:THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



133 



a cloth with the mixture and binds it over 

 tlie exposed end. Tiie coperas is clu'iip, cost- 

 ing less than five cents per pound in quantity, 

 and he has restored trees tliat were half 

 blighted, by a thorough use of it. 



The Puylloxeua has, up to the close of 

 1880 extended over more than 1,000,000 acres 

 in France, and has utterly ruined the vines 

 in 700,000 of them. Tlie appearance of the 

 pest is reported even in the Modoc, the most 

 famous vine-growing section in France, and 

 Cliateau Lafltte for which Baron Rothschild 

 paid ;J830,000 two years ago, is nearly ruined. 

 At this rate it is expected that the whole dis- 

 trict will be infected before the end of next 

 year. Sulphuret of carbon is the most favor- 

 ed remedy, though deep trenching and ma- 

 nuring, with an application of turpentine and 

 powdered rosin ou the roots, is said to be a 

 cheaper and equally eflective remedy. 



A wuiTEii in the Country Gentleman says, 

 I have saved my cabbages from the green 

 worm, for two years, by making an infusion 

 of Tansy and pouring it on the plants after 

 tliey begin to head, two applications being ne- 

 cessary. This season the butterflies com- 

 menced depositing their eggs before the cab- 

 bage began to head, and I gave them a dose 

 of the bitter herb, after two weeks there was 

 no sign of a worm, nor has there been since. 



The Luliana Furmer says, the juice of the 

 tobacco plant is said to be of great value as 

 an insecticide. The leaves and stems arc well 

 boiled in water, and when the fluid is cold it 

 is sprinkled over plants attacked by insects. 

 It immediately destroys caterpillars, black and 

 green flics, bugs and other species of enemies 

 to vegetable life, aud in no way impairs the 

 growth of the plants. A peculiar odor re- 

 mains and acts as a repellent for a long time. 



As much as forty-five years ago we had a 

 practical demonstration that the expressed 

 juice of manufactured or plug tobacco, is im- 

 mediate death to all insects that infest ani- 

 mals. The waste juice of a tobacco factory 

 for instance, or tobacco boiled, or steeped for 

 twelve hours in water, and then the juice 

 pressed out of it. 



London Purple and Pyrethrum Powder, 

 are perhaps the best insecticide extant. The 

 first named takes precedence on account of its 

 price, costing about six cents a pound in New 

 York, whilst the last named sells at $1.25 per 

 pound. Londou.Purple is a residuum prepared 

 from the distilatiou of Hose Aniline; hence it 

 cannot be adulterated, because it would cost 

 more than the original article to do so. Half 

 a pound of the purple, iu fifty gallons of water, 

 is a safe and effective remedy. 



Severe and steady cold is not only favor- 

 able to insect hibernation, by causing a continu- 

 ed state of torpor, but indirectly in preserv- 

 ing them from the attacks of birds, and other 

 animals, which, during the severe weather 

 cannot reach them in the frost-bound ground. 

 Mild winters, on the contrary, generally cause 

 premature activity iu insects, often followed 

 by relapses into the torpid state, and such 

 changes are prejudicial to their well-being. 

 Insectivorous animals also fare better during 

 such mild winters. So says the American 

 Entomologist, and such has been our experi- 

 ence these very many years, whether the the- 

 ory be correct per se or not. Yet, there were 



those who attempted to promulgate a counter 

 doctrine last winter, iind who persisted in it, 

 even after tliey were instructed otherwise. 



Queries and Answers. 



DESTRUCTIVE OWLS. 



Greene P. O., Lauoaslcr Co., I*a., } 

 August li;, 18S1. S 

 Dr. S. S. Rkthvos— Dear Sir : The birds I sent 

 you this morning by the Lancaster ami Port Deposit 

 stage, I forgot to state how I captured them. About 

 4 o'clock this mornlnij I awoke and heard them 

 squealing;, very much like the squealins^ of rats. I 

 got my army musket and went to my chamber win- 

 dow and saw one of them sittins,' ou a shade tree 

 near the house. I shot at it and two birds fell, to 

 the ground. They have been about here from May 

 to September for at least four ye.ar8, and have car- . 

 ried off many turkeys and chicktfns. The^ were the 

 only two of that species of owls I ever saw about 

 here. I captured one about four years ago In a trap 

 and sent it to you, but that was a " Hoot-Owl." In 

 sending you these, I thought you would like to have 

 them for the museum of the Linnajan Society. I 

 would like to know where they originally belong. 

 They have been roosting through the day on the 

 mountain near Peiichbottom for some time. I am a 

 subscriber to the Farmbr, aud expect to see a his- 

 tory of them in the next uamher .— Hcyteclfully 

 yours, J. P. ffambleton. , 



In a previous note accompanying the birds, 

 Mr. H. says, " They watch the po.ultry as 

 they leave the coop, and then nab them." 



Your birds were the " Great Horned Owl," 

 sometimes also called Whe " Virginia Horned 

 Owl," (Bubo Viryinianus) very formidable 

 birds, and found in almost any part of North 

 America, from the icy regions to the Gulf of 

 Mexico ; also, on the Western coast, but most 

 abundantly in tlie central part of the conti- 

 nent. They are not migratory iu their habits, 

 but remain iu certain localities all the year 

 round, feeding on young poultry , birds, rats, 

 mice, squirrels and young rabbits. It would 

 be difficult to tell where they " originally be- 

 long," seeing that they are almost every- 

 were,"and always with us. They are usually 

 very secluded, their favorite resorts being the 

 dark solitudes of swamps, covered with a 

 heavy growth of timber, which they make re- 

 sound with their hideous cries as soon as 

 night sets in. Although they prefer retire- 

 ment, yet necessity often' compels them to 

 take up their abode in the vicinity of a de- 

 tached farm, where they cause great havoc 

 among the poultry of the farmer, especially 

 youug chickens, turkeys, ducks and Guinea 

 fowls, grasping them with their talons' and 

 carrying them off to the woods. 



Your remedy is an effective one, and ought 

 to be universally applied whenever such an 

 interloper invades your premises with sinister 

 intent upon your poultry stock. Neverthe- 

 less, as a mouser, this and many other owls 

 have some redeeming qualities, and it is only 

 when the evil overbalances the good, that it 

 is wise to destroy them. For instance, it is 

 on record that in certain districts of the 

 British Empire a war of extermination was 

 waged against all hawks and owls ; but their 

 absence favored the multiplication of rats 

 and mice, which became so numerous as to 

 destroy the grass and grain crops, starving 

 their sheep and cattle. 



Thanking you for your kind intentions in 

 sending us the birds, yet we are constrained 

 to say that an owl shot in the month of 



August is usually not in a very good condi- 

 tion to skin and stuff. Three specimens are 

 now in the museum of the Liiuia;an Society. 



COLORADO POTATO BEETLE. 



I^NCASTEK, Aug. 1881. 



Db. Rathvon : Have you noticed the ravages of 

 the "Colorado Potato Beetle "ou the tomato plant? 

 The only loss of the verdure of the common potato 

 seems tq be the cause. 



The stems of the leaves, and the Immature fruit 

 seem to be the most relished parts ; but In ray gar- 

 den there are no larvason the tomato as on the po- 

 tato. They also Infest the "Black Night-shade," 

 and the "Ground Cherry." Also ou several species 

 I'hytalis. I am perplexed to account for the absence 

 of a forth-coming brood on the plants named. — L. 

 J). A. 



I have seen the above Beetle on the Toma- 

 to, and on the Egg-plaut, but I never knew 

 them to attack the fruit before, although it 

 may be very common, and would be very 

 likely to occur after all the leaves were de- 

 stroyed. I have however heard of them at- 

 tacking the lettuce, cabbage, thistle, Jimson- 

 weed, currant, nightshade, ground cherry, 

 beans, peas, nettle, &c., but they seem to 

 have a preference for solanaceous plants. We 

 should not be at all surprised to hear of them 

 attacking the tolwcco, especially as it is close- 

 ly allied to the solanacea, and if it dues, it may 

 become a most formidable foe to that plant. 



We would therel'ore admonish tobacco 

 growers not to allow them to get a taste of 

 tobacco, or, like the Lion tliat has once fed 

 on human flesh, they may get a hankering 

 after it, and prefer it to any other kind of 

 food. What is its histoi7 and habit in this 

 respect ? It was originally found far up in 

 the Rocky mountains feeding on a coarse 

 weed {Solamum rostralvvi) but as soon as the 

 common potato was brought in proximity it 

 abandoned that and took to the potato almost 

 exclusively. Tlie succulency of the potato 

 furnished a more palatable repast, hence its 

 preference. So long as it can have free ac- 

 cess to the potato it probably always will pre- 

 fer it— at least until it fluds something more 

 palatable. 



But, seeing that it can so readily adapt itself 

 to other plants under contingent circumstan- 

 ces, it is not to be trusted. Other insects— 

 notably the cutworms— and the wire-worms, 

 having manifested a decided preference for 

 tobacco, it may ultimately do the same also. 

 It may be profitable at least, to keep these 

 things in memory. 



A WORM. 



Fairfield, Aug. 2.5, 1881. 



Mr. S. 3. RATnvos— />«<ir .Vii-; I send by the 

 stage driver a bottle containing a very curious worm . 

 It was taken from a persimmon tree on the farm of 

 D. L. Glackin, and we wish you to give a description 

 of it in The Far.mer. Yours truly, 



David L. Glackin, 

 WiLLiA.M M.Lee. 



Gentlemen : Your "curious worm" was 

 duly delivered to me as soon as it arrived in 

 Lancaster city. It is the larva of the "Great 

 Walnut Moth" [Dryocarnpa rcijalis) or, as its 

 European describer would have named it, the 

 "Regal Walnut Moth. " It is frequently found 

 on the hickory aud on the iicrsimmon in lo- 

 calities where that tree abounds. Wlien the 

 larva is perfectly mature — which occurs from 

 the middle of August to the midlo of Sep- 

 tember—it burrows into the ground, in- 



