116 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[ August, 



or wooden box. The object seems to be the 

 immature larva of one of three prominent 

 beetles, belonging to the coleopterous section 

 Lamellicornia, or "Book-horn Beetles;" 

 because the ends of their antennae are lami- 

 nated like the leaves of a book. It is prob- 

 ably a larva of the second year, as it takes 

 these insects from three to four years to 

 complete their larval condition ; but this 

 subject was too young, and too much injured 

 to determine its species. There are a great 

 number of these insects, and their larva are 

 generally known xmder the name of "White 

 &rub Worms." 



They all live upon the roots of vegetation, 

 and a few of them are usually found in very 

 much decayed, moist wood. The most com- 

 mon and the most numerous in this locality is 

 the "May-Beetle" (Lacnoaterna quercina) also 

 called the "June-bug. ' ' This species is about 

 an inch in length, smooth, and of a deep 

 chestnut brown color, and when very numer- 

 ous they are very destructive to the foliage of 

 different kinds of trees. 



1 have found the larva of these eating their 

 way into the potato on several occasions. 

 The next of these insects in numbers is the 

 larva of our common "Goldsmith Beetle" 

 (Gymnetes nytidcs), which has also been 

 detected excavating the potatoes, and the 

 beetle is often found hovering over potato 

 fields in June and July. 



This insect is about the same length as the 

 first named, but much thicker ; of a velvety 

 surlace, and from a deep green to a yellowish 

 green in color. Nearly every boy knows what 

 a goldsmith is, and some of them cruelly tie a 

 thread to one of their legs and fly them like a 

 kite. The third species to which I allude is 

 the "Eastern Gold Beetle" [Cotalpa lanigem), 

 and although this beetle is often found 

 abundantly in the eastern tier of the counties 

 of our State, it occurs but rarely in Lancaster 

 county. Its generic name is derived from its 

 shining golden appearance, and the specific 

 name from the sparse covering of wool, or 

 hair, on the legs and under parts of the body. 

 Should these insects become sufficiently 

 numerous, at any time or place, to be injuri- 

 ous to the crops, it would be difficult to 

 exterminate them, especially as they usually 

 are hidden among the foliage and fly abroad 

 during the evening or at night. The life of 

 the beetle is short. We have seen hundreds 

 of the May beetles lying around dead in the 

 month of July. 



There are some species of them that in the 

 larva state are destructive to the roots of the 

 grass, especially in meadows. In England 

 and France the governments sometimes offer 

 a premium for them, and they are plowed up 

 by the bushel. They are so fat that they 

 have been used to make soap. None of them 

 have been very destructive in our country. 



RED RUST. 



Mr. McO., West Orange street, Lane, Pa.— 

 Tour quinces are infested by an orange 

 colored fungus commonly called "Red Bust ;" 

 it is the TJredo ruhorwn var cydonum of my- 

 cologists. It belongs to the same family of fungi 

 that usually infest the raspberry, the hawthorn 

 the ash, wheat, oats, rye, barley, and many 

 other trees and plants, and is usually known 

 under the names of rust, smut, mildew, &c. 

 It generally succeeds a long, warm, dry spell, 

 followed by a close, warm, damp spell, and is 

 difficult to eradicate. The immediate re- 

 moval of the infected parts before the fungus 

 matures and discharges its spores, is the best 

 remedy, where that can be efiected. If the 

 tree and fruit are otherwise healthy, a wash 

 of weak lye or soap-suds, applied by hand, 

 will remove it and save the fruit, if the 

 disease has not progressed too far. Please 

 see The Lancaster Farmer for June, 1879, 

 page 82 and 83. 



• 



l^ARVM OF SATURNIA lO. 



Mrs. P. E. O., Enterprise, Lane, co., Pa.— 

 The insects on your raspberry stalks, feeding 

 on the foliage, are the young larvce of Saturnia 

 lo, the ' 'American Peacock Moth. ' ' They do 



not long remain thus congregated together, 

 but scatter and become of a deeper green, 

 with a bright orange and light brown si ripe 

 along each side, which is only slightly visible 

 now, and at full maturity they attain over 

 two inches in length. They then spin a close 

 spherical cocoon, partially covered with 

 leaves, and mixed with sufficient mucilage to 

 become pretty hard. They remain thus until 

 the following year, and the moth evolves 

 about the 1st of June, producing only one 

 brood a year, but never sufficiently numerous 

 to be very injurious. The male is yellow and 

 slightly mottled with light brown. The 

 female is much larger, her aler expansion 

 being 2J or 3 inches, and is of a much darker 

 color, almost brown ; both sexes have the 

 peacock eye or disk on the posterior wings. 

 They are not peculiarly a raspberry insect, 

 but are also found on the blackberry and 

 other shrubbery, as well as on trees. 



Contributions. 



For The Lancaster Farmer. 

 MAGNOLIA GLAUCA— SMALL MAGNO- 

 LIA. 

 This belongs to a class of trees distinguish- 

 ed for their elegant forms, rich, smooth foliage, 

 large fragrant flowers, and aromatic bark, 

 some becoming trees of great altitude. The 



present species is more humble in its growth, 

 but not the less interesting. 



This glauca is common in the Middle and 

 Southern States, very abundant in the mo- 

 rasses of Florida and Lower Louisiana. 

 About 30 miles north of Boston, where it at- 

 tains but small size, it is frequently killed to 

 the ground, by severe winters. 



This is also known by the names of Sicamj) 

 Sassafras and Beaver Trees North; in the South 

 as Sweet Bay and White Bay. It is usually 

 found in swamps or boggy soil. It is some- 

 what difficult to raise in upland soil, , but it 

 acquires more symmetry of form when success- 

 fully cultivated. 



The species native to the United States are 

 the following, viz: 



1. M. Grandiflora. L. N., Carolina to Flori- 

 da, west to the Mississippi ; fls. large 7 to 8 in 

 broad, trees 60 to 70 feet high. Leaves 6 to 8 

 inches long. 



2. M. Glauca. L. Ivs. oblong, oval obtuse, 

 white beneath ; flowers of 9-12 petals. May 

 and June very fragrant ; 2 to 3 inches broad. 

 White flowers. 



3. M. Umbrella, {Lam.) (M. tripetala, L.) 

 Southern and Western States, New York and 

 Pennsylvania ; the umbrella tree ; trees 30 to 

 40 feet high. Leaves crowded ; 1 to 2 feet 

 long. 



4. M. Acuminata, L. New York to Georgia. 

 Tree 60 to 80 feet ; flowers 3 to 4 inches in di- 

 ameter. This is the ciicu7nber tree. The cylin- 

 drical fruit is three inches long when green, 

 resembles a cucumber. 



5. M. Cor data, {Miclix.) Carolina and 

 Georgia. Trees 20 to 40 feet high ; leaves 

 4 to 6 inches long. Flowers yellow, faintly 

 streaked with red. 



6. M. Fraseri, (Walt.) On the Alleghany 

 Mountains. Pennsylvania to Florida. Trees 

 30 to 40 feet high. Leaves 8 to 12 inches long, 

 somewhat auricled below ; flowers white ; 2 

 to 3 inches long. 



7. M. Macrophylla (Michx). Leaves whitish 

 beneath. Southern. Trees 30 to 40 feet ; leaves 

 crowded on end of branches ; 1 to 3 feet long. 



Our tidip tree, white wood, or white poplar, 

 the Liriodendron tulipifera, [L.) belongs to 

 this order— "MagnoliaceaB." 



This genus of trees was named by Plumier, 

 in honor of Peter Magnol, Botanical Professor 

 at Montpelier, who published several works 

 on botany. Magnol died in 171.5, at the age 

 of 77. With respect to the M. Glauca, figured 

 above, I may add that it begins to flower in 

 difterent parts of the United States in May, 

 June and July. The flowers are highly fra- 

 grant. A few of them shut up in a room over 

 night gives the air a heavy and almost insup- 

 portable odor, so as not to be advisable in a 

 sleeping room. The bark of the young twigs 

 is smooth and of a bright green color, with 

 rings at the intersection of and scars of the 

 leaves. The leaves are scattered. The 

 whitish color of the under side of the leaves 

 will distinguish the trees at a distance. The, 

 bark is rather bitter and has an aromatic 

 pungency, somewhat like sassafras or calamus. 

 The aroma resides in a volatile portion and ' 

 may contain an essential oil, or a variety of 

 camphor. When dry and kept for some time 

 it loses this property. There is not much as- 

 tringency in the bark, yet as a medical article 

 the Magnolia is considered an aromatic tonic, 

 approaching in its character to cascarilla, . 

 canella and articles of their class. 



It has attained some reputation in the cure 

 of chronic rheumatism. The bark, seeds and 

 cones are used in tincture. In intermittent 

 and remittent fevers the Magnolia is one of 

 the many tonics which have been resorted to 

 for cure by inhabitants of the marshy coun- 

 tries where they prevail. Sufficient ^testimony 

 has been given in favor of the bark of this 

 tree to warrant a belief that it is fully ade- 

 quate to the removal of fever and ague, when 

 administered like the cinchona (Peruvian 

 Bark), in like quantities, between the parox- 

 ysms. In the more continuous forms of fever 

 of the typhoid type it has also received the 

 commendations of eminent physicians. 



Many of our eminent physicians, who would 

 rather use mineral preparations or matters 

 from the vegetable kingdom that come from 

 afar, may turn up their nose at such domestic 

 home remedies, but I do not write for their 

 edification. It is supposed that they know. all 

 about it and, of course, pay no attention to 

 such newspaper articles. I am writing as an 

 old botanist, as well as an experieilced drug- 

 gist, and simply wish the merits of our herbs 

 and trees to be known, whether appreciated, ' 

 tested or not. I know what I am writing 

 about, and as I do it voluntarily, for the benefit 

 of the readers of The Lancaster Farmer, 

 and am not a vender or collector of the drug, 

 I simply give a hint to those who may see St 

 to do so. J. Stauffer. 



For The Lancaster Farmer. 

 MORE MOONSHINE. 

 Mr. Editor : — I did not expect or intend to 

 be drawn into a controversy on solar influences, 

 but solely to draw out more light on this dark 

 subject, as I believed there were some "hints" 

 yet in embryo, that might enlighten our 

 understanding more clearly than heretofore. 



