Dip a piece of wool or cotton in oil, and slightly tie it round the
stalk, about a foot from the earth. The stakes which you will put into
the ground to support your plants must also be surrounded by the oiled
cotton or wool, or the insects will climb up them to the blossoms and
tender tops of the stems. Insects may be prevented from climbing up
stakes, trees, &c., by encircling them with a broad ring of tar, which
may be renewed as often as may be necessary. Small pots inverted and
placed on the top of stakes form a useful trap for slugs, snails,
earwigs, &c., which crawl into them for shelter in the early morning,
and may thus be caught and destroyed. When it is sought to take
earwigs by this means, the bottom of each pot should be filled with a
wisp of hay or dried grass, or a little cotton wool.