NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



127 



For the Nno Eiiijhuid Farmer. 

 COCCUS, LINN. 



Mr. Cole : The familj' Coccid;e, or scale insects, 

 (to which the cochincul insect, coccus cacti, so highly 

 prized as a material lor dyeing, also belongs,) contain 

 many species which live as parasites on various 

 plants, and do them considerable injury. They are 

 very singular insects, passing the greater pait of their 

 life on one and the same spot, rather resembling an 

 excrescence than a living creature. They belong to 

 the order llemtpteia, Linn., in which the bugs, plant- 

 lice, and Cicada are included ; although the main 

 characteristic of the order corresponds only with the 

 males, as they only are winged. The females are 

 shaped like a scale or shield, convex above, flat or 

 concave below ; provided with six very delicate feet, 

 ■which sometimes, chicHy when the female has grown 

 oUl, merge into the sub>tance of the body. Ante- 

 riorly, at about the third part of the length of the 

 insect, is situated a short or long rostrum on the 

 under side, which it inserts into the epidermis of 

 plants, and sucks out their juices. After pairing, 

 when the eggs begin to develop themselves, the 

 female dies, and her body serves as a protection and 

 shield to her posterity, by covering the eggs till the 

 young are hatched, when they crawl away. "While 

 young, both sexes are alike ; afterwards the winged 

 specimens arc developed fi'om the male's larva?, and 

 acquire two wings, and usually two long tail- threads ; 

 they arc thus very distinct from the female, which 

 looks like a lar'va during her whole life. There is 

 also a great dissimilarity in point of size, as the male 

 in all the species is scarcely to be distinguished with 

 the naked eye, while the female sometimes attains 

 the size of a grain of linseed, and even that of a pea. 



The trees mostly infested with Coccus hesperidum 

 arc the orange, the peach, the plum, and damson, 

 the wild chestnut, and the vine. 



After many experiments, and due consideration of 

 the nature of these insects, I luckily happened to 

 think of a remedy which hitherto has proved the 

 most effectual ; and I submit to the public the fruit 

 of my investigations, with the pleasure that I can 

 recommend it to the agriculturist, with entire cou- 

 fidence in his good success ; thus the ravages of the 

 Coccidie or coccus in the orange-tree shall disappear. 



Receipt. — Take one pound of quicksilver, put it 

 into a glazed vessel, and pour upon it one gallon of 

 boiling water, which let stand till it becomes cold ; 

 then pour off the water fir use. llcpeat this on the 

 same quicksilver (for it will retain its powers) till u 

 suihcient number of gallons are provided to fill a 

 vessel intended for the purpose. One in the form of 

 a trough, that will hold twenty or twenty-four gal- 

 lons, is the most convenient, especially for large plan- 

 tations. Then to every gallon of this mercurial 

 water add six ounces of soft green soap, dissolved in 

 a portion of the prepared water. liCt the mixture 

 stand till it becomes about milk-Avarm, which is the 

 degree of warmth it must be kept to during the time 

 of operation, which is performed in the following 

 manner ; — 



It is necessary to brush off a few of the insects, (as 

 in a common dressing,) especially towards the bottom 

 of the leaves, where they will sometimes be so nu- 

 merous as in appearance_to lie one upon another, in 

 which case the mixture might be prevented from 

 penetrating to the bottom insect. Then apply the 

 composition to the tree with a large garden syringe, 

 in a manner that the mixture will descend and pen- 

 etrate to the very bottom of the leaves in the centre 

 of the plant, whereby the insects which are con- 

 cealed there will be totally destroyed ; after that, the 

 leaves of tlic small-sized plants .should be tied 

 together ; in such manner they will be longer im- 

 pregnated with the liquid. The mixture will change 



the plants to a sad green color, which will give them 

 the appearance of being spoiled, but as they become 

 dry they will in a great measure resume their proper 

 hue. During the operation it will be necessary to 

 add a supply of hot mixture, in order to keep the 

 whole to a jiroper degree of warmth, as also to make 

 xip the deficiency which must naturally haj)pen. It 

 will be proper to do this work on a fine day, and as 

 soon in the forenoon as convenient, that the plants 

 may have time to dry, which they will do in a few 

 hours, and then they must undergo the same opera- 

 tion a second time. The most eligible season for the 

 dressing of the plants are March, in the beginning 

 of the spring. The following mixture I have found 

 to be ecjually efficacious with the former : — 



Take two ounces of soft green soap. 



One ounce of common turpentine, (resin,) 



One ounce of flowers of sulphur. 



Put those ingredients into a proper vessel, and 

 pour upon them one gallon of boiling water. Let 

 the whole be well worked together with a whisk, 

 which will bring it to strong lather, and cause the in- 

 gredients to incorporate. The mixture should be used 

 milk- warm, and kept gently stirring during the time 

 of using, to prevent the sulphur from subsiding. I 

 must beg leave to observe, that I think this mixture 

 may be of considerable use in preventirig the mildew 

 on the peach and apricot ; for sulphur alone retards 

 the progress of that most fatal disorder, and the soap 

 and turpentine render the mixture of a slimy con- 

 sistence, and leave a clammy coat or covering on the 

 leaves, of a glossy appearance, which very likely 

 may contribute to stop the progress of that disorder. 

 But the fruit trees here having been constantly clear 

 of the mildew, I have therefore not had an o;)portu- 

 nity of making any experiments with thcnr. All 

 the orange-trees under these operations did not seem 

 to have sustained the least injury ; they grew more 

 luxuriantlv than ever, and with the greatest safety. 



Having thus described my method of destroying 

 these most troublesome insects, I shall now make a 

 few necessary observations. It is allowed, that if 

 boiling water be poured upon a suincicnt quantity 

 of quicksilver, it receives a power capable of destroy- 

 ing lice or insects ; but there wanted something to 

 enable it to reach to the insects in question. Soap 

 seemed to be the most proper vehicle for that pur- 

 pose, ou a double account ; it is a penetrating sub- 

 stance, and contains a quality of the former nature. 

 Soap-suds have, perhaps, as great powers of pene- 

 tration as oil, but oil being added to the second oj)er- 

 atio)i must make the mixture of equal force. The 

 quantity of soap used renders the mixture of a thick, 

 slimy consistence, and consequently leaves a kind 

 of coat or covering upon the leav(vs, which very prob- 

 ably may prevent the insects from remaining, or 

 even coming upon the plants iu case any of tliem 

 were loft. Tor this reason it is of high nnportance 

 to prefer the dry season for these operations, as 1 

 have already observed. Soap-suds cffcitually de- 

 stroy the different species of insects that infest fruit 

 trees growing against walls. Of these insects, the 

 Aphis is the most common, as well as the most de- 

 structive. It generally attacks with great violence 

 the peach, cherry, and plum, 'i'he Aphides are uni- 

 versally known bv the ap])cllation of lice. 



liEUNAKD IIPIYNOSO. 



For the New England Farmer. 



BOMMER MANURE. 



Mr. Cole : ilnch has been said upon the Rommcr 

 Method, as it is called, of making manure, within a 

 few years, and much money bus been i)aid for it, 

 which I tl)ink in most, if not in all cases, might be 



