28 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



JVV\ 28, I«41- 



i out of the earth, in wliicli they were kept fin llie 

 j aurolinn state) during the winter. On the :i(l, they 



I brunches of an npple tree, placoil aniong ihein, and 

 continued th.1t office for four days, and then bolli 



CANKKR WORMS. 



To the Editor of the New liuglaiul Fanner : 



From an interesting article in the Medical and 



Agricullura) Register, detailing the result of a 



number of experiments and observations on the 



canker worm, made in the years 179;t and 17!)4, by 



Dr. Rowland Green, Jr., of Mansfield, Ct., I ex- , ,. , ,■, n^v. i.o„. ;„ » 



tract the following for the benefit of your readers, -ales and females d,od. The eggs "^^Pt >" « 



moderate temperature of air, began to hatch on the 

 The time when the eggs are hatched depends , 5,1, ^f ^prji^ an,] continued to hatch, more or le.<8, 



according to the degree of heat in the atmosphere, 

 to the aOth f>dlo%ving. The number of eggs cast 

 by these two grubs, (which were rather more than 

 a common size,) were 478, of which hatclied 457, 

 which is a numerous increase Those that did 

 not hatch, appeared to contain the insects, but 



SLOBBERING IN HORSES. 



Our readers will recollect that in the reports of JJj 

 were put, with the same imnibcr of males, into a . jj^^ discussions at the agricultural meetings at the 

 glass vessel, fitted to receive them. On the Sth, g^^^^g jj^^ig^ j^^j j^j^jef^ gome speakers were re- 

 the grubs began to ileposit their eggs on the small pr^gented as holding the opinion that clover produ 



on the warmth of the atmosphere: the best criteri 



on is the early period of vegetation. They devour 



most at night, and are most voracious the last 



week of their continuance on the trees. When 



they have come to their full growth, which is in 



about three weeks from Uie time of being hatched, 



they leave the trees commonly by 'rafeZ/iiig- (iouwi j c^,„„ unl^umyn can.ses, died. Eggs deposiied at 



(lie trunk ('>} and go into the earth. This move 

 mcnt is generally in the evening, and it is worthy I 

 of remark that all their principal movements are 

 enveloped in darkness. The time when they leave 

 the trees is from the 20th of May to the lOlh of 

 June, depending on the time of leaving tlie egg, 

 &.C. They dig into the earth from one to five 

 inches, according to the hardness of the soil ; but 

 where the turf is lough, ihey will sometimes take 

 their lodgings within an inch of the surface. They 

 are found in the earth as far from the trunk as the 

 branches of the same extend, but are most nume- 

 rous near the trunk. After nine or ten days, they 

 pass into the aurelian state, and are contained m 

 their shells of a light brown color, about four toiUlis 

 of an inch in length, and much longer at the ante- 

 rior part than at the other, which is pointed. T'he 

 shell gro»vs harder and darker, until the whole is 

 of a dark brown, and their motion diminishes till it 

 is apparently destitute of any. In this slate they 

 lie uninjured by frost through the winter, till the 

 last of February or first of March, at which time, 

 if the earth is sufficiently thawed and the weather 

 mild, they again transform and rank with the miller 

 tribe, leave the earth, travel to and ascend the 

 trees, and continue to come out of the earth, more 

 or less, according to the state of the weather, to 

 the l.ith of April. If the earth is thawed, and 

 there is sufficient warmth, r^iiher Jlorm nor snow 

 will prevent their coiningout of the earth to ascend 

 the trees. The time of day for them to leave the 

 earth is, in fair weather, just after sunset, and ihey 

 continue coming up for some hours ; but in cloudy 

 weather they begin to move before. In this, tlic 

 perfect slate, they appear in two forms — those with 

 wings are called millers, and those deatilute of 

 wings are commonly called grubs. Immediately 

 after the grubs ascend the trees, they are active, 

 moving from place to place, and in two or three 

 days begin to deposit iheir eggs, and continue to 

 do 80, (moving from one place of deposite to anoth- 

 er,) for three or four days, and wlien concluded, 

 being shrivelled, they die, as al.so do the males, 

 having performed an entire round and put an end 

 to their work. Their eggs are small, numerous 

 and of a lightish color, hut just before they are 

 hatched become bluish. The number of eggs cast 

 by a single grub is, according lo the magnitude, 

 from l.")(l to 'J'lO. When they arc prevented from 

 going up the trees by tar, they may deposit their 

 eggs in the rough bark, or on the surface of the 

 earth, and the eggs thus cast may hatch,, and the 

 worms ascend the trees, if not prevented. 



" A number of experiments might be mentioned 

 confirming the ab<ive ; but lit the following suf- 



thesame time, exposed to cold air, hatched not un 

 til some days aiterwards." 



The writer then proceeds to describe an effect- 

 ual mode of tarring, which diffisrs in no essential 

 points, from the method in common practice. The 

 article is concluded by the following additional 

 procaiilion : 



" After the season of tarring is over, apply four 

 or five inches of earth round the trunk, to keep the 

 eggs, if any deposited, below ihe tar or on the sur- 

 face of the earth, from hatching. In six weeks 

 this earlli may be removed from the trunk, as the 

 eggs by this time will be destroyed for the want 

 of air and heal." 



From the above extracts it would scorn that the 

 habits of the canker worm and the best modes of 

 destroying it, attracted attention in this country 

 nearly fifty years ago. It also appears that we 

 have advanced little or none in our knowledge of 

 the ono or the other of these particulars. It yet 

 remains for some benefactor of the age to devise a 

 more effectual remedy of extirpating the canker 

 worm. In the mean time, however, facts should 

 be communicated by those who observe them, re- 

 specting its habits, &c. And from these we may 

 hope to get upon a new track, which will rid us of 

 this the greatest of all pesta to our orchards. The 

 State Legislature or our Agriciiltural Societies, 

 might well offer a liberal reward to the man who 



ces salivation — others as believing that clover nev- 

 er produces such effecU. Some — we were of tho 

 number — supposed that the slobbers was caused 

 by lobelia. Shortly after those accounts appeared 

 in our columns, a letter was received from Lovelt 

 Peters, Esq., of '.Vestboro', directing our attention 

 lo an article from him in l!r2.3, vol. ii. page 58, ol 

 the N. E. Farmer, on this subject, and another in 

 1830, vol. V. page 338, of the Yankee Farmer. The 

 substance of these is the same. We republish llio 

 former, nnd copy also an editorial from the Maine 

 Farmer, of July 17, relating to this matter. This 

 is the seasim of the year when the disease begins 

 to show itself and the insertion at this time may 

 be the means of directing attention to the subject 



From the N. E. Farmer of Sept. 20, lo~23. 



.V 



jlOD 



idoi 



all 



Mr Editor — Having, within a few years, seer ^ 

 slated in the public prints, several opinions re 

 specting the salivation or slavers of horses, ani' 

 none of them being satisfactory lo me, I will sub 

 mil to you some particulars that have fallen unde 

 my observation. For some years past I have beei 

 convinced that the slavers of horses is caused b; 

 their eating a kind of grass of second grnwtl 

 making its appearance in the fore part of Jul) 

 much resembling oats, which come up in the fai 

 alter the crop has been taken off the ground, bu 

 has rather more of a brownish cast, and retains it 

 green very late in the fall. When chewed it caus- 

 es a flow of water in the mouth more than an 

 other vegetable that I have ever seen. If it ha 

 such an effect on man, why should it n<;t liav 

 on horses ? 



There is another kind of grass that can scarcel 

 be distinguished from it otherwise than by tastin}^ 



It is, I think, but about 20 or 25 years sine 

 there was any such disorder among the horses i 

 this part of the country. Mine escapi'd for som 

 years after it had become common in this vicinil; 

 T'he first I saw in my own horses, was in a liorr 

 that was turned into a small pasture, where on 



shall di.-icover some more certain and efficient I liad seldom been before. In another pasture 

 mode of destr^iyiiig the canker worm, in any stage the same lull, about 40 rods distunl, separate 

 of its existence, before commencing lis ravages. by a natural English mowing, there was no such e 

 On small trees, I have found it a good way to feet produced. From this circumstance 1 was Ic 

 pass among them early in the spring at any time I to seek for the cause of the slavers. Some ha 



before hatching, nnd crush the eggs with a fiick 

 or knife. T'his I have known lobe practiced like- 

 wise upon lafge trees, but the work must necessa- 

 rily be tedious and imperfectly executed. As lo 

 the patent lead gutters filled with oil, and the 

 wooden shoes put around the trees, I have no belief 

 they will be brought into general use, even if effi- 

 cacious. What is wanted is a cheap and simple 

 remedy and n sure one. 

 Vours, &1.C., 



ALLEN W. DODGE. 

 Hamilton, June 8tli, 1841. 



above a good pasture. She has produced li7 lbs. 

 a day. Who can beat this? Wo pause for a re- 

 ce : On the 2d of March, 171M, two grubs came j ply. — Iluinilton I'aUndium. 



upposed It lobe Lobelia or Indian tobacco; o 

 examination, it appeared, that in Ihe small paslur 

 there was no Lobelia, in ihe other there was inuc 

 of it; and in no instance have I been able lo fin 

 a plant of Lobelia lliat appears to have been bilte 

 off by cattle of any kind. This satisfied me that 

 was not the Lobelia. 



After n few years it was the same with all m 

 pastures Ihal had never been ploughed, and ^ 

 night, when my cows were brou^'ht to the yard fc 

 milking, streams of water ran almost continuall 

 from llieir mouths. Some fi.-w years sime, bein 



slj.)it of English hay, but having plenty of roweifn 



iVho can beat tliU? — Mr Charles Uurchard has instead of hay I had my horses fed with rowen.- 

 a cow of the common breed, which will average In a short lime they had the slavers as bad as the 

 for weeks in succession, ()4 pounds of milk per day, I ever had llicin in the summer. Rcmomberin 

 without extra feeding or any other advantages i where this rowen was gjown, the next sea.son, ii) 



j on examination, 1 found there was a great rpian 

 of the grass above described. This cummer n 

 horses were uot alUicted wilh this disorder so ear 



