VOL. X.M. NO. 51. 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER 



405 



male skunk was one dny observed lo creep from 

 the wood-pile, and bask in the sun. A litter of 

 half-starved kittens soon approached her, which 

 fihe actually suckled, although, ns was afterwards 

 discovered, she had a numerous family of her own. 

 This was day after day repeated. In the issue, 

 however, the brutal recompense of such maternal 

 liindness was, that the wood-pile wbs overthrown, 

 and the skunk family, one and all, destroyed. 



A word, Mr Editor, about the name of this ani- 

 mal. I am decidedly opposed to a change. Tliough 

 not obstinately conservative, where change is like- 

 ly to bo improvement, I would not change even the 

 name of the skunk, without very good reason. A 

 new name, I fear, and especially a classkal one, 

 might work a change for the worse in the charac- 

 ter of the animal ; — might cause an elation, a sort 

 of iranscendentat a\m, above his proper place and 

 calling. And who can tell — who can imagine the 

 mischief that would most surely result, if with the 

 immense odds of seeing, where all is darkness to 

 us, he should commence oifensive operations, and 

 go peddling his cotnmodity all abroad? No, sir I 

 let us leave him in his humility ; — let him remain, 

 as ever, the poor, harmless, unaspiring, but most 

 useful Skunk.* 



You sec, my friend, I have given you enough to 

 spice several papers, if it will too highly season a 

 single number. Or, if yon shall clioose not to use 

 my seasoning at all, I shall still remain, truly your 

 friend, and the friend of " The Farmer," 



LEMUEL CAPEN. 



is'outh Boston, June 5th, lb4L 



For (he N. E. Farmer. 



PLUM-TREE GRUB. 



Mr Putnam — Sir — During the past year, 1 have 

 found on examination of the excresences, or warts 

 on my plum trees, that they frequently contained a 

 small grub, which I supposed must be the produc- 

 tion of the Curculio. 



From the circumstance of there having been but 

 little fruit the last year, and my trees being more 

 than ordinarily affected in this way, I inferred that 

 the insect had taken to the trees and punctnred 

 them as a dernier resort. 



It will be perceived by the inclosed communi- 

 cation of that zealous entomologist. Professor Har- 

 ris, that I was entirely mistaken ; and I hope by 

 the publication of this article, to elicit some fur- 

 ther information on the subject. 

 Yours, respectfully, 



MARSHALL P. WILDER. 



Hawthorn Grove, Dorchester, 

 June 9, 1841. 



Cambridge, Mass., Dec. 18, 1840. 



Dear Sir — The box, containing a small grub- 

 like insect from the warts of the plum tree, was 

 safely received a few days since. 



Much to my surprise, this insect appeared lo be 

 very different from that which is found in tbo fruit 

 of the plum tree. The latter, (which, however, I 

 have not seen for many years,) unless my memory 



"We moved a change of name, Sir, in the sup- 

 position that it might, to some degree, eiTect a change in 

 public sentiment favorable toliie skunk. But since vou 

 have so completely and satisfactorily established his 

 claims to protection, the object we had in view will 

 doubtless be attained without the proposed alteration, 

 and WE, therefore, as the legislators say, ask leave to 

 withdraw our motion, — " P. D." 



greatly fails me, is a short, plump, maggol-like 

 creature, w'j7/iou< /egs, and not very different from 

 the little weevil grubs that are found in chestnuts. 

 The insect received from you measures throe eighths 

 of an inch in length, is rather thick and Heshy, and 

 of a yellowish white color, except the head and the 

 top of Ihe first ring behind the head, which are 

 light brown, and hard. The body consists of 

 twelve rings, (besides the head,) the last one of 

 which is smaller than the rest, and rounded behind. 

 There are a few short hairs scattered over the s-'ur- 

 face, particularly on the hind part ; but these are 

 not visible to the naked eye. It has six small and 

 short brownish legs, under the fore part of the 

 body ; and on the under side of the sixth, seventh, 

 eighth, and ninth rings, there are two little warts, 

 provided with minute brown hooks, arrayed in two 

 curved rows ; beneath the tail are also two sets of 

 the same sort of hooks. This contrivance, yon 

 will readily understand, serves instead of live pairs 

 of legs, in addition to the six tapering and jointed 

 legs near the head. I have added e»to)-/rf(/ sketch- 

 es of the insect, which will the better enable you 

 to understand my description. 



[1, upper side. 2, under side.] 



Will you do me the favor to examine, through a 

 pocket magnifying glass, all the grubs that you find 

 in the black warts of the plum tree, in order to as- 

 certain whether all agree with the foregoing de- 

 .scription ? If you find any difference in them, 

 particularly if you find some with legs and others 

 without legs, please to keep them for me in sepa- 

 rate boxes, with a little moist earth, and, marking 

 the diff.jrence on the top of the boxes, send them 

 to mo when convenient. 



Unfortunately, my duties as librarian in the Uni- 

 versity, preverit me from making search myself for 

 destructive insects ; but I am very desirous of in- 

 teresting others in the subject; and if they will 

 furnish me with the means of pursuing this impor- 

 tant branch of natural history, it will give me great 

 pleasure to contribute all in my power towards en- 

 lightening my countrymen respecting the history 

 of insects, their great influence upon vegetation, 

 and the intimate connection between them, our- 

 selves, and all our possessions. 



In Germany and France, the study of insects is 

 provided for at the public expense ; professors are 

 maintained, and schools established, by means of 

 which this may be pursued without difficulty. But 

 in this country, no establishments of the kind now 

 exist, although some years ago, the founders of the 

 Massachusetts Professorship of Natural History 

 required, by their statutes, instruction particularly 

 in this branch, on account of its close connection 

 with botany. Hence, it is not at all surprising 

 that the most profound ignorance respecting the 



economy of insects prevails throughout our coun- 

 try. I could give you many examples ; but will 

 only remind you of a statement in a late number 

 of the Mew England Fanner, from which we are 

 led lo infer that the ball-rolling or tumble-dung 

 beetle, is the mother of the cut-wdiiu; although 

 the only mischief done by it is, the robbing us of a 

 small quantity of manure for the food of its young ; 

 while, at the same time, it acts its appointed pari 

 as one of nature's scavengers. There are not less 

 than a thousand different kinds of caterpillars in 

 Massachusetts, of which the so-called cut-worm is 

 one ; and yet only one ofthcse many kinds retains, 

 in common language, the name of caterpillar. Of 

 the insects here called weevils, there are a dozen 

 or more kinds, the transtorniations and habits of 

 which difi'er greatly, and not more than two or 

 three of them are true weevils. I never saw a 

 weevil in an apple or a pear. It is true that in Eu- 

 rope they are attacked by weevils, as well as by 

 the common insects found also in these fruits in 

 this country, and frequently called weevil and ap- 

 ple worms hero. Our apple-worms are true cater- 

 ))illars, and like other caterpillars are transformed 

 to mealy-winged insects or moths, (See the histo- 

 ry of them, by Joseph Tufts, Esq., in tlie Journal of 

 the Mass. Agricultural Society, vol. iv., p. 364 ; and 

 in Kollar's Treatise, p. 230.) The maggot of the 

 Hessian fly is not a weevil, neither is the orange- 

 colored maggot that lives in the heads of growing 

 wheat and barley. Stored grain is sometimes at- 

 tacked by minute caterpillars, miscalled weevils, 

 as well as by true weevils. The grub found in 

 the fruit of the pluui-tree is a weevil ; that one 

 which you have sent me from the cankered warts 

 of this tree, does not appear to be a weevil. I 

 hope to keep it alive, and see it go through its 

 transformations, which will enable me to deter- 

 mine what it is, and consequeutly throw more liglit 

 upon its history, and lead thereby to the means of 

 arresting its devastations. A single specimen may 

 die, and therefore I shall be glad to obtain more, 

 in order to ensure success. 



Hoping to interest you in my behalf, I remain, 

 Respectfully, your friend and serv't, 



THADDEUS WM. HARRIS. 

 M. P. Wilder, Esq. 



• From the Farme»'s Gazette. 



SAVE YOUR SALT HAY. 



Mr Editor — Having a quantity of salt hay re- 

 maining in my barn, the last spring, of such a 

 quality that my stock would not eat it, I concluded 

 that I should have to throw it into the yard for lit- 

 ter. Not liking to do this, the thought struck me 

 to mix it with green clover. Accordingly, when I 

 cut my clover, letting it lie but one day only in the 

 sun to wilt, I put it in the barn, laying alternately 

 a layer of clover, and a layer of salt hay. The 

 consequence was, my clover was well cured, and I 

 had the satisfaction of saving my salt hay, for my 

 cattle eat the compound as well as if it had been 

 the best English fodder. 



Yours, &c., 



AUGUSTUS FOOT. 



Branford, May 3, 1841. 



He that knows himself, knows others ; and he 

 that is ignorant of himself, could not write a very 

 profound lecture on other men's heads. — Lacon. 



