THE GENESEE FARlilEE. 



211 



the study of the natural history of insects is full 

 of interest, in a scientific point of view. But a 

 correct knowledge of the natural history of the va-, 

 rious tribes of insects, both of those benificial and 

 injurious to the labors and crops of the husband- 

 man, possesses a two fold value — a scientific and a 

 pecuniary value. 



The above being facts, it behooves farmers, es- 

 pecially the younger portion of them, to make 

 themselves familiar witli the science of entomol- 

 ogy. Books and publications on inescts are now 

 within the reach of all, and the farmer should 

 strive to learn which among the various families of 

 insects are hia friends, and which his enemies. 



May, 1S63. LEVI BAETLETT. 



CANADA THISTLES IN MICHIGAN. 



The State Legislature of Micliigaa at its late 

 session passed the following law " to prevent the 

 spreading of Canada thistles in the State of Mich- 

 igan :" 



Section 1. The People of the State of Michigan 

 ■enact, That it shall be the duty of every owner, 

 possessor, or occupier of land, to cut or cau?e to 

 be cut down, all the Canada thistles growing 

 thereon, or in the lughway passing by or through 

 the same so often in each and every year as shall 

 "bfe sufficient to prevent them from going to seed ; 

 and if any owner, possessor, or occupier of land 

 shall knowingly suffer any such Canada thistles to 

 grow thereon, and the seed to ripen, so as to cause 

 or endanger the spread thereof, he shall on convic- 

 tion be liable to a fine of ten dollars for every such 

 offence. 



Sec. 2. It shall be the duty of the overseers 

 or commissioners of highways in any township, to 

 see that tlie provisions of this act are carried out 

 within their respective highway districts; and they 

 shall give notice to tJje owner, possessor, or occu- 

 pier of any land within said district, whereon Can- 

 ada thistles shall be growing and iu danger of going 

 to seed, requiring him to cause the same to be 

 cut down within five days from the service of such 

 notice; and in case such owner, possessor or occu- 

 pier shall refuse or neglect to cut down said Can- 

 ada thistles, the overseer or commissioner of high- 

 ways shall enter upon the land, and cause all such 

 Canada thistles to be cut down, with as little dam- 

 age to growing crops as may be; and. he shall not 

 be liable to be sued in action of trespass therefor : 

 Provided, That where such Canada thistles shall 

 be growing upon non-resident lands, it shall be 

 necessary to give notice before proceeding to cut 

 down the same. 



Seo. 3. Each overseer or commissioner of high- 

 ways shall keep an accurate account of the expense 

 incurred by him in carrying out the provisions of 

 the preoeeding section of this act, with reopect to 

 each parcel of land entered upon therefor, and 

 shall offer a statement of such expense, describing 

 by its legal description, the land entered upon, anil 

 verified by oath to the owner, possessor, or occupier 

 of such resident lands, requiring him to pay the 

 amount. In case such owner, possessor, or occu- 

 pier shall refuse or neglect to [jay the same within 

 thirty days after such application, said claim shall 

 be presented to the township board of the township 



in which such expense was incurred, and said town- 

 ship board is hereby autiiorized and required to 

 audit and allow such claim, and order the same to 

 be paid from the fund for general township purposes 

 of said township, out of any moneys in the town- 

 ship treasury not otherwise appropriated. The 

 said overseer or commissioner of highways shall 

 also present to tlie said township board a similar 

 statement of the expense incurred, by him in carry- 

 ing out the provisions of said section, upon any 

 non-resident land ; and the said township board is 

 hereby authorized and empowered to audit and 

 allow the same in like manner. 



Sko. 4. The supervisor of the township shall 

 cause all such expenditures as have been so paid 

 from tlie township treasury, under the provisions 

 of this act, to be severally levied on the lands so 

 described in the statements of the overseers or 

 commissioners of highways, and to be collected in 

 the same manner as delinquent highway taxes are 

 collected ; and the same, when collected, shall be 

 paid into tiie township treasury, to reimburse the 

 outlay therefrom aforesaid. 



Seo. 5. Any person who shall, knowingly, vend 

 any grass or other seed, among which tliere is any 

 seed of the Canada thistle, shall, for every such of- 

 fence, upon conviction, be liable to a fine of twenty 

 dollars. 



Seo. 6. It shall be the duty of the prosecuting 

 attorney of the county, to prosecute all violations 

 of the provisions of this act, which shall come to 

 his knowledge. 



NOTES FOR THE MONTH BY S. W.-MAY. 



It was gratifying to learn from the "leader" in 

 the last number of the Farmer that the true cause 

 of the potato rot had been discovered, and is now 

 finally designated in botanical nomenclature as the 

 Peronospora ivfestans. After all that has been 

 said and written-, and so many theories started only 

 to be again exploded, it seems that those pains- 

 taking, patient investigators, the German botanists, 

 have proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the 

 true and only cause of the potato rot is a fungus or 

 parasite on the leaves, which first devours the 

 leaves to support itself, leaving its dark brown , 

 spores to be washed down by a warm shower to 

 infect the tubers in the hill. You have truly said 

 "that this fungus is not a spontaneous production, 

 but that it is produced from seed, or propagated 

 from the diseased plant itself, and that, although 

 the seftds are invisible to the naked eye, they are 

 nevertheless i*eal." As you say, the true remedy 

 is to plant no tubers that have ever been in con- 

 tact with the diseased ones — to grow potatoes for 

 seed by themselves on a clean soil, and to remove 

 the leaves if attacked before the fungus has ripened 

 its spores, or at least before the rain has washed 

 them into the hill. 



THE FEEDING VALUE OF STEA.W AND CORN STALKS. 



Your article on the feeding value of straw is 

 very interesting. Our great equine stock-grower, 

 Wright, feeds more corn stalks than straw. He 

 chaffs them, butts and all, very fine by horse 

 power, treating them then with scalding water and 

 Indian meal. He thinks that there is much more 

 starch and sugar in stalks than in straw, and that 

 its cellulose is more readily digested. He leaves 



