1875.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



103 



ami (lie study will 111' in-olitiiblo. If you can 

 not ii)iii|)rclii 11(1 the l':icl tliat iill iiarls of a 

 flowir ai\' liut iiHiililii aliiiiisol till- leaf, j;iiulu- 

 ally unfolding from tlic crude cliloropliil or 

 green caly.\ to the soft and deliiate \wUi\, 

 thence to the stanim and final frnctif^-ing 

 centre, tlie pistil willi it.s ijenn, in wliich the 

 vital force of the plant concentrates into a 

 passive nucleus in tin; seed, ready, under 

 proper conditions, to reproduce its parent. I 

 have giviii a medley of statements, and, per- 

 haps, liave drawn no practical coiii:lusions, 

 but the mind must 1h^ |irepai'ed iH-fore even 

 correct cone liisions can lie fully received. I 

 shall thiiiforc rest for the i)iesent. It will 

 take a full month to digest tlie apparent con- 

 tlictiiij,'factsstated. — J. Stauffcr, Lancaster, Fa. 



Berries. 



After having written about strawberries, 

 and considering it rather dry reading, allow 

 me to serve you up a dish of berries more to the 

 taste of some, and ollering at least "variety," 

 as it is calU'd the spice of life. L see no reason 

 wliy it should be excluded from so solid and 

 grave a paper as The I^anijastkii Kakmhu. 

 1 had to smile when 1 read it, and so nuiy you, 

 perhaps; so here it is : 



"(,'liarles Nfathews, the comedian, w.Xfi 

 served by a green-grocer, named TJerry, and 

 generally settled his bill once a ([Uarter. At 

 one time the account was sent in lieforc it wa.s 

 due, and Mathews laboring inideraii idea that 

 his credit was doubted, said, ' Here's a pretty 

 mull, ]5erry. You have sent in your bill. 

 Berry, before it is tlm\ IJerry. Your father, 

 the elder Beri-y, would not have been such a 

 f/nose. Berry ; Imt you need not look so hliirk, 

 Berry, fori don't care a Mrnu:, Berry, and 

 shan't i>ay you till Chriatnias, Berry.' " 



There you have an assortment of berries to 

 digest without fear of hurting you. J. S. 



TRAPS EMPLOYED TO CIRCUMVENT 

 THE POTATO-BEETLES. 



If the ]M>tato-boetle was endowed with the 

 Ica.st .sen.sibility it would either die out or leave 

 the country in disgust, merely because every- 

 body siH'aks ill of it, and the hand of every 

 man — not t(H) lazy to work — is turned against 

 it. Or, if it was endowed with that pusilla- 

 nimity which characterizes so many of the 

 human species, it would emigrate in order to 

 esca|)e the many snares that have been invent- 

 ed to effect its death or discomfiture. But it 

 is too greedy, dull, and stupid to comprehend 

 the dangers by wliicli it is surrounded, and 

 thus is destined to fall a victim to the human 

 machinations that are employed against it. 

 These traps embrace several different contri- 

 vaniis and employ different prhici|)les, all cul- 

 minating in the destruction of the beetle. 



Acknowledging I'aris Green as the universal 

 remedy, Mr. Frank M. (iray, of .Jeffer.son, 

 Cook CO., 111., hits invented a tank which is 

 strapped on the back, something like the patent 

 fire-extinguisher, with a section of small gutta 

 percha or gum-elastic hose attached to the 

 bottom on each side, to the ends of which are 

 attached spriidiling nozzles, which are taken in 

 each hand, and the operator jia-ssing between 

 the rows can siirinkle two at a time, and thus 

 facilitate the work. This tank, or can, holds 

 about three gallons of water, in which is thor- 

 oughly mixeil and strained tliree table spoon- 

 fuls of good green. Inside there are three 

 shelves to help to keep the mixture agitated, 

 with an air tul>e on to]), and a lever at the bot- 

 ti m, which shuts off the tlow of the liijuid at 

 the will of the operator. It is sai<l that one 

 .man with this apparatus can siniiikle from i\\t' 

 to eight a<-res in a day, and will use from one 

 to one and a half pounds of green. This ma- 

 chine is mauufactured and kept for sale in 

 Chicago, 111. 



Some people in Lanca.stcr county have used 

 a common watering can, but without any sat- 

 isfactory effet-t, siniply because the green won't 

 dissolve in water, but is merely held in sus- 

 pension, and therefore, unless constantly agi- 

 tated,it gravitates to the bottom, and the plants 



only get the water or a very weak dilution of 

 the green. 



By far the best aiul most ingenious ajiparatus 

 we have yet seen (U' hi'ard of, for using a poi- 

 soned liciuid, is 1'kck's l-Kiiii) Aro.MizKit, for 

 the d<struclion of iiU kinds of insects and in- 

 si'ct larva that feed on the foliage of trees, 

 shrubs, and plants. We have seen this machine 

 in operation, and although perhaps not piufect, 

 yet by comparison it is superior to " anything 

 out," bei'ause it can be used tor potatoi'S, cab- 

 bages, currants, gooseberiiis, roses, and for 

 shriibhery, plants, and dwarf fruit trees in gen- 

 eral; and what isof Ihegrcatest importance, the 

 undersides of the leaves are as easily wettecl or 

 moistened as the upper sides ; and a simple and 

 ingenious device at the bottom of the tank acts 

 in connection with the motion imparled to the 

 linnid by the operator in walking, to keep up 

 a current that laevelits the I'aris (ireen or other 

 substance, held in suspension, from settling at 

 the bottom. The tank will hold three gallons 

 and will run f(U- an hour without relilling. A 

 nuiii with this apparatus strapped upon his 

 liack will gooverhalf ana('reof (lotatoes in one 

 hour. There is a double bellows St rapiied under 

 the left arm which is easily worked with an 

 oscillating crank or handle, and Ibis, tlu'ongh 

 a rubber lube, furnishes almospheric pressure 

 on the li(iuid, and conveys another stream of 

 air through the pipe attached by a tube to the 

 the bottom of the tank, by which the stream is 

 oUrmizid — converted into a spray — and reaches 

 every portion of the leaf below and above. The 

 nozzle has a socket attached into which a 

 handle can be introduced, of any length de- 

 sired, for the iiurposc of using tlie li(|uid on 

 trees and shrubs as well as plants. We think 

 it will be a capital thing for iilums, pears, 

 (luiuces and roses. Six ounces of pure I'aris 

 Green to three gallons of water, is the propor- 

 tion used, and the distribution seems to be 

 very economical. The machines are m.amifac- 

 tured at West Grove, Pa., and cost .§1-2. 00. 



15ut all of the foregoing mean I'dris Green; 

 and as .some people are dubious about a too 

 free use of this iioison, they may prefer a trap 

 of a different kind — .something to sui)ply the 

 place of hand-picking — and we would direct 

 the attention of those to a recent invention 

 patente<l by Mr. Anthony Iske, of this city. 

 It is a machine simple in construction, but 

 is quite effective in sweeping the bugs from 

 liolato and tobacco plants into receptacles pro- 

 vided for that purpose. It is comjiosed of two 

 pieces of tin gutter pipe, about two feet long, 

 which hang near the ground, one on each side 

 of the row of plants, while above them is sus- 

 pended a broom. The revolution of the wheels 

 on which the machine is propelled causes the 

 bloom to vilirate from side to side, knocking 

 the lings off the plants against wooden shields, 

 which are placed behind the gutters into which 

 the iiise<-ts fall. The gutters are adjustable 

 and accomniiHhite themselves to the shape of 

 the ground and the size of the plants. 



We have witnessed the operation of the above 

 machine, and consider it the most ingenious 

 contrivance of the "sweeping" kind that has 

 yet been invented, although two others of 

 similar construction have already been patent- 

 ed. One in the west is drawn between two 

 rows <if potatoes by a horse, and by revolving 

 brushes strikes oil' the beetles on each side into 

 a central trough. Various shaped .scoops and 

 pans have also been enijiloycd for catching the 

 lieetles, which are cheap, if effective, and free 

 from danger. 



Our practical and kind-hearted friend, .Tolin 

 B. Erb, of Heaver Meadows, LaiK'aster county, 

 called upon us ,a few days ago, and w:us de- 

 lighted with the manner in which he "got 

 ahead " of the potato beetle the present season. 

 1I(^ began early in the s<'a.son and employed a 

 deeii (lusting jian with a handU^ and an in- 

 clined side in the one hand and a new .short- 

 handled corn broom in the other, and swept 

 the insects into it. He also iiaid special atten- 

 tion to the mature beetles and the eggs. He 

 also kept conveniently a tub of thick wliite- 

 wash, almost as thick as mortar. Into this 

 he emptied the insects and stirred them up, 

 thus avoiding the poisonous fumes of burning, 



and the vapors of scalding; and what is more, 

 he thinks by the addition of earth and stable 

 mamire, the coHipound will make a capital 

 fertilizing compost. 



FARMING AS A BUSINESS. 



However farming may l)c regarded asapnv 

 fe.ssion (ir pursuit liy those who are actually 

 engaged in it, it is certain that tlu' literature 

 of agriculture has a sort of fa.scination to a 

 very wide class of readers, and that agricul- 

 tural Works are read by very many engaged in 

 other occupations. We have observed this 

 tendeiuy for years, and know that the litera- 

 ture of agriculture, and the .sciences intimately 

 (!onnected with it, has a very extensive circle 

 of I'eadius. We find the siuiie fact also c(m- 

 lirnied by the editor of the Journal nf Chemis- 

 try, who says, there is in his family of reiulers 

 a large number of iihysician.s, druggists, 

 clergymen, merchants, chemist.s, etc., and he 

 has never heard a word of c(im|ilaint from any 

 of them that he bestowed too much attention 

 upon agriculture, or that they were not inter- 

 ested in the subject. Agriculture is so f;i.sci- 

 nating, so noble, so grand in all its relations 

 and liiariiigs, that all classes of readers, if they 

 donotowii a rod of land, are fondof agricullural 

 literature. There are Imt very few in any of 

 the iirofessious, or in any of the industrial 

 pursuits, who do not cherish a secret hope or 

 expectation that some day they will own a 

 farm, and till it, and die upon it. As people 

 grow older they love to think of nnjther earth ; 

 they loV(^ to look upon broad acres, covered with 

 the bounteous gifts of a kind I'rovideuce ; they 

 love to hear tli(^ birds sing ; they love to look 

 up into the heaven.s, broad and expansive; 

 they love to bathe in sunlight, and feel the 

 mild breezes of summer laden with sweet 

 odors from woods and llowers. Young men 

 often say they hati: fanning and all that is con- 

 nected with the pursuit. They would, like 

 ,Iohii llandolph, go out of their way a mile to 

 kick a sheep; and as to cows, oxen, and all 

 animals but a horse, they never wish to look 

 u]ion them. If they live to middle lift^ they 

 " meet with a change," and if their success 

 has been inditferent, in whatever pursuit they 

 may have fallen into, then the wish is heard 

 expressed, that they had remained upon the 

 farm. The tilling of the .soil is a glorious call- 

 ing, and depend u|ion it, young men, the time 

 is coming when it will be more remunerative 

 than most trades and professions. 



The fact that agricultural journals and other 

 works on the subject are so widely re;ul, is a 

 hopeful sign for the future, and shows that 

 the interest of all clas.ses is intimately con- 

 nected with the tillage of the soil. 



REMEDY FOR CABBAGE WORMS. 



Hellebore, lime, s;dl and similar substances 

 have been u.sed with varied success for the de- 

 struction of cabbage worms. It is now stated 

 that bran and buckwheat Hour answere the 

 purpose better than any other remedies that 

 have been tried. The bran is .simjily dusted 

 over the infested cabbages ius .soon as the 

 worms make their apiK'anince. If the worms 

 are very thick, about a handful of bran is re- 

 fjuired to each cabbage head, and sometimes it 

 is necessary to go over the plants a second 

 time. A hundred weight of Itran is sutTicient 

 for an acre. It must 1k'. applied when the 

 worms are young. When they are full grown 

 or very stning, it does not ajipear to affect 

 them. The buckwheat Hour is sifted upon 

 them by means of a sieve, in the evening or in 

 the morning— when the dew is on the plants. 

 If on aiiplicatiou doisuot destroy the worm.s, 

 a second one should Ih' made. It is probable 

 that wheat Hour, line Indian meal or any other 

 imlverulent farinaceous substance would have 

 the same efl'ect. — Ameriran Garden. 



John M. MAusnALi,, of Hampton Falls, 

 recently lo.st a colt, which di(^d from theellect 

 of eating apple pomace from the cider press ; 

 and two or three other horses have died from 

 the same cause in tliat town. 



