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Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 11, Issue 819, 19 January 1867, Page 4

The Caterpillar.— The following paragraph from the Melbourne Age may convey a useful hint to cultivators in this province : — "lt has been stated as a fact that Mr. John S. Simpson, a farmer at Tarnagulla, has discovered a plan for protecting crops from the destructive invasion of caterpillars. The Bendigo Adveitiser says: 'It appears that Mi*. Simpson had nine acres of barley totally destroyed by the caterpillars, and adjoining this field was another of thirty acres, which would probably have been attacked next. In order to prevent this, if possible, he engaged a number of men, who set to work with spades and quickly cut a trench, a spit and a half deep, round the wheat field. The trench was cut in such a way that a perpendicular line dropped from the top edge of the side next the wheat, would touch the bottom of the trench about midway. The result was then waited for, and it is certainly astonishing. Within 21 days after, no less than one and a-half tons of caterpillars were taken from the trench, weighed, boiled, and given to the pigs for food. The caterpillars, it seems, notwithstanding their most persevering efforts, were unable to scale the projecting side of the trench, dropping back as often as they attempted the feat ; and thus the wheat was saved.' " Blight in Fruit Trues. — To the Editor of the Australasian. — Sir, — The very simple remedy of driving a spike nail into the base of fruit trees as a preventive against blight, as given in your last issue, is very assuring. I shall carry out the suggestion immediately, and if successful will report the result, as will no doubt many others of your readers. But my object in writing to you was not to state such an obvious duty, but to ask, through your columns, of those who have orchards on basalt or red decomposed trap soil whether their trees also suffer from blight, If the answer be in the negative, it will go far in favor of the iron spike remedy. It is a fact that blight is scarcely known in India on basaltic or trappean soils, which are at all largely impregnated with iron. A lady of my acquaintance says that fruit trees should always have the family soapsuds poured down to their roots, which destroys grubs and keeps trees healthy. — Toai Cringle. Appin, New South Wales, Nov. 21. Vermin in Fowls. — To the Editor of the Australasian. — Sir, — I have seen several letters in The Australasian asking the best method of keeping fowls free from vermin. The plan I have adopted has been perfectly successful. It is to make all the perches in the fowlhouse of green wattle, and leave the bark on. There is :'ome peculiar property in the bark which destroys insects and keeps the poultry perfectly free from vermin. — F. Appin, New South Wales, Nov. 21. One or the Plagues. — The Albury Banner remarks that, before the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, a plague was sent of locusts eating up every green thing. We have had a similar plague in Albury during the past week — on a smaller scale, it is true — in the form of myriads of little caterpillars, eating every blade of rye grass where they, seemed to fall, and doing great injury to the vines. They are little things with brown backs, and at present not an inch long, but no doubt with good feed will soon get much bigger.