222 



THE GENESEE FARMER 



July 16, 1831 



Fiom tho New-Enslani Farmer, 



AMERICAN TURNIP BUTTERFLY. 



In Europe there are several species of 

 butterfly, appropriated to the cruciferous or 

 oleraceous plants, such as the cabbage, cau- 

 liflower, rape, turnip, mustard, fee, whence 

 they are called brasskaires* by the French. 

 Their caterpillars feed upon the leaves of 

 these vegetables, and sometimes do consider- 

 able injury to them. The prevailing colour 

 of the butterflies is white, and that of the j 

 caterpillars green. 



Several years since I obtained, in North- 

 ampton, a white butterfly, which appeared 

 to be allied to the European insects above 

 mentioned. Poet. Charles Pickering dis- 

 covered one, prreviously, near the White 

 Mountains, New Hampshire; and a chrysa- 

 lis was brought to me, by a friend, from 

 Keene, in the same state, in the winter of 

 1827. I have since received, through the! 

 attentions of the Rev. L. W. Leonard, sev- 

 eral of the chrysalids and eggs, and some 

 interesting observations on the economy of 

 the caterpillars, which are found abundant- 

 ly on the turnip, cabbage, and radish, in the 

 vicinity of the Monadnoc mountains, N. II. 

 and in the northern part of Worcester coun- 

 ty, Massachusetts. Having been so fortu- 

 nate as to raise the perfect insect from the 

 egg, I am now enabled to furnish a history 

 of this species, which threatens to become 

 injurious to the cultivator. 



There are two broods in a season. About 

 the last of May and the beginning of June 

 the white butterfly is seen fluttering over the 

 plantations of cabbages, and the turnip, and 

 radish beds, but " seems to prefer the tur- 

 nip leaf for the place of depositing her eggs. 

 She alights upon the upper side of the edge 

 of the leaf, bends her abdomen, and fastens 

 the egg, on its end, under it. The eggs are 

 not laid near each other, and but seldom 

 more than three or four under the same 

 leaf."f The egg is nearly pear-shaped, lon- 

 gitudinally ribbed, and about bne-lifteenth 

 of an inch in length. " Eggs kept in the 

 house were hatched in seven days, a some- 

 what longer time was necessary for those 

 hatched in the open air." The caterpillars 1 

 or larva;, which I reared from eggs hatched 1 

 on the 27th of May, arrived at their full size 

 in 21 days, when they were one inch and a 

 quarter in length. Being of a pale green 

 color they were not readily distinguished; 

 from tho ribs of the leaves, beneath which 

 they reside. They do not devour the leaf; 

 at its edge, but commence, indiscriminately, 

 upon any part of its inferior surface,through 

 which they eat irregular holes. On the 17th 

 of June, one of my caterpillars ceased eat- 

 ing, and spun, from its mouth, a little web 

 of silk on the glass under which it was con- 

 fined ; in this web it attached the minute 

 claws which arm the pair of feet at its hin- 

 der extremity ; then bent the head on one 

 .side, and fixed, on the glass nearly under 

 the middle of the body, a silken filament, 

 which it carried across the back and secured 

 on the other side : this operation was repea- 

 ted till a thread of sufficient thickness was 

 produced to form a loop in which the ante- 

 rior part of the body was suspended. On 

 the next day the skin, near the head, was 

 rent, by the exertions of the caterpillar, and 

 was gradually cast off, leaving (he chrysalis 



or pupa sustained by its tail and the trans- 

 verse loop. In eleven days, on the 29th of 

 June, the butterfly burst its pupa case, and 

 extricated itself. The wings are white, a 

 little dusky at base, and the posterior ones 

 have dusky veins beneath. The butterflies 

 disclosed in summer " deposit their eggs 

 from the middle to the end of August." — 

 The pupa; of this second brood survive the 

 winter, and do not produce butterflies till the 

 ensuing spring. Mr. Leonard informed me 

 that the pupae are found under rails, the ed- 

 ges of stones, and in other sheltered situa- 

 tions in gardens and fields ; and suggests 

 that it would be well to leave, in the places 

 infested by the caterpillars, hoards a little 

 elevated from the ground, which offer a 

 tempting shelter for the pupae, and tender it 

 easy for the farmer to obtain and destroy 

 them. 



Mr. Leonard noticed the white butterfly 

 in all the towns in the vicinity of the Mo- 

 nadnoc Mountains, and also in Ashby, Fitch- 

 burg, Athol, Winchendon, Templeton, and 

 Petersham, Mass. That it may, eventually, 

 extend itself still further is to be apprehen- 

 ded, unless means are used to check its in- 

 crease. It was in May, 182C, that I found 

 a solitary one in Northampton, but I have 

 not heard whether it lias become common in 

 Hampshire county. T. W. HARRIS. 



Milton, Mass. June SO, 1829. 



• From BrastUa, the gcuoric name of tho cabbage 

 'uruip. rape, Sic. 



t Tho observations, within inverted rairaii, wort com- 

 municated by Mr. Leonard. 



ESSAY ON MANURES, 



Presented to the Cheshire, N. H. Agricultu- 

 ral Society, in 182M, by Luke Howei 

 Esq., for which a premium was aicarded by 

 said Society. 



The increasing attention to agriculture, 

 aided by late chemical discoveries has exci- 

 ted that interest in the subject, which its im- 

 portance merits. It is indeed singular, that 

 it should have been left to the present age 

 to make some of the greatest improvements 

 in the first occupation of man, the cultiva- 

 tion of the soil. This fact is an evidence, 

 of the favorable influence of science on 

 practical husbandry. 



Had Virgil united with his powers of po- 

 etry a knowledge of chemistry, his Georgics 

 would not only have kindled in his country- 

 men a love of agriculture, but have intro- 

 duced that train of correct information on 

 the subject, which would have continued to 

 progress, while science itself slumbered. It 

 would not then perhaps, have been said, that 

 at the expiration of the 18th century, agri- 

 culture was in no higher Mate of improve- 

 ment, than during the days of Virgil and 

 Cincinnatus. 



Every farmer should have, at least some 

 genera] principles, to govern him in the cul- 

 tivation of his farm. Mere matter of fact 

 knowledge, though very useful, is too limited 

 for the various circumstances and changes 

 of husbandry. He need not have a minute 

 knowledge of chemistry, but should possess 

 that general information of those principles 

 which have a near relation to all his opera- 

 tions. 



The main points of inquiry in the art of 

 agriculture, are how to give fertility to weak 

 and sterile soils, and to renovate such as are 

 worn out by frequent cropping, with the least 

 expense. These objects are, principally, 

 effected by the due application of animal 

 and vegetable substances, in the state of de- 

 composition ; and of those articles, which 

 promote this state in these materials in the 

 soil, and are themselves Convertible into ve- 



getable nutriment. Whatever is productive 

 of these effects, may correctly be called ma- 

 nure ; and in proportion, as these material* 

 abound, to a certain degree, is the fertility 

 of the soil. 



It has been discovered, that, such being 

 the vegetable economy, plants are incapable 

 of absorbing solid substances, however mi- 

 nutely divided. This fact alone would con- 

 fute the theory of Tull and others of his 

 day, that earthy matter is the true vegetable 

 nutriment ; and that manure is only useful 

 in mechanically pulverizing the soil. To 

 produce this necessary state of solution ol 

 animal and vegetable substances, is the 

 principal use of fermentation. 



As the earth unmixed with these ingredi- 

 ents is perfectly sterile, it is a wise provision 

 of the Author of Nature, that the vegetable 

 growth of one year may become vegetable 

 food for the succeeding. But the products 

 of cultivated land, are removed for the sus- 

 tenance of man and animals. It, therefore, 

 depends on the good management of the far 

 mer, whether he restores a sufficient substi 

 tute for what he has taken from his farm, to 

 continue its fertility. 



Every farmer docs not correctly appreci 

 ate the influence, which a proper manage 

 ment and application of manure have on 

 his crops. Hence arise inconsistencies, and 

 a want of system in his husbandry. He fen- 

 ces in his fiehls,*and carefully secures his 

 crops; but while his cattle are consuming 

 them in the winter, they are permitted to 

 drop their dung in the road, and by the side 

 of streams, to be washed from his farm. — 

 Like a severe task master he makes the sarin 

 exactions of his fields, without supplying 

 them with the means of performing their an- 

 nual task. 



The farm yard is the greatest source ol 

 manure. On its situation and constiuction 

 will depend considerably the quantity, which 

 will hemadt and preserved. These objects 

 require, that the yard should not be too ex- 

 tensive, be raised at the borders, and have ;> 

 good and firm bottom. A learned and ven 

 erable writer, in the N. II. Patriot, over tin 

 signature of " Cincinnatus," and the first 

 number of the N. H. Agricultural Reposito- 

 ry have both given very particular and jndi 

 cious directions, for the construction of barn 

 yards ; which ought to be observed by even 

 farmer.* After these precautions.there will 

 be at times overllo»ings which will carry 

 from the yard a portion of the most nutri 

 tious manure. This would require, that 

 these overflowings be received by land, which 

 may be benefitted thereby. But if circum- 

 stances will not permit this, an excavation or 

 a cistern, might be made, at the lowest part, 

 either just without or within the yard. 



Sir John Sinclair says " the more opulent 

 Flemish ) farmers pave, or line with bricks.the 

 receptacles of their dung, which is kept con- 

 stantly plunged in liquid matter. The li 

 brous parts of vegetables are, in this man- 

 ner, completely decomposed, and four tons 

 of such manure will go as far as five collec- 

 ted and kept with less precaution. As most 

 farmers will not be at the expense of lining 

 these receptacles, they should furnish them 

 abundantly with absorbing putrescent ma- 

 terials ; or carry out the liquid matter in 

 casks, or hogsheads soon after it is collect- 



* Wo have iiotsc.eij (hose directions. We do not dotib' 

 however, of their utility. The directions given by J. 

 Buel, Esq. of Albany, published iti the New England 

 Parmer, vol. iv-page-IOU nppear to ns to be tho bc.^f lol 

 American farmers, which wo havo seen.— Kit. 



