THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



259 



difficulty. Tho work before us recommends (for small 

 trees we presume) a small tent-like apparatus, fastened 

 to a lon^ polo tluust through the centre of the tree, 

 and s])read over the wliolu of the f()liau,e, drawing' it 

 close round tlio stem at tho bottom. Then introduce 

 tobacco smoke, which in ten or iiftcon minutes will 

 destroy every insect. 



Tiic insects attacking- tho wheat i)lant are those be- 

 longing- to the genera Chlorops and Oscinin. The 

 larvui of these flies desti-oy tho stalk of tho wheat near 

 the root, whilst others infest the ear, or burrow into 

 the straw. In America these flies are considered to be 

 the chief cause of the scanty return of wheat per acre ; 

 btit we question much whether the production of the 

 insects themselves is not greatly promoted by the de- 

 fective system of cultivation practised in that country. 

 We have both tho Chloroj)f! and the Osc'mis in this 

 country annually ; but high farming is as destructive 

 to vermin as it is to weeds ; and it is rarely that tho 

 devastation committed by the former on highly-culti- 

 vated land is very serious. 



Besides these two genera, there are in America the 

 "wheat mow fly" {Ayromyza tritici), the "wheat 

 thrips" (Thrips tritici), and the " three-banded 

 thrips" [Coleothrips trifasciata). Some of these attack 

 tho flower, others the soft grain whilst in the milk. 

 In either case the crop is destroyed, so far as the 

 injury is eflected. No specific cure for this dis- 

 ease has been proposed; and prevention alone, as 

 we have said, is in the power of the agi'icul- 

 turist. As cultivation becomes more perfect and 



extended, as the land becomes better drained and 

 better tilled, tho evils that arise from these scourges 

 disappear, and we find a healthier and more productive 

 era succeeds. When the average produce of wheat in 

 England was only two-and-a-iialf (piarters per acre, 

 the ravages from insects were far more general and 

 destructive than they arc now th:it tho average has 

 risen to four quarters and a-half. 



The apple-tree caterpillar is a well-known scourge 

 to that plant. If allowed to have its full swing, it will 

 soon destroy every vestige of foliage from the tree, and 

 must therefore be attended to, on the first appearance 

 of the web or nest, or even before ; for the eggs may 

 be detected in the spring, before the leaves are put 

 forth, at the ends of the twigs. These should be care- 

 fully gathered into a basket, and burnt in the stove. If, 

 however, this is neglected, the nests may still be de- 

 stroyed before the caterpillars have committed their 

 ravages. But no time must be lost after the appearance 

 of the web on the trees. Placing a ladder against the 

 tree, grasp every nest with the hand, by which the 

 colony is crushed at once. May is the month when 

 these devouring pests make their first appeal ance. 

 The orchard should be gone over repeatedly, as 

 many will escape the first attack, and will still greatly 

 annoy you if not destroyed. By this simple and direct 

 means — and no other can be depended on — the whole 

 of the brood may be removed without difficulty or 

 expense beyond the time required. This is a trifle 

 compared with the value of the ci'op. 



SPRING CORN. 



Sir, — The deficiency in the crop of spring corn this har- 

 vest is, I believe, not confined exclusively to the light lands, 

 but extends to the strong and mixed soils as well. It will 

 probably' amount, on an average, to at least one-third of 

 the crop on oats and liarley, and will render a large impor- 

 tation of tliose articles necessary. The question is, whether 

 we shall be .ible to obtain them ? 



I raise this question on account of the state of the crops 

 of oats and barley in France, where such has beeu the 

 severity of the drought during the spring and summer that 

 they do not expect to thrash more than one-sixth of the 

 average yield. The following extract of a letter written on 

 the '2'6ti July, by M. Doniol the elder, is descriptive of the 

 state of things at that time in Auvergne : 



" Since the 3rd of March, the department of La Haute 

 Loire has not had a shower ; so that it is entireh' burnt up, 

 and it is impo3sil>le to give to the crops of roots, &c., the 

 proper hocings. Nearly all the spring sowings of small 

 seeds have failed, such as trefoil, clover, ryegrass, &c. The 

 barley and oats have not been able to shoot the ear. The 

 deficiency on the first of these will not be less than five- 

 sixths of the average, and still greater on the oats. The 

 wlieat-crop will be generally a good average, although the 

 straw is short. The rye is abundant, both in straw and 

 grain, on the mountains, but will be very deficient on the 

 low grounds. The tropical heat of the first fortnight of 

 June paralysed the development of that grain, 



" The drou:;ht has not only reduced greatly the first crop of 

 forage of every kind, and arrested the growth and develop- 

 ment of the spring cereals, but has completely destroyed the 

 second crop of forage, and so dried up the pastures that every- 

 where we caa only keep the caltle alive in the stalls ; so that 

 the small crop of hay we were able to save, aud which is 

 usually reserved for the winter, will be consumed in a great 

 measure before the dead season arrives. It is therefore certain 

 that great distress will ensue, and the fairs are crowded with 

 animals on sale, which meet with few purchasers, even at a re- 

 duction of 50 per cent.; so that breeding of cattle is' greatly 

 reduced." 



Such is the state of France — for it is not confined to the 

 department of Auvergne alone — at the preseot time, as 

 described in the " Agricultural Chronicle" of the Journal of 

 P)acfical Agriculture. Even on the sea-coasts, where gene- 

 rally, wheu other parts of the interior are dried up, there is a 

 sufficiency of moisture, forage is exceedingly scarce. A great 

 number of lean cattle are brought to all the markets and fairs ; 

 but the graziers are so discouraged with the prospect, and so 

 convinced that no price of meat is likely to remunerate them 

 for the expense of fattening, that they decline purchasing at 

 any price. 



The leading agriculturists of France are now at work devis- 

 ing means of increasing the amount of fodder in future, and of 

 finding substitutes for oats and hay in feeding horses. They 

 recommend crushed or ground barley mixed with crushed oats, 

 in the proportion of five of the former to three of the latter. 

 Barley, however, is likely to be as scarce and as dear, in pro- 

 portion, as oats ; and we question whether anything will be 

 saved in using it. But in the case of France there is no alter- 

 native, it being certain that the crop of neither oats nor hay 

 will last out half the coming season. 



The above statement will accouut for the extraordinary fact 

 that, with au importation of oats of upwards of 200,000 qrs. 

 in three weeks into London, the price has not given way, and 

 that some of the largest factors on Mark Lane are purchasing 

 all the oats they can lay their hands oa. I therefore would 

 advise those of your readers who are growers of oats this sea- 

 son (and barley too) not to be in any haste to thrash, it being 

 certain that prices must eventually be much higher than at 

 present. Our crop of hay and straw, though below the average, 

 is much better than that in France, and the aftermath of grass 

 is likely to be large, so that the stock will be kept out quite 

 the usual time. But as it is probable the foreign supply of 

 oats and barley we usually import will be diverted into another 

 channel, there is every reason to expect that both those grains 

 will be scarce throughout the season. Yours, &c., 



S, C, 



T 2 



