84 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



C^une, 



of years ; and it is ratlier surprising that any 

 practical mind could concoct a theory contrary 

 to the /act involved. The inhabitants of the 

 northern regions of our continent never freeze 

 when they become buried in the snow. They 

 may suffocate or starve, but they do not freeze, 

 unless they are near the surface, and after 

 death supervenes. If they were endowed 

 With the powers of vital suspension, as insects 

 are, they could survive a severe whiter with 

 impunity. From November to March insects 

 were almost as well protected as if they had 

 been covered with a featherbed, especially 

 those species that hibernate in Mother Earth, 

 and there is where the most noxious and 

 numerous kinds do hibernate. As an intelli- 

 gent resource of warfare against noxious in- 

 sects allow us here to make a suggestion. Let 

 every farmer keep a "scrap-book," divided 

 into alphabetical departments, and- every 

 paragraph he notices in his daily, weekly, or 

 monthly readings, relating to the habits of in- 

 sects, and the remedies recommended for 

 their destruction, let him "cut it out" and 

 paste it in his book, under its proper letter, 

 for future reference. It is true that repeated 

 publications of remedies may be as necessary 

 as repeated preachings, but even repeated 

 preaching only avails to the extent that the 

 congregation practically co-operates with the 

 teachings of the preacher. Our suggestion 

 involves a forearming, in order to successful- 

 ly meet any forewarning that may occur. 

 The memory cannot retain these knowledges, 

 they must be "booked," in order to make 

 them available for future use. Of course 

 there are many remedies published, or recom- 

 mended, that are entirely worthless ; but if 

 the farmer keeps a record of these in a scrap- 

 book as well as those that have merit, and 

 makes an appropriate notation when their 

 worthlessness is discovered, he will have 

 gained just so much practical knowledge that 

 he did not possess before, and that is the 

 only kind of knowledge that is of any use to 

 him. We have always believed that the most 

 practical, effective and reliable details about 

 insecticides, preventives and exterminations, 

 ought to be developed through the manipula- 

 tions of the farming, gardening and fruit 

 growing public, and believe so still. Who 

 has a more immediate pecuniary interest in 

 the subject than the persons named ? Who is 

 in more immediate and constant contact with 

 the subject ? Who is the greatest pecuniary 

 sufferer from the depredations of insects? 

 Whose secular occupation is more compati- 

 ble with the observation and study of insect 

 development, so far as relates to their noxious 

 characters ? And who could do more ui dif- 

 fusing the knowledge he thus gains among 

 his colaborers in the field of agriculture? 

 If it be answered that this all involves time 

 ixitlence and labor, we would just like to know 

 what there is in this world worth having, 

 that does not draw upon all these sources of 

 human effort. What more profitable use can 

 be made of time, patience and labor, than to 

 employ them in so beneficent a manner— in 

 conferring a blessing upon the human family: 

 moreover, there is not an editor or a pub- 

 lisher of any journal who is in sympathy 

 with agricultural progress, that would not 

 cheerfully prepare and publish any thing of 

 value to the community on such subjects, if 



practical farmers, &c., would condescend to 

 furnish the /acfs, no matter how common the 

 language in which they are communicated. 



Finally, when a man "puts up" his beef 

 and pork for future use, does he forget to salt 

 it ? Must he be told this at the beginning of 

 every season ? No ; it has become a matter of 

 course, and he habitually prepares for it. 

 Even so we must regard insects and insect 

 remedies : simply because the more improve- 

 ment made in vegetable culture, the more 

 likely will insects be attracted by it, and dep- 

 redate upon it. 



We append a few more instances in conclu- 

 sion, of the mortal effect the past cold winter 

 has had upon the denizens of the insect 

 world : 



In Boyle county. Ky., the Hy has almost 

 destroyed the wheat crop. 



Locusts are splitting the limbs of fruit trees 

 in Oconee county so that they die. 



About two-thirds of the a;iples in Ohio 

 have blighted and fallen off within the past 

 two 



Wheat birds have totally destroyed large 

 fields of the growing grain of McLennan 

 county, Texas. 



In Fannin county, Texas, grasslioppers are 

 found in millions, and farmers are in a great 

 state of alarm. 



Nevada is completely overrun with grass- 

 hoppers. They consume a crop, leaving no- 

 thing green behind them. 



The farmers around Kirkville, Mo., report 

 the county alive with chintz bugs that are 

 doing great damage to the crops. 



Grasshoppers are on the inarch on the 

 Truckee, Gal., meadows. They ate up forty 

 acres of prime wheat for one farmer. 



The corn in much of the State of Indiana 

 has been so thoroughly damaged by wire 

 worms and grubs that replanting became 

 necessary. 



The North Carolina locusts are doing great 

 damage to young apple orchards. They split 

 the fruit-bearing twigs, which soon wither 

 and fall to the ground. 



Grubs or frost have made very mauv miss- 

 ing hills among the hop fields of Oneida, N. 

 Y. Many new yards are being set out, but 

 the crop will be short for a year. 



Reports from Strausstown, Pa., say that 

 the army worm is destroying the corn as fast 

 as it makes its appearance above the ground. 

 It ruins a tobacco field in a single night. 



A parasite has appeared in the orange 

 groves of the West Indies, Florida and Cah- 

 fornia that has ruined vast numbers of trees 

 and threatens to seriously interfere with 

 orange culture. 



The chestnut trees around Echo Lake, in 

 Passaic county, N. J., look as if scorched by 

 fire. A pink-headed worm, three-quarters of 

 an inch long, is found rolled up in the leaves. 

 The pests have so thoroughly sapped the trees 

 that it is thought they will die. 



Kitchen gardens in Bergen county, New 

 Jersey, are many of them ruined through the 

 cut worm and rose bug. Tomatoes are now 

 in blossom, and melons in their third leaf, but 

 the worm turns the former upside down by 

 cutting it off just under the ground, while 

 bugs will eat up every vestige of the latter in 

 a few hours. 



The Charlotte (N. C.) Observer announces 

 the appearance of the seventeen-year locusts 

 in that vicinity by millions, and that they are 

 eating up everything. It says : " They cover 

 the landscape over with their yellowish brown 

 damask wings like summer dusters on parlor 

 furniture. They come, millions upon millions, 

 they come. From every direction they call 

 to each other, ' Come over and help us eat 

 them up.' The woods are filled with them ; 

 the ground alive with them." 



Of course, there is nothing very remarkable 

 about these excerpts ; for, not a season passes 

 in which similar observations and experiences 

 do not occur. But that the " Seventeen-year 

 LocKst" although present in millions, is 

 " eating up everything," is the most egregious 

 "bosh," notwithstanding the enunciation is 

 made by one ostensibly an Observer. A la 

 Cuvier, we reply, Hanstellate— Sectorial— they 

 "can't do it." 



FIRST ANNUAL EXPOSITION. 



The first aimual exposition of the mineral, 

 agricultural and industrial products of New 

 Mexico, to be held at Albuquerque, N. M., 

 commencing Monday, October 3, 1881, and 

 ending on Saturday, October 8, 1881. 



Ten thousand dollars in cash premiums will 

 be given for displays of mineral, agricultural, 

 pastoral, horticultural and industrial products 

 of the Territory. 



Ten thoimand dollars premiums in speed-ring. 

 Here the finest horses of the east will compete 

 with the thoroughbreds of the Pacific coast. 



The most viagnijkent mineral displays ever 

 seen in the world, including specimens of gold, 

 silver, copper, iron, lead and coal, from^ the 

 mines and mining districts of New Mexico. 



Magnificent display of the agricultural re- 

 sources of the southwest. 



The ipost beautiful displays of horticultu- 

 ral products ever witnessed— fruits, grapes, 

 wine and vegetables. 



Cattle from the plains, and sheep from the 

 mountains of New Mexico, &c., &c. 



E. S. Stover, President. 

 W. M. Patton,. Secretary. 

 H. R. Whiting, Cor. Secy. 

 Albuquerque, May 5, 1881. 



The foregoing and much more in detail is 

 in a double column advertisement in a recent 

 number of the Albuquerque Weekly Journal, 

 and although some of the claims may be high- 

 sounding, if the exposition exhibits an enter- 

 prise in correspondence with that exhibited 

 in the journal aforenamed, there is not a doubt 

 it will realize all it so sanguinely promises. 



Let our readers, who have the pecuniaiy 

 means, "stick a piece in there," and at the 

 proper time make the trip — especially as "re- 

 duced rates" will be secured for all who may 

 wish to attend. Premium Lists obtained from 

 the Secretary. In this connection we regret 

 that we are unable to make any announce- 

 ment as to the time, place ' and programme of 

 the Lancaster County Exposition. Since the 

 May meeting of the Society we were inci- 

 dentally informed that an adjourned meeting 

 of the Committee, who have the initiatory 

 steps in charge, was to have been held in the 

 Stevens House, but we have looked in vain 

 for its proceedings. 



Our energies in this direction seem to 

 "split " on the " Horse-ring " question, which 

 has been a "bone of contention" these many 

 years. 



We have often really wondered whether 

 the opposition to ring speed was real or only 

 feigned. No doubt there are many who seem- 

 ingly oppose ring speed, who-would participate 

 in them if they could do so without being par- 

 ticularly identified with them. So far as the 

 matter concerns ourself we don't care a but- 

 ton about a race of any kind, either legiti- 

 mate or illegitimate, but if an exposition is es- 

 sential to the development of our industrial re- 

 sources, and if one could not possibly be held 

 without being handicapped by a race or "trial 

 of speed, "then we would say, ' ' let the ball go 



