102 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[July, 



In discussing this question of wbeat, it is 

 not considered from a hygienic, but from a 

 popular standpoint, for it is the candid belief 

 of the writer that it would contribute largely 

 to the health of mankind if all who eat bread 

 would include the bran or at least a large 

 proportion thereof. I believe, further, with a 

 writer on hygiene, in referring to the folly of 

 mankind for separating their wheat and feed- 

 ing the best part to their pigs and the rest to 

 their children. 



From a popular standpoint, however, I am 

 just as confident that early cutting and proper 

 curing of wheat will make a finer flour and 

 more of it, than when cut over-ripe, and that 

 one of the prime causes of so much inferior 

 flour being huckstered throughout the country 

 is owing largely to the custom of letting it get 

 over-ripe before cutting, as also from too rapid 

 drying after it is cut. Another mistake is 

 that of putting it in stack or barn to dry, 

 which leaves it harsh and brittle, as all good 

 millers know, and many of them will sprinkle 

 or by some method dampen such wheat before 

 grinding, if they wish to make a good grist of 

 Hour. Another fact is well established ; wheat 

 that gets a good rain while standing in 

 shocks will be improved in its quality for 

 making fine flour. 



The wheat crop of 1878 deserves more than 

 a passing notice, as it is estimated the largest 

 in the history of this country, or, perhaps, of 

 the world. It it rather early to be too positive 

 of such a conclusion, but present indications 

 point strongly that way. Should such pros- 

 pects be realized, prices must certainly dechne 

 to a figure below which it can be produced 

 without loss to the farmers, and of which they 

 should not complain, as they have for several 

 years reaped fair crops at full prices, and have 

 been less affected by the panic than any other 

 of our industrial classes. From what the 

 writer can learn, there is a strong disposition 

 among farmers generally to thresh out and sell 

 off their wheat crop as early as possible, in 

 order to realize the best prices. This advice 

 is given generally by agricultural journals, 

 and may not be out of place as a rule, but 

 there are two sides to this, as well as to most 

 other questions. 



We may, or rather we will not be likely to 

 see such a general good wheat crop for a time 

 at least, and possibly another year may bring 

 with it quite an off'et to this bountiful crop, 

 which would be nothing unusual. With these 

 possibilities would it not be better not to rush 

 off too large a proportion of the present crop 

 at once V Should there be only a moderate 

 foreign demand it will have to remain in the 

 country at any rate, and would it not always 

 be better for the producer as well as for the 

 consumer if the greater proportion of the sur- 

 plus was held by the farmer instead of by 

 speculators V It would certainly prevent the 

 sudden fluctuations, which are so common 

 when any article of commerce is largely in the 

 liands of tlie latter. 



In reference to future crops, I would like to 

 dissipate the prevailing notion that we can no 

 longer raise wheat crops, such as our fathers 

 did. That the seasons have much bearing 

 upon our success or failure to raise good crops 

 I fully admit, but we also know that the Su- 

 preme Ruler lias adjusted she laws of nature 

 in such a manner that they do not prove 

 strictly uniform each season, and that our 

 forefathers' efforts to raise wheat were subject 

 to these same irregularities, and they had no 

 special advantages over us except a larger 

 proportion of virgin soil ; but one thing we 

 had better keep in mind is, there has been 

 scarcely a season in a score of years that there 

 were not some fields of good wheat, even in a 

 year of general failure, which should teach us 

 this lesson, that the cause of om' failure is not 

 altogether owing to climatic influences ; either 

 our fields were not in proper condition, or our 

 seed was not all right, or something else within 

 human control was wanting. 



No thanks to him who raises good crops in 

 favorable seasons, but he who always or gen- 

 erally succeeds in raising fair to good crops 

 when all around him fail ; it is he who deserves 



credit for overcoming the obstacles which 

 have caused failm-es with his neighbors. Such 

 instances may be seen all over the country, 

 not only applicable to wheat, but to other 

 crops as well. Now, if our soil is to some 

 extent exhausted for tlie purpose of raising 

 certain crops, and we make efforts to extract 

 therefrom what is notin it, we deserve failure, 

 since we have access to fertilizers which con- 

 tain the necessary ingredients to mature any 

 crop we wish to raise. All that is required is 

 to ascertain what is lacking therein, and apply 

 such deficiency, and we may just as well put 

 ourselves squarely down to some process of 

 this kind; for bountiful mother earth will 

 not be cheated of her just dues without giving 

 us fair notice when we tax her too heavily. 



THE DEPREDATIONS OF INSECTS.* 



I am at a loss to understand why this sub- 

 ject was not assigned to the Entomologist of 

 the Board, whose greater ability to treat it 

 satisfactorily no one will question. That all 

 the tillers of the soil should be more familar 

 with their insect enemies and friends will no 

 doubt bo conceded, but to select as your essay- 

 ist one who has given this matter so little at- 

 tention seems altogether out of place, and he 

 trusts that all errors in his attempt to dis- 

 charge the duty assigned him will be over- 

 looked. 



This subject is so extensive that even a 

 practical entomologist could not in one short 

 essay do more than merely enter the threshold 

 thereof. It has been recently stated by some 

 writer upon the subject that the value of crops 

 destroyed in the United States by insects would 

 in five years pay our Kational debt. I have 

 no data from which to verify the correctness 

 of this estimate, but would readily concede it 

 to be within bounds, for their name is "legion, " 

 and their number, if not incalculable, is at 

 least incomprehensible. We simply refer to 

 a few of our insect enemies, and will mention 

 them by their common names, because of our 

 inability to Latinize them. By the most 

 prominent we do not wish to be understood 

 as meaning the largest, for the greatest dam- 

 age is often done by the very minute insects, 

 and it is their very minuteness that tends to 

 so much indifterence on the part of many 

 whose crops frequently sufier largely from their 

 depredations. 



If all destructive insects were as large and 

 did their work as openly as the Colorado 

 beetle, or the Rocky Mountain grasshopper, 

 their ravagas would be more determinedly 

 counteracted. Tlie latter, however, we hope 

 will never cross the Allegheny Mountains. 



Of all farm crops grown in this country 

 grass is estimated of greatest value, and has 

 at least in this section of the country but few 

 insect enemies. The wheat crop, however, 

 we may consider of greatest importance, and 

 this has in some seasons been greatly injured 

 by the ravages of insects, and by none more 

 than by the Hessian fly. Although a foreign 

 intruder, it has found its way into almost every 

 State in the Union, and the worst feature of 

 the case is that thus far there has been no 

 effective remedy found to destroy them, or 

 scarcely to counteract their ravages. Late 

 sowing is advocated to prevent its multiplica- 

 tion rapidly, but this remedy very frequently 

 amounts to little, for when it is on hand, only 

 an unfavorable season for its reproduction will 

 keep it in check. It has been claimed by some 

 that it multiplies rapidly in wheat that grows 

 up between harvest and seeding time. 



The Field Weevil formerly curtailed the 

 wheat crop largely in some sections, and the 

 only counteracting remedy seems to be the 

 sowing of varieties of wheat that mature 

 early. In some parts of the United States the 

 chinch bug is very destructive to wheat, as 

 well as other crops, but our State has suffered 

 but little, if any, from this enemy. Indian 

 corn is almost entirely exempt from insect 

 depredations, if we except the "cut worm" 

 in its early stages. This enemy sometimes 



*E9say read by H. M. Kngle, of Lancaster, before the 

 State Board ot Agriculture, 



makes great havoc, but fall plowing in this 

 liititude is generally a preventive. 



The Colorado beetle is one of our most im- 

 portant insect enemies, yet it may to some 

 extent prove a "blessing in disguise," since 

 the application of Paris green is all that is 

 necessary to keep it fully under control. I 

 trust I will not exaggerate by saying that we 

 now raise better crops of potatoes, as they re- 

 quhe closer attention than formerly. They 

 are also planted at more appropriate seasons, 

 i. e., early and late, instead of mid -season, as 

 was often the case heretofore. The applica- 

 tion of fertilizers with Paris green, such as 

 gypsum, lime, ashes, &c., also has a tendency 

 to improve the crop. 



The Green Cabbage Worm has been very 

 annoying as well as destructive for several 

 years, and requires close attention to keep 

 the crop uninjured. Various remedies have 

 been applied against them, but withal there 

 is mucli loss from their ravages. Wood ashes, 

 quick lime, salt, bran and other ingredients 

 have been applied with more or less effect, but 

 in our experience not altogether with satisfac- 

 tory results. Pieces of board or lath placed 

 between the rows, a few inches from the 

 plants, will attract the worm to pass its 

 chrysalis state, and many can be captured in 

 that way, but more will escape. Hand-picking 

 is a certain remedy so long as the cabbage is 

 small, but very tedious and uncertain when 

 heading. For several year past I liave paid 

 boys a certain price for all cabbage moths cap- 

 tured on my grounds. This season I offered a 

 penny apiece for all captured before the first 

 of May I invested about two dollars, since 

 which time I have seen very few. I think that 

 the brood that survived the winter was almost 

 entirely destroyed, and scarcely a sign of worms 

 can thus far be seen. 1 consider it the best 

 preventive and most satisfactory method 

 that I have yet tried. 



The Striped Cucumber Beetle is one of the 

 most provoking of all insect enemies; not that 

 the crops which they destroy are of so much 

 Talue — except melons in some sections — but 

 they often come so suddenly and in such num- 

 bers that a lot of plants, be they ever so 

 promising, are frequently destroyed in less 

 than twenty-four hours. After once attacking 

 the plants they are not easily driven away by 

 any application ; but they may occasionally be 

 prevented by dusting the plants with slaked 

 lime, wood ashes, or even road dust. Our 

 latest and most effective remedy is the same 

 as for the Colorado beetle, i. e., Paris green 

 applied in advance of their attack. 



As regards insect depredations upon fruit 

 crops, the Codling Moth and Curculio are 

 most prominent. The former, perhaps, de- 

 stroys more fruit than all other insects com- 

 bined; not that the Curculio is less destructive 

 in its way, but because apples are more gen- 

 erally grown in our country than any other 

 fruit. The Curculio also attacks pip in the 

 absence of stone fruits, while on the other 

 hand the Codling Moth also propagates its 

 kind in stone fruits. The latter operates only 

 at night, and many can be destroyed by 

 placing a light over a tub of water, or filling 

 jars or wide-mouthed bottles with sweetened 

 water, and hanging them on the trees, but 

 some friends as well as enemies will be cap- 

 tured by these methods. Many of the larvie 

 may be destroyed by tying hay-bands, can- 

 vass or old clothing around the stems of fruit 

 trees, in which the larvoe will seek shelter to 

 pass the chrysalis state. These must be re- 

 moved and burned, or the larvffi crushed not 

 less than once in 12 or 14 days, commencing 

 not later than the 1st of June. By picking 

 wormy and fallen fruit continually, or having 

 stock in the orchard that will eat it, a large 

 portion of the larvae will be destroyed, which 

 would otherwise multiply rapidly. For the 

 destruction of Curculio there are many 

 methods advocated, but thus far none well 

 established except the jarring system, properly 

 and regularly attended to. The hanging of 

 corn-cobs, saturated with coal tar, upon the 

 trees, is claimed to keep off the enemy, but I 

 have noticed this season upon a neighbor's 



