218 



l^otato-bug-, half an inch long, and of a reddish color," has appeared. 

 (Will the correspondent please send si)ecimeus "?) 



Four counties in Missouri report as follows : 



PulasJci County. — Potato-bugs very destructive, especially to the Early 

 Eose. 



Phelps County. — Potato-bugs numerous. 



Ferry County. — Bugs in force. 



FranUin County. — Xot so destructive as last year. 



In Kansas the " bugs" have appeared " in diminished numbers." 



In Meeker County, Minnesota, the insects have appeared in large 

 numbers, threatening mischief. Will be freely dosed with Paris green. 



Upshur County^ West Virginia. — Potato-bugs destructive in some places. 

 (This may not be the "western" i)otato-bug.) 



JSToTK ON PiEKis RAP^. — This insect, the larva of which has been 

 such a terror to the cabbage-growers in the North, has reached the Dis- 

 trict of Columbia, specimens of the perfect insect, or butterfly, having 

 been taken by Mr. Charles II. Dodge, during the present mouth, flying 

 about his garden. Its presence was reported in Baltimore last summer. 



CHEMICAL MEMORANDA. 



By EYL.VND T. Brown, Chemist. 



This division of the Department has completed the analysis of the 

 first installment of commercial mannres, and while the work of collect- 

 ing specimens for the further prosecution of this task is progressing, the 

 laboratory is engaged in the analysis of marls, specimens of which have 

 been accumulating for the past year, representing a great variety of 

 substances from different parts of the country. The results obtained 

 from the examination of commercial manures Avill appear in the forth- 

 coming annual report. 



The marls presented for analysis may be arranged in three classes, to 

 wit : 



1st. Shell-marls, comi^osed chiefly of marine shells, in a more or less 

 advanced state of decomposition. 



2d. Green-sand of the early Tertiary age. 



3d. Lime-marls, consisting of calcareous sediments from water hold- 

 ing lime in solution. 



Within the next month we hope to be able to present a full report of 

 each of the above classes. At luesent we are able to give, as an example 

 of the first class, only a single analysis. The specimen was sent by J. 

 P. Dillingham, of jSTew Berne, North Carolina. It may be taken as a 

 fair sample of the '' shell-beds" which are common to the Tertiary belt 

 lying between the mountains and the Atlantic coast, and stretching 

 from the Hudson Eiver to Florida. 



Analysis of shell-marl^ from J. P. Fillingham^ New Berne, North Carolina. 



Water, (letermiued at 100° C 0. C50 



Organic matter 2. fi33 



Peroxide of iron and alumina ^ 4. 001 



Phosphoric acid 0.099 



Lime 13.451 



Potassa ■ 331 



Carbonic acid 10. 600 



Silica Gfi.2Zo 



100. 000 



