POTATO-FLY. 



POULTRY. 



and the wing-covers are long and narrow, and 

 cover the whole of the back. The striped can- 

 tharis is comparatively rare in New England; 

 but in the Middle States it often appears in 

 great numbers, and does much mischief in po- 

 tato-fields and gardens, eating up not only the 

 leaves of the potato, but those of many other 

 vegetables. 



The most destructive kind of Cantharis, 

 found in Massachusetts, is of a more slender 

 form than the preceding, and measures only 

 from five and a half to six-tenths of an inch in 

 length. Its antennae and feet are black, and all 

 the rest of its body is ashen gray, being thickly 

 covered with a very short down of that colour. 

 Hence it is called Cantharis rinerea, or the ash- 

 coloured cantharis. When the insect is rubbed, 

 the ash-coloured substance comes off, leaving 

 the surface black. It begins to appear in gar- 

 dons about the 20th of June,andis very fond of 

 the leaves of the English bean, which it some- 

 times entirely destroys. It is also occasionally 

 found in considerable numbers on potato-vines; 

 and in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it has re- 

 , appeared in great profusion upon 

 Mdgea of the honey-locust, which have been 

 entirely stripped of foliage by these voracious 

 insects. They are also found on the wild indi- 

 go-weed. In the night, and in rainy weather, 

 they descend from the plants, and burrow in 

 mil, or under leaves and tufts of grass. 

 Thither also they retire for shelter during the 

 heat of the day, being most actively engaged 

 in eating in the morning and evening. About 

 the 1st of August they go into the ground and 

 lay th'Mr eirgs, and these are hatched in the 

 course of one "month. The larvce are slender, 

 somewhat flattened grubs, of a yellowish co- 

 lour, banded with black, with a small reddish 

 head, and six legs. These grubs are very 

 active in their motions, and appear to live 

 upon tine roots in the ground; but I have not 

 been able to keep them till they arrived at ma- 

 turity, and therefore know nothing further of 

 their history. 



About the middle of August, and during the 

 rest of this and the following month, a jet-black 

 cantharis may be seen on potato-vines, and 

 also on the blossoms and leaves of various 

 kinds of golden-rod, particularly the tall golden- 

 rod (>'"/!(/, f. altistimn), which seems to be its 

 favourite food. In some places it is as plenti- 

 ful in potato-fields as the striped and the mar- 

 gined cantharis, and by its serious ravages has 

 often excited attention. These three kinds, in 

 fact, are often confounded under the common 

 name of potato-flies ; and it is still more re- 

 markable, that they are collected for medical 

 use, and are sold in our shops by the name of 

 Cunthnris rittata, without a suspicion of their 

 being distinct from each other. The black 

 cantharis, or Cantharis atruta, is totally black, 

 without bands or spots, and measures from 

 four-tenths to half of an inch in length. I have 

 repeatedly taken these insects, in considerable 

 quantities, by brushing or shaking them from 

 the potato-vines into a broad tin pan, from 

 which they were emptied into a covered pail 

 containing a little water, which, by wetting 

 their wings, prevented their flying out when 



the pail was uncovered. The same methtd 

 may be employed for taking the other kinds of 

 cantharides, when they become troublesome 

 and destructive from their numbers ; or they 

 may be caught by gently sweeping the plants 

 they frequent with a deep muslin bag-net. 

 They should be killed by throwing them into 

 scalding water, for one or two minutes, aftei 

 which they may be spread out on sheets of 

 paper to dry, and may be made profitable by 

 selling them to the apothecaries for medical use. 



A species of the genus Meloe (angusticollis), 

 or narrow-necked oil-beetle of Say, about an 

 inch long, and of a dark indigo-blue colour, is 

 very common on butter-cups in autumn, and 

 is also found on potato-vines. 



POTATO MURRAIN. Since the year 1845, 

 when the great destruction of potatoes in Great 

 Britain and Ireland took place, with the conse- 

 quent famine, this disease has been the subject 

 of most active' and earnest investigation. It 

 would be vain to attempt giving even an epitome 

 of the various views put forth on the subject. 

 At present we will only refer to a single fact, 

 which seems to afford the best clue towards de- 

 termining the origin of the disease, as well as 

 suggesting the best means of preservation and 

 cure ; namely, that the proportion of water, 

 always large in the healthy potato, is greatly in- 

 creased, say 6 to 8 per cent., in those about to 

 become diseased. One of the best remedies is 

 said to be planting in the fall ; even partially 

 diseased tubers planted in autumn have yielded 

 good sound potatoes the succeeding season. 



POULTICE. An external application em- 

 ployed for soothing pain and abating inflamma- 

 j tion, and where this is advanced, promoting sup- 

 ' puration in gatherings, &c. The best for animals 

 are prepared of ground flax-seed, or rye-meal. 

 The main object is to have the poultice large 

 enoujjh to continue long moist and soft : a hard 

 and dry poultice is much worse than none at all. 

 In renewing poultices, the parts should always 

 ! be previously well fomented with warm water. 

 To remove unpleasant smells, mashed carrots 

 and powdered charcoal will be found to make a 

 good poultice. 



POULTRY. A general term including every 

 kind of domestic fowl, which is reared about 

 the house or farm-yard, as cocks and hens, 

 ducks, geese, turkeys, &c. Poultry constitutes 

 a part of every farmer's stock, but the rearing 

 of it in England is not often productive of 

 any pecuniary advantage ; for though fowls are 

 considered chiefly as an article of luxury, and 

 sold at high prices in the market, they seldom 

 or ever repay the value of the corn which they 

 have consumed, especially if such grain must 

 be purchased. Indeed, where profit is the ob- 

 ject of the husbandman's labours, no poultry 

 should be admitted into the vicinity of barns, 

 unless for the purpose of picking up scattered 

 grain ; though, in genera!, it cannot be denied, 

 that they acquire their fat substance from the 

 corn left in the straw by negligent thrashing. 

 The poor villager may, however reap, in some 

 cases, benefit from poultry, as the fowls are 

 able to shift for themselves the greatest part of 

 the year, by feeding on insects, corn, or any 

 thing of that nature. . 



There are many different breeds of this sort 



