Vol. 6, 



GENESEEFARMER. 



121 



injure, for want of immediate attention at the pre- 

 cise time at which it is required. But this is not all; 

 the teasel bein^ gathered at the proper time, would 

 still be lost without careful drying; for at this time 

 it is not like the dry head of the wild teasel which 

 we see in the autumn, but it is full of the juices of 

 the plant; and these must be evaporated in a mode 

 which will prevent mould or mildew, and at the same 

 time preserve the elasticity of the hooks. To eli'ect 

 this, Mr. Hopkins, of Cayuga county, has erected 

 a number of buildings in form and size of the com- 

 mon corn-house or corn-crib, only the spaces be- 

 tween the thin scantlings are a little wider, in or- 

 der to admit of a freer entrance of air. In the in- 

 terior, temporary scaffoldings are put up about two 

 feet apart, which are also formed of scantlings laid 

 upon supports, with inch spaces between each. — 

 Upon these platforms the teasel is laid to dry. Here 

 being freely exposed to currents of air passing thro' 

 the building, the moisture speedily evaporates and 

 is carried away; and being at the same time in the 

 shade, the material preserves its elastic property as 

 well as flexible state, upon which its great utility 

 in cloth dressing depends. From these remarks, it 

 will be seen that the requisites for raising and cur- 

 ing good teasel, are first to cut it at the proper 

 time, and second, to dissipate the moisture without 

 injury to the head; and farther, that a lazy farmer 

 is not the man to raise teasel. Such is not Mr. 

 Hopkins. His teasel commands the price of the 

 imported article, and in fact is the best sent to mar- 

 ket. An acre, well managed, yields upon an aver- 

 age, 75,000 heads. Their price in market varies 

 from eight to twelve shillings per thousand. Ten 

 shillings is about the medium price. This plant is 

 not supposed by Mr. Hopkins to exhaust the soil, 

 but rather to benefit it, partly by the mechanical ac- 

 tion of the roots, which, being somewhat of a tap 

 form, penetrate deeply, and hence divide it; and 

 thereby it is better prepared for corn and other crops. 

 Without doubt a large proportion of the matter of 

 the plants is strictly derived from the atmosphere 

 through the intervention of the soil; slill, like 

 all other vegetable bodies, it has its inorganic 

 constituents, which must be derived from the soil 

 itself, and hence, thus far, the plant must impov- 

 erish the soil. So much then, for the teasel, which 

 will probably always bear a fair price and pay for 

 cultivation; yet, comparatively few seem disposed 

 to grow it, either from the care which they are un- 

 willing to bestow in curing it, as well as on account 

 of the time required for the article to grow; as 

 nearly two years must elapse before there is a re- 

 turn for the labor and expense incurred in its culti- 

 vation. — Qua?-. Jour. 



Agricultural Anecdote. — Furious Cresinus, ae 

 mentioned by Pliny, the Roman historian, was orig- 

 inally a slave. Having been made a freed man, he 

 purchased a small spo of ground, from which he 

 obtained through his unwearied industry much finer 

 crops than many of the neighbors who had lar- 

 ger farms. This excited general envy, which his 

 enemies carried to such a length as to accuse him of 

 employing magic charms to render his own grounds 

 fertile and to impoverish theirs. The Edile caused 

 him to be summoned to appear and answer the charge 

 before the people of Rome. Cresius obeyed the 

 mandate, accompanied by his daughter, a fresh and 

 iiealthy colored girl, charms which appeared to 

 greater advantage from the simplicity of her dress. 



The accused also brought with him the tools and 

 implements of his profession. They were in excel- 

 lent condition. His mattocks were remarkably 

 ready ; his plough was of an enormous size, and his 

 cattle were all sound and fat. "Behold!'* said this 

 truly dignified and indignant farmer, " behold my 

 whole magical equipage ! behold the charms which 

 I have recourse to ! There are others, indeed, 

 which I am not capable of producing before you — I 

 mean the sweat of my brows, and incessant toils 

 both by day and night.'' This native eloquence de- 

 cided the matter ; he was honorably acquitted by 

 the unanimous voice of a numerous and applauding 

 assembly, 



PEA-BUGr — Bruchus pisa. 



Everybody has seen peas with weevils in them.— 

 While the pea is growing and the pod is soft, the 

 parent insect punctures the pod exactly opposite the 

 young pea and deposits an egg. From this egg a 

 maggot soon proceeds, which works its way direct- 

 ly into the pea, and feeds on its substance. The 

 larva reaches its full size, and passes into the pupa 

 state in the fall, and the succeeding spring emerges 

 from the pea a winged beetle or weevil. The mag- 

 got may sometimes be detected in green peas, and 

 Dr. Harris observes that few persons while indulg- 

 ing in this luxury are " aware how many insects 

 they unconsciously swallow." By close examina- 

 tion, a small dark spot may be seen on the pea, and 

 on opening it the maggot may be discovered. The 

 germ of the pea is not always (perhaps not general- 

 ly,) destroyed by the insect, but the pea is rendered 

 unfit for culinary purposes. This is a serious inju- 

 ry, as all will acknowledge who are acquainted with 

 the value of dry peas used in soups, and other forms 

 on the table. 



In this country, the insect is much less common 

 in Canada, and the more northern portions of the 

 of the United States, than further south. In Maine 

 and Vermont, for example, they rccasion but little 

 damage, peas being there raised which are perfectly 

 sound and free fiom bugs, and meet with ready sale 

 in our large cities. The attack of the insect may, 

 however, be in some degree obviated in any section. 

 It is ascertained that its operations are only contin- 

 ued through a portion of the season, and by late 

 sowing it may be avoided. But there is one objec- 

 tion to late sowing. In districts subject to great 

 heat, and which are also liable to long drouths, a 

 good crop of peas can only be obtained by early 

 sowing, as the crop will not bear excessive "heat. — 

 In planting peas infested with bugs, it is always ad- 

 visable to kill the insects in some way. This may 

 be effectually done by pouring boiling water on the 

 peas, and stirring them well for a few minutes. It 

 will not much affect the vegetating powers of the 

 pea. In some cases, where the germ has been laid 

 bare by the gnawings of the insect, it may be killed, 

 but we have often practiced the mode, and found no 

 particular objection to it. 



But we lately noticed a recommendation of Dr. J. 

 T. Plummer, in the Indiana Farmer and Gardener, 

 which is worthy of trial, as it will not only destroy 

 the bug in its incipient stage, but may also render 

 the pea fit for the table. His mode is to scald them 

 immediately after they are gathered, keeping them in 

 water, tumed on boiling, for one minute. Dr. P. 

 states further, that placing peas as soon as gathered 

 in jugs or bottles, hermetically sealed, will keep 

 them well, and that nothing can be seen the next 

 year but the. speck in wliich the larva died.— Cm7/. 



