SQUASH-BUG. 



winter-quarters, and when the vines of the 

 squash have put forth a few rough leaves, the 

 bugs meet beneath their shelter, pair, and im- 

 mediately afterwards begin to lay their eggs. 

 This usually happens about the last of June or 

 beginning of July, at which time, by carefully 

 examining the vines, we shall find the insects 

 on the ground or on the stems of the vines, 

 close to the ground, from which they are hardly 

 to be distinguished on account of their dusky 

 colour. This is the place where they generally 

 remain during the daytime, apparently to es- 

 cape observation ; but at night they leave the 

 ground, get beneath the leaves, and lay their 

 eggs in little patches, fastening them with a 

 gummy substance to the under-sides of the 

 leaves. The eggs are round, and flattened on 

 two sides, and are soon hatched. The young 

 bugs are proportionally shorter and more 

 rounded than the perfect insects, are of a pale 

 ash-colour, and have quite large antennae, the 

 joints of which are somewhat flattened. As 

 they grow older and increase in size, after 

 moulting their skins a few times, they become 

 more oval in form, and the under-side of their 

 bodies gradually acquires a dull ochre-yellow 

 colour. They live together at first in little 

 swarms or families beneath the leaves upon 

 which they were hatched, and which, in conse- 

 quence of the numerous punctures of the in- 

 sects, and the quantity of sap imbibed by them, 

 soon wither, and eventually become brown, dry, 

 and wrinkled ; when the insects leave them for 

 fresh leaves, which they exhaust in the same 

 way. As the eggs are not all laid at one time, 

 so the bugs are hatched in successive broods, 

 and consequently will be found in various 

 stages of growth through the summer. They, 

 however, attain their full size, pass through 

 their last transformation, and appear in their 

 perfect state, or furnished with wing-covers and 

 wings, during the months of September and 

 October. In this last state the squash -bug 

 measures six-tenths of ah inch in' length. It is 

 of a rusty black colour above, and of a dirty 

 ochre-yellow colour beneath, and the sharp 

 lateral edges of the abdomen, which project 

 beyond the closed wing-covers, are spotted 

 with ochre-yellow. When handled, and still 

 more when crushed, the latter give out an 

 odour precisely similar to that of an over-ripe 

 pear, but far too powerful to be agreeable. 



In order to prevent the ravages of these 

 insects, they should be sought and killed when 

 they are about to lay their eggs ; and if any 

 escape our observation at this time, their eggs 

 may be easily found and crushed. With this 

 view the squash-vines must be visited daily, 

 during the early part of their growth, and must 

 be carefully examined for the bugs and their 

 eggs. A very short time spent in this way 

 every day, in the proper season, will save a 

 great deal of vexation and disappointment 

 afterwards. If this precaution be neglected or 

 deferred till the vines have begun to spread, it 

 will be exceedingly difficult to exterminate the 

 insects, on account of their numbers; and if 

 at this time dry weather should prevail, the 

 vines will suffer so much from the bugs and 

 drought together, as to produce but little if any 

 fruit. Whatever contributes to bring forward 

 1010 



STACK. 



the plants rapidly, and to promote the vigour 

 and luxuriance of their foliage, renders them 

 less liable to suffer by the exhausting punctures 

 of the young bugs. Water drained from a cow- 

 yard, and similar preparations, have, with this 

 intent, been applied with benefit. 



The leaves of the squash are also preyed 

 upon by another insect of a very different de- 

 scription, namely, the Coccinella ioreulis (See 

 PI. 16,/rg. 11). Although the genus of insects 

 to which this belongs destroys Aphides, there 

 are, as Professor Halderman, of Pennsylvania, 

 observes, a few exceptions, among which is the 

 species named, which may be found, both in 

 the larva and perfect state, eating the leaves 

 of the squash. 



SQUAW-ROOT (American orobranrhe). 



SQUILL (Srilla, from skylla, to injure, the 

 bulbs being poisonous). An extensive genus 

 of interesting bulbous plants. A light soil is 

 most suitable for them ; and they are readily 

 increased by offsets from the bulbs. The 

 leaves are radical, linear. The flowers in 

 clusters, blue, purplish, or white. There are 

 four indigenous species, the vernal squill (& 

 verna), the two-leaved squill (S. fa/o/t'a), the au- 

 tumnal squill (S. aufummfiis), and the harebell 

 squill, or wild hyacinth (S. rmfans). The bulb 

 of the wild hyacinth contains much mucilage, 

 which can be readily separated from an acrid 

 principle which is conjoined with it. It is much 

 employed by calico-printers. 



SQTTITCH-GRASS. See BENT and COUCH. 



ST. JOHN'S WORT. See JOHN'S WORT. 



STACK. Corn in the sheaf, piled up in a 

 circular or rectangular figure, brought to a 

 point or ridge at the top, and afterwards 

 thatched to protect it from the influence of the 

 weather, and more especially from rains. The 

 term is also sometimes applied to hay piled up 

 in the same manner, which, however, in most 

 places is called a rirk. The foundation of a 

 corn stack is commonly made on a platform 

 of wood or iron, raised on props to protect it 

 from the moisture of the soil, and also from 

 rats and mice; in which respect stacks of corn 

 differ from ricks of hay, which are built always 

 on the ground. It is of great advantage to 

 soak the props in corrosive sublimate, which 

 not only preserves the wood, but also destroys 

 vermin. Stacks are of various forms and di- 

 mensions, according to circumstances; but for 

 grain those of a long, narrow," square shape 

 are probably the most advantageous, where the 

 quantity of corn is considerable; as they are 

 found to stand more firmly, have a better ap- 

 pearance, are more conveniently and readily 

 built, and preserve the grain better than those 

 of any other form. And they have the great 

 advantage of requiring less thatch as well as 

 labour in putting it upon them than the round 

 stack. But where the corn is only in a small 

 proportion, the round or oblong shape may be 

 more proper and suitable, as being more readily 

 drawn up in the roof; but the circular, with a 

 conical top and cylindrical body diverging a 

 , little at the eaves, is esteemed the best form by 

 some. For hay, the form of the rick or stack 

 is a matter of still less consequence ; the long 

 square or oblong shapes are perhaps the most 

 safe and convenient, especially when not too 



