204 



THE GENESEE EAEMER. 



'''/,/;ii|i'> 



THE CHINCH BUG. 



Tins insect (i/ic- 

 roinit lencopterxLS,) 

 is allied to the bed- 

 bug, which it re- 

 sembles in many re- 

 spects, particularly 

 in emitting thie 

 same disagreeable 

 odor. 



It is occasionally 

 very destructive to 

 the wheat, oats, and 

 corn, in the south- 

 ern and western 

 states ; but from its 

 only appearing periodically, in dry seasons, com- 

 paratively little is yet known of it, although Mr. 

 Jat described a similar insect in 1831. 



Its depredations are mostly confined to particu- 

 lar locations, here and there extending, perhaps, 

 through three or four adjoining counties. In its 

 perfect state it is about 3-20 of an inch long, of a 

 coal black color, with snow white wing covers 

 lying very flat upon its back, and showing a black 

 margin and two black spots. Fig. 2, natural size ; 

 2a, magnified. It never appears in the form of 

 larvaj but lays its eggs in the ground in the autumn, 

 where they remain through winter until the warm 

 weather of the Juue following, when they hatch 

 in the form of a small bright red bug, without 

 wings, which gradually becomes transformed into 

 the perfect insect, which may be called a fly. The 

 cut gives so good an idea of the insect as to render 

 a full description unncessary. It commences its 

 ravages as soon as it leaves the egg, puncturing 

 the plants with its sharp, needle-like beak, and 

 sucking out the juices on which the insect subsists. 

 As it does not wound the plant by gnawing it, one 

 would not suppose it would occasion much injury ; 

 but the numbers of these insects are so great, 

 where they are found at all, that they bleed the 

 plants 80 copiously as to arrest their growth, and 

 cause them to wither and die. They prefer wheat 

 to any other herbage, and remaio upon it until 

 harvest, when they leave it and migrate to fields 

 of oats or corn, running nimbly over the ground 

 like a swarm of black ants. They continue to sub- 

 sist on the corn, appearing like a swarm of bees 

 settled on the cornstalks, so thickly do they cover 

 them, and the corn in its turn is depleted and des- 

 troyed. As soon as the cold weather appears 

 they suddwily disappear. They seem like their 

 congener, the bed bug, to have a particular dislike 



to moisture, as they never appeal- in wet seasona, 

 and a sudden shower, or long continued rain, will 

 often be effectual in stopping their ravages for the 

 season. So sudden, however, is their appearance, 

 and so rapid the destructive progress of tlies( 

 insects, that no eflfectual remedy appears to hav( 

 been yet discovered for getting rid of them. 



LINSEED-CAKE IN ENGLAND, 



The last number of the Journal of the Eoya^ 

 Agricultural Society contains an article on Linseed 

 Cake as Food for Cattle and Sheep, from which i 

 appears that the article is adulterated to a grea 

 extent, not only in this country, but also in England 

 The linseed itself, too, is largely mixed with infe 

 rior seeds, such as wild mustard, rye-grase, dodda 

 ( Ouscuta epilinum), willow-weed, and millet. 



The linseed-cake from the United States is sai 

 to be " faultless to the eye, thin, tender, flaky, an 

 finds a ready sale in this country [England] at tb 

 highest market price of the day." But it is sai 

 to be adulterated with Iran. 



The use of linseed-cake has been steadily ii 

 creasing in England for the last seventeen year 

 In 1841, there were 2,907,688 bushels of linset 

 imported into England; and in 1857, 8,800,0{ 

 bushels. The latter would make 137,500 tons ( 

 linseed-cake, worth $50 per ton. In addition 1 

 this there were imported, in 1857, 100,000 tons ( 

 cake, making the total value of linseed cake co 

 sumed in England in 1857, about ten milliom i 



dolUrs ($10,000,000) ! 



■ I ■ 



Tying tjp Cattle. — A friend sends us a comm 

 nication, strongly condemning the practice of tyii 

 up cattle. We agree with him in the mai 

 Young stock and store cattle should not be co 

 stantly confined. Open sheds and a yard to roa 

 in are better than close barns and stables. If ti' 

 up during the night, in cold weather, they shon 

 be turned into a sheltered yard during the ds 

 Exercise is essential to their healthy growl 



With fatting animals the case may be different. 



■ ■■ 



IIovEX IN Cattle. — A Vermont corresponde 

 says it is better to prevent hoven by being cautio 

 not to turn animals into rank pasturage witho 

 salting them, or from a dry pasture into succult 

 clover, especially while the dew is on. To cu 

 he says, fast the animal, and drench with one qui 

 of a decoction of thoroughwort. If attended w 

 fever, injections and backraking may be necessa; 

 Afterwards, give a few raw potatoes well salt 

 with good hay or cornstalks. 



