No. 1( 



Observations on Insects. 



149 



Pea fly, that infests our peas. 



Curculio, that produces a worm that enters 

 into several kinds of fruit, and causes the 

 dropping before ripe, particularly the plum, 

 nectarine, apricot, and pe;icli. 



Rose bug, so injurious to that beautiful 

 flower, the rose, and some seasons is destruc- 

 tive to grapes, strawberries, early cherries, 

 apples, peaches, and other fruit. 



Caterpillar, that feeds upon the leaves of 

 trees and through carelessness often blasts 

 our prospects of fruit. 



Canker worm, that infests currant and 

 gooseberry bushes, and quince and other kinds 

 of trees. 



Small insect that appears like scales or 

 spots on the trunk, and sometimes extending 

 to the branches of young trees. 



A species of spider or webbing insect that 

 causes the salivary disease of aniiijals feeding 

 upon grass or hay infested with it. 



Very sm:ill black fly that attacks young 

 plants; perhaps it may be the same, or simi- 

 lir to the turnep fly, lor I have not exnnined 

 it sutficiently close to describe it particularly. 



Striped bug, so destructive to cucumbers, 

 &c. 



Ash-coloi-ed bug, that annoys squashes, 

 pumpkins, &c. 



The Hessian fly I have already investi- 

 gated, and described to the society; but al- 

 loiv me to add a calculation of its astonishing 

 increase. There are three complete broods 

 in every year, and each fly depusites from 

 one to two hundred eggs: take the smaller 

 number and say that one fly deposites 100 

 eggs, which call the first brood ; these 100 

 each bringing forth 100, makes the second 

 brood amount to ten thousand ; and each of 

 thein producing 100, the third brood will 

 amount to one million — that is, a single fly 

 is increased to a million in one year ; or if, as 

 is very probable, that the depositees two hun- 

 dred fold, then the increase amounts to eight 

 millions in one year. Now if they were to 

 go on in this way, all our wheat and rye, and 

 barley would be but a morsel to them. For- 

 tunately, however, they have several ene- 

 mies, and particularly the June brood ; but 

 this may not always be the case, and there- 

 fore it behoves us to look to the matter before 

 it be too late. 



I have also mentioned the pea fly, but 1 

 will further observe that on planting my peas 

 the past season, I poured them immediately 

 from where they had been kept closely cov- 

 ered, into a vessel of water, and letting them 

 remain a little while, the flies rose to the sur- 

 face of the water, and none could escape after 

 being once wet. I think it did not take above 

 fifteen minutes to kill them all. 



The peach worm is generated by an insect 

 of something of a wasp-like appearance, and 



about sevon-eighths of an inch long. The 

 male has a dark or black body, with four nar- 

 row rings of yellow around il — some yellow 

 about its mouth and thorax — wings transpa- 

 rent or little inclining to yellow, edged and 

 streaked with black — a small bunch ol down 

 at posterior, appearing through a glass like a 

 feathered tail. The fiemale is of a beautiful 

 purple or mazarine blue all over, except a 

 rich orange stripe about one eighth of an inch 

 broad, extending around the body with a lit- 

 tle interruption, under the belly; and the in- 

 ner edges of the wings appear ligbt or trans- 

 parent — the body is somewhat snorter, but 

 fuller than that of the male — deposited eggs 

 on the third day after appearing in the winded 

 state, probably owing to its cojifined situation 

 in a glass tumbler ; the eggs are just discern- 

 able by the naked eye, are oval and of a dull 

 yellow color, and were attached to the side 

 of the tumbler with a gluey substance, so that 

 [ should suppose that the deposite is most 

 likely generally made somewhere on the 

 trunk of the peach tree; but this is a matter 

 hir luitlur investigation. I have furnished 

 Thomas S.iy, Esq., with a pair of the insects 

 in living state, and he u'ill give them a pro- 

 per examination, and if not already noticed 

 by some Entomologist, he will furnish a sci- 

 entific description of them. 



The white grub has done great injury this 

 season to our grasses, grains, and roots, and 

 has increased within the last several years, 

 to an extent that ought to alarm us. indeed 

 such is the present number, that should all 

 arrive to the winged state, and bring forth a 

 full progeny, we may calculate that there 

 will be an increase of at least one hundred 

 (and perhaps several hundred) told, to feed 

 upon our next year's crops, and if the season 

 should prove as dry as the present, every de- 

 scription of plants may be devoured by this 

 single species of insects. 



The curculio might, in a great degree, be 

 destroyed by suffering hogs to pick up the 

 fallen fruit, in which the larva is lodged. 



The rose bug may be destroyed by early at- 

 tention without much labor; it first attacks 

 the rose, having a preference for it; then, as 

 soon Hs the bugs are seen to collect upon the 

 rose, take a vessel about half filled with wa- 

 ter, (a large tin cup is a handy thing) in one 

 hand, and hold it under the infested flower, 

 and with the other hand disturb the bugs, and 

 they will instantly fall into the water, and 

 cannot extricate themselves, and in that way 

 I have collected great quantities of them, 

 which by throwing into hot water were in a ^ 

 moment destroyed; and I am sure that half 

 an hour so spent, for a i'ew mornings, would 

 entirely rid us of that evil. 



The caterpillar and canker worm I need 

 say but little about, as by a little attention 



