1879. 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



i07 



snakeshlp. Dr. Ratlivon, our enterprising natural- 

 ist, took the waif Into keeping, and deBiring a fine 

 specimen of this in our museum, he tried to soak the 

 venom out of the beast by a long continuous bath 

 under the hydrant,- with perfect success. It became 

 not only thoroughly clean, but perfectly docile, and 

 allowed itself to be neatly coiled In a jar and covered 

 with proof spirits, without the least motiou of objec- 

 tion. The colors are well defined and can be inspec- 

 ted from the rattles to the snout with perfect clear- 

 ness in its embalmed condition. This was captured 

 near the New York State lino and sent by Mr. Ed- 

 ward Sheatr, formerly of this city, now of Lawrence 

 township, McKcan county, Pennsylvania. The com- 

 bined upper and lower shell of a "wood tortoise," 

 (the gtyntemys insmlpta of Aga), the inside having 

 all been eaten out, leaving a perfect shell-work only. 

 The backbone and caudal vertebra, with a few other 

 detached bones, of some animal, dug up iu a garden 

 of this city. No Cuvler being present, the genus of 

 the animal could not be deflned ; in may have been a 

 mink. 



A fine specimen of an extract from coal tar, man- 

 ufactured in Philadelphia, and sold at London at 

 ?100 per ton, for the manufacture of aniline dyes, 

 per Mr. Joseph Spillinger. 



Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences, 

 Philadelphia, Part Ist, January, February, March, 

 lb79 ; Proceedings of the American Philosophical 

 Society, Philadelphia, vol. XVIU. No. 103, January, 

 to June, 1879; United Slates Patent Ollice Gazette, 

 up to June u4, 1879 ; Lancaster county Farmeb for 

 June, 1S79; two pamphlets — M. VV. Dickcson 

 on "Ancient Alabaster in Virginia," and another 

 by bimond P. A. Brown on the hair of mammals, 

 per Mrs. Zell ; sundry pamphlets and catalogues of 

 books, both European and American, such as the 

 Book-Buyer, Book-Seller, Book Worm, and also his- 

 torical tracts, and No. 7 of vol. 2 of the Scientific 

 Observer, March, 1879. 



Mr. Rathvon read three Interesting papers, Nos. 

 521, 52-2 and .523— the first giving a full account of 

 the reptiles called rattlesnakes and affinities, with 

 their various localities and names, in connection with 

 the one deposited. The second, on the tortoise fami- 

 lly, and detailed notes on the one the shell of which 

 only was deposited. The third paper, on the larvse 

 discovered by Prof. J. S. Stahr and his class on their 

 late excursion to the river. These maggot-like worms 

 travel in a rope-like cluster, which gives them a 

 snake-like appearance, and they are called "snake 

 worms," etc. A species of Diptera — Sciara — larva; 

 of several species of Tipulidie, since It Is found the 

 worms or larvae diO'es in different localities and sea- 

 sons. Professor J. S. Stahr read a highly Interest- 

 ing account of the excursion to York Furnace and a 

 few days' encampment on ttie Susquehanna river, 

 with tlie class of '81, from Franklin and Mar- 

 shall College, giving a list of botanical specimens 

 collected, their visit to the blowing cave, with his 

 remarks as to the cause, and also the geological sur- 

 roundings. Students in the open air and field meet 

 with much that is of practical utility, and the recre- 

 ation is healthy. No doubt the students will long 

 remember "Camp 'Si." It would be desirable to 

 publish the whole paper, although not so intended 

 by the author. Filed as No. 51i. 



Under new business, bills were reported for ex- 

 penses in shelving, binding books, alcohol,etc., to the 

 amount of $28.64. On motion, ordered to be paid. 

 Unrier scientific miscellany Mr. J. Slauffer referred 

 to a publication in the Pioneer Press (St. Paul 

 Minn.) of a remarkable cave on the farm of David 

 Samuels, ten miles from La Crosse, lately examined. 

 The rock, a rather coarse, soft sandstone, forming 

 the interior walls of the cave, is filled with engraved 

 figures of buffalo, deer, rabbits, moose, and among 

 them a mastodon and hippopotamus; and by other 

 hieroglyphic figures; is supposed to have been the 

 work of the mound builders. This led to sundry 

 remarks. Adjourned to the last Saturday in July. 



Entomological. 



Cassida Guttata. 



Prof. Rathvon. — "Enclosed is a bug, destructive 

 to the sweet potato leaf. Its habit Is to eat holes in 

 the leaf, which seems to poison the leaf very soon, 

 and cause the whole leaf to turn yellow. Ttiese 

 bugs are quite numerous on land of Samuel R. Hess 

 at Ephrata. Mr. H. is anxious to know what is its 

 name and other history, and would be pleased to 

 find a reference and history of It in The Lancaster 

 Farmer."—^. Konigmacher , July 10, 1879. 



Your Insect has'becn received and examined. It is 

 the larva of a beetle belonging to the family Cas- 

 siDDi.*, all of which feed on vegetation, especially 

 winding plants, such as the sweet potato, the me- 

 derie, the morning glory, and the convolvulus gen- 

 erally. The difierent species may have a special 

 liking for a particular plant, but the same species 

 has been detected on different plants, and dilTercnt 

 species have been found on the same plant. It is 

 not always a sure way to determine the species from 

 the larva alone, unless we are well acquainted with 

 It. This U doubtless Catiida guttata, sometimes 



called the "Tortoise," or "Tortoise shell Beetle," 

 and is somewhat allied to the "Lady-birds." Tiie 

 females de|)06it their eggs on the leaves of the 

 plant, and the young arc hatched out there, and also 

 undergo all their transformations there. Therefore, 

 tliey may be destroyed by hand picking, or giving 

 them a sprinkling of powdered While JMcbore, a de- 

 coction of tobacco, or a solution of carbolic soap. 

 They have the singular habit of throwing their cast 

 off skins and their excretions, on their backs, but 

 other Insects have this same habit much more dis- 

 gustingly manifested. In this respect these insects 

 show their alUnitles to the Lemn Triviltata, or "Ihree- 

 lined-potato-beetle." By a little vigilance they may 

 be all destroyed, for they move slowly and are very 

 accessible. 



Thomissus Celer. 

 Mr. P. W. A. Your pale spider, falntiv tinged 

 with green, found on the blossoms of the Heliotrope, 

 is the Thomissus Celer, or nearly allied to it. When 

 fully developed they have a pale yellowish tinge. 

 They visit different flowering plants on which the 

 blossoms are bunched together In clusters, and lie 

 in wait for flies, moths, and other small Insects, upon 

 which they feed. We have seen them capture in- 

 sects twice the bulk of themselves. I would hardly 

 know what vulgar name to give it. It might, per- 

 haps, be properly called the " White Blossom Spi- 

 der." It moves backward and sideways better than 

 forward. 



Goniaphea Coerulea. 

 ^fr. C. L., Lancaster, Pa. The young and old 

 birds we saw at the houses of both Messrs. Belile 

 and Keener on the 10th Inst., are the "Blue-Gross- 

 bcak" of popular fame, but the Ooniaphca Vmrulea 

 of ornithologists. Dr. Coucs says that It Is essenti- 

 ally a Southern bird, but being somewhat desultory 

 iu Its geographical range, it is occasionally found 

 from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It nests low and 

 inartisiically, lays four or five plain pale blue eggs, 

 and feeds on hemp seeds, grass seeds, grain, and the 

 kernels of small fruits. It winters in Mexico and 

 Central America. 



Spined Soldier Bug. 

 Prof. B. F. S.— The Insect found in Elizabethtown 

 borough, by Dr. A. C. T., and submitted to me by 

 you for examination, Is an Immature specimen of the 

 "Spined Soldier Bug" (Arma spi?wsa), a species of 

 ca.rmverous hemiptera (half-winged), and a special 

 enemy to the larvae of the "Colorado Potato Beetle." 

 These insects have been In Lancaster county for 

 many years, and have always preyed upon other soft 

 skinned insects ; but since the advent of the Colorado 

 beetles, they have greatly Increased, and appear to 

 have a preference for the luxurious feast which their 

 bodies afford ; and therefore they ought to be left 

 undisturbed, as one of the co-operative means by 

 which Potato Beetles may be held In check if not ul- 

 timately exterminated. 



A Harmful Insect. 



A friend having sent to this office a sassafras twig 

 punctured by some insect, asked for some informa- 

 tion concerning it. We referred the case to Dr. S. 

 S. Rathvon, and our correspondent may read what 

 he says below: 



"Your sassafras branch contains the ova, or the 

 exuded larvae, of an insect variously called the 

 "climbing-cricket," "tree-cricket," or "snow-crick- 

 et" ( CKcanWjiis nivens). The fully developed male 

 Is of an Ivory white color, and, exclusive of the 

 wings, about half an inch In length, but the wings 

 extend nearly half an inch beyond the hind end of 

 the body. The antennae ar ^ very long and filiform. 

 The hind legs are also vpry long, but the femur is 

 sufficiently developed to show the Insect's alliance 

 with the cricket family {Achetada) . The wings are 

 narrow at the base, and broad and obtusely rounded 

 at the apex (shaped like a battledore), and one laps 

 horizontally over the other on the back. At the 

 nuptial season (August) the male utters a shrill 

 stridulation, which he sometimes continues all night, 

 and when they happen to enter a house the loud and 

 shrill notes of this insect become monotonous and 

 exceedingly annoying to would-be sleepers. 



More than twenty-five years ago Dr. Harris, of 

 Boston, Mass., recorded this insect (on the represen- 

 tations of a Connecticut tobacco grower) as exceed- 

 ingly Injurious to the tobacco plant. Prior to the 

 Introduction of tobacco culture in Lancaster county, 

 this Insect was by no means common or abundant, 

 but now many complaints are filed against It. Last 

 year several tine, large leaves were sent to me, 

 having holes in them (caused by this Insect) large 

 enough to run my fist through. They commence 

 their operations on the young and tender leaves on 

 the top of the plant, and eat In them small holes. 

 They do not pierce or puncture, but being masti- 

 cating insects, they bite lli<> piece entirely out, and 

 inject Lo poison. The leaf is not retarded in its 

 growth by this bite, but usually grows on until it Is 

 fully developed. 

 But as the leaves increase In alze, tha holes in- 



crease eorrespondently in size, so that by the time 

 the leaves are fully grown the holes are so large that 

 the usefulness of tlie leaves for wrappers arc in 

 many Instances entirely destroyed. During the early 

 morning or late in the evening, especially if the 

 weather Is a little cool, they become somewhat 

 sluggish, and may be captured by hand ; but at mid- 

 day, or In a warm sun, they arc very quick In getting 

 out of harm's way, either by leaping, hiding on the 

 under side of the leaf, or dropping to the ground ; 

 or when fully matured, by fight. 



This branch Is suggestive. These Insects always 

 deposit their eggs In branches of one Inch to one and 

 a-half inches In circumference, but not always iu sas- 

 safras, but also blackberry, raspberry and other soft 

 woods. Therefore, If what has been written above 

 does not suggest the cutting off of all branches 

 bearing them early in the season and burning them, 

 as the best remedy, then It Is not true that ''an 

 ounce of prevention Is worth a pound of cure."— 

 Xeif Era. 



Injurious Insects. 



It is now the season when the Insects which prey 

 on fruit trees are most destructive, and require the 

 closest attention. "Eternal vigilance" will oe the 

 "price" of succesful contention with these tiny foes. 

 The tent caterpillar and the canker worm prcv on 

 the foliage of apple and cherry trees. The apple- 

 worm moth lays Its eggs in the calyx of the young 

 fruit, and the grub, as soon as it Is hatched, cuts Its 

 way to the core, causing the fruit to ripen prema- 

 turely. In some instances the worm continues in the 

 fruit without causing any apparent damage, and it 

 is only when the apple is being eaten or cut up that 

 the unwelcome tenant makes its appearance. The 

 .Spitzenberg seems to be a particular favorite with 

 this destructive insect, for we find a great deal of 

 this fruit wormy. A great many of the moths may 

 be got rid of by building fires in tne orchard at night. 

 They will be attracted by the light, fly into the blaze 

 and be destroyed. Some persons place a lamp in 

 the centre of a tub of water; the light attracts the 

 moths, they fly against the lamp, fall into the water 

 and are drowned. 



The gooseberry and currant caterpillars begin 

 their work of destruction as soon as the leaves are 

 fully developed. The gooseberry caterpillar is the 

 larva of a species of saw-fly which lays its eggs on 

 the ribs on the back of the leaves, and as soon'as the 

 young worms are hatched they commence preyiug 

 on the leaves, eating their way Into them. Their 

 presence may he detected by the appearance of nu- 

 merous small holes, like pin-holes in the leaf, and as 

 a whole brood arc, at this early stage, confined to 

 one leaf, tliey 'an be easily destroyed by picking off 

 the leaf and "tramping on It. 



Bark lice are very injurious to fruit trees, as they 

 find shelter under the bark, through the crevices of 

 whicli they prey on the sap, and injure the vigor of 

 the trees. Tliey may be destroyed by a wash of 

 whale-oil soapsuds, or a solution of potash^. Com- 

 mon soapsuds have been used against them with 

 success. The stems of all fruit trees cannot be loo 

 frequently washed, as by this means old dead bark, 

 which affords a hiding place to many noxious 

 insects, will be removed, as well as moss and fungi 

 wliich absorb the juices and consequently haten the 

 decay of the tree. 



The fiea-beetle, better known as the black-bug or 

 turnip-fly, is very destructive lo the seed leaves of 

 turnips, cabbages, cauliflower, radishes, melons, cu- 

 cumbers, etc. It is Identical, or nearly so, with the 

 lurnip-fiy, {Ilaltica meinoruni) of Europe, which 

 commits such depredations on the turnip fields of 

 Great Britain and Ireland, France and Germany. 

 These fiee-beetles lie torpid during the winter In 

 heaps of rubbish, under stones, and clefts of the 

 bark of trees, and in chinks of walls. They lay their 

 eggs in the spring, on the leaves of the plants on 

 which they feed, and as soon as they are hatched the 

 young grubs burrow Into the leaves, feeding on them, 

 and forming in them little cells, In which they under- 

 go their transformations. Several broods are pro- 

 duced during the summer, so there is a constant 

 succession of these pests all through the season. A 

 solution of lime has been found very useful in pre- 

 venting the ravageg^Qf these insects, but a better plan 

 is the pulverization of the soil, in order to close up 

 all chinks where they can hide, and the application 

 of abundance of well rotted manure, to force the 

 plants into the rough leaves, as, when they reach 

 this stage of growth, the bugs leave them to seek 

 tenderer food. Chickens are very efficient destroyers 

 of these insects.— Western Rural. 



Squash Bugs. 

 During the winter these bugs, full grown, remain 

 in a torpid state, secluded iu nooks and crevices, 

 whence they Issue during the first warm days of 

 spring. As soon as the vines of the squash have 

 put forth a few leaves, the female bug begins to lay 

 her eggs, which she does chiefly at night, depositing 

 them in little patches on the underside, the eggs 

 being glued to the surface. There, in a few days, 

 they hatch into young bugs, which at once begin to 

 suck the sap from the leaves by means of their pro- 

 I boscis, which Is tlirust into the leaf for this purpose. 



