82 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[June, 



thought, would answer the question, but I was mis- 

 taken. I will pass the large trout for the present 

 and give you the result of my investigations of the 

 small fish. When I say small, I mean from one year 

 to eighteen months' trout. I was in the habit of 

 placing some of the fish in spring well for general 

 observation. As the water was clear and the space 

 narrow, it afforded me a good opportunity to watch 

 the growth, habits and movements of the speckled 

 beauties. Several times I came to my spring and 

 found some of the number missing. I examined the 

 screens and found there was no chance of escape by 

 that means. I then placed six eighteen months old 

 fish in the spring. Next morning I found one miss- 

 ing. At i p. m. on the same day two were missing. 

 On the following morning only two remained. Then 

 I became alarmed, and thought the fish were playing 

 cannibal ; so I determined to solve the problem if it 

 took me the balance of the year. Knowing that one 

 of the flsh was taken or disappeared between 10 

 a.m. and 4 p. m. the previous day, I began to watch, 

 and was rewarded at 2 p. m. by noticing something 

 crawl from under a bunch of water cresses that grew 

 on the edge of the spring. It first appeared like a 

 mouse. When it reached the water it dove down 

 and like a flash it was up again, with something at- 

 tached to it. I was not slow in capturing the in- 

 truder, and found to my surprise that it was a large 

 bug, resembling a good sized locust, having one of 

 my small flsh in his grasp. 



Now, gentlemen, as I am no entomologist, I do 

 not know the name of it, but from the manner in 

 which it held the trout I should call it the bear bug, 

 for indeed the poor fish was getting a bear's hug. 

 Having placed it in a jar of water it still hung on to 

 the fish and seemed to enjoy its imprisonment. From 

 observations with the naked eye, while the bug was 

 in the glass jar, I could see tliat it tortured the flsh 

 from a tubular prong, which it cast from the tail 

 and fastened on the fish. In a second it became in- 

 flated to double its size. Now, gentlemen, as our 

 worthy treasurer remarked, I think this is a blood- 

 sucking fisherman, and largely the cause of the de- 

 pletion of our small fish. Being inquisitive to know 

 whether the thief would live out of water, I emptied 

 the jar and placed some screen work over the mouth 

 for the purpose of procuring air. Next morhing I 

 found the bug with his toes turned up and his victim 

 beside him ; so I found, good fisherman as he was, 

 he difiered from many anglers of the present day. 

 Nothing but spring water would suit his bugship, 

 and enable him to feast on his dainty morsel. 



Professor Fuller said there was but one thing in 

 the United States that would do as the insect de- 

 scribed would do. It was the bug, scientifically 

 known as Belastoma grandis. It was about three 

 Inches long and one inch broad, with powerful claws 

 and a long proboscis. 



rWe can scarcely imagine anything more horrible 

 than this armor-clad, cold-blooded monster, which 

 runs like a swift on land, darts through the water 

 and out of it like a fish torpedo, soars high in air and 

 drops like a fish hawk, a shooting star, or a hot 

 potato, upon some devoted trout's back, which is 

 momentarily exposed at the surface of the water in 

 which he swims. No strategy of the trout can out- 

 wit this frightful beast. At some opportune moment 

 he quetly drops from aloft and fastens his sharp 

 hooks in his sides ; he pins him fast with the point 

 of his tail; and sucks his blood with his awl-like 

 proboscis. No effort can shake him ofl'. Though he 

 dive to the deepest part of the pool, or scour himself 

 against the sharpest stones; though he leap from 

 the surface or drag himself ashore in his agony, this 

 big bug is there all the same and all the time. He 

 hangs to him like the Old Man of the Sea, and never 

 lets go until the trout is sucked dry and succumbs to 

 the loss of all his juices. Were the Belastoma grandis 

 as large as the octopus he would be infinitely more 

 terrible. Inasmuch as we once had the knowledge 

 only of thenittle cuttle fish, but now know of the 

 existence of his gigantic relative, even so may there 

 not somewhere exist a Belastoma to which the little 

 chap now called "Grandis" is but as a trifle in com- 

 parison? We shudder at the possibility.]— i^oj-M* 

 and Stream. 



The foregoing, from Forest and Stream, we 

 reprint entire, with the exception of one 

 word, where the writter calls the animal a 

 beetle instead of a hitg, which is a misnomer 

 and we must insist on the distinction just as 

 strenuously as if he had called a goat a sheep, 

 or an ass a horse. The " Gigantic "Water- 

 Bug " (Belostoma grandis,* Lin. ) is a Hemip- 

 TEROUS insect, and may be regarded as the 

 typical representative of the order to which 

 it belongs. This account may present a very 

 interesting history of the habits of this insect, 

 and from the fact that but few have the 

 opportunities of making such observations, it 

 is both interesting and valuable so far as it 

 goes. There is just a probability, however, 

 that people will draw exaggerated conclusions 

 from such descriptions— indeed, the editor in 



*B. americanum. Say. 



his comments has reached some such conclu- 

 sions, and when he says "it runs' like a 

 swift on land," he states a practical im- 

 possibility, as is at once apparent from the 

 organic structure of its pedal appendages. Its 

 anterior feet are semi-raptorial and formed 

 for seizing and holding its prey, and the pos- 

 terior pair are flattened, fringed and oar- 

 shaped, efficient propellers in water, but only 

 indifferent as runners on land. It is true 

 they can move on land, but we have never 

 seen one yet that was in any wise remarkable 

 for its running abilities. Out of the water, 

 however, they are swift and powerful on the 

 wing, and hence, like the large "Water- 

 Beetles," they are often found far away from 

 their native ponds and streams ; and, like the 

 beetles aforenamed, we have often found them 

 in early spring, partially covered with mud, 

 indicating that they had passed the winter 

 hibernation in mud at the bottom of ponds or 

 streams. The females carry their eggs on 

 their backs, in a sort of adhesive cake, and 

 very probably when the young come forth, 

 they also remain there in a cluster for a cer- 

 tain period. 



We know that they are sanguiniverous in 

 their characters, but we are at a loss to kuow^ 

 how they could make way with the fish, inas- 

 much as the " screens " were too small for the 

 flsh to pass through them, or to be pulled 

 through by the bug. These insects have no 

 masticating organs, only a haustellum or 

 piercer, and all their food is taken in a fluid 

 state. Therefore, after all the fluids or blood 

 of the flsh was sucked out, they would relin- 

 quish the carcass (if they are like other pre- 

 daceous Hemiptera) when it would be very 

 likely to float on or beneath the surface of the 

 water. There is not a single doubt, however, 

 but that these bugs prey upon small fishes — 

 flshes small enough to embrace in their grasp, 

 but they probably could not seize a large one. 

 AVater-beetles have the same habit, especially 

 the larger species of Hydrophilus, Bytiscus 

 and Oybister ; and many complaints have been 

 filed against them by proprietors of fish ponds, 

 both in England and America. 



The above account is valuable, also, be- 

 cause it does not rest upon mere inferentiali- 

 ties, but upon personal observation ; although 

 it might seem a little hyperbolical to say that, 

 " In a second it became inflated to double its 

 size," moreover, may not the gentleman be 

 in error when he says that the bug " tortured 

 the fish from a tubular prong which it cast 

 from its tail, and fastened on the fish." Did 

 he not mistake the head for the tail ? We 

 are practically aware that these bugs can 

 inflict a painful wound, for on several occa- 

 sions we have had our fingers penetrated by 

 Hemipterous insects, and on one occasion 

 slightly by an individual of this very species. 

 But we do not think that the presence of 

 these insects can accoimt for all the fishes 

 that are destroyed. They may be an un- 

 important factor in their destruction, but we 

 have never seen or known them to be suffi- 

 ciently abundant anywhere to be remarkably 

 destructive. The larva and piqm are probably 

 still more voracious than the imago, for, like 

 grasshoppers, they feed through all their 

 stages of development. 



THE LAW OF NEWSPAPERS. 



"The courts have decided that if a person 

 orders his paper discontinued he must pay all 

 arrearages, or the publisher may continued to 

 send it until payment is made, and collect the 

 whole amount whether the paper is taken 

 from the post-office or not. Also, action for 

 fraud can be instituted against any person, 

 whether he is responsible in a financial view 

 or not, who refuses to pay for a publication. 

 Some forget this, and think by merely re- 

 fusing to take the paper from the post-office 

 settles the matter." 



We would most respectfully call the atten- 

 tion of delinquent subscribers to the fore- 

 going, in illustration of the fact that editors 

 and publishers have legal rights which the 

 public, in equity, are bound to respect. 

 There is a long list of subscriptions still 



due The Farmer for the years 1877 and 

 187S, and even some anterior to those dates, 

 which subscribers may feel under no obliga- 

 tion to pay, merely because they have refused 

 to lift their papers out of the office — neglect- 

 ing to accompany their discontinuance (if 

 they have ever given such notice) with their 

 arrearages for subscription. We can condone 

 a neglect, but it is otherwise with an absolute 

 refusal. 



WONDERS WILL NEVER CEASE. 



A Netc Refrigerating Liquid from Beets. — 

 In Europe the principal supply of sugar is 

 derived from beets ; the annual production of 

 beet sugar being now 700,000 tons. Besides 

 this a large quantity of beet molasses is pro- 

 duced, a portion of which is distilled and a 

 coarse sort of whisky made ; the stuff re- 

 maining in retort yields potassium salts, 

 which are employed as fertilizers, sugar, 

 spirits and potash have heretofore been the 

 chief products manufactured from beets. But 

 Mr. Vincent has now succeeded in realizing 

 from the refuse that remains after the beet 

 molasses distillation, a combustible gaseous 

 body, which is easily condensed into liquid 

 form, and is called chloride or methyl. 



This liquid, obtained, as stated, from beets, 

 is used in the preparation of someof the analine 

 colors, but is now found to be especially valu- 

 able as a refrigerating agent. By its rapid 

 evaporation a temperature of 55° C.,.or 67° F. 

 below zero, may be maintained, which is far 

 below the freezing point of mercury. 



Prof Huxley says that by this means mer- 

 cury (which freezes at 39° F. below zero,) 

 may be frozen by the pound. For the manu- 

 facture of ice this new beet root product 

 promises to become of much importance.— 

 Scientific American. 



This is something for farmers of the North- 

 ern States to think of if the cultivation of 

 wheat becomes too precarious. Beets can be 

 grown here most luxuriantly, and they must 

 be of more value than merely for pickles or 

 stock feeding. 



Queries and Answers. 



LOUELLA P. 0., WaTXE STATION, P. R. R., ) 



Delaware county. Pa. J 

 S. S. Rathvon, Esq — Dear Sir: I cut inclosed 

 leaves from a young ash tree growing on a piece of 

 land I have recently purchased in this neighborhood, 

 which contain, as you will see, the eggs of some 

 insect. 



I shall feel obliged if you will tell me what posi- 

 tion in the scale of destruction this insect occupies, 

 (I don't admit that insects have any place in the 

 scale of creation,) and what is the name thereof, 

 and at what time and in what shape may I expect it 

 to begin its depredations ; and how, if that be possi- 

 ble, can its devastation be arrested. Direct as above, 

 and believe me, very truly, your friend, S. W. M. 



Your letter containing infected leaves of 

 the ash tree duly received, and specimens in 

 good condition. So far as it relates to insects, 

 you may calm your apprehensions, for the sub- 

 stances on these ash leaves are no insects' eggs 

 at all, but a species of Uredine Fungus, a 

 group, or family, which includes the rusts, 

 mildews, smuts, &c., which infect the differ- 

 ent kinds of vegetation, especially the wheat, 

 rye, oats, barley and corn ; and also the black- 

 berry, dewberry, raspberry, hickory, ash, haw- 

 thorn, &c., &c. Different species sometimes 

 infect the same plant, and the same species 

 also infect diflerent plants ; as, for instance, 

 the Uredo ruborum is found on the blackberry, 

 dewberry and raspberry. Last summer we 

 found a group of hawthorn trees, both the 

 leaves and the fruit of which were seriously 

 infected, very much injuring their beauty, 

 harmony and general health. The Uredo lito- 

 jMla infects diflerent plants, but the Uredo 

 rubigo-vera, the Uredo caries and the Ureda 

 fce.tida (stinking rust,) usually infect our cere- 

 als, and is commonly called "Rust," or 

 "Red-rust." The grain smut is the Uredo 

 segmentum. We have often seen it plentiful 

 on the raspberry, blackberry, ash and hickory, 

 but we are "not enough of a Mycologist to de- 

 termine whether they are the same species or 



