The article in the November number of your excellent monthly, headed "Grape Vines in City Yards, " reminded me of something that may be of interest to many of your readers, namely, How to get rid of the grape vine caterpillar. This pest is very annoying, as it cuts whole bunches and parts of bunches, and lets them drop on the ground, without any apparent reason, for I never could see that it ate them. It is large and brown, and similar to the large green caterpillar that is sometimes found on the tomato vine. It does all the mischief, I believe, at night, and is seldom seen. Grape arbors are sometimes very high, and, therefore, it seems hard to come at it. The scientific name, I believe, is sphinx, which some great man gave him from a fancied resemblance to an old Egyptian monument of antiquity. But any name will do, so as it is generally understood. Let a person tie an old paint-brush on a long pole, long enough to reach about one foot above the arbor. Dip in coal tar, and go on painting the underside of the woodwork overhead. The smell starts the caterpillar immediately from its hiding place under the leaves. When the operator has advanced about three feet, let him jar the vine quickly (that is, its branches overhead) and the caterpillar immediately falls to the ground.

The vine and leaves are to be touched as little as possible with the tar.