. The Illustrated annual register of rural affairs and cultivator almanac for the year .. . with small holes, and its central pith more or lessconsumed and spongy, with one or more worms, the authors of the mis-chief, lurking within it. The accompanying fig. 4 represents a root ofthe cucumber or melon of the natural size and form, with its bark erodedin irregular spots by these worms, one of which is shown in the annexedcut, fig. 5, ol the natural size, and on the right hand side greatly magni-fied. It is a soft, slender, cylindrical worm, of a dull white color, withthe head and the last joint
. The Illustrated annual register of rural affairs and cultivator almanac for the year .. . with small holes, and its central pith more or lessconsumed and spongy, with one or more worms, the authors of the mis-chief, lurking within it. The accompanying fig. 4 represents a root ofthe cucumber or melon of the natural size and form, with its bark erodedin irregular spots by these worms, one of which is shown in the annexedcut, fig. 5, ol the natural size, and on the right hand side greatly magni-fied. It is a soft, slender, cylindrical worm, of a dull white color, withthe head and the last joint of its body black. It has three pairs of short,robust legs, placed anteriorly upon the breast, and a short, thick prolegat the tip of the body. When crawling it moves curiously, the fore partof its body advancing slowly but continuously, whilst the hind part alter-nately halts and hitches forward suddenly, step by step. In other words,i^ the six legs upon the breast are constantly in motion, carrying the ante-(J rior end of the body along without any pause, whilst the hind end is held. OF RURAL AFFAIRS. 20I ff by the single proleg, and onljadvances when the body becomes stretched,when it makes a long stride forward and again halts. The worm, when itis done feeding, forsakes the root and forms a little cavity in the ground,by turning itself around and around in the same place,and crowding the dirt outward until it becomes compactedupon every side of it, forming a littlelump of such firmness that it will notcrumble or break asunder from any mo-tion given to the earth around it by thehoe or the plow. Inside of the cellwhich it thus forms, the worm throws ^off the larva skin and becomes a pupa, Wappearing as represented in fig. 6, the fsmall figure on the left showing itsnatural size. It remains in this formabout two weeks, lying doubled togetherin its cell, without moving, and as thoughit were asleep. It then casts off its skinagain, and thereupon acquires its perfectm/c«S^^^o^.
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, booksubj, booksubjectagriculture
