FARMERS' REGISTER-CULTURE OF CUCUMBERS. 



323 



Dr. ShurtleiV, in a preceding number of your 

 paper, by comparing the records of the appearance 

 of the C. seplemdcccju, thuiKs there must be some 

 mistake as to their period of appearance. Tliis 

 discrepancy is easily and satisfactorily removed. 

 It IS the same as to say that because calves may be 

 born every month in the year, the period of gesta- 

 tion for the cow cannot be 'nine months. The 

 seventeen year Cicada is in fact seen every year in 

 some part of our land, and perhaps nearly every 

 year in the same place, in small nund^ers. In 

 1831 I received specimens of it from Sandwich, 

 Mass., in 1832 from Genesee County, N. Y., in 

 1833 fi-om Martha's Vineyard, and this year they 

 are abundant in various parts of our land, especi- 

 ally at the south. Thus it will be readily seen how 

 the same family or swarm shall appear and propa- 

 gate only once in seventeen years, while members 

 of other families may exhibit themselves at any 

 time in the intermediate period. 



There are several species of Cicada among us, 

 to be found every year, but none of them in such 

 vast numbers as to conceal the foliage and bend 

 or even break down the branches on which they 

 lodge, as does this species. Among them are the 

 C.pruinosa, the most common, and the C tibicen, 

 which last measure two and a half or three inches 

 in length, and it is said that the noise of a single 

 individual is such that it may be heard a mile. 

 The C. septemdecem may be distinguished from all 

 the others in our land by its smaller size, being 

 about an inch long, its black body, and the eyes 

 and nervures of the wings, usually of the color of 

 brick dust or sealing wax. 



As to their inclination or ability to do harm, 

 these are both very small. What they do while 

 under ground, as before observed, we know not. 

 While among us, their only object seems to be, to 

 pair, and deposite their eggs. For this purpose 

 they live a merry day or two, subsisting on a few 

 drops of sap, and stunning our ears with their 

 noisy din, and then become a [)lentiful source of 

 .sustenance to many birds and beasts. It is said 

 that the American savages have sometimes used 

 them for food, but I am not aware that they are 

 ever employed as such by civilized man. It is 

 also said that life has been destroyed by them. — 

 We can easily conceive them to have the power 

 of inflicting severe wounds when confined in a hat 

 or otherwise, by their powerful ovipositors, and 

 these wounds may even prove fatal. But, on the 

 whole, the Cicada is quite as harmless, and far 

 less annoying than the musquito. Its deafening 

 din is far more tolerable than the shrill and quiet 

 hum of the latter, and its hydraulic apparatus con- 

 sumes a far less vital portion of our precious sub- 

 stance, than the sanguinary lance of the musquito. 



A short comparison of the Cicada with the true 

 locust ( Gryllus') will at once show the difference 

 lietween the two insects, and the little reason there 

 is to be alarmed at its appearance. The locust 

 belongs to the order Ortiioptera, the cicada to 

 the order IIkmiptera. The form of the locust 

 and its habits are the same as our grasshoppers, 

 which are, indeed, our locusts: — that of the cica- 

 da, as is well known, is very different. The two 

 grand differences, however, are, that the locust 

 attains its whole growth above ground; and that, 

 too, in the space of a month or two, and conse- 

 quently requires a large amount of herbage to 

 maintain its growth. While the cicada has ob- 



tained its full size and develojiement when it first 

 emerges from the ground, and requires little or 

 nothing to support it during the few days of its 

 existence. And again; the locust is furnished with 

 powerfiil jaws for masticating his food, while the 

 cicada has only a tube for taking in fluids, and is 

 utterly incapable of devouring any thing. Apolo- 

 gizing for this long communication, I remain, 



Yours, &c. 



AUGt^STUS A. GOULD. 



July 3d, 1834. 



CULTURE OP CUCUMBERS. 



From the Genesee Parmer, 



It was not until a few daj-s past that I received 

 the 18th No. of the Genesee Farmer, in which 

 there is a very interesting communication on the 

 culture of melons. I design now only to say a 

 few words respecting the advantages of using 

 stravi^ in trenches according to the recommenda- 

 tion of Judge Buel — a suggestion with which I 

 was equally pleased with D. T. — and these simply 

 in reference to the raising of cucumbers. My ob- 

 ject however is to draw the conclusion that similar 

 results may be attained by a like preparation for 

 any other vines belonging to the same natural 

 family. 



Cucumbers are very difficult to grow in our gar- 

 dens to any extent, in this part of the country. As 

 soon as the vines arrive at a bearing state, and 

 produce a scanty supply, they begin to sink under 

 the effort and speedily become exhausted. It is 

 only in low moist places that we can raise them 

 plentifully. 



Early in the spring I had a small piece of ground 

 prepared in my garden, by digging a trench about 

 twelve inches wide and as many deep; and not 

 more than thirty feet in length — in the bottom of 

 which fresh straw was laid and made compact to 

 the depth of two or three inches. The earth was 

 then replaced, raising it high enough to form a 

 gentle ridge. Thirteen vines survived the injuries 

 of the frost and insects, and the product of these 

 was indeed extraordinary. I can saiely say that 

 we gathered several bushels of cucumbers fi"om 

 them. They began to bear early, continued to 

 grow luxuriantly f"or a length of time; and have at 

 last only given way beneath the intense fervor of 

 the dog days. 



My object as I have stated, in detailing the suc- 

 cessflil result of this trial, is to show that the same 

 preparation will doubtless be well adapted to the 

 growth of melons. The quality of the melons 

 will probably be also rendered more delicious than 

 by the free use of manure — a practice which how- 

 ever it may increase the number, must always ma- 

 terially impair the excellence of a fruit of such 

 delicate and exquisite flavor. 



In making these remarks, it is far from mjMiiten- 

 tion to detract fi-om the merits of the other modes 

 recommended by D. T. T'/icy are at least highly 

 valuable, inasmuch as they will insure an abundant 

 supply of melons at an earlier period of the sea- 

 son. The mode I have detailed may be a useful 

 auxiliary in contributing to a succession. 



Beaverdam, Va. 8>nn. 20th. 



