THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



83 



yeare before they could have rciU'hed here l)y 

 tlioir ordinary protircss tliroiii;li the Western 

 Slates; therefore, ^'Jahniii/ JiuU, hcicarcl" 



NotwUhstaiurinj; the learned "hulplmh" 

 made alioiit the poisonous elTei^ls of i'un'.s 

 (Incn during the past ywir — lis rejiorted in- 

 jury to the soil, the tuliera, the jilanls, and 

 the users of it— the previous ten years of prac- 

 tical experience among the western farnu is, 

 leaves their confidenee in it as the hesl remedy 

 yet discovered, iierfectly intact. Of course; it 

 must l)e used judiciously, for no one denies that 

 it is a rank jwison, au"d if it were anytlnng 

 less, you might as well attempt to "choke a 

 dog with butter," its to destroy potato beetles 

 by au artilicial application of any kind. 



The ''Chinch-bug " is the next in order, and 

 its habits and "doings" cover a large space 

 in the report. On some future occasion we 

 will give a history and illustrations of this 

 "naughty bug," .simply liecause we don't ex- 

 actly see why we may not ultimately have this 

 insect in Lanciuster county, seeing that we 

 have many others of the same order, that are 

 allied to it in habits and general ap])earance. 

 We need now only admonish our farmers that 

 a little insect without jaws, and "less than 

 three-tenths of an inch in length," was so nu- 

 merous iu Missouri, during the summer of 

 1S74, as to cause a loss of nincteoi hiilUons iif 

 (hiUnrs to the agricultural wealth of the State, 

 and that this injury has l)een sustained by the 

 wheat, com, and oat crops alone. Dry weather 

 and loose upland soils are favorable to the 

 propagation and development of this insect, 

 whilst low lands, wet weather, and compact 

 soils are fatal to it. Although artificial and 

 natural remedies have a tendency to diminish 

 its numbers, there are none more effective 

 than cold, continuous rains. 



The "Flat-headed apple-tree borer"— so 

 called to distinguish it from the "Round- 

 headed apple-tree borer," illustrated and 

 dascribed in this number of The Faumeu 

 — was »ery destructive to the apple-trees 

 during 1S74 in the State of Missouri. We are 

 in i>ossessioii of illustrations of this insect, 

 and will publish a history of it in a future 

 number of The Faumeii, V)ecau.se we have 

 been cognizant of its existence in the county 

 of l^ancaster for more than thirty years. 



Prof. Kiley also pays his compliments to two 

 prominent siwcies of "Canker-worms," which 

 devastate i\w foliaije of apple trees in Missouri, 

 and we have these also in our county. We will 

 also illustrate the history of these insects in 

 due time. 



The "Grape Phylloxera" — the gall form 

 of which we have noticed in the county for 

 the i)ast ten years — is also treated ably and at 

 . length. The French government has increased 

 its premium to thni- huiulral tlioi(.'<aud francs 

 for a sure remedy against the depredations of 

 this minute, and almost invisible to the naked 

 eye, insect. From all the ol)sei"vatious and 

 investigation made, it seems clear that the 

 root and leaf insects are identical, and as we 

 know we have the latter, we may infer that we 

 have also the former. 



The paper on this subject is very long, but 

 very interesting and useful. AVc will refer to 

 it again, but it may be neces.saryto say before 

 we close, that among the most efliictive reme- 

 dies has been the submergence of the soil, 

 where it is practicable. 



The chief counteracting reliance, however, 

 is placed in yraftiny — grafting on stock not 

 su.sceptible to the root attacks of the enemy. 

 Concord, for this purpose, is regarded as A, 

 No. 1, and accordingly it is estimated by com- 

 petent authority that the importation of cut- 

 tings from America into France, during 1874- 

 75, will amount to ten millions of this variety 

 alone. 



The injury to the grape crops in France 

 alone has amounted to Jifti/ millionf: of (hillars, 

 and it is rapidly spreading over the continent. 

 In the United States, east of the llocky 

 Mountains, this insect has been recognized iu 

 Kansas, low'a, Illinois, Mi.s.souri, Michigan, 

 Ontario, Xew York, New Jersev, Pennsyl- 

 vaiua, Maryland, Cinniecticut, tiistrict of 

 Columbia, jforth Carolina, Texas, Florida, 



and elsewhere. No doubt grapes in this coun- 

 try have often been injnrecl by these insects, 

 and the effects referred to other causes. 



The " Locust," or " Kocky Mountain (Iras.s- 

 hopjier, " has c.aused a vast deal more distress 

 and sulTering than all the others, ])erhai)s, com- 

 bined. From the very peculiar constitutional 

 character of this insect we hardly think it will 

 ever infest Lanciuster county ; neverlhcless, 

 on this suhji'ct we shall have more to say heri'- 

 after, for we have a si>ecies very nearly allied 

 to it, and which sometimes is very destructive. 



INSECT FERTILIZATION AND 

 HYBRIDS. 



My neighbor, Mr. (Jeorge Ilensel, showed 

 me a line specimen of the Kocky Mountain 

 Columbiiu% which has very long spurs to its 

 nectaries, each of which was slit ojicn by bets 

 to get at the honey. This course is out of order, 

 so with those that make a hole in the side of 

 the calyx tube. The regular way is to enter 

 the rtower cup, and thereby get the polU^n 

 scattered to be conveyed to the pistil or glutin- 

 ous stigmasof other ll<nvers or plants to [imducc; 

 fertilization, as now claimed to be one of tlie 

 othces spe(Mally delegated to the insi-ct tribe, 

 while the majority of bees actually do conline 

 themselves to the proper functions in collect- 

 ing honey and pollen in the regular way. Cer- 

 tain individual bees persist in taking a short 

 cut, as if they witc more knowing or more 

 reckless — seeking to gratify them.selves, with- 

 out regard to any benefit to the llower; nay, 

 indeed, rather damaging tlu; flower they rob. 



Darwin, on cross-fertilization, has brought 

 many facts to light, giving quite a large list 

 of plants that seem to avoid self-fertilization. 

 According to his theory, all plants with con- 

 spicuously colored flowers, or powerful odors, 

 or honeyeil .secretions, are fertilized by insects; 

 all with inconspicuous flowers, and especially 

 such as have pendulous anthers, t>r incoherent 

 pollen, are fertilized by the wind. Whence he 

 infers that, before honey-feeding insects ex- 

 isted, the vegetatiim of our globe could not 

 have been ornamented with bright-colored 

 flowers, but consisted of such plants as i)ines, 

 oaks, grasses, nettles, etc. It is stated, by Mr. 

 T. H. Farrer, that the parts of the flower of 

 the scarlet-runner are so arranged that a bee, 

 alighting on it in search of honey, of necessity 

 shakes any pollen off his proboscis on to the 

 stigma; while, at the same lime, his proboscis, 

 as he withdraws it, is covered with the jiollen 

 of this flower, and is thus prepared to fertilize 

 another. 



In Lobelia, the parts are so arranged that the 

 pollen is ejected, in small quantities at a time, 

 on to the exact s|)ot of the back of the visiting 

 bee on which it should be placed to be carried 

 to the stigma of another llower, the stigma be- 

 ing so arranged that, at the next llower visited 

 by till' bee, it sweeps off the previously acquired 

 pollen. Thus we Hud, Iiy actual observation, 

 that insects have an otlice to perform, and do 

 not rob plants without some compensation. 

 Farmers on the l)anks of the Rhine rei)orted, 

 years ago, that the orchards in which bees are 

 reared are more productive thanthose in which 

 there are none. The use of insects in fertili- 

 zing the fig, called "caprification, " was thought 

 e.s.sential in the times of Aristotle, as he, Theo- 

 phrastes and Pliny speak of it. Rurdach sup- 

 poses certain ins<'cls assigned to certain plants, 

 and experiments made by covering a itlant 

 with gauze to prevent ins(k-ts to alight, while 

 another of the same stood in the open air, 

 where it was visited by insects, had all its flow- 

 ers fecundated, while the covered i>lant pro- 

 duced no fruit. This exiieriment was made by 

 the celebrated Willdenow, on the AristQlochia 

 (Jleniatifi. 



Every farmer knows that red and yellow- 

 Indian corn will mix naturally; this is a spe- 

 cies of hvViridity. 



I mayhere introduce the remark of tlie late 

 S. G. Morton, of Pliiladelphia, in a work pub- 

 lished by him, in which he says: "Hybridity, 

 whether in plants or animals, has been singu- 

 larly neglected by naturalists. It has general- 

 ly been regarded as a unit, whereas its facts 



are a.s susceptible of cla.ssification as any other 

 series of physiological phenomena. Ilence I 

 have proposed four degrees of hybridity. Tlie 

 fimt (hyrcc is that in which the hybrids never 

 reproduce ; in other woi'ds, where the mixed 

 progeny begins and ends with the lii-st cros.s. 

 TItc ficond dujrtc is that in which the hybrids 

 are incapable of reproilucing, iiil(rsi (tliat is, 

 among llieniselves), but multiply by union 

 with the l)arent st(«'k. Tin tliiril dri/rn: is 

 that in which animals of unipiestioiiably dis- 

 tinct species product' a priigeny which is pro- 

 lific i)Uer se, {among themselves). The fnnrth 

 degree is that which takes place between 

 clo.sely proximate 8|)ecies- among mankind, 

 for exampUt, ami among those domestic ani- 

 mals most essential to their wants and happi- 

 ness." 



M. IIooilH'nk's ])rocess for facilitating the 

 fertilization of iilants may bi' new to some. 

 The iirocess consists in touching fhi' stigma 

 of the llower, just before it hloonis, with a 

 liencil dipped in honey; or, better still, with 

 honey mingled with the pollen of the jilaiit 

 which is being operated on. The process has 

 succeeded admirably, it is stati'd, on fruit 

 trees, and even on certain i>articular branches 

 of trees which had never borne. On the por- 

 tions thus treated fruit formed in natural 

 course, while other parts remained in their 

 normal condition. The effect may be ex- 

 plained by supposing that the honey retains 

 the pollen grains on the stigma, and thus 

 favors the fonuation of the indispens;ible pol- 

 len tubes." 



Science has demonstrated, bv the use of the 

 microscope, that when pollen 1ias fallen upon 

 the stigma, and is retained by the hairs or 

 gluten on the surface, a pollen tube is emitted, 

 apparently owing to eiKhisinotic action lie- 

 tween the fluid exudation from the stigma and 

 the contents of the pollen cell, which latter 

 bursts and sets free the inner lining of the 

 cell in the form of a cylimlrical tube. This 

 tube passes down between the cells of the 

 style, lengthening out till it athust reaches the 

 ovules in the cavity of the ovary. This 

 lengthening was at one time thought to be 

 merely extension, but is now supposed to l>e 

 due to actual interstitial growth. Having ar- 

 rived hei-e, the pollen tube entei-s the foramen 

 at the top of the ovule left by the imiH-rfect 

 closing of its investments, anil thus conies in 

 contact with the nucleus and embryosac. In 

 this sack there are at the to)) some minute 

 vesicles, called the genninal vesicles, one, or 

 sometimes two of which, under conta(;t, 

 lengthen out into a slender cellular thread, 

 and at one end of this thread is the embryo 

 plant, as explained in the Life of a Seed, by 

 Maxwell T. Masters, M. IX 



As regards hybrids, nnich of interest might 

 be mentioncil i'roni tlie experiments of Ko'l- 

 reuter, Naudin, Hunter, etc. Experiments 

 alone can determine the amount of affinity 

 lieyond which fertilization is impracticable; 

 Imt at i)resent it .seems to be restricted to jn- 

 dividuals belonging to genera of the same 

 natural group. 



The tendency of the natural phenomena re- 

 lating to liybridity is to ]irevent its taking 

 place, and, when it has occurred, to arrest the 

 propagation of varieties so produced, and to 

 limit their generative powers so as to admit 

 only a reversion to the original siiecific forms. 



It would seem that in most cases the fertili- 

 zing jiartieles had a si>ecifie power over the 

 ova derived from the same si)ecies, or W(;re 

 attr-.u'ted by them in a peculiar manner. It is 

 true a few exceptional cases are cited, but the 

 general rule is. that individuals of dilTerent 

 species donot voluntarily hybridize. The .sala- 

 cious marc must Ix? blindfolded, or she will 

 not receive the a.ss to produce the most com- 

 mon and useful of hybrids, being termed, par 

 excellince. the mule. This, however, establishes 

 the rule of infertility of hybrids from dilferent 

 species, and is evidi'iitlv an artificial and yet 

 natural result. To conclude, the most suc- 

 cessful mode of obtaining good and very dis- 

 tinct varieties in plants, is to employ the pollen 

 from a male flower grown on another plant 

 than that tearing the female parent. To avoid 



