150 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[ October, 



sugar. The mill used in these experiments 

 was an indifferent one, and the sorghum was 

 in small stalks. Better results would have 

 been reached had the stalks been larger. Dr. 

 Collier says he is satisfied that there is not a 

 farmer in the country who cannot rely upon 

 results 50 per cent, greater than he has se- 

 cured, with a better mill. 



^ 



ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



S. p. E., Esq., Lancaster, Pa. — The large 

 black and yellow spider you sent us is the 

 common "Garden Spider," {Ejieira riparia.) 

 Since it has been in our possession it has spun 

 a large, brownish, silken, spherical cocoon, 

 after which it died. The cocoon is about an 

 inch and a half in diameter, and we therefore 

 presume that the specimen was a female, and 

 that the cocoon contains a large number of 

 eggs ; which, in due time, will produce as 

 many young spiders ; but somehow veiy few 

 of them comparatively reach the adult state ; 

 at all events we never see one-tenth part of 

 them reach maturity. 



Again, the faintly greenish-white worms, 

 about an inch in length, with a yellowish- 

 brown head, six black pectoral legs, sixteen 

 prolegs, or proplegs, and two dorsal longi- 

 tudinal rows of squarish black spots, and two 

 lateral rows of the same, which you found 

 destroying the foliage of your "Scotch Pine," 

 {Pinus sylvestris,) are the larvfe of a "Pme 

 Saw-fly," (Lophyrus,) perhaps the L. Lecontii, 

 but we cannot determine the species until we 

 breed the "fly." About twenty of them have 

 spun yellowish-white cocoons, about three- 

 eighths of an inch in length, of an oblong oval 

 form, and very smooth externally; they look 

 something like the white "tield-bean," but 

 not so white. Tliese insects are said to pro- 

 duce two broods in a season. These we have, 

 commenced spinning on the 28th of Septem- 

 ber, and they continued so occupied until the 

 3rd or 4th of October. Keeping them in a 

 warm room we may get some of the flies this 

 fall yet, but it is very probable we shall not 

 get them mitil next spring. 



Six or seven species of these flies have been 

 described as infesting the pine in their larva 

 state, but the number may be greater. These 

 larva have a strong smell of turpentine, and 

 they seem to be saturated with that substance, 

 which may indicate that they cannot easily 

 be killed with any ordinary remedy. 



E. K. H., Creswell, Lantaster eoimly, Pa. — 

 The whitish insects, with long hairlike an- 

 tennae, which you obligingly sent us, we 

 have long known as tlie "Tree cricket," 

 ( (Ecanthus niveus) but their depredations ujion 

 the tobacco plant is a new characteristic alto- 

 gether. Years ago we only found them occa- 

 sionally, singly or in pairs, on the willow and 

 other trees, or on garden shrubbery. Subse- 

 quently we noticed them on grape vines, more 

 numerously, where they were charged with 

 cutting off' the clusters of green grapes ; but 

 now, according to your representations, cor- 

 roborated by the observations of a number of 

 other tobacco growers, they are next to the 

 "Horn-worm" — (sphinx) — the worst enemy 

 among the dozen which now infests the to- 

 bacco plants in Lancaster county. They 

 attack the young leaves as they are successively 

 developed, eating numerous holes in them, 

 and as the leaves expand by subsequent growth, 

 these holes increase proportionally in size so 

 that when the leaf is fully matured its quality 

 is marred by the unsightly mutilations of this 

 enemy, and they become either worthless or 

 only of a much depreciated value. We are 

 surprised at the immense numbers reported, 

 fully fifty now to one a few years ago. Their 

 acute sight, and their wonderful agility in 

 secreting themselves is very remarkable. 

 They seem to be far worse than any of the 

 slow and almost immovable caterpillars that 

 infest the tobacco. They are so quick in 

 hiding, or otherwise in making their escape- 

 especially after the development of their 

 wings — that it is almost impossible to apply a 

 remedy to counteract them with any kind of 

 success. All we are able to suggest is ' ' eternal 

 vigilance," and their destruction at as early a 



period of their development as possible, and 

 while they are yet very young carbelize them. 

 (See September number). 



We reply to a dozen querists that the "queer 

 bugs" (but really caterpillars), which they sent 

 or brought us, are commonly called the "sad- 

 dle-back moth," (veritable "Greenbackers,") 

 the Euphretia stinmla of Dr. Clemmens. They 

 appear to be more numerous the present season 

 than we have ever known them to be, one ob- 

 server assuring us that he counted ten on a 

 single Gladiola leaf. They appear to be en- 

 dowed with the peculiar economical faculty 

 of adapting themselves to a variety of plant- 

 food, for they have been found during the 

 past summer on the apple, pear, quince, plum, 

 cherry, rose, cabbage, gladiola, grape, corn, 

 beets, lilac, morning-glories, and a number of 

 other shrubs and plants. So far as we have 

 been able to learn they do not attack the peach 

 or nectarine, and probably the apricot is ex- 

 empt ; but nothing else comes amiss, and they 

 are particularly fond of the common plantain. 

 We admonish our readers to be careful not to 

 let any exposed part of their bodies come in 

 contact with the bristling spines on the fleshy 

 horns at both ends of their bodies. Painful 

 irritation or inflamation sometimes follows. 

 Eventually they spin a brown, smooth, hard 

 cocoon, in which they pass tlie winter, and 

 appear as moths in June. (See August number. ) 



Bug or Beetle. 

 A very curious bug, found on one of our streets by 

 Samuel J. McDowell, was brought to our office on 

 Saturday. It is about one inch long by half an inch 

 wide, with a hard oval case of d.ark brown color. 

 On the under side four short legs are located, near 

 the head, and about the centre of the body are two 

 longer paddle-like legs, furnished with a brush, 

 which the insect reyolves with great rapidity on 

 being turned upon its back. When walking these 

 paddles drag behind like rudders. In the absence of 

 any correct knowledge of the insect we have named 

 it the clock bug, because it appears to wind itself up 

 with such dexterity whenever placed upon its back. 

 It has been sent to Prof. Rathvon, the celebrated 

 entomologist of Lancaster. — Oxford Press. 



The "bug" (not a bug but a beetle) alluded 

 to in the above paragraph was duly received, 

 and proves to be a fine specimen of Cybister 

 dissi7nilis, one of our largest species of "water 

 beetles. " They are amphibious in their habits, 

 breeding and feeding exclusively in the water, 

 but when perfectly matiu-ed, they are pro- 

 vided with an ample pair of wings which, by 

 transverse folds, lie closely packed under the 

 shield-like elytra which cover the back. By 

 the aid of these wings they are able to emerge 

 from the water and fly a considerable distance, 

 but when wandering too far, they often fall 

 to the earth and are unable to rise again. 

 These migrations are supposed to be stimu- 

 lated by their sexual impulses, or in pursuit 

 of a more favorable locality to propagate their 

 species. Their larva, a loiig-lizard-shaped 

 animal, with large and strong jaws, lives ex- 

 clusively in the water, and feeds upon auj'- 

 thing of the animal kind it can capture in its 

 native element, being carnivorous in its habits, 

 and a most voracious feeder, often devouring 

 the fry of fishes. 



The above description from The Press is 

 correct enough, without needing one from us, 

 except that it does not exactly "revolve " its 

 paddles (that motion in a short time would 

 twist them off"), but uses them pretty nmch as 

 an oarsman does a pair of oars ; and it is by 

 means of these i)addles or oars that the insect 

 propels itself through the water. On land its 

 locomotion is very imperfect, but in the water 

 it is perfectly at home, and boatmen, by study- 

 ing its form and its manner of plying its oars, 

 might gather some new ideas. We thank the 

 editor of The Press for this very desiralilc 

 specimen, which we shall register and place 

 in our cabinet. 



Foreign Wheat. 



The following correspondence will explain 

 itself : 



Mr. S. S. Rathvon — Bear Sir: I send herewith 

 some heads of wheat. The two longer ones I i)icked 

 in a field in the north of France, and the shortest 

 one was given me by a Belgian, who had taken many 



medals, I believe, for success in agriculture and kin- 

 dred pursuits. Please to keep the wheat for me, as 

 our farmer proposes to plant it. — With high rec/ard, 

 d-c, respectfully yours, P. E. O., Bird-in-jland, 

 Lancaster county, Pa., 9th mo. 21s!, 1878. 



These fine specimens of "foreign wheat" 

 were duly received and exhibited at the meet- 

 ing of the Linnoean Society, held September 

 28th, and at that of the Agricultural and 

 Horticultural Society, held October 7th, 1878, 

 in the proceedings of both of which societies 

 they were favorably noticed. The following 

 will explain how it was disposed of, and also 

 where we may look for whatever may res>dt 

 from its cidtivation. 



S. S. R., Esq. — Dear Sir: Please let the bearer, 

 Mr. Henry Shitfner, have the three heads of Belgian 

 and French wheat after the meeting of the Agricul- 

 tural Society. — Yours, etc., P. E. O. 



The order has been accordingly honored. 



Three heads of wheat may be a little thing 

 to write about, to talk about, or even to think 

 about, especially in a year like the present, 

 when there was so much fine wheat raised in 

 nearly every State and Territory of the Union; 

 but sometimes the largest interests and great- 

 est events have their origin in beginnings quite 

 as seemingly insignificant. Two young sprigs 

 of rival noble houses had a quarrel in a flower 

 garden in England, the one plucking a red and 

 the other a white rose, as mementoes of their 

 hasty spleen. But the wars of the "Red and 

 White Roses" prostrated and elevated thrones, 

 suppressed and reconstructed dynasties, and 

 drenched England in blood for many subse- 

 quent years, and the finger of history often 

 traces it back to the petty quarrel in the fiower 

 garden. Should there be a revolution in seed 

 wheat ; should a variety be developed that is 

 proof against the ravages of the Hessian fly, 

 the midge and the weevil, the rust, the smut 

 and the mildew, in the future of our country, 

 the intelligent agriculturist, still unborn, may 

 trace its origin back to the present period, 

 and its early record be found in the columns 

 of The Lancaster Farmer for October, 

 1878, long after the journal and its sponsors 

 have passed the "boundaries of another world. " 

 In this, as in many other events, posterity 

 may realize that 



"Tall oaks from little acorns grow, 

 Large streams from little fountains flow." 



West Earl, Oct. 11, 187«. 

 Prof. Rathvon — Dear Sir : Enclosed find a kind 

 of bug. Will you please answer through The Lan- 

 caster Farmer what it is, and oblige yours, &c., 

 D. G. R. 



This dull, brown insect, about an inch and 

 a half long, and half an IhcIi broad across the 

 lower part of the body, with a toothed ridge 

 on the top of the thorax, is commonly called 

 the " wheel-bug " [Reduvius novenarius). 

 Protect and treat kindly all the bugs of that 

 species you find on your premises, for they do 

 not subsist on vegetation, but on other insects. 

 Some of them will hibernate during the win- 

 ter, but most of them will deposit their eggs 

 on any protected place they can find, if they 

 have not already done so. It may be well to 

 state here, however, that this insect can in- 

 flict a painful wound with its piercer, but it 

 may be handled, if care is taken. Under any 

 crrcumstances, knowing that it does not injure 

 vegetation, it may be " let severely ahne." 



EUROPEAN SHIPMENTS FROM PHILA- 

 DELPHIA. 



The following shipments were made from 

 the port of Philadelphia for the week ending 

 September 28 : Petroleum, 1,. 3.59,911 gallons, 

 .$144,2.37; wheat, bu.shels, .3.')2,.598, $379,8.59; 

 coal, tons, 599, ,$1,937 ; lumber, feet, 92,324, 

 $1,623 ; pipe staves, 4,843, $724 ; corn, bush- 

 els, 439,305, $231,024 ; cheese, boxes, 2,555 ; 

 provisions, packages, 1,322 ; flour, barrels, 

 1,125 ; butter, tubs, 638 ; tobacco, packages, 

 289 ; tallow, hogsheads, 100 ; spokes, casfts, 

 99 ; duck, packages, 117 ; bark, packages, 

 168; beef, tierces, 50; carbon, casks, 32 ; can- 

 ned goods, cases, 46 ; skins, packages, 35 ; 

 sundries, packages, 30. 



