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COCHINEAL. 



J. H., Guadalupe County, Texas. I take tlie liberty of writing to you, as I wish 

 to know if you could give me any information about cochineal. We have plenty of 

 prickly pear (cactus), and believe it is the same kind used in Madeira for the growth 

 of the insect. I should be very thankful if you would let me know something about 

 the matter. 



Answer. The cochineal insect (Coccus cacti} feeds upon different kinds of Opuntia, 

 or prickly pears. Opuntia tuna and Opuntia or Nopalea coccinellifera are the species 

 principally used in Mexico, and these, with Opuntia ficus indica, are employed for a 

 like purpose in the Canary Islands, New Grenada, and Madeira. 



In arranging plantations, or, as they are sometimes termed jiopaleries, for raising 

 the cochineal insect, the plants are set out in formal lines several feet apart, so that 

 they can be cultivated similarly to a carefully checkered cornfield, and when the 

 plants are large enough the insects are distributed upon the plants. These soon give 

 origin to countless numbers of minute insects, of which the females soon increase 

 rapidly in size until they almost lose the appearance of insects and look like small 

 warts. At this stage of their growth they are gathered by detaching them from the 

 plant by a flat, wedge-like stick, and placed in a bag, which is then dipped in boiling 

 water to kill the insects, afterwards drying them in the sun. 



It has been estimated that 70,000 of these insects are required to make a pound of 

 cochineal. 



It may be surmised that the profits of this industry will greatly depend upon the 

 cost of the labor required for these manipulations. 



TREATMENT OF LAND. 



J. G. T., Delaware. Two years ago I took in hand a piece of ground completely 

 exhausted through continued cropping without manure, and so full of wire-worms 

 that not even weeds can be got to grow. The ground is a very heavy loam, lying 

 upon a stiff clay ; every shower of rain makes it a puddle, and forty-eight hours of 

 sunshine makes it so hard that it is next to impossible to break it up; manure 

 plowed in can be turned up months afterwards in the condition in which it was put 

 on. I have used lime at the rate of 25 bushels to the acre, but not with the result 

 expected, and intend to apply the same quantity of common salt, in the hope that it 

 will destroy the worms. 



Will you kindly say if I have adopted the proper method ? Any advice you may 

 tender will be very kindly received and carefully followed. 



Answer. There can be no permanent or satisfactory improvement made upon such 

 land as described until it is thoroughly tile-trained. Thorough draining would in- 

 volve parallel lines of tiles not more than 25 feet apart, and placed to a depth aver- 

 aging 30 inches. Then it should be deeply plowed in the fall ; fall plowing is an 

 important factor in the management of heavy land, and no mechanical appliances 

 can pulverize it so effectually as the influence of frost. 



After plowing in the fall, sow salt at the rate of 15 to 20 bushels to the acre, and 

 when it is dry enough to work in spring, spread lime over the surface at the rate of 

 from 50 to 75 bushels per acre and harrow it in before putting in a crop. 



It should be well understood that land of this character should never be worked 

 when wet. After heavy summer rains there is always a period between wetting and 

 drying when it can be pulverized on the surface and thus effectually prevent its 

 becoming hard and compact. 



Draining will greatly modify the tendency to cake or become hard on the surface. 

 It will also allow of a gradual deepening of the plowed stratum, and is, in fact, the 

 foundation of all improvement towards increasing the productiveness of lauds rest- 

 ing upon a clay subsoil. 



