1880.J 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



61 



Issued by McMillan & Co., N. Y., on " British Wild 

 Flowers io Kelation to Insects." Not only docs he 

 point oul the necessity of insects to the existence of 

 (lowers, but ho shows that flowers and insects modify 

 and change each other. Especially do liowcrs under^'o 

 changes from the inlluencc of insects. Insects are 

 attracted by colors, perfume and lioney. If It be an 

 advantttije to llowers to be visited by insects it is 

 evident that those llowers which are the brightest, 

 sweetest iu peri'urae and fullest of honey, will be 

 most visited, will thrive the most ami will be most 

 likely to perpetuate themselves. Insects are thus 

 the agents of a constant natural selection among 

 flowers. Sir John Lubbock himself experimented 

 upon the attractions of colors for insects. He placed 

 slips of (flass with honey on paper of various colors, 

 accustominj; ditl'erent bees to visit special colors, and 

 when they had made a few visits to honey on paper 

 of a particular color, he found tliat if the papers 

 were transposed the bees followed the color. This 

 and kindred topics are pursued tliroujjh llie volume 

 with'mueh diversity of anecdote. 



Destroyers of Carpets. 



The season is at hand in which many careful 

 housewives will be dismayed at tlie wholesale de- 

 struction which their best carpets have sullered, 

 through the depredations of some insect pest, and as 

 usual the injury will be attributed to tlie well-known 

 domestic scourge, the clothes moth, tinea tepelzdle. 

 But it may be of interest to some to know that an 

 insect of quite a ditl'erent order, and far more de- 

 structive, is fostered unwittingly beneath our ear- 

 pets. If the windows of infested rooms be carefully 

 examined during the winter and spring, a number of 

 small beetles may often be I'ound not exceeding one- 

 eighth of an inch in length, and of an oval convex 

 form. These insects are beautiful little objects, 

 being jet black, variegated witli scarlet and white 

 markings. If examined through a low power micro- 

 scope these markings are seen to be composed of 

 minute elongated scales of various colors, with 

 which the body is completely covered as with a 

 coat-of-mail. This is the insect which in the larval 

 stale plays such havoc with the carpets, and is 

 known to entomologists under the name of anthrenus 

 scroplmlarioe. Its discovery in this country is of 

 recent date, and it has probably been imported from 

 Europe, where it has long been known and dreaded 

 for its destructiveness. Owners of carpets who have 

 not suffered from this source have reason to con- 

 gratulate themselves and should be vigilant, making 

 frequent examinations during the summer months, 

 at which time the insect is in the larval state, and 

 commits its ravages while its presence is often un- 

 suspected. The larvi\j measure about three-six- 

 teenths of an inch in length in mature specimens, 

 and are clotlied with short bristly hairs somewhat 

 longer at the sides where they form small tufts, and 

 are terminated at the hinder end by a tuft of longer 

 hair, making them appear nearly three-eighths of 

 an inch long. When they are disturbed they are 

 active and glide very quickly away into some crevice 

 of the iloor or beneath the washboard. It is not 

 very consoling to know that this pest is rapidly in- 

 creasing, while no elTeclual means for its destruction 

 has yet been discovered, although benzine, kerosene 

 oil and insect powder liave been reported beneficial. 

 A curious fact concerning these insects is that the 

 imago, or perfect insect, is frequently found on 

 flowers, apparently feeding on the pollen. A friend 

 recently gave me a number of specimens which he 

 had taken on the tulip, while I have frequently 

 found them abundant on the flowers of the spirea 

 alha. 



The Chinchbug. 



The following synopsis of a report on the chinchbug 

 by Dr. Cyrus Thomas, president of the Illinois Uni- 

 versity, and member of the United States entomolog- 

 ical commission, which has just been prepared, 

 gives its history, characters and habits, and the 

 means of destroying it or counteracting its injuries. 

 He says the chinchbug {blhsns CHOOiJtcroun my) is 

 unquestionably the most formidable insect pest with 

 which the farmers within the wheat-producing area 

 of the United States have to contend. 



The locusts of the West are the only creatures of 

 this class whose multiplication causes more sweeping 

 destruction than that of this diminutive and seem" 

 ingly insignificant insect. The loss from this insect 

 in Illinois alone in 1830 was estimated at ?4,000,000, 

 an average of §4.70 to every man, woman and child 

 then living in the state. It attained tlie maximum 

 of its development in the summer of 18C4, in the ex- 

 tensive wheat and corn fields of the valley of the 

 Mississippi, and in that single year three-fourths of 

 the wheat and one-half of the corn crops were de- 

 stroyed throughout many extensive districts, com- 

 prising almost the entire Northwest, witli an esti- 

 mated loss of more than'8100,000, 000 iu currency. 

 The course of their severest ravages is in a belt in 

 Illinois on about a line with the jnnction of lowaand 

 Missouri, and taking in a corresponding part of 

 Southern Iowa and Nebraska and of Northern Mis- 

 souri and Kansas. The loss by chinchbugs in the 

 state of Illinois in 1871 was upward of ?10,500,000 



taking an equal amount In Iowa and Missouri, and 

 again an equal amount In Indiana, Kansas, Ne- 

 braska and Wisconsin, the loss iu these states alone 

 from this one species of Insect was uiiward of $3(1, 



000,000. 



As the speciee appear to have a maximum of de- 

 velopment about every Ave years, the foregoing esti- 

 mates, Mr. Thomas thinks, render It probable, that 

 the annual loss to the nation by Its operations aver- 

 ages 8JO,000,000. The insect first appeared In Illi- 

 nois in ISIO, ill Iowa in 1S17, in Indiana and Wiscoii- 

 sin in 1,S.")4, and In ISri over the entire Northwest, 

 or natural agencies which assist in their destruction, 

 Dr. Thomas says that the cliinchbiig has no such re- 

 lentless enemies as those that pursue the army 

 worm, plant lice, etc. There are a few insects that 

 prey ujion them, hut not sufficiently numerous to 

 make any material impression on the vast hordes of 

 these invaders of our grain fields. The most efficient 

 of these aids mentioned is the Acc/jiic^or <;i«e/«», or 

 banded bug, and the frog. Professor Koss expresses 

 the belief that the destruction of the frog by drain- 

 ing their natural haunts is one reason why the 

 chinchbug multi]ilie.s as rapidly as it do.;s in some 

 sections, and Dr. Fitch is mentioned as suggesting 

 the idea of sprinkling. Tlie artificial remedies given 

 by Dr. I.eRaron, state entomologist of Illinois' and 

 quoted by Dr. Thom.as, are : 



1. The plan of sowing grain so early in the spring 

 as to get in advance of their depredations. 



2. The attempt to save a part of the crop by pre- 

 venting the migrations of the bugs from one field to 

 another by furrows or kerosene oil. 



o. The method of destroying the insects by burn- 

 ing cornstalks and other rubbish in wiiich they are 

 supposed to hibernate. 



4. The prevention of their breeding to any serious 

 extent by abstaining from the cultivation "of those 

 grains upon which they chiefly subsist. 



Dr. Thomas suggests burning over the infected 

 fields iu tlio winter as the best means of destroying 

 them. Rolling he also suggests. Dr. Thomas con- 

 cludes by saying that clean fanning is the best under 

 all circumstances, and if adopted as a rule will tend 

 largely toward preventing the increase not only of 

 chinchbugs, but of all other injurious insects. He 

 also believes in diversified farming. Massing crops 

 in immense bodies, and cultivating the same thing 

 year after year, tend to increase the insects that feed 

 on these crops. 



Entomological Notes. 



S.MALI. BORER IN APPLE TWIO. 



Editors Rural World: Enclosed you will find an 

 apple twig, perforated with some kind of borer, 

 whose habits seem to be like those of the flat-headed 

 (working under the bark, and then boring into the 

 wood.) It is new to me. The twig was handed me 

 by a gentleman for examination. 'The larvie is un- 

 like the flat-head (Chryso bothris fttnorala) being 

 ronud and plump. Anything you can scud to 

 enlighten me will be thankfully received. — Frank 

 Jlohiiiycr, Kansax City, Jan. 17, '7(i. 



The small larva; are those of a long-horn beetle 

 (Pseryoccrus snpernotatits,) of a cinnamon-brown 

 color, with darker shading on the wing covers, 

 and transverse white lines. It is generally supposed 

 to attack by preference trees that arc injured or dy- 

 ing, and it would be interesting to know if such is 

 the case in your instance. The species was recently 

 referred to in the liaral : 



The beetle deposits its eggs upon the twigs early in 

 June, and the young, as soon as hatched, bore their 

 way into and commence feeding on the under side of 

 the bark and sap wood, gradually making their way 

 to the pith, which they bore in the direction of the 

 axis for the space of an inch and a-half or two inches, 

 filling the cavity with their powdery excrement. 

 Tlicy complete their growth by the end of summer, 

 but hibernate iu the iarva^ state. Early in the fol- 

 lowing spring they change to pupse, and in May the 

 perfect insects appear. 



WORMS ON COTTOXWOOD. 



Editom Rural World: Please find enclosed a phial, 

 with a worm inside. If you are entomologist 

 enough to name it and define its species through the 

 columns of the 7?»r(iZ, it will be of interest to many 

 of its readers. The subscribers of the Western 

 7?«ra; frequently do this. We find them numerous 

 on our cottonwoods. — /. II. Davidson, Burr Oak, 

 Otoe county, Xcfj. 



The worm had changed to chrysalis on the way, 

 and as it was impossible to determine the specie 

 without further specimens, we kept it and endeav- 

 ored to hasten its development. We recently (Janu- 

 ary, 1.5th) reared the moth, and it turns out to be 

 one of the commonest species in the country, and 

 one of the earliest flyers in spring, viz: Drasleria 

 erecthea. It has no common name, but may be dis- 

 tinguished by its broad gray winirs, with brown 

 shades across them, the shades margined with pale 

 narrow lines, and there being two small but very 

 distinct spots near the apex of the front wings. This 

 worm has been known to feed on clover, but has 

 never before been reported on cottonwood. 



AILAXTHLS SILKWORM IX MISSOVRI. 



Editors Rural World: I would like to ask a ques- 



tion or two through your valuable paper, which I 

 would like to have answered either by yourself or 

 some of your numerous readers who hiive liad expe- 

 rience. I want to know whether the aiiantlius silk- 

 worm is grown in Missouri, with what success, and 

 where I can get a supply of plants and worms, and 

 tlieir probalile L'nul.—SHliMriber. 



The ailanthus sllkworm(.5nmia cynMi(i,nnbn.)ha« 

 never, to our knowledge, been grown in Missouri, 

 except in small numbers, as a mere curiosity. 



Tlie Insect is of Chinese origin, and in its native 

 country a very durable fal>ric is manufactured from 

 its cocoons. Experiments that have been made with 

 it in France and England, liowever, have convinced 

 silk growers that at present It can not compete with 

 the mulberry silkworm {liomUyx mori.) This i« 

 owing to the dilliculty attending the reeling of the 

 silk, and the Inferior quality of the latter when 

 wound. 



The ailanlhus silkworm was introduced into this 

 country in ISOl, at Philadelphia, and, adapting itself 

 readily to the climate, has already so multiplied in 

 several of our eastern cities, as to become a. serious 

 nuisance. 



Agriculture. 



Agricultural Items. 



To And the number of tons of hay in long or square 

 stacks, the following is given as a rule : Multiply 

 the length in yards by the width in yards, and divide 

 the product by 15. To fiiid the number of tons iu 

 circular stacks: .Multiply the square of the circum- 

 ference in yards by lour times the altitude in yards, 

 and divide by 100. The quotient will be the number 

 of cubic yards in the stack. Then divide by 15 to 

 get the number of tons. 



Tlie Country Oenlhinan says that James Wood, of 

 Westchester county, New York, raised three thou- 

 sand bushels of turnips on four acres of land— be- 

 tween seven and eight hundred bushels to the acre. 

 This is assuredly a great yield, but it was beaten in 

 the county of Philadelphia, on the farm of Mr. Isaac 

 Pearson, some twenty years ago, as he himself In- 

 formed us, the yield b.ing nearly nine hundred 

 bushels per acre. The variety was Landreth's Pur- 

 ple-Top. 



Thousands of tons of Limburger cheese are pro- 

 duced every season, mostly in the States of New 

 York and Wisconsin, at a cost of less than half that 

 of the imported article. It finds its market among 

 and is consumed mostly by our (.ierman-Ainerlcan 

 population. It is more profitable to the farmer and 

 maker than any other kind of cheese, because from 

 a given quantity of milk more weight is obtained, 

 aud better prices are realized. 



The Prairie Faryner considers Minnesota the most 

 certain State in the Union for raising wheat, espe- 

 cially the spring variety, owing to the peculiar 

 climate and qnality of the laud. Last year the yield 

 of the whole State was twenty-eight million bushels. 

 It is mostly ground and sent away as flour. The 

 milling business in .Minnesota is one of colossal pro- 

 portions. 



As there is much controversy in the igricnltural 

 jiapers at present as to how to "make and save man- 

 ure, I will give my plan in as few words as possible. 

 First, I keep my horses aud cows iu the same stable ; 

 I bed the horses well with good wheat or oats straw, 

 and when they have stood in it one night, I clean all 

 the straw and manure out of the stall and put it 

 under the cows. By doing this I save straw, and it 

 makes the manure finer. The horse manure Is 

 always dry, and by putting it under the cows It 

 absorbs all the urine, and it also keeps the horse 

 manure from burning when thrown into the heap. 

 When the manure gets well warmed in a heap, I 

 take a long-handled manure fork and turn it over, 

 and by that time it is well mixed and ready for the 

 land . If any of your correspondents have any bettor 

 way, let us hear from them. — Cor. Germanloan 

 Telegraph. 



The Grain Blockade. 



The Chicago Timet has the following remarks iu 

 the course of an editorial : The grain blockade at- 

 tracts attention simply from the fact that the eleva- 

 tors are filled. We have a constant glut in other 

 lines of trade, wherein the accumulation is propor- 

 tionately as great as in the grain trade. The amount 

 of provisions in store here now is enormous, but the 

 fact that we have nearly 300,000 barrels of pork In 

 store at this moment, and meats and other provis- 

 ions in proportion, does not excite any alarm, 

 because there Is plenty of room for It. 



Our lumber stock is almost as largely in excess of 

 the normal supply perhaps as our grain stock, but 

 there is no occasion for alarm, since we have "all 

 out doors" to store it in. What we need to perma- 

 nently relieve the situation is a greatly Increased 

 warehouse capacity, and this, fortunately, we are 

 likely to get in some measure. This year elevators 

 are to be built which will add a capacity for holding 

 5,000,000 bushels more, and make our total capacity 

 about 22,000,000 bushels. 



