means certain, that these creatures have as yet lost their locomotive power; so that if the twigs be thrown at the bottom of the stem, they may re-ascend it. Where the insects are exceedingly numerous, all the young twigs even might be cut out, especially if Mr. Forsyth's plaster be applied to tip the wounds. In this case, it is true, the fruit will be in a great measure lost for that season; but the tree will be thrown into such high health, as to be in the finest order the next year. After all this has been done, however, the tree ought still to be examined with the strictest attention towards the end of April and beginning of May next season; by which time the female coccus, having attained to its greatest height, will become easily perceptible, when each of them should be carefully detached from the branch to which it adheres, by means of a blunt knife having a very thin blade, and carefully deposited in a vefsel for being carried out of the garden. About three thousand eggs will be destroyed for each of these gall-like insects that is thus cut out; so that great progress may be made in a very little time. The empty exuviæ of the males, which are now readily distinguishable, may be neglected; and as none of either sex are to be found on the shoots of that season, it is unnecessary now to examine them, so that the labour is thus greatly abridged.

If this procefs shall be performed with care, very few will be suffered to escape: and it is of so much consequence that it be done with care, that no person ought ever to grudge the trouble; for I cannot too often repeat it, that as every insect is produced from seed, if these seeds be fairly eradicated, all future trau→

ble respecting that insect will be entirely obviated; that is, if it be not a winged insect, or one that can otherwise transport itself easily from elsewhere. It happens fortunately in this case, that the coccus cannot be transported from any considerable distance; so that one radical and thorough cleaning will prevent the necefsity of repeating it; whereas a partial thinning of them will only give occasion for unceasing labour during every succefsive year. Considered under this point of view, it were better to eradicate the trees entirely, as many persons at present find it necefsary to do in order to get rid of this disease where it has been once firmly established, than to attempt to remove it by these careless and slovenly palliatives; but this eradication is what I would by no means advise; for, besides the purchase price of the trees, which would do much more than pay the expence of cleaning every twig of the tree one by one in the most careful manner, it is well known, that many years must elapse before a young tree can be brought to bear half so much fruit as an old tree (under proper management) might be made to produce the first year after this sort of cleansing. I myself tried what could be done last year by cutting off the vine coccus that I found had taken possession of my trees in the house; and though it was past the proper time to begin before I had thought of it, as some of the young had been hatched, and thus made their escape, yet I find that I have not this season one for perhaps a hundred that I had last year.

Nor is the above the only practicable way of getting

means certain, that these creatures have as yet lost their locomotive power; so that if the twigs be thrown at the bottom of the stem, they may re-ascend it. Where the insects are exceedingly numerous, all the young twigs even might be cut out, especially if Mr. Forsyth's plaster be applied to tip the wounds. In this case, it is true, the fruit will be in a great measure lost for that season; but the tree will be thrown into such high health, as to be in the finest order the next year. After all this has been done, however, the tree ought still to be examined with the strictest attention towards the end of April and beginning of May next season; by which time the female coccus, having attained to its greatest height, will become easily perceptible, when each of them should be carefully detached from the branch to which it adheres, by means of a blunt knife having a very thin blade, and carefully deposited in a vefsel for being carried out of the garden. About three thousand eggs will be destroyed for each of these gall-like insects that is thus cut out; so that great progress may be made in a very little time. The empty exuviæ of the males, which are now readily distinguishable, may be neglected; and as none of either sex are to be found on the shoots of that season, it is unnecessary now to examine them, so that the labour is thus greatly abridged.

If this procefs shall be performed with care, very few will be suffered to escape: and it is of so much consequence that it be done with care, that no person ought ever to grudge the trouble; for I cannot too often repeat it, that as every insect is produced from seed, if these seeds be fairly eradicated, all future trou

ble respecting that insect will be entirely obviated; that is, if it be not a winged insect, or one that can otherwise transport itself easily from elsewhere. It happens fortunately in this case, that the coccus cannot be transported from any considerable distance; so that one radical and thorough cleaning will prevent the necefsity of repeating it; whereas a partial thinning of them will only give occasion for unceasing labour during every succefsive year. Considered under this point of view, it were better to eradicate the trees entirely, as many persons at present: find it necefsary to do in order to get rid of this disease where it has been once firmly established, than to attempt to remove it by these careless and slovenly palliatives; but this eradication is what I would by no means advise; for, besides the purchase price of the trees, which would do much more than pay the expence of cleaning every twig of the tree one by one in the most careful manner, it is well known, that many years must elapse before a young tree can be brought to bear half so much fruit as an old tree (under proper management) might be made to produce the first year after this sort of cleansing. I myself tried what could be done last year by cutting off the vine coccus that I found had taken possession of my trees in the house; and though it was past the proper time to begin before I had thought of it, as some of the young had been hatched, and thus made their escape, yet I find that I have not this season one for perhaps a hundred that I had last year.

Nor is the above the only practicable way of getting

been neglected even till the young are hatched, and have fixed themselves to the leaves, appearing there in great numbers in their scaly state, it may still be effected. In that case, these leaves ought not to be suffered to fall off of themselves, but they should be all carefully plucked off and put into baskets to be carried off the ground. Perhaps the best time for this operation might be as soon as these insects make their appearance upon the leaves; for the tree would soon push out new leaves at that season; but if there be any fruit upon the trees, that operation should be deferred till the fruit be gathered, and then no time should be lost to strip off all the leaves, and brush the young twigs, if any insects shall appear upon them. In this way so few will escape, as to make it an easy matter perfectly to extirpate the remainder by cutting off the females in the spring. By pulling off the leaves at this season too, the vegetation is checked; the points of the young shoots gradually harden before the severe cold of winter approaches; and thus they are the better enabled to resist the severity of frost than they otherwise would have been. I have thus, for the sake of experiment, hardened several trees, which, by continuing to shoot late in the season, are apt to have the points of their wings so herbaceous as to be cut down by the mildest winters we ever have, but which, by being thus prepared, have stood our hardest winters without losing a twig. The practice of plucking off the leaves at this season (early in autumn), therefore, is in other respects beneficial, besides that for which it is here recommended, and ought not to be neglected when there seems to be the slightest reason for it. The fig-tree might probably be thus hardened, so