371 



white Australian. lu Sage County, i^obraska, its ravages are also 

 reported. 



The army- worm injured the cereal crops considerably in Grundy and 

 Livingston Counties, Illinois. In JeHerson County, Iowa, it devoured 

 tlie meadows. Its mischievous presence was also felt in Hall County, 

 Nebraska. 



In Lucas County, Iowa, grape-vines were much injured by an insect 

 which, from imperfect description, is supposed to be the Bostricus hi- 

 caudatus. Specimens of this insect have been sent from this locality to 

 the Department, with statements of its habit of injuring grape-vines by 

 boring into the wood. , 



West of the Missouri Eiver grasshoppers {Caloptenus spretiis) were 

 quite mischievous in some localities. In Ottawa County, Kansas, they 

 appeared August 15, and for three days vvrought havoc in the corn. 

 They did great mischief, also, in Madison and L'eau-qui-comt Counties, 

 Nebraska. In Bonhomme County, Dakota, they appeared August 10, 

 and remained two days, partially destroying the corn crops. In Mor- 

 gan County, Utah, they were so numerous as to prevent the sowing of 

 buckwheat. In Columbia County, Oregon, they made great havoc of 

 grass and gTain crops, scarcely leaving a trace of clover, and then 

 attacked gardens and fruit-trees. 



CHEMICAL MEMORANDA. 



By Eylaxd T. Brown, Chejmist. 



Laboratory Worij. — The laboratory, since the last report, has been 

 engaged chiefly in the investigation of marls, the first section of which 

 investigation we have already reported. The analyses here presented 

 may be regarded as a fair average of the shell an.d green-sand marls of 

 the Atlantic border, not including, however, the phosphatic beds of 

 South Carolina. It will be observed that while these marls are generally 

 rich in lime and contain a fair proportion of phosphates and alkalies, 

 yet they are deficient in organic matter, or the means of furnishing the 

 nitrogenous materials of plant food. In soils where the exhaustion haa 

 not extended to the organic matter, or where the vegetable mold has 

 been well maintained by turning under clover or other green crops, these 

 marls will supply all the demands of growing vegetation under ordinary 

 circumstances. But where these conditions are wanting, the marls will 

 disappoint the farmer who dei^ends on them alone. It will always be 

 safe to use them in conjunction with stable manure or some other nitro- 

 genized fertilizer. The lime in these compounds exists chiefly as a car- 

 bonate, and where the per cent, of this mineral is high the marl will be 

 rendered more active by being burned; but the economy of burning marl 

 at any place will depend on the i)rice of fuel. 



Two samples of marl from Prince George County, Maryland, furnished 

 by Frederick W. Poor, gave on analysis the following results : 



No. I. — Shell marl. 



Moisture 2. GOO 



Lime 32.910 



CarTjonic acid 2G, 429 



Iron and alumina 4. 160 



Silica „....„ ....'. 33.901 



