FARMERS' REGISTER— APHIS LANATA— IMPORTANT TO CROWS. 663 



quite sweet until March, by covering about fifteen 

 bushels tog;ether, and tlien opening the heaps only 

 as they were used." 



APHIS LANATA. 



From the Genesee Farmer. 

 Of all the numerous species of Aphis, perhaps 

 that called in England " the American Blight," is 

 the most to be dreaded. Through the carelessness 

 of British nurserymen, it has been sent on young 

 trees over to New Holland ; and, from the same 

 cause and quarter, it has arrived on our own 

 shores. Our orchardists cannot be too much on 

 the alert against this pest; and to show them the 

 danger that threatens, we present our author's de- 

 scription of this insect. 



[^From the Journal of a Naluralist.'\ 



" Our apple trees here are greatly injured, and 

 some annually destroyed by the agency of what 

 seems to be a very feeble insect. We call it, from 

 habit or from some unassigned cause, " the Ame- 

 rican Blight," {Aphis laiiata;') this noxious crea- 

 ture being known in some orchards by the more 

 significant name of" white blight." In the spring 

 of the year a slight hoariness is observed upon the 

 branches of certain species of our orchards. As 

 the season advances, this hoariness increases, it 

 becomes cottony, and toward the middle or end of 

 summer, the under sides of some of the branches 

 are invested with a thick downy substance, so 

 long as at times to be sensibly agitated by the air. 

 Upon examining this substance, we find that it 

 conceals a multitude of small wingless creatures, 

 which are busily employed in preying upon the 

 limb of the tree beneath. This they are well ena- 

 bled to do, by means of a beak terminating in a 

 fine bristle: this being insinuated through the 

 bark, and the sappy part of the wood, enables the 

 creature to extract as with a syringe, the sweet 

 vital liquor that circulates in the plant. This ter- 

 minating bristle is not observed in every indivi- 

 dual : in those that possess it, it is of different 

 lengths ; and is usually when not in use, so close- 

 ly concealed under the breast of the animal, as to 

 be invisible. The alburnum or sap wood being 

 thus wounded, rises up in. excrescences and nodes 

 all over the branch, and deforms it ; the limb de- 

 prived of its nutriment, grows sickly ; the leaves 

 turn yellow, and the part perishes. Branch after 

 branch is thus assailed until they all become leaf- 

 less, and the tree dies. 



" This insect is viviparous, or produces its 

 young alive, forming a cradle for them by dis- 

 charging from the extremities of its body, a quan- 

 tity of long cottony matter, which becoming in- 

 terwoven and entangled, prevents the young from 

 falling to the earth, and completely envelopes the 

 parent and offspring. This lanuginous vestiture 

 seems to serve likewise as a vehicle for dispersing 

 the animal. The winds wafting about small tufts 

 of this downy matter, convey the creature with it 

 from tree to tree throughout the whole orchard. 

 In the autumn, when this substance is generally 

 long, the winds and rains of the season effectually 

 disperse these insects, and we observe them en- 

 deavoring to secrete themselves in the crannies of 

 any neighboring substance. 



"The first visit of this Aphis to us, is by no 

 means clear. The epithet of American Blight, 



may be correctly applied : but we have no suffi- 

 cient authority to conclude that we derived this 

 pest from that country. Normandy and the Ne- 

 therlands too, have each been supj)0scd to have 

 conferred this evil upon us ; but it bids fair to de- 

 stroy in progression, most of the oldest and long 

 esteemed fruit from our orchards. 



"I have very successfully removed this blight 

 from young trees, and from recently attacked 

 places in those more advanced, by an easy applica- 

 cation : Melt three ounces of rosin in an earthen 

 pipkin, take it from the fire, and pour into it three 

 ounces of fish oil; the ingredients perfectly unite, 

 and when cold, acquire the consistence of honey. 

 A slightdegree of heat will liquify it ; and in this 

 state paint over every node or infected part in the 

 tree, using a common painter's brush. This I 

 prefer doing in the spring, or as soon as the hoari- 

 ness appears. The substance soon hardens and 

 forms a varnish which prevents any escape, and 

 stifles the individuals." 



IMPORTAIVT TO CROAVS. 



The Salem Register publishes the following 

 sketch of a debate in the Legislature on the bill 

 for allowing 25 cents for every full grown crow, 

 and 12;7 cents for every j'oung crow, (" children 

 half {)rice,") which may be killed in the state. 



The members took occasion to indulge in a lit- 

 tle pleasantry on this subject. 



Mr. Ruggles, of Troy, spoke in defence of the 

 character of the crow. They are the natural sca- 

 vengers of our farms — they destroy the enemies 

 of our corn fields, and do much more good than 

 harm. He was always glad to see them. He was 

 himself a farmer, and raised 300 bushels of corn a 

 year. He always prevented any one from killing 

 the crows, and frequently scattered half a bushel 

 of corn about to feed them. He should be as wil- 

 ling to pay for their services as for any of the la- 

 borers upon his farm. He moved to strike out the 

 enacting clause of the bill. 



i\Ir. Greenwood of Hubbardston, (chairman of 

 the committee which reported the bill,) defended 

 its provisions, and spoke in a disrespectful manner 

 of the character of the crow. Every farmer, he 

 said, knows they are great depredators, and some 

 are injured to the amount of thirty or forty dollars 

 a year. He thought something should be done to 

 encourage their destruction. 



Mr. Forward, of Belcherfovvn, thought there 

 were other birds and animals as bad as crows, and 

 ought to be destroyed just as much. There was 

 the Chewink and Chipmuck — they too visit our 

 corn fields. But he would ask any liberal minded 

 man if he would grudge a kernel of corn to a poor 

 chipmuck, when he sees him sitting hour after 

 hour, with tears in his eyes, longing for something 

 to eat.' If any gentleman raises so much corn as 

 to lose forty dollars worth a year by the crows, he 

 can afford to hire a man, and find him powder and 

 shot to protect it. If the crows are killed, twice 

 the number would come to bury the dead. 



An old farmer in the gallery said he at first 

 thought this a small subject to legislate upon, but 

 he was now in favor of doing something against 

 the crows. He has known tliem to pluck out the 

 eyes of little lambs! Would gentlemen let an 

 animal that would do such a deed, go with impuni- 

 ty ? As to Chipmucks, they could not fly, and 



