Whatever credit thefe means may have gained with the people, they are far from having the efficacy of prayer, or the worth of the remedies I am about to prescribe. It is true, that it is impoffible totally to exterminate infects, both because their number is too great, and because it augments at every inftant, by the rapidity with which they multiply.However, we ought not to defpair of finding the means of reducing them in number, or of preventing their exceffive multiplication. There are feveral ways of preventing their increafe; the eafieft and molt natural, in my opinion, are the following. By fpreading on the ground, afhes mixed with pigeon's or goat's dung, not only infects newly come forth, but those about to be hatched, are deftroyed. To take advantage of the time before infects depofit their eggs, is likewife a very fure way. By deftroying the old ones, we rid ourselves of the generation they would have produced; and, we thus perform in an inftant, what we would not fail to have been employed in during the whole courfe of a year. But fhould the feafon anticipate our intentions, we must seek their nests in the furrows and clefts of trees. In truth, the industry of infects, in choofing places, in which their brood may be in fafety, makes it impoffible but fome of them muft efcape our fearch. They hide their eggs, fometimes under the earth, fometimes under the bark of trees, fometimes in walls; but, if in one province, the country people would use ftratagems on their part, it is certain they would enfure that profit, of which they are often fruftrated.There are fome hufbandmen who plough their grounds in autumn, as foon as the cold begins to be. felt. The practice is a good one; for the plough, in opening the foil, throws the eggs of grasshoppers and locufts, and other infects on the furface, where they perish either with the froft, or by rains, or they are eaten by the birds. We cannot defend fruit

trees

trees from the ravages of caterpillars, better than by carefully pruning them. By this they acquire much more fap; and, as thefe infects are not fond of a too abundant juice, they feek elsewhere a food more to their tafte. If the approach of winter obliges them to gather together in the nefts which they form at the extremities of the branches, they must be taken off, before the fpring has made any progrefs.

It is poffible that thefe means may not be practicable at all times; but then, other ftratagems muft be fallen upon, to stifle the evil in its birth. If caterpillars, ants, and other infects roam over the ground, and have not yet got upon the trees they are in fearch of, a ftratum of afhes or of chalk must be laid at the bottom, which will obftruct their paffage. I believe this to be infallible; for befides, that they are enemies to all constraint, they would be so embarraffed by thefe fubftances, that they would not be able to difengage themfelves. Twifted ftraw, clay, wool and cotton, are likewise successful obftacles to their afcent. Circles of them are put round the ftem of the tree, and, if a little refinous fubítance is added to them, the tree will be out of danger. Let us change the cafe, and fuppofe that infects have alrea dy got upon the trees, plants, and bufhes, the hand must then be employed. But, there are fome times when this is done with greater fuccefs than at others, as in the morning, the evening, and during rain. These times are preferable to any other part of the day, because coolness and humidity cause infects to collect together, and then they form heaps, which may be crushed at once. If, moreover, they have gained the top, and that the height prevents their being reached with the hand, the tree must be fhaken, or a pole, with rags at the end of it, employed to sweep them off. But expedients must be fuggefted by circumstances. There is not a cafe, in which

the

the industry of man may not remedy, in whole, or in part, the injuries fuftained from infects. Some put honey in water, and place bottles, filled with the mixture, in different places: others put hollow veffels, fmooth, and varnished on the infide, among their heaps of fruit and corn. These baits have the bappieft effects; the first leads infects to drown themfelves; the fecond entices them to a precipice, over which they fall into the veffel, and then may be thrown into the fire, or into boiling water. Another fnare, the fuccefs of which is not lefs happy, for fecuring fruit-trees, is, to lay the trunk over with glue. The most common artifice, made ufe of against locufts, is to dig a ditch in the ground, a yard in breadth, and as much in depth. A number of perfons are then set to strike the ground from right to left, and continue to drive them, till they fall into the ditch, which is then filled up. The moft proper time for this experiment, is the period before they have got wings, or when thefe are too much wetted with the dew to be uted; otherwife, they would takę flight and render the labour ineffectual.

Fresh ftraw, often renewed in a bed, is another fecret againft fleas, which every body knows, and has an interest in practising for their own repose: however, it is right to mention, that no perfect tranquil. lity can be expected, while these are allowed to conceal themselves in rough boards. The averfion they have for certain things, is a circumftance which betrays them, and furnishes us with arms for their ruin, as for that of other infects. The greater part hate fmoke; and therefore, no fooner feel it, than they fly, or are fuffocated, when they cannot avoid it in time. It is therefore probable, that fumigation is noxious to them, efpecially, if, among the burnt matters, there are any fubftances whofe fmell is dif agreeable to them; fuch as amber, orpiment, fulph

coriander, black cumin, fcabious, garlick, wormwond, bdellium, galbanum, myrrh, ftorax, incenfe, owls feathers, bats dung, hair, horns of quadrupeds, and a number of other things of this nature. We can also destroy or drive away infects, by watering the places where they are found, with quick-lime, falt diffolved in water, with dwarf elder, coloquintida, cumin, rue, and other bitter plants boiled; or, with the gall of an ox, diffolved in water. Befides fumigation and watering, there are poifons which kill infects, fuch as arfenic, orpiment, hellebore and pepper prepared with common water or milk. Fire and water are of themselves affiftances as speedy as infallible. To inundate meadows for eight and forty hours, will certainly deftroy the ants that infeft it. Boiling water, poured into their holes, not only deftroys their magazines, but their young. Fire muft be applied at the proper time, that is, when locufts and other infects are ftill in their unwinged ftate; then straw laid on the ground, and fet on fire, will effectually deftroy them. Gun powder may be used against flies, by being put into a pistol, without ramming it, and difcharging the piftol, when the flies are collected on fome fugar, fpread on purpofe, or it may be mixed with bruifed fugar, and ftrowed in a line, and then fet fire to; but as thefe methods may be attended with fome danger, they are to be used with caution.

We have mentioned above, the wounds inflicted on man and other animals, by different forts of infects; we come now to the proper means of curing them. It often happens, that what causes the difeafe, affords the remedy, and thus, one infect fometimes cures the wound made by another, either by crufhing it, and applying it to the part affected, or by anointing the part with olive oil, in which a number of the fame fpecies has been infufed. Mud may also be used as a cata plafm

plafm, especially when the wound is recent; and, though it may not have the power of effecting a ra dical cure, yet it may moderate the heat of the part, and fo prevent inflammation. Some rather chufe bruifed herbs, fuch as laurel leaves, thyme, favory, marjoram, rue, and other aromatic plants; others prefer urine, with which they carefully bathe the wound.

Mercury is of fingular effect, not only for per fons troubled with vermin, but for those whose skin, flesh and bowels are affected. This metal is prepared in three different ways; boiled in water, it ferves as an apozem; mixed with topical remedies, as an unguent; with purgatives, it becomes phyfic; and in whatever way it is ufed, it always produces the defired effect. Another way of curing the fame disease, is, to make a decoction of garlic, fcordium, lavender, laurel berries, and tamarind leaves, in which the body or parts affected are bathed. A balfam, compo fed of oil of fpikenard and laurel, of hellebore and flowers of fulphur may be substituted for the former. To give them additional ftrength, little bags, filled with faffron, may be worn under the armpits, or camphor may be applied to the pit of the ftomach, not forgetting a frequent change of linen, which has paffed through a folution of falt or fea-water. For vermin, which infeft thofe parts which it is indecent to name, the shortest and most tolerable way is, to to use a balfam, made of the juice of wormwood, of fcabious, aloes, quick filver, fulphur, oil of tobacco, and dulcified mercury. For internal remedies, I advife the offence of myrrh, or the tincture of antimony, corrected with the cream of tartar, spirit of hartshorn, elixir proprietatis, effence of centaury, and in fhort, all thofe medecines, in which mercury is an ingredient. There are other infects, which are very troublesome, because they appear under the fkin of

children,