178 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[DecRmber, 



other, altliou^h they and the centipides form 

 one class, and are simihir inorganic stnicture 

 and development. Between the Chilopods 

 and the Diplopods, however, according to 

 80mesystemati»ts,is a sub-order named Chil- 

 OGNATiiA, a name derived from the Greek 

 words signifying; lip and jaic. This order is 

 composed of the families Lysioptalid J. and 

 the POLYDESMID.E. They have the flattened 

 bodies of the Chilopodo, but the antennal 

 and pedal arrangements of the Diplopoda. 

 Their locomotion is more rapid than the 

 latter, but not nearly so rapid as the former. 

 The raember.s of this sul)-order are presumably 

 also vegetarians, and at least one species of 

 the genus Pohjdcsmus is known to have been 

 exceedingly destructive to the young tobacco 

 plnnts, in the bed, early in the spring. They 

 have also been detected preying on other spe- 

 cies of vegetation, and especially on small 

 fruits, when near, or in contact with the 

 earth. Their bodies are shorter and propor- 

 tionately broader than either of the two or 

 ders, to which they are mutually i elated, and 

 their legs are articulated at the sides. Of 

 course, in the present advanced state of sci- 

 ence, there are many minor divisions, not 

 essential to tlie objects of this brief paper. 



Belonging to the first family of the first 

 order — namely, Cematid.^, is a species 

 that is very abundant in the city of Lancaster, 

 hut I have no recollection of ever having ob- 

 served it in any other locality in the county. 

 This is Cenuntia forcepx, or a species very 

 nearly related to it, and is the typical genus 

 of the family to which it belongs. This ani- 

 mal is endowed with the most remarkable 

 cursorial powers, and unlike most of the 

 chilopods, its locale is not merely or mainly 

 in moist places, nor yet only in dark places. 

 I have observed it not only at nearly all hours 

 of the day, but also at nearly all hours of the 

 night, and under a brilliant gas light as well 

 as in dark corners. Intensely shy as it is, it 

 frequently emerges from a cover of pamphlets 

 and papers on ray desk, and occupies a prom- 

 inent position within twelve or fifteen inches 

 of the hand with which Lam writing, manipu- 

 lating its long filliforra antennae, seemingly 

 canvassing the area around it, in .search of 

 prey, or guarding against possible danger. 

 The body of this animal, in proportion to 

 otlier subjects of the order, may be called 

 sliort, and the feet and the antennfe very 

 long and slender. I do not think that I have 

 noticed one more than two inches in length, 

 and yet with the anterior and posterior feet 

 extended, some individuals seem to be three 

 or four inches in length. When quite young 

 and small they are nearly colorless, but tlie 

 adults are dorsally tinged with blue or green, 

 and whitish beneath, the feet and antenn;e 

 being also whitish. 



When Mr. James Thackara was express 

 agent, he witnessed a deadly conflict between 

 a large specimen of Cermntia and a Blnlt/i, or 

 cockroach, which ended in the death of the 

 latter. Indeed, the former appeared to be re- 

 connoitering and deftly approaching the lat- 

 ter, whilst the roach made no attempt at 

 odensc or defence, being solely occupied in 

 avoiding a rear or lateral attack. The roach 

 raised itself up on its feet as high as it possi- 

 bly could, its body turning around as if on a 

 pivot, with its head towards its enemy. Fin 



ally, in an unguarded moment, Ccrmatia 

 sprang upon it, and in another moment the 

 roach was on his back, with no signs of life, 

 save in his trembling limbs. Then, at Mr. 

 Thackara's approach, cermutia fled. 



As a general rule, articulated animals pos- 

 sessing swift running powers, are predaceous 

 in their habits, and carnivorous in their appe- 

 tites. It is true, some carnivorous insects are 

 slow in their locomotion, and lie in wait for 

 their prey— like the Maxtid.e and Eeduvi- 

 IDJE— but these are generally provided with a 

 largely developed pair of anterior feet, and 

 are raptorial in their habits ; but as a general 

 thing, swiftness is not meaningless, hut is to 

 aid the possessor of it in capturing its prey. 



On the other hand, all, or nearly all, slow 

 moving insects are noxious, and feed on plant 

 food, or bore into Uving or decaying wood ; 

 and this is especially the case with those that 

 are mandibulated, that is, possessing jaws. 

 Some of the haustellated species — those that 

 pierce vegetation, and suck out its sap — are 

 very nimble and quick in flight, but the 

 larger number of even these are merely a 

 sort of "dodgers," and do not rely on their 

 running .speed. Slugs, grubs, caterpillars, 

 maggots, mites, worms, etc., etc.. are slow in 

 their locomotion, and do not seem to depend 

 upon it to secure their escape from danger. 

 Some of them, seemingly conscious of an 

 unfriendly presence, will relax their hold, fall 

 to the earth and hide therein ; but the larger 

 number manifest no consciousness of present 

 danger, and hence allow themselves to be de- 

 stroyed with impunity. No animals, how- 

 ever, are more conspicuous for this charac- 

 teristic trait than the viillepedcs. Occasion- 

 ally we may find a caterpillar, or an army of 

 them, moving with about as much haste a.^ 

 such animals are capable of making, but it is 

 not because they are afraid of any person or 

 thing, but because they may be in search of 

 food or a proper place to undergo^their meta- 

 morphoses. 



As a general rule tlie order Orthoptera may 

 be excluded from this rule, and yet there at 

 least is one family in that order that is strictly 

 predaceous, but it does not depend upon its 

 cursorial powers, but on its raptorial powers 

 in securing its prey. The genus Blattn, or 

 cockroaches, are swift runners, but they are 

 not strictly vegeterian in their feeding habits. 

 Crickets, gras.shoppers, and locusts, can get 

 out of the way quick enough to rank with 

 predaceous insects, but they depend more 

 upon their saltatoiial than their cursorial 

 powers. If they were predaceous in their 

 habits their leaping powers would be of no 

 assistance in capturing prey, for their leaps 

 are most heedless, and they never seem to 

 know where they are going to alight ; it may 

 be against a fence or wall, in a hole, a pond fif 

 water, or in a fire. The Ciciudelans and Car- 

 abidans, among the coleoptera, are all preda- 

 ceous and all swift runners, in that respect, 

 possessing the characteristics of the Centi- 

 pedes. 



Crickets, however, are not purely vegeta- 

 rian ; they have also carnivorous habits. 

 Some years ago, during a few veiy warm days 

 in the month of November, T found on the 

 lacerated carcass of a calf that appeared to 

 have been recently killed, about one hundred 

 field crickets, in company with a large num- 



ber of Necrophore feeding greedily on the flesh 

 of the calf. So stupidly voracious were they that 

 they made no attempt to escape, but allowed 

 themselves to be captured with seeming indif- 

 ference. This characteristic in noxious in- 

 sests is very fortunate to us, but not to them. 



THE TARIFF AND FREE TRADE. _ 



It would be a great pity if the parly that I 

 has seemingly been .so largely triumphant 

 throughout the country in the late elections 

 should so far misinterpret its mission as to 

 unduly and mistakenly tamper with the tariff 

 laws when it comes into power. It is true, 

 there may be occasion for a partial revision 

 of these laws, and the very fact that a con- 

 gre.ssional commission had been previously 

 appointed to elicit testimony on the subject 

 seems to imply that there is room for such 

 revision, but the result of the ballot box is 

 by no means an intelligent expression of the 

 popular sentiment, so far as to commit the 

 country against either unqualified protection 

 or free trade; for the masses of the people in 

 no section of the country have a clear and 

 practical understanding of the questions in- 

 volved. We have only to follow up the com- 

 mission in its various sittings at various 

 points, and the nature of the testimony 

 brought before it, to learn that the manufac- 

 turing and producing interest of the entire 

 country are larely biased by sentiments of 

 self. That is, each particular interest would 

 have such an adjustment of the tarift' laws as 

 would inure to its own pecuniary benefit 

 without any particular regard to the benefit 

 of others. It is a question upon which, as yet, 

 there cannot possibly be either a national or a 

 party issue; and laws, whether friendly or un- 

 friendly, must necessarily benefit or injure both 

 political parties. An amicable adjustment can 

 only be effected through mutual concessions 

 at the present period, and it may take years 

 yet before the country will be ripe for a radi- 

 cal change. We are not yet "out of the 

 woods," contingent upon our late war and 

 our great national debt, and the affiiirs of the 

 country still require judicious management; 

 there is no necessity in destroying or abolish- 

 ing our revenue system, although it may need 

 to be puiilied or purged. 



Tbe following from the columns of the 

 Thoroughbred Stock Journal, of Philadelphia, 

 Pa., may be added in further illustration of 

 this interesting subject : 



"There is no political enigma as puzzling 

 to the brain of the average politician as that 

 of the proper distribution of tariff and free 

 trade, for unless these national economies can 

 be so adjusted as to fit the necessities of the 

 different .sections of the country, they fail in 

 tlieir purpose, and the statesman who allows 

 himself to remain in the old ruts of a worn- 

 out policy will find himself so snugly en- 

 sconced in his selected groove, that even hia 

 best friends cannot extricate him. The tariff 

 question of to-day is not that of a decade or a 

 (juarter of a century ago ; economical posi- 

 tions have changed. The South, whose slogan 

 in ante hcUum days was free trade, has re- 

 versed her economies. She is to-day in her 

 infancy, perhaps, but on the way to a full 

 maturity of manufacturing development. 

 This of course means the presentation of her 

 claim for protection, and a falling into line 



