158 



THE FARMERS CABINET. 



VOL. 1. 



Fig. 45. — Palpi. Fig 46.— rotson Claw. 



and butterflies are covered, appears when ex- 

 amined by the microscope, to be a series of 

 minute scales varying in form in different 

 species, and arranged in row^s, as may be 

 seen by the lower part of the figure. 



Kill 



Fig. A~.— Scales of the Butterfly's wings. 



The annexed is a magnified view of ths 

 common Flea. The great muscular power 

 of the flea has caused many curious contri- 

 vances ; it has been harnassed to carriages 

 of various descriptions, which have been 

 drawn along with apparent ease, although 

 seventy or eighty times its own weight. 

 With its powerful legs, it can make the 



« 

 «» 



« 

 -a 







most extraordinary leaps, upwards of two 

 hundred times the length of its own body. 

 Considering the size of the animal, this is 



the same as if a man were to jump about 

 twelve hundred feet. If the strengh of an 

 elephant was equal, m proportion to its bulk, 

 to that of this liitle tormenler, its powers 

 would be irresistible. The weapon with 

 which the Flea is provided may, by dexter- 

 ous management, be seen through a good 

 microscope ; they consist of a most delicate 

 set of cutting instruments, acting something 

 like scissors, with a sucking-tube in the 

 centre, to extract the nurishment from its 

 prey. 



Such are a few of the wonderful objects 

 which the Microscope has enabled us to dis- 

 cover in this portion of the animal kingdom ; 

 but the diligent observer will find their num- 

 ber to be inexhaustible, and each fresh dis- 

 covery will incite him more and more to con- 

 tinue his resources. 



While on a visit to a neighbor some even- 

 ings since, he showed us a part of his corn 

 field which had formerly been a cellery bed, 

 on which he assured us the corn grew more 

 luxuriantly and withstood the drought better 

 than in any other part of the field, although 

 every part was manured and ploughed alike. 

 He ascribed, and as we thought with great 

 propriety, the difierence to the circumstance 

 that that peculiar spot had been deeply pen- 

 etrated with the spade in its preparation for 

 the cellery, and allowed the roots of the corn a 

 better opportunity to search for food beyond 

 the influence of the parching sun. This fact 

 would seem to plead in favor of deep plough- 

 ing, and we hope the hint will be improved 

 upon the ensuing season. We have ever 

 been its advocate, and we have been so from 

 a conviction of the common sense that was 

 about the argument that presented itself to 

 our mind in favor of the practice. — Farmer 

 and Gardener. 



A farmer in Southampton took one hun- 

 dred and fifty bushels of potatoes from a 

 single acre of land for his own me, and 

 sold the remainder of its product for one 

 hundred dollars. 



"Warm Clothing vs. Croup. 



Eberle in his excellent work on the dis- 

 eases of children, says, the mode of Cloth- 

 ing infants with their necks and the upper 

 part of the breast bare, cannot fail to render 

 them more subject to the influence of cold, 

 and its dangerous consequences. In this 

 country, especially the Germans, who are 

 in the habit of clothing their children in such 

 a manner, as to leave no part of the breast 

 and lower portion of the neck exposed, 

 Croup is an exceeding rare disease. Where- 

 as in the cities, or among people who adopt 



