116 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[ August, 



or factors, involved in the question, as a 

 basis of operations, that must be apparent to 

 all, and these are, Jirat, that many millions of 

 dollars are annually sent out of the country 

 to pay for foreign sugars ; and, second, that 

 the consumption of sugar in the country is 

 immensely increasing. These two factors are 

 arrayed, and have always been, against us, 

 and the question is: How can we utilize 

 them? 



As a prospective compensation for this ad- 

 verse state of things, we have the sugar- 

 cane, the various species of sorghum, the 

 sugar maple, the ditl'erent species of sugar- 

 beets, the common cornstalk, and the water- 

 melon, all of which yield more or less abun- 

 dantly the saccharine fluids from which the 

 syrups and sugars are condensed. And not 

 only this, but there is perhaps not a single 

 district in the whole country, (less in magni- 

 tude than a county) in which one or more of 

 the above sugar-bearing plants cannot be cul- 

 tivated ; the great question being, how to 

 make their cultivation profitable V While 

 colonial Virginia and the Carolinas were cul- 

 tivating tobacco, had their tobacco lords and 

 were paying their taxes to the crown in to- 

 bacco, the colony of Pennsylvania never 

 dreamed that she possessed the possibilities of 

 ever superseding tlie "Old Dominion," in the 

 cultivation of a plant, that had practically 

 stood her as a currency. Does any- 

 body suppose that Southern Pennsylvania 

 ever would have become a tobacco-growing 

 district if she never had bent her energies 

 in the direction of its culture ? It seems like 

 a reflection upon the moral intelligence of the 

 age, that the great sugar interest of the 

 country should remain undeveloped, and that 

 the energies of the people should become 

 concenti-ated in .the production of a sub- 

 stance which is intrinsically so valueless as to- 

 bacco. For the sake of the end the sacrifices 

 necessary in the development of the sugar 

 interest should be patiently and persevering- 

 ly endured. More light, more intelligence, 

 more truth and more pluck in the enterprise 

 are needed. 



THE •' WORM-SNAKE." 



By this compound name I do not refer to 

 any particular snake that resembles a worm, 

 nor to any particular worm that may be 

 likened to a snake, but to an army of small 

 worms, that in their migrations usually ar- 

 range themselves in a long procession (largest 

 in the middle and tapering toward the ends), 

 that approximates to the form of a snake, as 

 they travel from one locality to another. 



Mr. Adam H. Eaby, of Sjn-ing Garden, this 

 county, reports such a phenomenon observed 

 upon his premises, as reported to me through 

 Deputy Register Bauman, on the 22d of the 

 present month (July). Mr. E. was apprehen- 

 sive that this army of little worms might 

 possibly be the infant state of the "army- 

 worm," and therefore he very promptly 

 scalded them, but we can assure him here 

 upon the very threshold of the subject, that 

 they are not as near related to the "army- 

 worm" as a mouse is to an elephant — they be- 

 long to an entirely diflerent order of insects. 

 What they feed on is not very clear, for, so 

 far as my knowledge of them extends, they 

 have only been observed in their migrations, 

 coming up out of clefts in the ground, and 

 after traveling some distance returning thither 

 again. 



Where They Are Found. 



They are usually found in moist or shaded 

 places and covered by a protecting slime, or 

 mucus, and when exposed too long to the sun 

 this mucus dries and the worms perish. Two 

 of these "worm-snakes" have been witnessed 

 by myself and others within the City of 

 Lancaster, one on the premises of Judge Pat- 

 terson, about fifteen years ago, and one on 

 the premises of Godfried Zahm, two years 

 ago. In the latter instance they directed 

 their course across a brick pavement, where 

 they encountered a hot afternoon sun, and 

 all perished. The object of these migrations 



is, perhaps only conjecturable— a more favor- 

 able feeding ground, or a more proper place 

 in which to pupate, and undergo their final 

 transformation, have been suggested. 

 Observed in the Country. 



A larse army of these little worms, or 

 rather maggots, was observed on the premises 

 of Dr. A. K. Rohrer, of Mountville, in the sum- 

 mer of 1870, directing its course towards a 

 rosebush, and when the rose was subsequent- 

 ly infested by the "slug" {Selandria Eosm,) 

 it was supposed these maggots were the origin 

 of them, but they dift'er as much from the 

 "rose-slug" as they do from the "army 

 worm." The late Jacob Stauffer noticed a 

 procession of these worms crossing a road on 

 a cloudy day, between Mount Joy and Man- 

 heim, about 35 years ago, which was fully 

 ten feet in length, and when the line was ab- 

 ruptly broken, it soon united together again. 

 The Earliest Record of Them. 



The earliest record of them was made by 

 Gaspard Schueufelt, on the continent of 

 Europe, in 1603, and the same phenomenon 

 was witnessed by Jonas Ramus in 1715. 

 Mineville, a French entomologist, records 

 one of these maggot processions 30 yards 

 lono-, and the same author records a case 

 where the head of the column was changed 

 from its normal course, and gradually brought 

 round to the rear, and hence the worms 

 marched around in a circle for a whole day. 



These worms, or maggots, are the larvse of 

 of a species of two-winged fly, belonging to 

 the family Tipididce, which includes the crane 

 flies, mosquitoes, gnats, midges, Hessian flies, 

 etc., etc. Hence they are Diptera; the "army 

 worm" is a Lepidoptera, and the "Rose Slug" 

 a Hqmcnoptera. 



Their Habits. 



The habits of the Tipulidaus vary very 

 much— especially their feeding habits— some 

 living during their larval season in stagnant 

 waters. Some form various kinds of galls on 

 the leaves and twigs of trees and shrubbery. 

 Some feed on the juices of the stalks and the 

 tender irrains of wheat, and others burrow in 

 the soifand feed on the roots of vegetation, 

 among which must be classed the suhject 

 under consideration. They belong to the genus 

 Sciara, of wnich there are several species, 

 but their descriptions are not accessible to me 

 at this time. Our species has been "booked" 

 8ciaru toxoncura, but whether correctly or 

 not, is more than I am able to aflSrm without 

 qualification. 



The Largest Specimens. 



The largest specimens are not more than a 

 quarter of an inch in length, have a black band, 

 and although not so abruptly blunt at the hind 

 end, yet about the color and thickness of the 

 maggot of the common house fly, (Musca dn- 

 meS,ica). These insects never have appeared, 

 in this or any other country, that some unne- 

 cessary alarm or superstition has not been as- 

 sociated with their presence. The peasantry of 

 Europe interpreted their presence as good or 

 bad luck, according to the action of the worms 

 in certain contingencies. When they discover- 

 ed one of these slimy and ropy| processions of 

 worms they would throw down their jackets at 

 the head of the column. If the worms moved 

 in a direct line over them it was an omen of 

 good luck in their crops, but if they changed 

 their course, and moved around the obstruc- 

 tion, it was an omen of bad luck; but now 

 and here people place more confidence in good 

 cultivation than in these omens. 



climate as well. The berries are as large, 

 and the clusters are more compact than the 

 average Concord. It is a rapid and luxuriant 

 grower; and altogetlier, quite as hardy as our 

 most hardy native varieties, and worthy of 

 general cultivation ; indeed, if we were con- 

 fined to a single variety, we believe we would 

 chose Worden's Seedling. Mr. Weaver has 

 had this grape in fruit for three successive 

 seasons, and the last crop was superior to any 

 of the prior ones. Mr. Weaver is a practical 

 and intelligent grape culturist, and did more 

 to develop and demonstrate the good quali- 

 ties of the "Martha" than any other man in 

 the county of Lancaster. We paid a visit to 

 his extensive grapery some years ago, and 

 were favorably impressed with its thrifty ap- 

 pearance. It is in far better condition now 

 than it was then. These desirous of securing 

 the best varieties should visit this vineyard, 

 in the vicinity of Mastersonville. About 300 

 vines of the Worden's Seedling are growing 

 there at this time, and people can see for 

 themselves. 



THE COMING FAIR. 



We would respectfully admonish our enter- 

 prising patrons not to forget the Fair of the 

 " Lancaster County Agricultural and Horti- 

 cultural Society," on Wednesday, Thursday 

 and Friday, 29th and 30th of September, and 

 1st of October next. It may be too late for 

 the earlier varieties of grapes and peaches, 

 but of the later kinds, as well as apples and 

 pears, there may be an abundance, especially 

 of apples, for the reports of this fruit from 

 nearly every district of the county are quite 

 favorable; whilst of tobacco, cereals, melons, 

 potatoes, tomatoes, and other species of vege- 

 tation, including plants and flowers, there wiU 

 be an abundance. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENT. 

 We are under obligations to Reuben Wea- 

 ver, of llapho township, for a most magnifi- 

 cent and luscious bunch of " Worden's Seed- 

 ling" grapes. The grape is a seedling of the 

 "Concord," but in our humble opinion it is 

 superior to the parent variety from which it 

 was produced. It is earlier, being in good 

 eating order on the 12th of August— about 

 cotemporary with the "Hartford Prolific." 

 It is sweeter, and has a more tender skin than 

 the Concord, it is as prolific, and bears the 



Queries and Answers. 



A THISTLE. 



Gap, Pa., August 6, 1880. 

 Prof. S. S. Rathvon, Lancaster, Pa.: Inclosed 

 flud a species of thistle. This weed has been in my 

 lot for several years, and seems hard to get rid of. 

 There are none of my neighbors who seem to know 

 anything of it, or what| it is called. I think I got 

 it through buying wheat screenings that I bought 

 for my chickens, at least then I first dissevered it. 

 Please examine it and give a namefor itif you can. — 

 Yozirs respectfully , I). Z. Lantz. 



The "weed" came duly to hand in good 

 condition. It belongs to the Amaranth 

 family (Amarantace,) and is very com- 

 mon in this county, and also very useless and 

 tenacious. Many a time have we had our 

 bare feet and shins pricked by it in the fields 

 along the Susquehanna river. There are six 

 genera and about sixteen species with many 

 varieties of this family belonging to the flora 

 of the United States, bearing the common 

 names of "Prince's Feather," "Cockscomb," 

 "Pigweed," "Thorn Amaranth," "Water 

 Hemp," &c., &c. This species is the Ama- 

 rantus spinosus, and is distinguished by the 

 spines or thorns growing from the axils of 

 the leaves. Some of the species are cultivat- 

 ed in flower gardens, and have beautifully 

 varegated and brightly colored leaves, with 

 enlarged polygamous flower heads ; but the 

 wild varieties grow in fields, gardens or any 

 waste places where they are allowed a foot- 

 hold. We should think they could easily be 

 exterminated by pulling them up by the roots 

 as soon as they appear, and never allowing 

 them to mature their seeds. These plants 

 seed profusely, and in a very short time one 

 plaut would be suflicient to stock an acre. 

 The seeds are small, black and glossy, and are 

 capable of remaining a long time without 

 germination when the surroimding circum- 

 stances are unfavorable to their growth. 

 When they get into town lots it is difficult to 

 get rid of them without a simultaneous 

 effort ; because, if one prudent man even 

 cZoes destroy all that grow on his premises, 

 they may be restocked from the premises of 

 his imprudent or negligent neighbors. In 

 weeding them out the work should be thor- 



