THE (3ENESEE FAR\fER. 



241 



most singular and remarkable circumstance in the 

 economy- of these insects, that, while it is their ordi 

 nary habit to live dit^perscd and apart Irom each 

 other, they at times become gregarious, both in their 

 larva aud their perfect sta'e, niuUitudcs of them as- 

 «erabhug together in a flock, and by their conjoined 

 labors utterly devastating what they attack. Some 

 other inswts, however, show this same habit. It is 

 only occasionally that the niigratoiy locust of the 

 East, so renowned in story, congregates together in 

 swarms and flies ofl' to a distance. And instances 

 have occurred in which the common red-legged grass- 

 hopper, which is scattered about the fields of our 

 own country, has done the same, in years when il has 

 been unusually abundant. 



The history of our Maybeellc, and its transforma- 

 tions, have never been fully observed; but everything 

 known respecting it, concurs to show that it is ex- 

 actly analagous to the cockchafl'er or May-bug of 

 Europe, [Pulyphijlla Mdulontha, Li.vN.,) and oc- 

 eupies the place of that species upon this continent. 

 The grubs of that insect are about five years in ob- 

 taining their growth. The beetles pair soon after 

 they come from the ground, and the male lives but a 

 few days. The female crawls back into the ground 

 and there drops her eggs, which are nearly a hundred 

 in number, after which she again emerges, and being 

 now decrepit with age, she feeds but little and dies 

 in a short time. 



Among the natural destroyers of our May-beetle 

 is the skunk, whose food appears to consist of these 

 insects almost entirely, during the short period of 

 their existence. Some cats will also eat them, though 

 1 suppose it to be more for sport than food that 

 grimalkin is frequently seen at twilight stealthily 

 creeping through the grass of the door-yard, and 

 springing upon these beetles as they crawl therefrom 

 to take wing. Our domestic fowls are also very fond 

 of the grubs. But of all the destroyers of these iu- 

 gects, no other animal can vie with the crow, which 

 frequently follows the track of the plow, to feed up- 

 on the grubs of the May-beetle which are turned up 

 thereby. 



With regard to remedies, we may observe that in 

 Europe the experience of centuries has failed to dis- 

 cover any efficient measure for destroying a similar 

 insect during the larva period of its existence. And 

 eoacealed in the ground as these grubs are, it is not 

 probable that any substance can be applied to the 

 soil, of sufficient power to destroy them, vvithout de- 

 stroying also whatever vegetation is there growing. 

 Bat where these grubs are so numerous as to sever 

 tie roots of the grass and pare the turf, in the man- 

 ner related by Mr. Adams, I think there is a measure 

 which may readily be resorted to, whereby they may 

 be exterminated ; wherea,s, if they are permitted to 

 remain unmolested, their ravages will probably con- 

 tinue to extend farther and wider, and another gene- 

 i-ation will succeed them, wkich perhaps will be more 

 numerous than the present I would recommend 

 the placing of a temporary fence around that part of 

 the meadow or pasture which is so thronged with 

 these grubs, and enclosing a number of swine therein, 

 thus for a while converting the patch into a hog pas- 

 ture. The propensity of these animals for rooting 

 and tearing up the turf, we are all aware, is for the 

 very purpose of coming at and feeding upon the 

 grubs and worms which are lurking therein; and who 

 knows but this rooting propensity, which has all 



along been complained of as being the most trouble- 

 some and vicious habit which bclonjrs to swine, may 

 after all turn out to be the most valuable and neces- 

 sary to us of any of the habits witli whirh they are 

 endowed ? At all events, it is one of man's greatest 

 achievements to so observe aud study the habits and 

 instincts of the lower ciiiinals, as to devi.se ways 

 whereby tho.se habits and instincts, instead of being 

 exerted to his injury, are brought into his service and 

 made to work for his benelir. Therefore, do not l«t 

 us, lords of creation, allow these vile field grubs to 

 rob us of two or three acres of grass, wathout oblig- 

 ing them to give back to us an equivalent for it. 

 Let us have the value of that grass returned to us 

 in the increased size and thriltiness of our swine. I 

 catmot but think these animals, confined upon a spot 

 so over-stocked with grubs, would in a short time 

 ferret out and devour every one of them, leaving the 

 soil cleansed, mellowed, manured, and well prepared 

 for being immediately laid down to grass again, or 

 for receiving any rotation of crops for which the 

 proprietor may deem, the spot best adapted. It 

 should be observed that when cold weather ajv 

 proaches, these worms sink themselves deep into the 

 ground, so as to be beyond the reach of frost during 

 the winter, and return back to near the surface again 

 when spring returns; so that at this date there wiU 

 probablo be none deeper than hogs are accustomed 

 to root. It will be interesting to know how long a 

 given number of swine will be occupied in cleansing 

 an acre of ground containing from twelve to twenty 

 of these grubs in every square foot. And I earnestly 

 hope those who have lauds which are devastated in 

 the manner spoken of, will try the experiment which 

 I have now proposed, and will make the result known 

 to the public, whether it be successful er otherwise. 



When these grubs have completed their growth, 

 and come abroad in their perfect state, another op- 

 portunity is presented for destroying them and pre- 

 venting their future increase. Every year, when thie 

 middle of May is approaching, cherry and plum 

 trees should be inspected each evening, particularly 

 our choicest varieties of these trees, to ascertain h 

 the May-beetle is collecting in numbers upon them; 

 and if they are, they should immediately be shaken 

 off upon sheets spread beneath the trees, and emptied 

 into bags or covered pails, and should be killed by 

 immersing them in boiling water, or pouring this ap- 

 on them; after which they may be fed to the swine 

 and poultry. Many years ago, a writer in the New 

 York Evening Post stated that trees could in this 

 manner be entirely freed from these beetles in a very 

 few evenings. Trees from which two pailsful were 

 collected the first evening, furnished a much less 

 number upon each succeeding night, until the fi.fth, 

 when only two beetles could be found upon theta. 



Salem, JV. Y. Asa Fitch. 



A GLANCE AT VISGIWIA AGRICTJLTUEE. 



Messrs. ICditors: — A recent visit to a portion of 

 the tide- water country of Virginia, inclines me t^ 

 write a few lines for your paper. At the North, v;e 

 are apt to have incorrect ideas of the quality and 

 profit of Southern agriculture, and we find it diificalt 

 to reconcile slave labor with that thorough develop- 

 ment of the resources of tillage which we think we 

 have in our own region. One fact is evident, both 

 North and South, and that is, that tne earth Is, as a 



