1875.J 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



167 



FERNS AND PALMS. 



On ;i iiirrclv supi'vCicial viow, i>r in spci'ilk'iil- 

 Iv nniU'lhicd'illuslrMtions, tlu'iv sceni.s U) be 

 rittkMlillcivnci' Ix'twocn ,/■<r/l^■ luul //-(/mx— at 

 loast in tliosc vt'f;c'talilf iirodnt-tioiis of tropical 

 climates- tlic -'trcc-t'cnr' of tlicSonth Anicri- 

 caiiishuutsrcacliiiii: a lici,L;lit of forty feet, and 

 sonic of llic '•palins""(>ftUcsanH' localities licini; 

 mere .slirnlis ; and yc-t tlic palms liclonj; to 

 the riniu'i<iiii)i<ms., w llowcrinf; gland division 

 of the vegetable kiii'jidoni, ami tlu' ferns to the 

 Crniitmimnoux or llowerlcss division. The 

 palms', of which some attain a liei,!,'ht of lifly 

 or sixty feet, are chiellv with nnhraii.-hed 

 trmiks," growiiii: bv the terminal Imd ; with 

 lartje plaited, or slieathiii.t,' leaves, collected in 

 one terminal cluster; and have perfect or 

 polysamons llowers on a livanchiiii;- spike, or 

 spdilix. bnrstiim' from a broad, sliicldni'i leaf, 

 enelosiiiK said llowers, located near the trniik, 

 and under the shelter of the i;eneial foliage. 

 There arc some sevenlv <n- more ijOKnu and 

 about live linndrcd .viVciV.s belontxina to the 



■-7"' 



of liolili 



They 



as the 



as- 

 are 

 pal- 



order P.\l>>lA(,K.i;, most of thcni 

 pect and interesting;' attributes, 

 chietly troiiical, a few. however, 

 mctttu's of 8011th Carolina, 

 Fku-ida, &c., advancing into 

 the wanner (larts of the tem- 

 perate zone. 



The ]u-operties and uses of 

 the palms are of the highest 

 importance and variety. From 

 the drupes of several African 

 varieties, and from the cdcoa- 

 nut, oil is obtained. Othir 

 species secreti' wax from their 

 leaves. Starch is obtained 

 abundantly from llie Sago 

 Palm (SiKjits ruriipliH,) and 

 many other species. Even 

 sugar and alcoholic licpiors are 

 made from the .juice of the 

 unopened spathe of the Sugar 

 Palm. (Sdijiirrii.t .mrrhtiriffr. 

 Mtniiitin vhiifcr, <.W.) The bud 

 of the Cabbage Palm [Arern 

 olerui-ai) is *boiled and eaten 

 as a vegetable. Among the 

 rViite are emmierated tlie date, 

 from the Date Palm {Pli(rni.r 

 ('(/(■((//i/"(iv(,) and the cocoanut. 

 from the Cocoa Palm, {Atlalfi 

 fiinifii-u,) &c. Besides, tlir 

 broad leaves and the stems are 

 used for various imrposes, sui'li 

 as thatching, utensils, imple- 

 iiients, i<:c. 



Ferns are lierbacpous pe- 

 rennial jilants, sometimes be- 

 coming arborescent ill tropical 

 regions, and then rising in the 

 maimer of palms. Their fromls 

 or leaves are sometime.s sim- 

 ple, sometimes more or less 

 deeply cut, ]iinnatitied or 

 deeompound. These fronds present 

 mon character, that of being ro 

 like a crosier at the extremity about the pe- 

 riod when they begin to develop. The or;,fans 

 of frnctilication are commonly situated on the 

 lower surface of the leaves, along the nerv- 

 ures. or at their extremity. The siiornles are 

 naked, or contained in a kind of small capsule. 

 These capsuh's are aggregated into little 

 masses, wliich are in the form of round, kid- 

 ney-shai>ed scales, sometimes surronnded by 

 an elastic ring, which oiien either at their cir- 

 cunifereiice, or by a longitudinal slit, or by 

 bursting irregularlv. According to Humboldt, 

 of all tiie tbrnis of troiiical vegetation the ferns 

 are among those which most attract the at- 

 tention ami awaken the admiration of the 

 traveler. They abcmiid on the banks of 

 streams, amongst the dropiiing springs that 

 ooze from the crevices of rocks : and some 

 species of exquisite beauty are found lining 



•The trunks of theoibbuge ami other palms are rnMiuiiitly 

 infested liv the larva of the " Palmwecvil," {Uhiiiiatplioniii 

 palroatum.) a large, lut, white grub, which attiiiim to three 

 or four inches in length, and as much in circumference, 

 which is gathered and cooked, it is said, as a seasoniug to 

 the cabbage-palm. 



the sides and the roof of the caverns which 

 contain the .sources of natural tbuntaiiis. In- 

 deed, within the tropics they seem to delight 

 ill insular situations, few. comparatively, being 

 found in the interior of large continents, ow- 

 ing perhaiis to the want of a due proportion of 

 moist lire. 



There are 200 (jencru and about •i,0(J(l species 

 belonging to the order Fli.lfKS, or Ferns. 

 They constitute a large and interesting order 

 of llowerlcss plants, distinguishetl for their 

 elegant plnnie-like foliage. In our latitude 

 thev are usuallv from a few inches to a few 

 feet high, but some of the tropical siiecic.s, as 

 the CvNTiiK.K of both Indies, are from lifteen 

 to twenty feet in height, vieing with the palms 

 themselves in size and beauty. 



The medicinal properties of ferns are gener- 

 ally mncilaginons and mildly astringent, hence 

 considered pectoral. Oii)iiun<hi rn/a/i'.s has been 

 sncccssfnlly administered Ibr the rit-kets. 



There are large numbers of local species of 

 these plants in Lancaster, and they are coming 

 much in use for ornamental lawn or ganleii 

 culture, such as central groniis, hanging bas- 

 kets, Ijorilers, iS:c. Tlie central ligure in our 



TROPICAL KERNS AND PALMS. 



a com- 

 led up 



I Imvc illecovored that the ourriint worm makes no 



lens than elirhl trniisforiiinlloiis, uinl inn sure Ihul It 



lias been li.r wiint ol lliis kiinwleiliie that it hus, up 



to this lime, been impcisslbli' even Ici eheeli its ii-ereiise 



niiilerially, anil iidIIijii!,' whutever has beenilone ctVee- 



tually for Its utter iiniiihlhilliin by deistroylnir lis 



rhylliin. Whiil it Iiilior in here |ireseiileil for BClenec 



— what a sulijeel for the eonsiilerullon of fanners iind 



rruil-nrower.H: 1 ainiiellhera rannernnr a L'arilener, 



but inerelv a recent frull-LTower on a small seulc. 



,\nil Klliell now well eiitereil U|K)n my elL'hth deeude, 



I did not, till a recent period, even know that any 



such pest as the currant worm exi.sleil, nor lliat 



' the I iireuliii, till- s(|nash biiu', the canker worm, the 



i potato luetic, anil the hopper of the WchI were each 



in full blast, eueli in Us seasou, and neither of whieli 



ever falls to "come to lime" and put In an ap[K'ar- 



I anee at the hour when the fruits of the iKior man's 



j tolls are re,idy for their jaws. 



I Many othcT pcsiH have only four transfornnitlons; 

 I and it has been by patient, peislsleiil lnvcsll)ratlou 

 that I have traeedllie currant worm throiiifli el({lit, 

 1 and now I dcM-rlbe the place where, by unity of sys- 

 I tcmalic elfort in any •riven locality, it may he utterly 

 exterminated. Karly In .May. and until late In June, 

 It will be noticed thai 'more or less of the new urowlha 

 of the currant bush have been siidilcniy cut olT. TIiIb 

 cut is Ihil, takini: olf about four Inches from the top, 

 j which thus falls to the u'lound. Now, this Is the 

 ! spot where a successful blow may be struck ajraiiiBt 

 this enemy. The eirir from which 

 the borer eoines Is de|)06iled in the 

 end of that cut -oil' stem, still a part 

 of the bnsh. The first week In. July 

 I clipped from tlie.se top.s an Inch or 

 two, and in each jileec 1 cut otV I 

 found a borer, some of them within 

 a line of the top, and .>^o very small 

 that they could only be discovered 

 bv the microscope. In November 

 la.st I had found lliesc cut-olf stems, 

 of that season, dead downward almut 

 ciL'hl inches, and in each one a Itorcr 

 larircly irrown. Some of thesedead 

 stemsl left till April this year, when, 

 on exainiiiiiii.' thcni,! discovered the 

 borcrlraiisformed to a lly, somewhat 

 li^'lit -colored, and the same lly that 

 I have so cd'len detected in attachini; 

 Us eijsjs so mathematically upon the 

 under side of the leaves; and, a« 

 most fruit-irrowers know, it Is from 

 these ows that we have the worms 

 that devour the currant leaves. 



.\nd now to the iiucstion I have In 

 vain so often asked tliiou,-h the 

 press, as to " what becomes of this 

 feedinir iiirrant worm when Its mis- 

 sion has been fullllled." I have 

 found the true answi'r. I placed a 

 few leaves with these worms uimn 

 thctn in a L'lass jar now on the tabic 

 before me." The next raornlnL', only 

 a few hours after, I found a nutnlx>r 

 of new worms on the leaves, unlike 

 those I put Into the jar. They were 

 liL'lil-eolored, with a tintre of yePow 

 at each end. .\nd I have since wU- 

 iiesseil the entire process of moltlni;, 

 lioth in mv jar and alsoonthe leaves 

 In the irardcn. And this molllne ex- 

 plains what is meant by those rc- 

 niains which appear u|ion the leaves 

 after the feeding worms have (rone. 

 And it explains also where the white 

 irrnb has come from which the fruil- 

 trrowers have noticed, now and t hen, 

 feedinir worms on tlie 



incidental illustration i^ a palm - indic^l ^:^:}^r^ :IZ:^,:^^'^^^:;\,.^'' ^vh.te trru-s 

 by the Mowers around the base of the 'cavc^, ^.^^^ ^^^^^ ^^.^^ „„ „„y ,,,„|- ,„„ „ 



and ■ ' ' ' " ■" 



tiful 



itlier characteristics, and exhibits a beau- 

 ■' summer scene for a winter day. 



TTE FACTS OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



No. 5.— The Currant Worm. 



1 



I The extensive damages done by this worm are so 

 sronci-ally known amonc: all cultivators of small fruUs 

 That I stippose most of your readei-s will hail with a 

 heart V welcome anv new liirhl that promises assis- 

 tanee'in its utter extermination. It has ccrtaily been 



1 very a^frravatins for the fruit -trrower to be compelled, 

 frot'n year to vear, to witness the mischief done by 

 this pest. Ills not a pleasant sisrht to see patches of 



' currant bushes loaded with fruit, hut every leaf eaten 

 otr. .>*onie growers have become so disiriisted with 



i this inei-easimr mischief thai they have dviir up Ibcir 

 bushes and made one lire for them and these hatclul 

 vermin toirether. Duslinfr these pests with white 

 hellebore does not prevent their Increase. They 



1 "come to time" the followimr year. And the dis- 



I covery to which I now ask attention Is the fact that 



I at the verv time while vou have been Hirhtinir Ihese 

 worms onthe leaves they have been workinir in three 



I or lour forms in the ground, in the air, and in the 

 wood of the currant bush, thus preparing a year be- 

 fore for another onslaught upon you the next siiring. 



pon which I saw 

 the skins, from which I have since found that they 

 had mnlted. The irrcen worm, fully matured, fastens 

 ils tail to the leaf, or stem, and raises its head, which 

 slowly opens, when the head of this white LTUb a|v 

 pcar.s" protrudim; from the bodv of the oUI one, and 

 gradually works, l)v ptishiiiir the old skin back with 

 its lesrs. and when free it remains stupid for a lime. 

 It never feeds, t)ut soon falls to Ihecround and enters 

 the pupa state. In the jar I saw these molted worms 

 descend to its bottom, they curled up and were soon 

 encased in a black cell attached to the irlass and the 

 leaves, where they still remain. I also took some 

 thirty leaves, with' a white worm on each one, and 

 caretully allowed the worms to drop into a two-quart 

 glass Jar half tilled with earth, and I saw each one of 

 those worms imniediatily enter the earth out of sight. 

 From this arrangement I am hoping 10 have a good 

 opoort unity for inspecting that insidious fly I hat comes 

 out of the ground in the spring, and for the purpose 

 of cutting otr the new stems to which I have referred. 

 This lly has never been described in any work on eu- 

 tomohigy that I have seen. Nor have I yet found the 

 fruit-grower or the writer who has witnessed the 

 process by which this damage is done. Nftr am I 

 aware that the rhythm of this currant worm has ever 

 been described, which is here given : 



There are two forms of lly, one of which cuU off 

 the stem and leaves Its egg, or eggs, in the top. The 



