324 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



July 



■which he frequents throughout the day, that a per- 

 son unaccustomed to hunting elephants, standing 

 on a commanding situation, might look down up- 

 on a herd and fail so detect their presence. And 

 further, in the case of the giraffe, which is invaria- 

 bly met with among venerable forests, where innu- 

 merable blasted and weather-beaten trunks and 

 stems occur, I have repeatedly been in doubt as to 

 the presence of a troop of them until I had re- 

 course to my spy-glass ; and on referring the case 

 to my savage attendants, I have known even their 

 optics to fail, at onetime mistaking these dilapidat- 

 ed trunks for camelopards, and again confounding 

 real camelopards with these aged veterans of the 

 forest." 



But nature has indulged in other and more curi- 

 ous resemblances than any we have yet mentioned. 

 We have before us a specimen of the spectrum fe- 

 moratum, or "walking sticks," an insect occasional- 

 ly seen in this region, though not common. We 

 found it a year or two since, on an ivy vine, which 

 it so closely resembled in form and structure, as 

 well as color, that we did not suspect it to have ^ 

 separate life of its own until we accidentally touched 

 it. This insect, though about three inches long, is 

 not much larger round than a good-sized knitting- 

 needle, and its greenish-brown color completes the 

 illusion, so that it would require a sharp eye and 

 patient search to detect it, when fastened among 

 the slender twigs of the ivy. 



The "leaf insect" is a still more curious freak of 

 nature, if the expression be allowable. The crea- 

 ture resembles a leaf in color and shape, and its 

 legs may be easily mistaken for dry twigs. Even 

 the ramified veinings of the leaf are preserved on 

 its wings. One of these insects was exhibited in 

 the Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh, a year or 

 two since, and it is said that visitors usually, after 

 looking at the plant for a minute or two, declared 

 they could see no insect ; and even when it was 

 pointed out to them, they could not rest satisfied 

 until it was made to move, or was taken from the 

 plant and suffered to crawl over the attendant's 

 finger. 



It should be added, that nature's sportive coun- 

 terfeits are sometimes found in the vegetable as 

 well as the animal world. There are plants which 

 resemble insects as closely as any insect resembles 

 a plant. The orchidaca. furnish some curious ex- 

 amples of this, the flowers of the fly orchis, the bee 

 orchis, the butterfly orchis, &c., being readily mis- 

 taken for the insects whose names they bear. 



Yearly Food of One Man. — From the army 

 and navy diet scales of France and England, which, 

 of course, are based upon the recognized necessities 

 of large numbers of men in active life, it is inferred 

 that about two and a half pounds averdupois of dry 

 food per day are required for each individual ; of 

 this about three-fourths are vegetable, and the rest 



animal. At the close of an entire year the 

 amount is upwards of 800 pounds. Enumerating 

 under the title of water all the various drinks — cof- 

 fee, tea, alcohol, wine, &c. — its estimated quantiiy is 

 about 1500 pounds per annum. That for the air 

 received in breathing may be taken at 800 pounds. 

 With these figures before us, says the Medical 

 World, we are able to see how the case stands. 

 The food,water and air which a man receives amount 

 to more than three thousand pounds a year — that 

 is, to about a ton and a half, or more than twenty 

 times his own weight. This enormous quantity may 

 well attract our attention to the expenditure of 

 material required for supporting life. A living be- 

 ing is the result and representation of change on 

 a prodigious scale. 



For the New England Farmer. 



CHINESE NORTHERN SUGAR CANE. 



Mr. Editor : — It does not seem to be general-* 

 ly understood that the Chinese sugar cane is even 

 more valuable for fodder than for the production of 

 sugar, as it can be cut repeatedly for the former 

 purpose, and no kind of provender is equally fat- 

 tening for cattle. As the past winter has been one 

 of inordinate length, it has caused a great exhaus- 

 tion of hay, and other food suitable for cattle and 

 horses, and as it has been followed by an extreme- 

 ly late spring, it is highly important that our farm- 

 ers should avail themselves of this valuable addi- 

 tion to our agricultural products, in order to re- 

 place the deficiency of grass and other food requi- 

 site for our cattle and horses. 



The Chinese sugar cane, as a crop for fodder, 

 may be planted with success, so late as the middle 

 of June, and there is consequently plenty of time 

 for all agriculturists to avail themselves of the great 

 advantages presented by this plant. Our citizens 

 have also a large interest in this important culture, 

 as the price of beef, butter, and various other arti- 

 cles of vast consumption, will be greatly enhanced, 

 if the deficiency in the early grass crop is not re- 

 placed by the additional culture of the Chinese su- 

 gar cane. Agricola. 



For the New England Farmer. 



STATE OF MAINE POTATO. 



Mr. Editor : — Sir, — I was not a little surprised 

 to see in the May number of the Monthly Farmer a 

 communication signed "Norfolk," on his experiment 

 with the State of Maine potato ; he states that his 

 wife says they are not fit for a hog to eat, and he 

 is of the same opinion. My experience with them 

 is quite different from his. One year ago, my son 

 purchased a few bushels of the so called State of 

 Maine potatoes in Boston, but did not receive them 

 so soon as expected by two or three weeks, which 

 made it very late planting, but when received, plant- 

 ed them on a light soil, with a small quantity of 

 muck in the hill ; the dry weather injured them 

 much, but we had as fair a yield as any potatoes 

 we planted, and were a first rate quality for eating, 

 nearly as good as the Jackson or the Carter.^ The 

 Jackson are an early variety, but do not yield so 

 well as the Maine potato. The Maine potato grows 

 a fair size, and perfectly free from the rot ; I cheer- 

 fully recommend them for family use as a good late 

 potato, Norfolk's opinion to the contrary notwith- 

 standing. The Jackson is a very early variety, and 



