187(i.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



19 



trate evory pnrtinn of tlio surfaco, loosen thp 

 scales and kill the yoiiiii; lice, it" any slionlil 

 have been liatclied out. Shoulii warm weather 

 prevail in early spriiif;, iisoft piece of " baeon- 

 skin " (.</)/M.'(-t-.sT,'i'r (,)■() with a thiek layer of 

 fat attacheil, would answer the purpose. After 

 the oil has been on the trees for a week or ten 

 days, it iniiiht be advisiUile to syringe the trees 

 with an jilkalious solution. This in conjune- 

 tion with till! oil would form a saponaceous 

 compound, especially if succeediul by a warm 

 sun, and suljse(pient rains would wash the 

 whole ofT, and the bark-lice alont,' with it. 



Ofcour.se, it would be ditlicult, if not abso- 

 lutely impracticable, to apply this remedy to 

 large standard apple or pear trees, for on such 

 trees the lice do not infest very injuriously 

 the rou^h bark of the truidc, but thi^ smooth 

 and more tender barked branches ; and there- 

 fore, they might not be conveniently aecc.ssi- 

 l)le; hut on low, or even pretty larije dwarfs — 

 sucli for instance as could Ix! a|)proaohed by a 

 step ladder — we think it quite feasible and 

 prolitable. 



A soft paint-brush we would consider the 

 proper implement to apply it, and with this it 

 might be applied, by a little care, even after 

 thc^ buds have hursted open, l)ut we would 

 reconniiend an earlier period ; because it would 

 not benelit and might injure the young leaves 

 and tlower buds ; moreover, there are usually 

 many of these lice congregated around and on 

 the buds, as the most tender placets, and affiu'd- 

 ing them the most nourishment. But even if 

 the bark-liceare successfully removed, through 

 negU^ct tliey may appear subseiiuently again, 

 therefore, the only safety is in constant vigi- 

 lance. 



«■ 



AN OPEN WINTER. 



The present winter thus far (February 1st) 

 h.as been a rather remarkable one, but by no 

 means a unique one, even within our own re- 

 collection. It can almost be said, we have 

 had no snow. The slight snow that fell about 

 the middleof Januxrydid not lieon the ground 

 six hours, even in the open lieUls and forests, 

 and could hardly be dignified with the name 

 of a snow fall, when compared with those that 

 save character to the winters of Lancaster 

 countj' in times that have iias,sed. There were 

 a few cold days, and some ice made;, liut the 

 thickest was scarcely four inches— nothing in 

 comparison with the twenty inch ice of last 

 winter. The verj' coldest temperature was 

 eight degrees above zero, whilst last winter it 

 was fourteen below, before the first of Febru- 

 ary. The ice crop, which a few years ago was 

 generally regarded in the light of a luxury, 

 that only the few could afford to indulge in, 

 has come to be almost a necessity with a very 

 large proiwrtion of our population; and hence 

 its success or failure is a matter which creates 

 considerable anxiety, [ce cream, iced tea, 

 iced coffee, and various other iced summer 

 drinks, as well as general refrigerating pur- 

 poses, for the preservation and conveyance of 

 meats, butter, fish and fruits, are now so ex- 

 tensively used that they are passing out of the 

 category of luxuries, and taking rank as 

 necessities. 



It is on record that the winter of 177.5 and 

 177(5, the first year of our national existence, 

 was very similar to the present winter, and as 

 it then was favorable to the initiation of the 

 new era. so it is favorable now, in preparing 

 to celebrate the centemiial of that era. 



The Dandelion bloomed in .January of the 

 present year, occasional bees and wasps were 

 abroad, and every day the busy little English 

 sparrows thronged the streets of Lancaster. 

 On the asth nit., the thermomi'ter rose tot;.")^ 

 and continued at that point until nightfall; no 

 frost at all in the ground, and the roads in an 

 exceedingly muddy condition. 



The winter of ISW and 1S47 w.as very simi- 

 lar to the present one. The first day of .Janu- 

 ary, 1847, was even warmer and sunnier than 

 the 2.St1i of .January, 1S7()— bees, bugs, beetles, 

 and butterllies were abroad, and as active as 

 they usually are in Ai)ril and May. Lieut. 

 Cochran, who fell at lleseca de la Falraa, the 

 second day of the flrat battle in the Mexican 



war, was buried at Columbia with a))propnate 

 honors on that ilay; the " Jjancaster Fi'Uei- 

 bles," midcr comuiand of Capl. Uuchman, 

 forming part of the eS('ort, and the day was 

 bright and genial as any in spring. 



What effect such a winter :is the present will 

 have upon the wheat and glass crops, it is im- 

 possible yet to tell. It is^snpposed that thus 

 far they have not been injured, if they have 

 not been greatly benefited. The winter has 

 lieen characterized by copious piuielrating 

 rains, and the earth has been thoroughly .satu- 

 rated, and thus far tlu^ grain is in a growing 

 coiiilition. Long continued cold, dry \vinds, 

 with heavy freezing weather in February ancl 

 March, may be injurious. 



PECULIAR EFFECTS OF WINTER 

 HEAT. 



Although at this writing the weather is ex- 

 ceedingly (!old and stormy, (February .'!) yet 

 on the ;2Slli and 'JUth of .January, it was un- 

 usually warm, (thermometer about 70) and as 

 .a conseiiuenee the vegetable worM m.ide great 

 strides forward. The leaf and tlower buds of 

 m.iny trees were so nuich swollen that they 

 seemed ready to burst forth into livif and 

 bloom, whilst some shrnbbi'ry was still mrne 

 advanced. Branchesof tlie S/ih-ca were brought 

 to the meeting of the Linna-an Society, with 

 the leaves fully half expanded, and tli(; same 

 was reported of Libics and Hoaei^ in some city 

 localities, and the Saow-droiis pushed up 

 through tlie earth and seemed ready to jjloom; 

 while the I)nnibliiiiis in the open lields, ex- 

 panded tlH'ir golden flowers in their nsual 

 vernal profusion. The grain and grass also 

 (lut on their garb of luxuriant green. Not 

 only the vegetation, but also the insect world 

 manifested the ell'ects of tli(! unusually mild 

 temperature. IJees and wasps sallied forth on 

 their honey hunting missions, and regaled 

 themselves on sweetmeats, wherevertliey could 

 gain access to groceries and confectioneries 

 through the open doors or windows. Darkling 

 beetles — Harpnlhhv. — and (irasshoppers — 

 Licmtadce — also ventured out on the sunny 

 sides of fences, rocks and earthy mounds, 

 seemingly content with a temporary bath 

 under thi^ rays of sol. Here and there a lone- 

 ly and lialf-frightened specimen of Pieria nipiv, 

 or " White cabbage Butterlly," would juirsue 

 his solitary tiight ; Ijut this is not extraordinary 

 for this insect ; beitause last winter one was 

 captured in this city, during a short int(u-val 

 of mild weather in February, although there 

 was six inc'hes of snow on the ground at the 

 time, and many i)eoi)le were engaged in gather- 

 ing their crop of ice. 



Not a particle of frost was in the earth oti the 

 •28th and 'iDth of January, and had not been for 

 some days previous. Several species of moths 

 of the Nocluidir and 'J'urtriciibt' families were 

 abroad in theevening mi houses, gaining access 

 through the oi)en doons. One particular species 

 of the former family has the size and general 

 markings of I'rof. Ililey's A<ir<itix sraiKhus, 

 except that it is very much darker in color. 

 Indeeil, unless somebody takes ui) this t'aniily 

 as a specialty, makes a life-study of them, 

 and describes and illustrates them carefully, 

 we shall remain in the dark as to theirspecies. 

 Twenty years ago we gathered alxuit twenty- 

 live specimens of "Cut-worms," that had 

 been depredating in a "cabbage-patch. " They 

 dill'ered very much in size but more in color, 

 being from a light greenish-grey to nearly a 

 black— a greenish-black. We placed them in 

 a box with earth, and every evening gaye them 

 a quantity of cabbage plants ; and, in due 

 time developed about fifteen moths, and these 

 differed as much as the worms did, in size, 

 marking and intensity of color ; and there 

 would not have been much dilliculty in' mik- 

 ing six or eight species of them. When we 

 submitted them to the only Kntomolgists to 

 whom we had access, they did not seem to 

 know .as much about them specifically, as wi' 

 did ourselt, but the inference w;is that they 

 were all varieties of the same species. 



But this is a digre.ssion. We are writing 

 upon the efi'ect this, thus far, remarkable 



winter, will have upon the flora and entomo- 

 logical fauna of the country, for at this writing 

 (February .'t.) we have a very "cold snap." 

 We cannot desire it to continue so ciiUl in 

 order to kill off the noxious insecla, l>ucauae 

 that might also involve vegetiition. 



THE "SNOWFLAKE" AND -EUREKA' 

 POTATOES. 



Mes.srs. B. K. Bliss & .Sons having hust 

 S|)ring ofTered 8">IHI in premiums to growers of 

 the. largest (pianlity of potatoes of the varie- 

 ties known ;is " Snowtlake" and " Kiireka," 

 from one pound of .seed, the committee on 

 the first of .lanuary awaiiled tint premiums as 

 follows, tliere being six for e;ich variety, rang- 

 ing from jfKti) to SID: 



Snowki.ake: 1'. C. Wood, Esther, III., 

 1417 pounds ; ,L L. Perkins. Little Sioux, 

 Iowa, i:j()4 pounds ; Fred'k l[. Seller, \'erona, 

 K.s.sex CO., N. .L, IIJ") pounds; .J. I.Salter, 

 St. Cloud, Minn., lO'.HH pounds: Alfred Hose, 

 I'enn Van, N. V., losilj pounds ; Henry V. 

 Rose; Penn Van, N. V., KXi'.l}. 



KrttEtvA: .1. L. IVrkiu.s, Little Sioux, Iowa, 

 llidCrl |)ounds; P. C. Wood, Kslher, III., 14t):{ 

 pounds; .Vlfred llose, I'enn Van, N. Y., IM'.I 

 pounds; .Milton M. Rose, Penn Van, N. V.,114.") 

 pounds; .J. I. Salter, St. Cloud, Minn., 1()S7 

 pounds; Henry V. Rose,Penn Van,N. V.,l<J0(5i 

 pounds. 



The (•ommitlee in their report say that 

 " when two years ago your committee award- 

 eil the first prize for the largest yield of extra 

 Early Vermont potatoes from one pound of 

 seed, to Mr. Salter, of Minnesota, for the then 

 unpriiCedented yield of six hundred and seven 

 (Gl)7) pounds, many considered the eliniax of 

 productiveness reached, and not a few doubted 

 that such a (piant ity had ever been grown from 

 so small a cpiantity of sited. Vet so much has 

 the general interest and ambition stimulated 

 the cultivators of the soil, both here and in 

 Europe, that in England nearly double that 

 aniiiunt (11182 Iti.s. ) has been grown from one 

 |)ouiid, and in our own country no less a yield 

 than nearly treble that obtained then, entitles 

 now to a first premium, and nothing less than 

 a thousand from one can win even the Ipwest 

 liremium. These niirvelons results will na- 

 turally cause, with many, suspicions about the 

 correctness and truth of their statements; yet 

 no one who has carefully examined the reports 

 and atlidavits, and has read Ihe many letters 

 received from disinterested parties, all of which 

 vouch for the reliability of the successful com- 

 petitors, can doubt the veracity of their report.s. 

 We have given above the full address of every 

 successful competitor, so that any one may 

 satisfy himself al)ont the standing of these 

 gentlemen, and if any false statements should 

 have been made, we would be glad to iiacer- 

 tain the fact, that such parties may be exposed 

 and exelndetl from competing for premiums to 

 hi' offered hereafter.'" 



The soil on which >rr. Perkins produced his 

 enormous yield is described as "a mixture of 

 sand and clay, very rich in vegetable matter to 

 the depth of cuihlecn feci, anil underlying this 

 is a gravelly sub.soil. For three years the 

 ground was used :is a stock yard, the straw be- 

 ing left on the ground to rot and Ix' burned." 

 Another com|>etitor describes his soil as "black 

 loam, four feet deep, on the bank of a creek, 

 and it has Iteen used as a cattle yard for ten 

 years." Another, aa "vegetable mould and 

 sandy loam, three feet deep, never cultivated 

 before." Many describe their soil , as " deep, 

 very rich, the be.st potato soil in the State." 



The fertilizers used eompri.se nearly every 

 known manure, and the quantities applied are 

 not less enormous than the crops raised with 

 them. Mo.st growers have made compounds 

 of various materials, and .some seem to have 

 faith in complicated forniula.s, which they pre- 

 pare with the accuracy of a phy.sician's pre- 

 scription. About the value of wood ashe-s, 

 hen manure and i)lastcr, however, there seems 

 to lie no doubt, and wc find them use<l by a 

 large majority. Snlphurhas been used by many. 

 Tliis substance ihx's not enter into the compo- 

 sition of the potato, and it would be interest- 



