313 



certainly so, if tlie last tall can be taken as a criterion of the character of future 

 autumns. 



The crops of grain, particularl}' of wheat and corn — the great staple productions 

 of the southern portions of Wisconsin — are fully equal to those of any previous 

 year. Thousands of bushels of the finest wheat, however, were lost by the great 

 rains of July and August. A large amount of wheat cut down, but not gar- 

 nered, was never removed from the fields. The farmers, from the great ease of 

 getting seed into the ground, have become too much accustomed to sow more 

 than they can command help to harvest and suitably secure. Another great 

 error is their delaying to garner what is already suitably cured for that purpose, 

 before whole fields are cut down by their reajyers. The crop of potatoes was 

 good, and scarcely at all injured by the " rot." The growth and ripening of all 

 the species of Cucurbitacese was much favored by the constant wai'mth of the 

 summer months, and, though the roots of the vines were somewhat injured by 

 the rains of these months, yet the amount j^roduced in most cases was \QYy 

 remarkable. As an instance, I would mention a case related to me by a near 

 neighbor. Deacon Woodward, of forty-four ripe and twenty unripe pumpkins 

 being grown, in his garden, upon the vine of one seed! 



Another fact worthy of note was observed in the second flowering of several 

 species of plants, as stated in the calendar, and the appearance of grasshoppers 

 so late in the season as the 13th of November. Not having seen these myself, I 

 am unable to say anything of the species, neither am I sure that this fact will 

 be deemed uncommon by naturalists. The Cantharis cinerea appeared in the 

 latter part of June in great numbers. They had been noticed here the two years 

 previous. This year, in many gardens, they completely stripped the potatoe 

 vines of their foliage. No particular injury, however, appeared to arise from this. 

 They also seemed to take much pleasure in feeding upon white clover, which 

 they destroyed in a short time. Their progress was from north to south. They 

 were in such numbers, that a half-bushel of them could have been gathered in 

 a short time with the appropriate means. The chinck-bug, Lygmis leucopterus 

 of Say, which made its appearance in some of the northern counties of Illinois, 

 and was thought to have done great injury to the wheat crop, did not make its 

 appearance, that I am aware of, in this State.* 



There have been during the year several heavy storms accompanied with light- 

 ning, the most remarkable of which occurred on the 26th of April. 



The atmosphere here is remarkably transparent, so much so, that the stars 

 Lave an unwonted brilliancy, and seem much nearer to you than in the northern 

 portions of New England. 



* If any naturalist wishes specimens of this insect, I shall take pleasure in furnishing 

 them. 



