I. AGRICULTURE AND RURAL ECONOMY. 413 



best kind of traps and best modes of setting them, as well as 

 of poisoning where traps are. insufficient. Among thfe poison- 

 ous preparations authorized by the government of Wurtem- 

 berg is grain soaked in an alcoholic solution of strychnine. 

 But this is said not to penetrate deep enough to answer its 

 purpose, the rains washing it off and rendering it innocuous, 

 the strychnine being left as a powdered coating on the evapo- 

 ration of the alcohol. This preparation has, therefore, been 

 replaced to advantage by a solution of the arsenite of soda, 

 or potash, colored red by fuchsin, so as to make it more dis- 

 tinguishable. This has proved to answer tolerably well ; 

 but a still more approved preparation consists in a mixture 

 of one part of arsenic, two parts of meal, and two parts of 

 brown sirup or sugar, made up into little balls or j^ills. This 

 answers an excellent purpose for exterminating mice around 

 the house ; but if used in the field it becomes necessary to 

 take some precaution to prevent its being devoured by birds 

 and domestic animals. To avoid this difficulty it is placed 

 within the mouse-holes or run-ways, which are then closed by 

 stamping upon them. By the systematic application of this 

 remedy, it is said that fields completely overrun have been 

 freed from mice in the course of a few weeks. 1 C, 1873, x., 

 159. 



DERMESTES DESTRUCTIVE TO SILK-WORM EGGS. 



Anions: the various destructive insects which interfere with 

 the naturalist by destroying his specimens, one of the most 

 formidable, on account of the extent and rapidity of its rav- 

 ages, is the well-known Dermestes lardarius^ or ham beetle. 

 This devotes itself especially to the dried muscle, as also to 

 the skins of animals prepared without an abundant applica- 

 tion of arsenic. Quite lately it has made its appearance as 

 among the greatest pests of the silk culturist, in consequence 

 of its habit of laying its eggs along with those of the female 

 silk-moth ; and the former, hatching out rapidly, destroy the 

 eggs of the latter before they can be removed for further 

 cultivation. It is highly probable that this habit, so incon- 

 venient in the present case, when exercised upon the ordinary 

 species of butterflies and moths, may serve an excellent pur- 

 pose in preventing their undue multiplication ; but it has be- 

 come quite necessary to adopt some method to prevent this 



