piece of paper, and hanging it up on the plants which they infest; for in these places they take shelter through the day. Another method of destroying them has been mentioned, and that is to watch them towards morning with the view of discovering the haunts to which they they resort during the day; and this discovery being made, which may perhaps be a melon frame, dunghill, or heap of rubbish, the removing of which will destroy the greater number of these troublesome insects.

The small insect which commits such depredations among turnips, by eating the feeding leaves as soon as they appear, as frequently to destroy whole crops, is supposed to be a small black-polished beetle, belonging to the genus chrysomela. It does not seem to be well ascertained whether this small beetle, which is better known by the name of turnip fly, commits its ravages in the larva or in the beetle state. It is said that it prefers the leaves of the common radish to those of the turnip, and it is therefore recommended to sow radishes along with the turnips, to prevent the destruction of the latter.

Of the insects belonging to the order hemiptera, there are some which are exceedingly destructive. The cock-roach, a native of the warmer parts of America and the West Indies, is a very troublesome, and a very voracious insect. It has been introduced into this country, and particularly into the seaport towns, in consequence of commercial intercourse. It comes out to feed in the night-time, and eats almost of every thing that comes in its way. Cock-roaches are easily taken by the following method. Cover the outside of a deep glass or basin with paper; introduce some bits of bread or sugar into the basin or glass, and set it in a place frequented by the cock-roaches. They creep up by means of the paper on the outside, and drop into the vessel; but in consequence of its smooth polished surface, they cannot effect their escape. In the same way crickets and beetles may be taken and destroyed. It is quite unnecessary to speak of the means of destroying the myriads of locusts which not unfrequently infest eastern countries, and particularly Egypt and Syria; for no means are likely to be devised, which promise to resist the effects of such an host of foes, by whose ravages every green thing is consumed; but the insect itself becomes, among the poorer inhabitants of those countries, a partial substitute for the fruits of the earth which it has destroyed. The insects are taken, reduced to powder, and converted into a kind of meal.

The common or the bed-bug is a very troublesome, and a very common inmate in the crowded houses of many large towns in this country. Its usual haunts are the crevices of wood, and particularly those pieces of furniture which are usually kept in the warmest corners of the apartment. Cleanliness will perhaps be found the best preservative against the introduction and increase of these insects; but sometimes even the greatest care and attention are ineffectual in keeping houses entirely free from them. When it can be conveniently done, they are completely destroyed by immersing the furniture in boiling water, or by baking it in an oven; and by filling up the crevices or holes which were their haunts, with glaziers putty, their return and increase will thus be prevented. But a very effective method of destroying bugs, is to wash the places which they frequent with spirit of turpentine, and then filling up the holes as already mentioned. It is a curious circumstance in the history of these insects, that some persons entirely escape from their attacks, while to others they are exceedingly troublesome and distressing. It is said that lavender-water, sprinkled over the bed-clothes, often prevents their approach. How far this is the vermin, we have had no opportunity of ascertaining.

The small moth, which in the caterpillar state commits such ravages on woollen cloths, furs, and other animal substances, which remain for any length of time in dark undisturbed places, may be destroyed with the greatest certainty and facility, by exposing the substances on which they are suspected to make their depredations, to the vapour of spirit of turpentine, or brushing them with a brush dipped into the same fluid. This should be done about the months of September or October; but their effects may be prevented by placing the cloths, furs, &c. which are likely to become their residence, in an airy situation, about the months of July and August.

The different kinds of lice are very numerous. Every animal has its peculiar species, and even mankind are not free from this pest. It is often the consequence of indolence and nastiness, and it is observed that the lice which infest any animal increase prodigiously when that animal becomes languid and sickly. We believe that the application of spirits of turpentine, already so often recommended, would also be effectual in this case; but mercurial preparations afford a certain remedy against these insects. For this purpose a very small quantity of what is called mercurial ointment may be employed. At the same time it ought to be recollected, that cleanliness is the best preservative. A singular notion prevails in this country, and even among persons who are by no means in the lowest rank of life, that it is a good sign of health when children's heads are infested with these animals; and on this account they are not very anxious in having them entirely eradicated. A moment's reflection may show the absurdity of such an opinion, so that it would be a waste of time to adduce serious arguments against it.

It is perhaps more difficult for mankind to secure themselves and their habitations from the visits of the common flea. Cleanliness, however, may do much even in effecting this; and in particular it appears to us, that it would be extremely useful, frequently to rub up with a piece of cloth the more inaccessible parts of furniture or apartments, or perhaps it would answer better to employ a small hard brush. By the least accessible places we mean the corners and crevices of rooms and furniture where dust is apt to collect, and especially the canvas part of a bed. We are persuaded that spirits of turpentine might also be found useful for the destruction of these very troublesome insects. The Scotch myrtle (myrica gale, Lin.) a plant very common in low and moist moorish places in this country, is said to be an excellent remedy, in consequence of its powerful aromatic odour, against the attacks of these animals. For this purpose, the plant is sowed about the apartment or bed which is infested with fleas.

The following method of destroying or driving away all kinds of noxious vermin from fields and gardens, it is said, has been proved by experience to be effectual. It is recommended by M. Socoloff, and the account of it is taken from the Petersburgh Transactions*. As the *Phil. destructive power of quicklime (says the author), heightened by a fixed alkali, which corrodes, dissolves and de-169. froyos all the tender parts of animals, has been long known, I thought this mixture would be the best means for accomplishing the object I had in view. I took three via three parts, therefore, of quicklime, newly made, and two parts of a saturated solution of fixed alkali in water, and thence obtained a somewhat milky liquor sufficiently caustic, highly hostile and poisonous to earthworms and other small animals; for as soon as it touched any part of their bodies, it occasioned in them violent symptoms of great uneasiness. If this liquor be poured into those holes in which the earthworms reside under ground, they immediately throw themselves out as if driven by some force; and, after various contortions, either languish or die. If the leaves of plants or fruit-trees, frequented by the voracious caterpillars, which are so destructive to them, be sprinkled over with this liquor, these insects suddenly contract their bodies, and drop to the ground. For, though nature has defended them tolerably well by their hairy skins from any thing that might injure their delicate bodies, yet, as soon as they touch with their feet or mouths leaves which have been moistened by this liquor, they become as it were stupefied, instantly contract themselves, and fall down.

"I had not an opportunity of trying a like experiment on locusts; yet we may conclude, and not without probability, from their nature, and the general destructive qualities of the above liquor, that they, in like manner, may be driven from corn-fields, if it be possible to sprinkle the corn with the liquor by means of a machine.

"With regard to plants or corn, these sustain no injury from the liquor, because it has no power over the productions of the vegetable kingdom, as I have fully learned from experience; or, if any hurt be suspected, all the danger will be removed by the first shower that falls. This liquor may be procured in abundance in every place where lime is burnt. If the lime be fresh, one part of it infused in about seventy parts of common water will produce real lime-water. The want of the fixed alkali may be supplied by boiling wood-ashes in water, and thickening the ley by evaporation.

"The liquor might be employed also to kill bugs and other domestic insects which are noxious and troublesome; but on account of its strong lachrymous smell, which disposes the human body to putridity, I dare not recommend the use of it in houses that are inhabited. Besides, bugs may be easily got rid of, as I have repeatedly found from experience, by the oily pickle that remains in casks in which salted herrings have been packed. To this liquor they have a strong aversion; and, if they are moistened with it, they die in a very short time *."

For destroying insects and caterpillars, which infest fruit-trees, the following method is recommended as having been successfully practised. The author observes that "The present year, for instance, (1805), offers a singularity which I have not before perceived. In some districts the cherry tree has experienced, at the time of its blossoming, colds and winds which have prevented it from setting; but another plague, not less disastrous, has attacked the cherry-trees and plum-trees over several districts in France. Great swarms of little animals resembling vine-fretters, but which are not fo in reality, established their habitations at the extremity of the branches of the cherry-trees. As soon as a branch was attacked, the leaves curled, and the juice was dried up. On opening the leaf, a considerable number of ants was discovered, which, jointly with the insect which began the ravages, sucked the branch, and made it wither. What I have remarked is, that usually, when the vine-fretters attack any tree, the neighbouring tree very soon experiences the same fate; but the attack of this year is only partial. In an alley of cherry-trees which I possess, seven trees have been attacked, but not those which are next each other. One tree was placed between two which were very much damaged by these insects, and yet this one was not hurt.

"On these vermin the smoke of tobacco had no effect at all: this convinces me that they are different from the ordinary kind.

"Plum-trees, when attacked by the same insect, do not lose their fruit like the cherry-trees; but the little animals cover them with more rapidity, so as to extirpate even the appearance of fruit.

"Having effectually watered a plum-tree, I covered it with ashes, in the manner we treat beans and cabbages, and the vermin were destroyed: but this is only practicable with a tree of low height.

"I made one remark, which I think is essential to communicate: it is, that plum-trees planted in ground which is not necessarily watered, are less attacked by these insects than those which have experienced a humidity communicated by the plants in their neighbourhood, to which watering is absolutely necessary. I had one planted in a bed of artichokes: we know very well that this plant requires plenty of water; and the tree was entirely covered with insects. Its leaves withered, and the fruit fell off; while two other plum-trees, in ground not watered at all, were much less attacked. This convinces me that these were not the ordinary vermin abundant in dry seasons.

"I was only able to protect my cherries a little, by cutting off the extremities of the damaged branches.

"Several people had recourse to sulphur; but I did not follow that method. The smoke of sulphur destroys the insect, I admit, but it is at least equally dangerous to the tree; I always prefer an asperion of the tree with soap-luds. This very year I experienced the good effects of it. I saw my plum-trees look green again, and the insects abandon them. The asperion is very easily managed, by means of watering-pots or small garden-engines. I have also employed a ley of wood ashes with the same success as soap and water.

"An observation equally important which I have made is, the great damage done this season in all orchards by the caterpillar. As soon as they devoured the young leaves, they attacked the fruit. In spite of the great care taken in spring to get rid of them, the number of these insects is incredible. I have seen them unite on the large branches, fix their nests to them, and protect them by means of the downy matter which covers the buds of the ensuing season. Whatever precaution is taken, it is almost impossible not to destroy these buds. It is only necessary to take off these nests and burn them; and this is the only way of getting rid of the coves. I employed the same asperion for my apple-trees, and by that means got rid of their enemies also *."

* Phil.

"The following methods are practised in Germany Mag. xxiv. for freeing granaries from mites or weevils:

"1. Cover completely the walls and rafters, above and below, of the granaries which are infected by weevils, vils, with quicklime flaked in water in which trefoil, wormwood, and hyssop have been boiled. This composition ought to be applied as hot as possible.

"2. A very sagacious farmer has succeeded in destroying weevils by a very easy process. In the month of June, when his granaries were all empty, he collected great quantities of the largest-sized ants in sacks, and then scattered them about the places infested with the weevils. The ants immediately fell upon and devoured every one of them; nor have any weevils since that time been seen on his premises.

"3. Another method, not less efficacious, but which requires a great deal of care and attention in the application of it, is the following:—Place in your granaries a number of chafing-dishes filled with lighted pieces of wood. Every aperture must then be carefully closed, in order to prevent any fresh air from entering. The carbonic acid gas, produced from the burning wood proves fatal to the insects. Rats and mice, also, are so strongly affected by it, that they are seen running out of their holes, and dying in all directions. The persons employed to manage this process must take great care of their own safety, by keeping a current of air around them until the burning wood is properly placed. Another danger may arise from the premises taking fire; but this also may be avoided by proper caution, particularly if they are paved with brick or stone*."

Grain, it is said, has been preserved from weevils and other destructive insects, by covering the heaps with pieces of hemp cloth dipped in water and wrung out. At the end of two hours the weevils are found adhering to the cloths, which are to be removed carefully and plunged in water for some time to drown. A plant of henbane placed in the middle of a heap of grain is said also to drive away the insects. They must then be watched and destroyed as they attempt to escape.

Sulphur or flower of brimstone is recommended as being an excellent remedy against the effects of insects on plants. It may be applied by dusting the leaves affected, either by tying it up in muslin cloth, or with a puff for hair powder, or with a dredging box. But the sulphur not only destroys the worms and insects which infest trees; it seems also to render the trees more healthy and vigorous. This was particularly the case with some peach trees on which it was sprinkled.

The following method, discovered by M. Catin, is proposed for destroying earth-fleas, bugs, ants, &c.

"Take black soap, of the best kind, one pound three quarters, the same quantity of flowers of sulphur, mushrooms two pounds, and sixty measures of river or rain-water. Divide the water into two parts, one of which must be poured into a vessel defined for that purpose: suffer the soap to dissolve in it, and add the mushrooms after they have been a little pounded. Boil the other half of the water in a kettle, and tie up the sulphur in a bit of rag or piece of fine linen, and suspend from it a sufficient weight in order that it may sink in the water. During the time the water is kept boiling, which must be at least twenty minutes, stir it continually with a stick, and press the bag containing the sulphur, that the latter may be forced out into the water, and communicate to it the necessary strength and colour.

"When the liquor is taken from the fire, pour it directly into the cask, and stir it round for a considerable time: the process of stirring must be repeated daily till it acquire a fetid smell. Experience has shown that the more fetid the mixture is, its activity is the greater. Each time that the mixture is stirred, the cask must be stopped immediately after. When you wish to use the liquid, nothing is necessary but to sprinkle a little of it on the plants which you are desirous of preserving, or to dip their branches in it. It will be better, however, to make use of a syringe, having at the end a head, an inch or an inch and a half in diameter, pierced with small holes. This instrument may be used for tender plants; when you apply the liquid to trees, a syringe with larger holes must be employed.

"Caterpillars, beetles, earth-fleas, bugs, and the tree-lice which infest orange trees, will be destroyed by the first application of the liquid. Insects which reside below the earth, such as wasps, hornets, ants, &c. require that the liquid should be squirted out gently, and without interruption, that it may better penetrate to their nests. Ants nests, according to their size, require from two to three measures of liquid, and in many cases it must be applied for twenty-four hours. When the ants assemble in another place, the process must be repeated. Two ounces of nux vomica may be added to the mixture, and boiled along with the sulphur. This substance, particularly when you wish to destroy ants, will be of great service. When the whole of the liquid in the cask has been used, the residuum must be buried in the earth to prevent domestic animals from eating it*."

The use of elder as a preservative to vegetables against the depredations of insects is detailed in the following observations.

"Common elder has appeared to me useful, 1st, For preventing cabbage plants from being devoured or damaged by caterpillars; 2d, To prevent blights, and their effects on fruit and other trees; 3d, To preserve corn from yellow flies and other insects; 4th, To secure turnips from the ravage of flies, &c.

"1st, The strong and fetid odour of a bunch of elder leaves induced me to think that different kinds of butterflies might be incommodated by it in proportion to their delicacy. I therefore took some young twigs of elder, at the period when butterflies began to appear, and whipped well with them some cabbage plants, but in such a manner as not to damage them. Since that time, during two summers, though the butterflies hovered round the plants, I never saw one of them settle on them; and I do not think that a single butterfly was hatched on the cabbages treated in this manner, though a neighbouring board was dirtied by them in the usual manner.

"2d, After a short reflection on the effects here mentioned, and on blights, which, in my opinion, are chiefly occasioned by small flies and small insects, whose organs are still more delicate than those of the former, I was induced to whip in the same manner with elder twigs, as high as I could reach, the branches of a plum-tree which grew in an espalier. The whipped leaves remained green and in a good condition, while from at least fix inches above to the top of the tree the rest of the leaves were blighted, wrinkled, and full of worms. It is here to be observed that the tree was in full flower when I whipped it, therefore much too late for this operation, which ought to have been performed once or twice before flowering. But I am of opinion, that if trees were besprinkled with a strong infusion of elder every eight or 15 days, the success would be certain, and that there would be no danger of injuring either the flowers or the fruit.

3d, What the farmers call the yellows in corn, and which they consider as a kind of blight, is the effect, as every one knows, of a small yellow fly with blue wings, nearly of the size of a gnat. It lays its eggs in the ear of wheat, and produces a worm almost invisible to the naked eye, but which, when seen by a magnifying glass, is a large yellow larva, having the shining colour of amber. This fly is so productive, that I have counted upwards of forty worms in the chaff of one ear of wheat, which was a number sufficient to destroy it entirely. I therefore proposed to make my experiment as soon as possible; but the heat and drought of the season having advanced the wheat more than usual, it was in flower before I could attempt it. Next morning, however, at break of day, two servants having drawn bundles of elder over the ears of wheat on each side of the furrow, backwards and forwards, in places where the wheat was not so far advanced, I hoped that the fetid effluvia of the elder would prevent the flies from remaining on the ears that were covered with them: and, indeed, I was not entirely disappointed; for, on examining my wheat some time after, I found that the part which had been beaten with elder was much less damaged than that which had not been treated in the same manner. I have no doubt, that, had I employed this precaution sooner, the corn would have been completely preserved. Should this be the case, the process is simple; and I flatter myself that fine crops of corn may be saved by these means from this small insect, which is so destructive to them. One of these yellow flies laid on my thumb at least eight or ten eggs, of an oblong form, in the small interval of time which I employed in walking over two or three furrows, holding it by the wings, and which I could not observe without the assistance of a magnifying glass.

4th, It often happens that whole crops of turnips are destroyed while young, in consequence of being pricked by certain insects. I have great reason to think that this evil may be prevented in an effectual manner, by causing a person to draw a bunch of elder, sufficiently large to cover about the breadth of a foot, over the young turnips, going backwards and forwards. What confirms me in this idea is, that, having drawn a bunch of elder over a bed of young cauliflowers which had begun to be pricked, they afterwards remained untouched by these insects.

Another fact which tends to support this idea is, that when my neighbourhood, about eight or nine years ago, was so infested with caterpillars that they devoured all the vegetables, leaving scarcely a green leaf untouched, they spared the elder trees amidst this general devastation, and never molested them. In reflecting on these circumstances, I am of opinion that the elder might be introduced with advantage into our gardens, as the means of preserving fruit-trees and various plants from the rapacity of insects.

"The dwarf elder appears to me to exhale a much more fetid smell than the common elder, and therefore ought to be preferred in making experiments on this subject*."