1878. 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



349 



anal claspers. This larva, eating on the inner 

 side of the bark, and making furrows in the 

 wood, causes the bleeding, which, when the de- 

 pletion is excessive or continuous, and especially 

 in the case of young trees, has proved fatal." 

 Pinipestis Zimnaermanii seems to be one of the 

 most destructive of Lepidopterous insects to 

 timber. I have seen a number of young Pine 

 trees killed by it." 



The Journal of Forestry. — A Journal 

 especially devoted to forest culture, and forest 

 interests, was the newest ventiu-e in rural litera- 

 ture in London a j^ear ago. The first volume 

 has just been completed, and proves to be a 

 great success. Ko one seemed to think pre- 

 viously to its appearance that a monthly solely 

 devoted to such a specialty could be made so 

 continually interesting as to hold subscribers for 

 any length of time ; but the Journal of Forestry 

 in these respects exhibits all the signs of long 

 life and of increasing strength with increasing 

 years. 



Dr. H. a. Savasey.— We gave a brief note in 

 our last of the death of this excellent gentleman. 

 We find in Our Home Journal, fuller accounts of 

 his decease : 



Died — At Tangipalioa, La., on Wednesday, September 18, at 9 

 A. M., of yellow fever, H. A. SWASEY, M. D., aged 54 years; a 

 native of St. John.sbiiry, Vermont, — a resident in' the South 

 for many years. 



We make the above announcement with deep 

 sorrow. It is not easy to replace men like Dr. 

 Swasey, and the void created by his death will 

 be keenly felt outside of the home circle. 



Dr. Swasey died at his post of duty. A physi- 

 cian's field of action, in the country, extends over 

 a considerable area. He was in Washington 

 parish, many miles from home, when he became 

 aware of the attack of this fearful disease. He 

 nevertheless visited his patients and adminis- 

 tered to their relief, before caring for himself. 

 This delay proved fatal. The fever, at first, 

 yielded to treatment, but later, unfavorable 

 symptoms developed and — we mourn his loss. 



During a useful and busy life our friend was 

 connected with the agricultural press. He was 

 for a considerable time editor of Our Home Jour- 

 nal. Previously he published a horticultural 

 paper at Yazoo City, Miss., and was on the staff 

 of the Rural Alahamian, at Mobile, Ala. Sub- 

 sequently he took editorial charge of the South- 

 ern Plantation, at Montgomery, Ala. 



After his second marriage, in 1876, he settled 



in Tangipahoa and resumed the practice of his 

 profession. His agricultural and horticultural 

 knowledge he did not, however, hide under a 

 bushel but he freel}' dispensed it for the good of 

 the world at large. Much of Southern agricul- 

 tural and horticultural knowledge is due to his 

 earnest and unselfish labor. 



Dr. Swasey was twice married. Four daugh- 

 ters, by his first marriage, mourn his lo.ss. In 

 187(3 he married Miss Rosaline Harris, sister of 

 our esteemed townsman Otis Harris, Esq. The 

 widow and an only son survive him. Requiescat 

 in 2) ace. 



Since the above was in type the friends of the 

 late distinguished Southern horticulturist, Dr. 

 Swasey, will have the additional pain of learn- 

 ing that his daughter Ida has also fallen a vic- 

 tim to the yellow fever. 



Col.Daniel Dennett, one of the best known 

 and most useful horticultural writers in the 

 Southern States, has received a severe blow in 

 the loss of his son by the yellow fever. He re- 

 mained in charge of the telegraph station at 

 VicksDurg and died at his post. 



Insect Powder. — Why the flowers of the com- 

 posite plants Pyrethrum carneum and P. roseum, 

 when pulverized to form the well-known " Per- 

 sian Insect Powder," should prove so destnictive 

 to insects, while perfectly innocuous to other 

 forms of animal life, has not hitherto been under- 

 stood. Rother, who has investigated the chemical 

 composition of P. roseum, ascribes its active 

 powers to the presence of an acid, or, more pro- 

 perly , of a glycoside ,Avhich he terms Persicin . It is 

 a brown non-cry stallizable substance, having the 

 odor of honey, and when boiled with hydrochlo- 

 ric acid is converted into sugar and Persiretin. 

 With alkalies it forms a neutral amorphous salt, 

 as well as an acid crystallizable one. Persire- 

 tin also behaves like an acid. The plant con- 

 tains, in addition, an oily resin-like acid, Persi- 

 cein. No alkaloid was found by Rother. Bel- 

 lesone, however, obtained from the plant a crys- 

 tallizable substance which exhibited exceedingly 

 acetic properties. Hager, who has examined 

 the flowers of both P. carneum and P. roseum, 

 attributes their insecticide effects to the presence 

 of two substances, one of which, a body allied 

 to triraethylamine, is combined with an acid in 

 the flower. This powder as well as the pollen 

 has a peculiarly powerful efiect as an irritant. 

 Hager finds that aqueous or alcoholic extracts 



