I87r..j 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



85 



should lie rciiiovfil iiiid Imriit, if any slii'^x are 

 found upon it. IJnt when only |);iitially de- 

 stroyed the Iciifniay 111' siivid liy the iisiorilu^ 

 forc'eps, or the tluuul) and lin-jer. Aplji<ls may 

 be dislodj^ted and destroyed by directiii'^ a rapid 

 steam of soap-suds, tohacco water, or simply 

 hydrant water at;ainsl tliem, through the uu/,- 

 zle, otaganh'USyrin;;!'. Indeed, a heavy si lower 

 of rain often \v;islies down and (h'stroys thous- 

 ands of tluMn. They are very delieide little 

 creatures, and may also Ik^ easily eruslieil or 

 removed hy the thnmh ami liie^er. The best 

 renu'dy, therefore, in plants so accessible as 

 rose-bushes, is active and jxiseverin;; liand- 

 piekinjj, wlietlierdone by adults, "small boys," 

 or small girls. — Kl>. 



LATE-KEEPING FRUITS. 



Tlie disposition now so RcniTally manifested 

 for the production of very early fruits is com- 

 mendable so far as it extends to the extension 

 of the season, but when we takt- into account 

 the very perishable character of these, it hc- 

 conies a matter worthy of consideration 

 whether our efforts nufllit not be more protit- 

 ably applieil to the prochwtiou of Ihosi' which 

 shall prolonjT the season of fruits into tlu^ late 

 fall and winter months; for, as populati<in in- 

 creases and civilization advances, so will these 

 fruits be considered as among the necessities 

 of food for all who have the means to jiur- 

 chase then\. The demand for late fruits for 

 exportation has now become general, and 

 large <iuantities are sent not only to England, 

 but in our i<-e-sliips to warmer climes, where 

 they are more aiul more (h'manded for con- 

 stant use. In view of these facts it becomes 

 a matter of importance to increase the number 

 of choice late-keeping fruits, not oidy for our 

 own market, but for foreign demands. 



Heretofore there has seemed a want of 

 taste in the community for late ]iears, shown 

 by the sudden falling otf in the (U'inand for 

 this fruit immediately on the setting in of 

 cold weather, but it is my belief that a taste 

 for them will grow — indeed, is already grow- 

 ing up. Most of the very late varieties of 

 pears which we now possess are of mediimi 

 quality, and we think ourselves forttmate if 

 we can ripen them to even a half-melting tex- 

 ture, and it should be our aim in the improve- 

 ment of this fruit to produce varieties as tine 

 in quality and texture as the autumn kinds, 

 and possessing the property of keeping through 

 the winter without tlie aid of special appli- 

 ances. The want of ta.ste for winter pears is 

 owing, to a great extent, to the want of 

 knowledge by the imblic generally of the ex- 

 istence of fine varieties ripening in the season 

 of the Beurre d'Aujow, Lawrence, Winter- 

 Nelis, and Dana's Honey. 



There is little fear of overstocking the mar- 

 ket with very choice late-keeping apples or 

 liears; for just in proportion a-s the refine- 

 ments of life and cultivated taste are appre- 

 ciated, so will these bounties of nature Im- 

 corae, as in the beginning, first among the 

 charms of Eden, first among the luxuries of 

 life. I am happy to say thai the bcipu'st to 

 this society, which I have already mentioned, 

 ha.s distinct reference to the iiroduction of 

 late varieties of fruit. — Mar.'thall 1'. Wilder, 

 September, 1875. 



We have long since entertained the view 

 that the taste for certain fruits, vegetaliles, 

 and even meats of various kinds, are mori' or 

 less the results of cultivation, and that aver- 

 sions towards certain thingsare little else than 

 prejudices. What a strong and almost uni- 

 versal prejiKliee existed against tomatoes some 

 thirty-five or forty years ago ; and yet, at the 

 present day, there is not a more [lopular and 

 universally u.sed fruit or vegetable cultivated 

 in our entire country, nor one tliat contributes 

 more to our domestic market. The •■aiming, 

 and otherwise preparing or preserving of to- 

 matoes, constitutes an inunense item in om- 

 list of culinary preparations. We never shall 

 forget with what suspicion we reganli'd the 

 first dish of stewed tomatoes we ever saw, ami 

 with what reluctance we jiartook of them. 

 Under any other circumstances we probably 

 would have rejected the dish as so much poi- 



Dr.J. C.B., Litiz, Pa.— Your "Bug," sent 

 to us June! Oth, is the same as the one above 

 des<!ribed. You would not recognize it now ; 

 it is dead, and has lost all its gilded brilliancy. 



(I B., LanraMer Clt;/.— The long, white, 

 thread-like worm, whicli you found in your 

 garden soil, and which persisted in twisting 

 itself up into a very complicated knot, belongs 

 to the family of "Hair-worms," of whic-h 

 there are a great many siieeies belonging to the 

 genera (junliiis yHlnrid, itc. , &e. Doubtless 

 the shortest way to open the "(Jordian knot," 

 into which these animals tie tlu'mselve.s, would 

 lie to adopt the Alexandrian system and cut 

 them through. 



son. It W;us the .same, in our boyhood, in re- 

 gard to turtles and frogs. They were abun- 

 dant everywhere, and Wcri' almost imivei-sidly 

 loathed. .Vt length a " Kicncliy " citizen, 

 with a taste cultivated in that direction else- 

 whirc, offered a pittance for these reptiles, 

 and soon had plenty of them. But he did not 

 remain long the "monarch of all he sur- 

 veyed." I'eople began to forego their preju- 

 dices, ami i-ultivati' an opposite ta.ste. and 

 tintles and frogs subsecpiently became almost 

 extinct in that locality. ( >t' com-st! a tiustir 

 that is capable of an u}inTn(l eidtivation, may 

 also be cultivated iloinnnint. 



ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



./. 3/. jV,. Oreij'in, Lunr, m., /'((.- The beau- 

 tiful golden, tortoise-shaped U'ctle which vou 

 sent us on the 'Jlitli of .May last, was a speci- 

 men of the "Sweet-potato Tortoise Heetli'" — 

 ('(i.isiiln {rojiliici/rld) (/Kcii'/ift'cm —belonging to 

 the gre.vt tainily < 'liri/fmiKtHilf, and the suJ>- 

 family (/'.\ssii>in.1'.. In thi' State of New .h'r.sey 

 these beetles are so nunn'rous sometimes, as 

 to very seriously damage the sweet-potato crop j 

 of eiitiri' districts. It, however, does not con- 

 llni' itself to the sweet-])otato vines, but it also 

 fee<ls on the leaves of the "morning glory" 

 and other siiecies of convolvitlous plants. On 

 one occasion, on our own premises, they were 

 particularly destruirtive to the foliage of a 

 thrifty " medairy vine ; " but we have never 

 known them to be eitlier very dcslruelive or 

 very numerous in Lancaster county. The 

 beetle seems to have the power to in<-rease the 

 brilliancy oi its golden lustre, todimiiiish it or 

 to withhold it altogether ; and after it diis it 

 vanishes quite, and then its color is aconnnon 

 yellowish drab. Tlu^ hirvf are small, oval, 

 tlattish, black, hairy caterpillai-s, which cast 

 their (excretions on the back of the hind end 

 of tliinr bodies. Both U\i' mature beetles and 

 the larv;e feed on the aforenamed (ilaids, and 

 they undergo their iiupal and final tiansforma- 

 tions there. Paris green, white helebore, to- 

 bacco decoctions, ami sapona<'eous or earbolii! 

 solutions will destroy them ; but when easily 

 accessible and not very numerous, they may 

 Ije destroyed by careful hand picking. 



When distinbed, in wartn weather, they 

 very rapidly disappear by a precipitate flight. 

 The species are ninnerous and somie of the 

 South American varieties are very beautiful 

 and brilliant in their colors, and they are often 

 set in breastpins, shirt studs, rings and ear- 

 drops, especially in Brazil — indeed there is at 

 this time on exhibition in the "Main Hall" 

 of the Centennial Exposition, at I'hiladelphia, 

 a collection of most magnificent jewelry and 

 other ornaments, set with beautiful specimens 

 of Brazili.in beetles, only eipialeil in beauty 

 and ingenious execution by the " Feather 

 Flowers" of that interesting anil prolific 

 country. This, of course, attaches a connner- 

 cial value to said beetles; and if our country- 

 men could succeed in utilizing our insects and 

 securing a money value tor them, such is our 

 national love of inoney, that we possibly might 

 bectmic engaged in their culture, their increa.sie 

 and their improveUK^nt, instead of anxieties 

 to find ways and means to exterminate them. 



and which seemed to liave jnst emerged from 

 an old decayed apple trunk, on the 2l>th of 

 May, is a species of ll'inihiiliit-i, or nearly 

 allied to it : but we have no work on Dep- 

 terolo;,'y, and thi'refmf are unable to locate it 

 specifically at tin', present time. The larvn or 

 maggot of it is parasitic; on other insect lan'as. 



,T. S.,Litiiraxter, 7'a.— The moderately large 

 two-winged My, with the yellow, hairy thorax 

 and the black, les- hairy abdomen, which you 

 captured, witli the pupa .shell adhering to it, 



A. li. — Your white butterlly is Pirri.i riiinr., 

 the gri'at cabbage enemy. We noticed htni- 

 dreds of them a few days ago along the rail- 

 roiul near the "(iap." Look out for them. 



A PAIR OF TEXAS TRAVELERS. 



Two "Horned Frogs" Visit Lancaster They 

 Make an i,8x> Mile Trip by Rail. 



The following artii-le intr<Kluces a pair of 

 distiii'.iuishi'd strangers, the di'scriptinii of 

 which will lie reacl with interest by a large cir- 

 cle of our rciiders. 



Horned Flags. 



We received by mail two living specimi-nsof 

 that singular n-ptile known in Tev.ts, and 

 other places wliere it exists, hy the <'ommon 

 F.nglish cigMomeii of " horneil frog;" but 

 smely they look m ire like OnuLt than frixjii, 

 and not imii-li like either. Tlie.se were mailed 

 to us by II. \. Ilathvon, manager U. S. mili- 

 tary tidegraph at Fort (irillin, Shackelford 

 county, Texas, ami caim; safely through— a 

 distance of l,S(l()miles -in nine days, arriving 

 "sound of wind and limb," and as lively an 

 kitttms. 



In jMiint of /art, however, these animals are 

 neither toads nor frogs; but it is Very doubt- 

 ful whether they will ever Ik; released from 

 their false christening, until the world beeome.'j 

 very nuK'h wi.si^r on the subject of natural his- 

 tory anil its scientific el,-i.ssilication than it is 

 now. Their misnomer has bi-en .so long and 

 SI) persist4'ntly insisted on, that popular au- 

 thors of natural history recognize them under 

 the common nameiif •• Horned To:ids." Those 

 received are i\w I'hniivisnimi coniiita of (iniy. 

 They are true .Saurians or " lizards," and l)e- 

 long to the family Iguanida', which includes 

 several genera and many species, some of 

 which are very large, and a large South ,\meri- 

 <-an species — tiiKandlHhirruUitn — lives on trees, 

 and the tle.sh is e.steeined excellent food, 'i'he 

 si>ecies, liow(ever, which is the siibji^ct of this 

 paper, is said never to climb trees, but n\oves 

 with rapidity upon the ground, unli'Ssit is be- 

 numbed by cold, anil is somewhat sluggish in 

 conliiKunent. 



Toads and frogs, on the contrary, are ISntra- 

 r/uVdi.'i or " amphibians, " and are cut irely desti- 

 tute of .scales, and, in most cases, lay their 

 nnineroiis eggs in water or in damp iihu'cs. 

 Some Batrachians also have tails like lizanls, 

 but their skin, for the mo.st part, is moist and 

 slimy, and entirely without scales or spines. 

 In toads and some tailed species, Iho skin is 

 dry, but never scaly. 



The Saurians, on the other hand, aredistin- 

 giiished liv having scaly skins, sometiniej* 

 spilled or tubercular, but never slimy. The 

 mouth is usually large and armed with teeth, 

 an<l their feet are generally furnished with 

 nails. They also generally lay their eggs in 

 sand or dry earth, cover them over, ami let 

 iheni hatcii by the heat of the sun, and when 

 the young come forth. they are nearly as jht- 

 feet .as the parent, tlilU'ring only in size. I'ho 

 largi'st Saurian in the United States is the 

 alligator. 



The great cla.ss Reptilia is divided into 



First — C/ir/oiiiVi, or Turtles. 



Second- Sitiirin, or Lizards. 



Third — O/i/i/diii, or STiM-nts. 



Fourth- -Jlutrmliht, or Frog.s, Sic. 



These four orders are sub-divided into snl)- 

 orders. families, geneni and six-cies, in order 

 to facilitate their study; and although there 

 are many dilTercut cia.ssilications. w<' have 

 merely given the alnive outline to illustrate 

 when' our little eornuted Texans stand in the 

 column of classitii-ation, and from which it will 

 l>e observed that tlu'y l«long to the iuc"iul in- 

 stead of the/"i/i-'/i sul>-order, iis this connuon 

 name would imply. 



These animals are capable of living a long 



