84 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[June, 



somewhat deprsssed, with twelve transverse 

 segments, and otherwise differing from others 

 hereinafter named. 



Tlie insects sent to us by mail were not a 

 true "weevil, "although where very numerous 

 they probably would be quite as destructive. 

 They are the "Grain Silvanus " {Silvanus 

 snrinamensis)^ and we have frequently seen 

 mills and grain bins seriously infested by them 

 during the past ten years. 



As their name implies they have a foreign 

 origin, and have probably been introduced 

 into our country from England or the conti- 

 nent of Europe. You may not be able to get 

 rid of them without some considerable trouble. 

 They usually come forth in the beetle form 

 during the months of May and June, but after 

 that period they do no other harm than deposit- 

 ing their eggs, from which will be bred a future 

 generation. '^It is while they are in their larva 

 state that they feed on the grain, and w_iere 

 they are numerous they injure it very much. 

 They have long been known to European 

 millers and farmers as serious grain pests, 

 and they employ the same remedies to destroy 

 them that they do to destroy "grain weevils," 

 (SitopMliis granarius et S. oryzea,) and the 

 "grain moth," (Butalis cerealella.) They sub- 

 mit the infested grain to a temperature of 

 about 167 degrees of a Fahrenheit thermome- 

 ter, and let it remain in that condition for 

 twenty-four hours. This is sure to kill all the 

 beetles, whether in the beetle or the worm 

 states. This heat does not subject the grain 

 to fermentation, nor to be devoured by insects, 

 nor make it less capable of vegetation when 

 sown as seed, than that which has not under- 

 gone this operation, and does not cost more 

 than about a penny a bushel, which is a small 

 amount compared with a total loss. 



The heat is applied by placing the grain in 

 ovens, or in what they call insect mills, con- 

 structed somewhat like a large coffee-roaster. 



Burning sulphur or charcoal in the bins, 

 after the grain has been removed, will destroy 

 such insects as may remain in corners and 

 crevices. Tobacco fumigations would have 

 the same effect. Instead of ovens or mills 

 some have rooms, into which the necessary 

 degree of heat is introduced. To show how 

 they multiply and how destructive they may 

 become, it is estimated that five or six thous- 

 and individuals may be produced from one 

 pair of these insects in one season. 



These insects sometimes also inhabit bran, 

 flour, and other kinds of meal or stufls made 

 from ground grain. On one or two occasions 

 we found millions of them in the grain and 

 flour bins of a mill in the northern part of 

 Lancaster county , in company with the "Grain 

 Weevils," {Sit02)hilus granarius and oryzea,) 

 the "Cadella," {Trogosita mauritanica,) the 

 "Meal Worm," (Tenebrio molitor,) and per- 

 haps the "Little Cacujus," (CiKujus minutus,) 

 all of which insects have been introduced into 

 our country from Europe, and are, perhajjs, 

 more destructive here than in their native 

 country. Except the first named, however, 

 these insects are found under very different 

 circumstances. They are ' generally found 

 under the bark of trees and in various kinds 

 of nuts. We liave found them alive in un- 

 roasted peanuts, &c., and our Silvanus has 

 often occurred under the same circumstances, 

 but mostly in company with them. 



SOOT vs. WIREWORMS. 

 A correspondent of the London Land and 

 Water found the wireworm so abundant in 

 every part of the garden he was set to culti- 

 vate, that he could scarcely grow a potato or 

 carrot without it being rendered useless by 

 it ; and among the various things he was led 

 to adopt as preventives, soot appeared to be 

 the only effectual remedy. This he applied 

 to potato crops in the following manner : The 

 drills were got ready in their usual way, and 

 the sets laid in at the bottom of each drill ; 

 the soot was then put down upon them, in 

 quantity sufficient to cause the drills to as- 

 sume quite a black appearance. This being 

 done, the drills were closed in the ordinary 

 manner to the natural level, and the work 



was finished. Wherever soot was applied the 

 crops turned out clean and good, scarcely a 

 trace of the wireworm's ravages were to be 

 seen, while those from rows not dressed with 

 .soot were quite the reverse — the potatoes 

 being pierced through in every direction, and 

 fit only for feeding pigs. 



PEACH TREE BORERS. 

 Regarding borers in peach trees, says the 

 Country Gentleman, it is useful to heap a peck 

 of dry slaked lime about the peach trees 

 after the grubs have been picked and before 

 the earth is drawn back to the tree. The lime 

 kills any grubs that may be left, if a live 

 grub is thrown into dry lime it will soon die ; 

 this may be tried to satisfy an inquiring mind. 

 Having used lime in this way in 1877, the 

 writer found no borers at all in his trees in 

 1878, and therefore has confidence in this 

 means of repressing the depredations of this 

 pest. 



Contributions. 



COMMUNICATION. 



In reply to a note addressed to Mr. Houpt, 

 by an inquirer, in relation to the land adver- 

 tised in the Examiner and Express, and which 

 we quoted in our editorial on the subject of 

 settlements nearer home, he submits the fol- 

 lowing : 



Dear Sir : Your note of the 2d inst. inquir- 

 ing for further particulars about lands in Clover 

 Hollow, Giles county, Va., is at hand, and 

 in reply I would briefly state all the circum- 

 stances. The land is new land and rich ; the 

 pure, unploughed virgin soil, not worn out. 

 There is timber growing on most of the land, 

 growing the hard woods, although in some 

 places there is growing pine. The country is 

 well watered, a valley sloping down to Sinking 

 Creek, which runs througn tlie valley, and 

 sinks away further down into a lime.stone 

 cave. The size of tract for each man has not 

 been fixed at any specified number of acres. 

 First come shall be first served with whatever 

 land each may select suitable to himself. 



The why or reason is this. I have an uncle, 

 by name Herman Haupt, who some years ago 

 bought a large tract of this land in the State 

 of Virginia, embracing this beautiful valley, 

 and also a body of water some miles further 

 on to the north, at which place he has erected 

 a summer boarding house. 



Now, as by profession he is a civil engineer, 

 and cannot, owing to his business, clear up 

 and farm this land, and as there are so many 

 good men needing, and so many making long, 

 expensive journeys out to the West for tliou- 

 sands of miles, when here in Virginia, not 

 more than 400 miles from where we now are, 

 is a most fertile and beautiful country : not 

 bleak prairie, but rich Virginia bottom-land, 

 my uncle, in a spirit of pure liberality, and to 

 he"lp poor men who are willing to work, has 

 resolved to lease a portion of these lands for 

 ^I'e years free of all rent. It is intended 

 simply to help industrious men to a home 

 and to settle that new country. He does not, 

 nor do I, who write this, make one cent by the 

 operation. It is intended to do good. The 

 land must be cleared up and prepared by the 

 man who leases it, and we think that by five 

 years' time you would be able to lay up 

 enough to buy yourself a snug farm of your 

 own. To be sure, there is no home yet upon 

 the uncleared land, but there are houses in 

 the neighborhood which could be had, either 

 at the hotel (or boarding house) or elsewhere. 

 A small temporary house suitable for a short 

 time, could easily be made. As the country 

 is removed from the communications by rail a 

 short distance, there is no special market, but 

 grain can easily be sent in any quantity to 

 any of tlie Atlantic cities. Or, if you choose, 

 my uncle and his son will buy and send it to 

 market, as he has a store in connection with 

 the hotel. The prices of land per acre are 

 different, ranging from $2 up to .$15 (to buy). 

 This land is located in Clover Hollow, Giles 

 county, Vii'ginia, I would be glad to talk 



with you face to face if you like our proposi- 

 tion. -My home is at No. 45 South Duke 

 street, Lancaster city. There I can show you 

 majDS and vif ws which I have of that country. 

 A better, safer offer could not be made, and 

 you will find everything exactly as I represent. 

 The people are kind and hospitable. You 

 need not be anxious about the market, as 

 that is right upon the spot. The country lies 

 high, amid mountain scenery, and is very 

 healthy and very beautiful. Many pretty 

 spots and wonderful caves of limestone forma- 

 tions can be visited by little pie-nics in the 

 summer time. If you could spare the time 

 and come to see me, I could let you know 

 many more facts. I have been down there 

 upon the spot. — Yours very truly, C. Elvin 

 Houpt, Pastor of ChrisVs Evan. Lutheran 

 Church, Lancaster city. Pa. 



For The Lancaster Fakmek. 

 CORRESPONDENCE. 



Prof. Rathvon, Editor : Since migration 

 from the East to the West seems to be the 

 order of the day with the class that are look- 

 ing for good and cheap farm lands, and in the 

 main moving for Kansas and Texas, I would 

 call the attention of the migrating farmers to 

 the cheap and fertile lands of Northeast Mis- 

 souri. Here improved, as well as unimproved 

 farm land, can be bought for one-third the 

 price it commanded ten years ago. Farming, 

 as a general thing here, is considerably below 

 the average of ordinary farming. No regard 

 is paid to manure, and the plow is not put 

 over shoe deep into the ground. Y''our farmers 

 would call it scratching the back of the soil. 

 The agricultural economy seems to be reversed 

 here, by showing the smallest amount of pro- 

 duce to the largest amount of surface. In 

 short, farming hereabout seems to be a smould- 

 ering ember of African agriculture. Cross 

 the river, and go into Illinois, and the dift'er- 

 euce appears at first sight. 



There is nothing flourishes so much around 

 here as circus shows and church revivals. In 

 the metropolis of Pike county, Mo., with a 

 population estimated at four thousand five 

 hundred souls, about one-fourth negroes, 

 there are eleven churches, of which one or 

 the other is all the time on a scheme to raise 

 the wind— by festival, concert, recitation, 

 bazar, &c., &c. So y?fu see there is no danger 

 of the people suffering for want of religious 

 exercise, of all and any of the various sects. 

 There are also plenty of public schools in Pike 

 county. 



This county, ranging along the Mississippi, 

 is a limestone region, with hill ranges for a 

 distance of ten miles westward, and thence 

 commences the prairie. This hill land is 

 covered with apple orchards, and from the 

 town of Louisiana alone from forty to sixty 

 thousand bushels of apples are shipped, north- 

 ward and westward, annually. Theseorchards 

 are covered with heavy growths of clover. 

 Farms of this character, with household im- 

 provements, from a hundred to a hundred and 

 fifty a(;res, with some wood and arable land, 

 sell for from twenty to twenty-flve dollars an 

 acre. Where it is covered by mortgage of 

 some years' standing, at ten per cent, inl erest, 

 it can, when bought under the hammer, be 

 bought for less thau the prices above stated. 



Many of the Pike people have gone to 

 Kansas and Texas, and many are the wails 

 now coming back for the better lands they 

 have forsaken. 



If your Eastern overcrowded populations 

 were half as gregarious as are the people in 

 this region they would opportunely be thinned 

 out, and well appointed to land in Northeast- 

 ern Missouri. Pike is an old settled county, 

 and for a long time ranked as the fifth county 

 of the State in agricultural and dairy pro- 

 ducts. The winters are short, and most of 

 the time grazingcontinues the winter through. 

 About one degree more south than your 

 county, it has, nevertheless, a much milder 

 winter as to duration of time. 



Everything that can be raised on the soil of 

 your county can be raised here. The bottom 

 land brings forth good wheat crops, an average 



