-246 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 4 



The pomace may b« given to cattle, or made 

 into wrappinfj paper.. Jt is not known how far the 

 above calculation will a'tjree with the plant in our 

 climate. We shall probably not need tliis article 

 to manunictiire sugar from, so long as it can be 

 obtained in large quantities from the maple, sugar 

 beet, &c. But tlie tact may be important in one 

 pomt of view. If the statements are correct, the 

 stalks are more nourishing for cattle, if cut when 

 they are ripe, than if cut earlier, and as they are 

 cut for this pin'pose, a little judgment exercised in 

 the business, founded on a knowledge of the pro- 

 perties, may make no small saving. 



From Loudon's Gardener's Magazine of June, 1837. 



THE 1TAI.I.\!V BIODE OF EXri.UDIKG THE COM- 

 MOA^ HOUSE Ff>Y (iVlUSCA DOMESTICA L.) 



FROM apartme:vts. 



This mode was pointed out to William Spence, 

 esq., in Italy, two or three years ago, and is pub- 

 lished in the first number of the Trans, of the En- 

 toinological Society ; and his son has subsequently 

 discovered that it was known in the time of He- 

 rodotus, and practised by the iishermen of Egypt. 

 It is simply to cover the openings of the windows 

 by a net o!" white or liijht-colored thread. Ic is 

 remarkable that the meshes of this net may be an 

 inch or more in diameter, so that there is actually 

 no physical obstacle presented to the entrance ol 

 the flies even with expanded wings. The flies 

 seem to be deterred from entering from some in- 

 explicable dread of venturing within the network. 

 It is even found that, 'if small nails be fixed all 

 round the window frame, at the distance of about 

 an inch from each other, and threads be then 

 stretched across both vertically, and horizontally, 

 the apparatus will be equally effectual in exclu- 

 ding the flies.' It is essential, however, that 'the 

 light should enter the room on one side of it only ; 

 for if there be a thorough light, either from an op- 

 posite or side window, the flies pass through the 

 net without scruple.' (Trans. Ent. Soc.^ i. 4.) 

 "The above facts are of interest both to the oc- 

 cupiers of houses and shops in temperate climates, 

 and the architects of houses lor warm countries. 

 They also supply useful hints to butchers, and, in- 

 deed, to all persons to whom flies and gnats are an 

 annoyance. The facts further show, that sciences 

 apparently the most remote from architecture, may 

 yet afford useful hints lor improving that art. To 

 gardeners these iiicts afford excellent hints ibr ex- 

 cluding flies from vineries and peach-houses, and 

 h-om ripe grapes and other fruit against walls. — 

 Conductor." 



but guarded by the threads. One of these drop- 

 ped down and reconnoitred ; and flew up again, 

 after parading nearly round the bed. Another or 

 two did the same; and one ventured upon the bed; 

 but it soon flexv away, and the whole Ibllowed. I 

 have other seed-beds guarded with the thread, and 

 find the plan answers. It is so simple, and so 

 useful, that Mr. Anderson is entitled to the thanks 

 of all gardeners. It only wants a lair trial. If 

 market-gardeners, who sow great breadths of the 

 Brassica tribe, as well as other seeds connected 

 with their business, were to employ this method, I 

 have no doubt one half the seed generally used 

 might be saved ; the expense of thread and time 

 in putting it up being comparatively noUiing. I 

 should advise the thread to be no more than two 

 feet apart in lines ; and when the beds are Ions, to 

 support the line every 3 or 4 yards with slender 

 forked sticks, firmly fixed in the ground. 



From the same. 

 MR. Anderson's mod e of protecting seeds 



FROM THE ATTACK OF BIRDS, 



By suspending a black thread line over the bed 

 10 inches or 12 inches high. I was induced to try 

 the plan, being much annoyed by sparrows and 

 pied or chaff-finches ; and I fijel 'bound to state 

 that I have found it very efficacious, the birds sel- 

 dom going near the beds when threaded. I no- 

 ticed a congregation of finches, a few davs ao-o, 

 upon a cherry tree, near to an asparagus bed sown 

 with raddish and edged with mustard and cress, 



From the same, 



WHY ARE CHAFFINCHES DEJTEURED BY A 

 LINE OF BLACK THREAD, WHEN THEY DO 

 NOT DREAD A THREAD WITH BITS OF RAG 

 ATTACHED TO IT? 



It has struck me that this curious fact, mention- 

 ed by Mr. Anderson (p. 172.), is quite analogous 

 to the circumstances stated by Mr. Spence in the 

 Transactionf> of the Entomological Society (de- 

 scribed in the jlrchiteetural Magazine, vol. ii. p. 

 188., and quoted below), that flies will not pass 

 through a net with the meshes one inch wide, by 

 which means rooms may be kept quite clear from 

 them by hanging a net of this kind in front of the 

 window. To what is the existence of dread in 

 both cases attributable '?— J. O. W. May 17,. 

 1837. 



From the same. 

 THE INTRODUCTION OF AMERICAN PEA-BUG* 



(Bruchus pisi) into europe. 



Seeing, on the cover of your Magazine for 

 April, 1837, that you request gardeners, bailiffs, 

 and others, to forward any kind of insects to you 

 tor Mr. Westwoods's examination, I send these,, 

 of which I shall shortly give you the history. I 

 received two packets of early Dutch peas, which 

 were distributed among the members of the Hamp- 

 shire Horticultural Society, on March 10, 1837. 

 When I came to open the packets to sow the peas, 

 about the beginning of April, I found them full of 

 the insects sent, which were such as I had never 

 observed before. I then determined to forward one 

 of the packets to you, in the hope through that 

 means to know its name, and if it is common. — 

 A Constant Reader. Winchester, May 15, 

 1837. 



The insects sent with this communication are 

 the Briichus pisi of Linnajus, in a living state. 

 This species, according to that author, is indige- 

 nous to North America, but is now, unfortunately, 

 completely naturalised in the north of Europe, al- 

 though, seventy years ago, it was only known in 

 the more southerly parts of this continent. Of 

 this insect Kirby and Spence observe: "In a 

 late stage of growth, great havoc is often made in 

 peas by the grub of a small beetle (Bruchus 

 granarius X.), which will somet.mes lay an egg 



