1888 



gleakiNgs in B£E culture. 



643 



without any transplanting, as it were ; and 

 while there is no check in its growth, the 

 plants that had all or nearly all the dirt 

 shaken from their roots, often catch up and 

 go ahead. Let us use all the wisdom that 

 good father Langstroth used wlien he wrote 

 that passage in his book. Especially let us 

 remember the danger of being deceived our- 

 selves under the influence of a new burst of 

 enthusiasm. But at the same time, dear 

 friends, do not let us lose sight of the value 

 of entliusi;ism. It is one of God's great 

 gifts, liut we must use it with moderation 

 and discretion. 



THE SNOUT-BEETLE, ETC. 



SPRAYING FRUIT-TREES WITH I.ONDON PURPLE. 



fROF. COOK;— I send you by this mail a bug- oi 

 beetle which we found on the alighting'-board 

 of a hive. When we saw it first the bees had 

 formed a ball around it, and after a few min- 

 utes they rolled it off the board and left it. 

 We brought it to the house and it soon died. Will 

 you please tell us what it is, and whether it is a bee- 

 killer? E. PlERSON. 

 Kellerville, III., July 12,1888. 



Prof. Cook says :— 



The above beetle is one of the weevils, or snout- 

 beetles. It is the New York weevil, or Ithycei-us 

 noveboracensis. It is one of our largest weevils, be- 

 ing more than three-fourths of an inch long. It is 

 gray, dotted with black. It often cuts otf the ten- 

 der twigs of our fruit-trees, and so does much harm. 

 The grub, or larva, works as a borer in oak and oth- 

 er trees. It probably has a "sugar tooth," and so, 

 in an evil moment, was tempted into the hive. The 

 result is pointed out by Mr. P. That it injures bees 

 is not true. The finding of it about a hive is wholly 

 accidental. The name Ithycenis means straight 

 horn, referring to the straight, not elbowed, antennie 

 of this beetle. The other name means New York. 



Agricultural College, Mich. A. J. Cook. 



Prof. Cook:— I mail you this day an insect that is 

 Strange to me. It was found here after a protract- 

 ed southern wind, clinging to a twig, and it is 

 thought by some to have been carried here from 

 the South by the strong wind. E. W. Pitzer. 



Hillsdale, Iowa, July 11, 1888. 



Prof. Cook says:— 



The very large lace-wing mentioned above is the 

 hellgromite (Corydalis eornuhis). It is our largest 

 lacc-wing, and abundant all through the North. It 

 is even larger than our largest dragon-flies, and has 

 its Jaws immensely prolonged into two great horn- 

 like organs. Like the dragon-flies it lays its eggs in 

 water, where the larya- live and feed. The insect 

 does no harm, bvit is very excellent for study to 

 find out about the internal organs of insects. We 

 find it easy in our streams to catch the larva' in 

 early spring for this purpose. A. J. Cook. 



Agricultural College, Mich. 



Prof. Cook:—1 send you by to-day's mail two bugs, 

 or insects. They are on the grapevines in great 

 numbers, and will soon strip off all the leaves if let 

 alone. Mrs. A. F. Proper. 



Portland, Ind. 



Prof. Cook replies:— 



The above beetles are about the size of the June 



beetle. They are yellowish brown, with three black 

 dots on each wing-cover, and one on each side of 

 the thorax. Their legs, and under side of body, are 

 dark metallic green. These beetles are verj- de- 

 structive to the grapes when very numerous. 

 London purple would kill them, and would be safe 

 to use so early in the season. Strength, one pound 

 to one hundred gallons of water. A. J. Cook. 



Agricultural College, Mich. 



Friend Cook, may I venture a caution in 

 regard to using one pound of London pui pie 

 to 100 gallons of waterV We used just tliis 

 solutiofi on our trees, and it burned the foli- 

 age from H good many of them. One pear- 

 tree, in fact, it stripped of almost fill its 

 foliage. We thought it was blighted, but 

 it afterward leaved out. Our peach-tiees 

 dropped their foliage and their fruit, and 

 the apple-trees dropped a great pait of their 

 fruit; but as, in the case of the apples, it 

 was not until some time afterward, we may 

 be mistaken about the Loudon purple being 

 tbe cause of it. A neighboi- of ours had the 

 same success that we did. It answered 

 splendidly, however, in banishing wormy 

 fruit. Just yesterday I bought a lot of beau- 

 tiful pears of him, and there was not a 

 wormy one in the whole lot. They are 

 round, perfect, and smooth. We have de- 

 cided on half a pound of London purj)le to 

 100 gallons of water, and I think it will do 

 the business. 



BROOD COMBS -SOME PRACTICAL 

 POINTS BY DR. C. C. MILLER. 



HOW MANY CELLS TO THE INCH? HOW THICK ARE 



THEY? HOW LONG DOES IT PAY TO KEEP 



THEM? ETC. 



0N page 898, friend Itoot, you straighten me up 

 as to the size of worker-cells, for which T am 

 obliged. 1 had Cheshire's book and the 

 ABC for authority. Let me, then, amend 

 the figures, counting 24 cells to 5 inches. At 

 that rate there are 36.6 cells to the square inch, so 

 that it will be nearer the truth to say there are 27 

 cells to the square Inch than to call it 35. In order 

 to make foundation which should contain 35 cells 

 to the square inch, we must have 4.65 cells to the 

 inch, or cells of such size that SS'i cells, side by 

 side, shall measure 5 inches. These are not mat- 

 ters of the greatest importance, but we may as 

 well have them nearly correct. 



THICKNESS OF WORKER-COMB. 



How thick is it? I have been very unfortunate 

 in my search, or else the books are very silent up- 

 on this point. Dzierzon, in his book, calls it about 

 an inch in thickness, and Prof. Cook, in his ManU' 

 al, says, "The depth of the worker-cells is a little 

 less than half an inch." I think in general it is 

 considered about '« of an inch. I measured an 

 empty comb, in which probably not more than two 

 or three generations of brood had been raised, and 

 it measured just Ja of an inch, as nearly as I could 

 tell with a common rule. Then I measured one, 

 black with many years' service, and it measured a 

 full inch in thickness. In the first case the divi- 

 sion wall was a very thin affair; but in the old comb 

 it was an eighth of an inch in thickness, the ad- 

 ditional thickness being made up of successive 

 layers left by the many generations of brood. 

 This difference in thickness, along with some other 



