Vol. v.— No. a-^. 



NEW ENGLAND I AllMER. 



171 



i having detected tlie lurkiii;; culprit iinler the 

 ru of this very beetle, Lymexvi.on navale, by 

 cting the timber to be imiiior.sed during llie 

 e of the metamorphosis of the insect, and its 

 son of oviposition, furnished a remedy which 

 jctunlly secured it I'rom its future jittacks. 

 It is from such instances that we perceive the 

 th of an observation made by a French Aca- 



ioian, while alluding to the devastation which 

 h insects may occasion: — The history of these 

 wials is worthy of being known, by reason of its 

 reme importance to all groat landholders, and 

 lecially to the inspectors general of our forests, 

 ich have, their destructive insects ; ii. will then 

 perceived how many causes, which at first do 

 : fix the attention for a moment, may become, 

 negligence, fatal to the state.'' 

 n liie London Zoolojiical .lournal, vol. i. no. 4, . 

 luary la'io, Mr ilacleny has given an account j 

 the devastation occasioned in Fir plantations by 

 ects. He remarks that '■ herltvorous insects, 

 i especially those iphich are intended to keep 

 ■etable luxuriance within due liouiids, linve bein 

 ariabhj found to affect particular species of trees, 

 tckiiig them in different uaijs according to their 

 uliar economy." He further observes that he 

 I " ventured to state it as probable that all those 

 ictious diseases, which distroy only one species 

 tree in a plantation, are the consequences of the 

 tvaience of particular destructive insects." In 

 jfirniation of the truth of this remark he says 

 »t he had received a letter from the agent of 

 estates of the Marquis of Stafibrd, and the Earl 

 Carlisle giving an account of the great failure 

 the young firs and larches on these estates by 

 insect, which proved on inspection to be the 

 LOBit's abittis of Germar, (Curculio pini, 

 1.) which is most destructive to Firs. It is very 

 amon in the pine forests of Sweden and Scot- 

 A\ but little is known of itshistory, exceptthkt 

 « said to live beneath the bark, feeding qd the 

 lin. Of the same family is the Rv.NCHiENUs 

 wbi of Prof. Peck, which destroys the leading 

 lot of our n.itive white pine. See Mass. Agr. 

 ipos. & Journal, Jan. 1817. 

 fPhe whole of the preceding history is well worth 



attention <f the cultivator of trees ; but the 



larks, which we have designated by italics, are 



(re particularly interesting, as being peculiarly 



Dlicable to the alarming disease of our Pear- 



1, whieh has lately excited so much attention 

 Ithis vicinity. Relying on such high authority 

 can hardly be at a los.'i to account for this oth- 

 (vise inexplicable disease, nor hesitate in attrib- 

 ing it to the noxious influence of a peculiar in- 

 •.t, or rather to the attacks of numbers of these 

 lects. Is it not probable that the minuteness of 

 s insect, which is stated to be only one tenth of 

 inch in length, may have caused it to escape 

 T notice, and its comparative insignificance have 

 need us to overlook or disregard the couse- 

 !nces of its ravages ? A whole limb may swarm 

 th them, every bud may conceal the place of 

 ir operations, without a suspicion of their pres- 

 !e. That a few trees should be attacked with 

 9ease, while others similarly situated escape, 

 at these few sbonld all belong to one genus, and I 

 e species of tree, to the exclusion of all others, 

 hardly to be explained by the operation of phys- 

 il causes, such as vitionsness of fluids, unfitness 

 nutriment, or atmospheric influence. Such 

 iUses may operate to produce disease in the ai:i- 

 a1 creation, but the laws of vegetable oecononiy 



:\re dilicrent. To those who urge tliat the .-iuiall- 

 ru ss of the injnry is inadoqimtc to the magnitude 

 of the ofl'ects produced, tlio following explanation 

 is Ollered. 



The vessels wliich convey the ascending sap, 

 furnishing nourishment to the (ilant, are situated 

 ill till' alburnum, and near the medulla ; the latter 

 are called the cenl'cd vessels by Mr Kniglit. Now, 

 althougli the minute insects described by Professor 

 Peck, leave tlie alburnum untouched, except at 

 their e\it, yet if the inner layer of wood and me- 

 dulla be consumed, the central vessels are of course 

 destroye<;, a considerable part of the circulation is 

 interrupted, and tho tree must consequently suf- 



kunu'ii insect enemy at. the root ; an;i a Ik etic, 

 Bi.'i'iti;sTis femurata, V. lives, in its larva state, 

 beiieiilh the bark, and in making its escape, gnaws 

 an oval perforation in the branch. The currant 

 bush suffers most from the laiva of an insect of 

 the same genus as that which attacks the peach 

 tree at its root. This larva lives in the interior 

 of the busli, feeding on the pith. It was probably 

 imported from Europe ; as it ajipears to answer 

 the description of the Aegekia t'puliformis, which 

 is known to inliabil the currant bush there. The 

 diminished size of the fruit- points out where the 

 enemy lias been at work. Even the robust oak, 

 and towering pine are annoyed by insects, and 

 for. Add to this, that the injury occurs in the yield to their attacks. Besides the numerous spc- 

 far'y part of summer, when the increasing lieat, [cics whicli are spread over its branches and ban- 



iiroducing a gr.:ator evaporation from the leaves, 

 reiiuiies a large supply of sap. 



As to the raiio medtndi, it is fortunate that all 

 coincide in the propriety of ihe remedy suggested 

 by Prof Peck. Let it howevcir be recollected that 

 the infected liinb should be amputated immediately 

 on the appearance of the disease, and nm., ittcd to 

 the fames. It is by thus destroying the insects, 

 before they have emerged from their retreats, that 

 we can hope to arrest the progress of the evil. On 

 the contrary, by neglecting this operation, we al- 



quet oil its leaves, the trunk and root of the oak 

 are perfon'teii by a very large whitish larva, be- 

 longing to tiie genus Cossus. It is said that tho 

 sapling pines of Maine have suffered greatly by 

 an insect, which proves to be the Cerambv.x vio- 

 laceus of Linne. 



But it is unnecessary to add examples, which 

 the experience of every day will furnish to your 

 readers; whose indulgence is requested for this 

 long communication from Yours, &.c. 



INDAGATOR. 



.ovv the perfect insects to escape, and thus convey ,, . ^ » , ^ c. i i, i cs j .i, . ■. ■ 



.,',., , , ' '. , J- It IS stated from Stockholm, Sweden, that it is 



to otiier limbs and other trees their eggs, and dis- 



seminate the disease which a succeeding year will 

 too plainly develop. 



The modes of attack by the Scolytus destruc- 

 tor and ScoLvrus Pyri are different, one confin- 

 ing itself to the bark and alburnum, the other tu 

 the inner W'ood and pith ; the former attacking 

 principally the trunk, and the latter the branches. 

 In our country, however, may be found examples 

 of injury similar to that of the European Scoly- 

 Tus, though, fortunately, not to so alarming an 

 extent. The cedar, Jumifbus virginianus, is 

 perforated through the bark by thousands of small 

 holes, from which have escaped littio beetles, of 

 a blackish colour, and about one tenth of an inch 

 in length. When the bark is removed the central 

 path of the female is exposed, from nhich branch, 

 on each side, numerous parallel smaller furrows, 

 containing the larvie. The insect is a Hylurgus 

 of modern writers, separated from Hylt.si.nus of 

 Fabricius. We have a large species, the habitat 

 of which is unknown ; it is described by Olivier as 

 ScOLYTVs terebrans, is of a pale cinnamon colour, 

 and seven twentieths of an inch in length. From 

 its great si. c it must be a formidable perforator. 



Examples of vegetable disease, the result of in- 

 ternal inj'iry by insects, are familiar to us. No 

 one hesitates in ;.ttributing the decay of onr plum- 

 trees to the warty e.xcresences which disfigure their 

 branches. These are produced by the Curculio 

 nenuphar of Herbst, or Ryncii^enus Cerasi of 

 Peck. The last mentioned able naturalist has de- 

 scribed one insect which is very destructive to the 

 Pi-oEiNiA Pseudacacia. or Locust; there is howev- 

 er another, which attf.cks it in great numbers, and 

 threatens entirely to destroy this fine ornamental 

 tree, unless some means can be discovered to pro- 

 tect it from attack. This insect is the Leptura 

 Robinia of Fcrster, Ci.ytxjs flexucsus of Fabrici- 

 us. Our yo.ing apple-trees are often so perforated 

 near the roots as to cause them to be broken off 

 by the winds ; the borer which produces this mis- 

 chief is of the same natural family as the last men- 

 tioned ; and is named, by Mr Melsheimer, Sap 

 erda bifasciata. The peach tree has its well 



almost impossible to form an idea of the miserable 

 situation of the agriculturists. A ton of oats costs 

 8 crowns, 32 shilings Banco. As to barley, none 

 can be got, and the scarcity of hay and straw is 

 beyond all description. People are obliged to 

 kill their cattle from a dread of not being able to 

 keep them during the winter. A number of farms 

 have been sold at auction, because the proprietors 

 were unable to pay the taxes. 



SMALL POX. 



A case t)f small pox occurred in this city last 

 week, which terminated fatally on Sunday. The 

 young lady wlio was the subject of it had been 

 keeping a school, but how the disease was com- 

 municated is not known. We are informed that 

 another case exists in York-street. 



We mention these facts as well for the purpose 

 of cautioning others as to express our astonish- 

 ment that any person in this community should 

 have arrived to years of discretion without having 

 been the subject of vaccination, the only sure re- 

 medy for this dreadful malady. The cases and fa- 

 cility of obtaining vaccination leave no ground 

 for excuse, and parents and guardians must lay to 

 themselves the neglect of an important personal 

 and public duty, and bear the charge of bringing 

 this " evil upon the city." 



We believe the poor are vaccinated free of 

 charge by all our physicians in possession of the 

 virus, and those who are able to pay, {it a very 

 trifling expense. [New Haven pap. Dec. 12.] 



The society of Friends, in the country of the^ 

 kingdom of Valentia, in Spain, has offered a pre- 

 mium of 300 reals to any one that will raise a 

 crop of 20 pounds of tea, rolled find separated, and 

 having the same qualities and flavour as that im- 

 ported from China. It is likely that the tea-plant 

 would succeed perfectly in some parts of the 

 south of France. 



If the trials for br-eaches of promise of marriage 

 continue to increase, it may be suspected that the 

 girls have entered into a conspiracy. 



