1883. J 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



109 



beetle" (Ifarpalux CaliginosHx). We have In our 

 lollection a female Gordiux capturcil in ii small 

 "puddle" of water that has a tanjjled string of 

 minute eggs attaclied to her body. 



Forty years ago I tried to animate a horse liair by 

 foaking it more than six months In water, but I did 

 not succeed. The person who gave me tliis specimen 

 was perfectly unsophisticated, and franlily stated 

 tliat he drew it from the body of a "big blacl; bug," 

 such as are usually found in the faces of cattle, and 

 if not the species named above, probably a specimen 

 of Cimtlum volvenx, or common "Tumble-dung." I 

 confess that little more is Icnown specifically abou* 

 these fiordians now than was kuowu a hundred 

 years ago, but It is some satisfaction to be able to 

 corroborate observations made then. 



A fossil, supposed to be the stem of a plant, found 

 In soft sandstone, in Perry or Union counties, I'a., by 

 Mr. P. Hippie, of Marietta, and donated through 

 Mr. J. M. Larzelere. 



Specimen of indurated sale from S.S.Rathvon. 

 Alsospecimensofcoccusor scale insect from the same. 

 This variety was discovered and named by Dr. Kalh- 

 von in 18.54. 



Bottle of salt from the spring at Baden, near Vien- 

 na, collected in 1S48, and donated by Charles A. 

 Heinitsh. 



Specimen of boxwood from S. M. Sener. 



Prof. J. S. Stahr deposited a nicely mounted speci- 

 men of a new species of plant, which was found by 

 him In Lancaster county. This is the "Galinsoga 

 parviflora" (Ruiz and Pavow), and is entirely new to 

 our county. 



S. M. Sener deposited a new species of rare coleop- 

 terous insect which he discovered in this county, on 

 June 31, 1883, In the swamps near Dlllerville, feed- 

 ing on the brush willow. This is the "Saperda Con- 

 color," and is new for our county, it never having 

 been found before. Dr. Rathvon nor Mr. Auxer, onr 

 local entomologists, have never taken the insect In 

 this locality. It is a variety found in the Western 

 States. 



Twenty-five Southern " Fire-flies" (Pyructomena 

 cenlrata) from Mr. J. J. Sprengcr, of Atlanta, 

 Georgia. A letter from Mr. S. accompanied these 

 insects stating that when mailed they were all alive, 

 and very luminous ; but when they were received 

 they were all quite dead, save one, which died soon 

 after emitting a faint scintillation of light. 



These insects belong to the Coleopterous family 

 LamjyyricUe* a number of which are luminous, and 

 species of them occur in perhaps every State In the 

 Union, and also in Europe. The emissions of light 

 seem to be phosphorescent, and their source Is lo- 

 cated in the two or three last ventral abdominal seg- 

 ments of the body, controlled by the volition of the 

 insect ; but exactly hom controlled, hao not yet been 

 made satisfactorily manifest. Our most abundant 

 species in Pennsylvania, and especially in Lancaster 

 county, is PAofwms scintillans ; hut we also have a 

 species (Pholnris pennmjlvimiais) much larger than 

 those sent by Mr. S., and also more luminous than 

 our common species, but It only occurs in limited 

 numbers, and its stay with us is sometimes pro- 

 longed until the month of August, or first of Sep- 

 tember. These little insects are exceedingly Inter- 

 esting, and are as much the harbingers of summer 

 as the swallows are the harbingers of spring. Long 

 before the superstitious terror of insects, Infused 

 into the youthful mind by false teaching, has become 

 obliterated, the exceptional coruscations of these 

 little insects are hailed with glee, and they are about 

 the earliest and pleasantest remembrances of child- 

 hood, connected with the insect world. These in- 

 sects are not vegetable feeders, hence, in their trans- 

 mission it is useless to furnish tliem with vegetable 

 food. They are carnlverous in their gastronomical 

 habits, and if the adult partakes of any food at all, 

 it would be animal. 



An allied family (Telephorklo') commonly called 

 " Soldier-beetles" or " Snail-killers," are particular- 

 ly partial to the common "garden snail" {Helix). 

 On one occasion, Mr. George Hcnsel, formerly of this 



*The '* Glow- worm" family. 



city, called my attention to about fifty Telepliorans 

 that had attacked a large snail, and they never relin- 

 quished it until the whole was devoured— or at least, 

 all that was* accessible, for the snail was partially 

 protected by Its shell. 



S. P. Eby, Esq., donated an advanced specimen of 

 (Hcitda f^ej>fnulccitnfOT " seventeen-year locust." 

 This may possibly be a retarded specimen of Mr. 

 Ilcnsel's local artificial brood, which was due in the 

 summer of 1882. Our regular scvcntccn-year brood 

 is not due until the summer of 18H.'). But the regu- 

 lar " locust year," so far as I can recollect, has al- 

 ways been, both proceeded and suercedixl, for two 

 or tliree years, by the advent of a few Isolated "strag 

 glers" — a sort of van and rear guard to this grand 

 army. This, however, is not normal ; it is contingent 

 upon circumstances. 



Donations to the Library. 



Annual report of the Chief Signal Ofnccr to the 

 Secretary of War, for the year 1880; a royal octavo 

 of l,l'JO pages, containing 11!) charts, 10 maps and 

 28 full or folded pages of astronomical illustrations 

 and sundry other figures, besides hundreds of statis- 

 tical tables. From the War Department, United 

 States photograplis of the plant Venus, December IJ, 

 1882, as seen at the United States astronomical 

 station, at Santiago, Chili. 



Observations on the transit of Venus, December 

 6, 1882, and a view of the station, Santiago, Chill, 

 City of Santiago, Chili, showing the snow capped 

 Andes in the distance, Santa Lucia Hill in the city, 

 etc. Donated by Mr. Miles Ruck per W.L.(iill, 

 Official Gazette of the United States Patent Oflice, 

 vol. 23, No. 23, June 5, 1883. 



Circular of Information of Bureau Education, No. 

 1, 1883. Department of Interior 



iScience for April 27, 1883. 



Lancaster Farmer for June, 1883. 



American Register for May 9, 1883, published in 

 Paris, France. 



Six book catalogues, sixteen circulars and prospec- 

 tuses, etc. 



Two envelopes of eleven scraps. 



Prof. J. S. Stahr then read a paper describing the 

 new variety of plant discovered by him in our county, 

 and S. M. Sener also read a few notes on the new 

 species of insect found by him In our county. 



Committee on Constitution and By-Laws handed 

 in their report in which they recommend some 

 changes in the different sections and articles. The 

 report was received and laid on the table for three 

 months, whicli is required by the charter, before be- 

 ing acted upon. The committee were then dis- 

 charged. A gentleman having some Indian curiosi- 

 ties on special deposit requested permission to re- 

 move them, which permission was on motion al- 

 lowed. 



Society then adjourned to meet on Saturday, Sep- 

 tember 29, 1883, at S'jj' p. ra. (a recess of three 

 months being taken, on motion, on account of the 

 warm season.) _ 



INTERNAL REVENUE. 



The collections of iiiteni.tl revenue taxes in 

 tlie Nintli Collection iJistiict of Pennsylvania, 

 composed of tlie counties of Lancaster, York, 

 (Juml)erlan(l and Perry, for tlie fiscal year end- 

 ing .June :iOtli, iss:!, are furnished by (Jolleclor 

 A. J. Kauffnian, as follows : 



On 2:l0.l:H.7iT .i^urM $l,157,llitt OS 



On lM,.'i;(lKallon».>f si>irits IM.ll.i IJO 



On X!,4 12 4-.') barrels of beer 20,i:tl »l 



On 30,900'^ pounds of smoking tobacco 4, '214 14 



On special luxes (lieeliscs) 40,103 M 



On ll,.'it;l pounds of snuB'- - l.HSTt 52 



On hunks, capitjil and deposits (other than 



National)- — - Il,9«2 90 



On penalties and other sources 1,7(U .'>2 



Total - - Sl,340,;:i<J »1 



Stamps were sold for 20,C()G,525 cigars, and 

 for 11, ISC gallons of distilled spirits in excess 

 of the previous fiscal year. 



Had there been no change in the Internal 

 Revenue taxes, the collections for the last 

 fiscal year would have been about S-'4(t,00i» 

 more than that of the year ending June :!Oth, 

 1SS2, when the total collections amounted to 

 Sl,450,7-J0.00. 



AGRICULTURE. 



Successful Farming. 

 In farming, as in most other forms of business, the 

 victory Is certainly to the strong and persevering. • 

 The amateur, who goes In largely for the picturc3(|ue, 

 and as a kind of easy speculation, t<x) odeu makes 

 shipwreck of all his hopes because he has not the 

 backl>onc to hold out. To make a farm pay anything 

 on I lie Investment, somebody must work, and work 

 intelligently and to the purpose. It must bo work 

 rightly applied. All sorts of crops suitable to the 

 section and market must be grown: teams, (locks, 

 ami henls must be kept, and everything done on this 

 hand and on that to wring the dimes of profit from 

 the stubl>orn soil, from meadow, from forest, anil 

 from stream. Work must be thorough, timely, and 

 ceahCless. The farmer must put his whole soul, 

 mind and l>ody into his work : he must be thoroughly 

 In earnest; determined to succeed. No half-way 

 measures will do If you are going to make the farm 

 pay. One cannot work a little while and then run 

 off to find something easier or more interesting to 

 do. lu a word, to succeed in doing much with the 

 soil, one must have a passionate love lor his farm 

 and his work. 



Look to those countries where small farms and 

 spade husbandry so largely prevail. What do we 

 see ? The peasant proprietor or tenant gives up his 

 time, his thoughts, and all his energy to his work. 

 To the tillage of a few beloved acres he devotes his 

 days, and in a great measure his nights also, and he 

 is assisted, and ably assisted, by the united lal>ors of 

 wife and sons and daughters ; but behold the result. 

 They get a larger yield of potatoes or wheat than 

 ever falls to the lot of the the ama'eur or half-way 

 farmer. Every foot of his little farm tells of lalior 

 rightly applied ; of labor that pays. By their per- 

 fect and ceaseless thrift, those Belgian, or Swiss, or 

 French, or Chinese farmers feed more mouths to the 

 acre than any other (Xiople. 



The Inexperienced amateur must stand aside a lit- 

 tle longer. If he has money he can quickly lose It 

 in costly experiments on the farm. It Is the man 

 born a farmer and reared on the farm that Is going 

 to succeed best at this business. He must have been 

 familiar from early life with the petty details. 

 Sch(K)ls of agriculture may teach the science, but 

 they cannot impart the art of agriculture. The farmer 

 Is constantly meeting with difliculties and pull-backs, 

 an experienced man can readily correct the evil ; he 

 applies the proper remedy at once, and the 

 loss is but trifling. The amateur, by not knowing 

 what to do would suffer a great loss. 



Farming Is a princely occupation. It brings money, 

 comfort, ease and Independence ; but they come not 

 to the uninitiated. It requires a training for the 

 work that does not turn back from rugged labor 

 If one has no experience, or cannot secure the ser- 

 vices of a trained and honest manager, we would 

 advise them not to invest much In a farm. 



The Crop Situation. 



Since our last paiwr was published, heavy rains 

 have frequently fallen. There has lieeu enouuh, in 

 all conscience, to satisfy the worst grumbler at na- 

 ture's immutalile, though sometimes inscrutable 

 ways — enough to satiate a duck. Of course, some 

 complain that there has been too much. There is 

 always too little or too much with some folks. 

 " Whatever is is right," says Festus. To clean, 

 well-plowed, and harrowed, and hoed crops there 

 has been just about enough rain for the present. 

 And hence they arc growing finely, and look just as 

 healthy and nice as they possibly can. 



We never sa>v finer prosiR'cts for corn. It Is from 

 five to ten feet high, acconllng to the time planteil. 

 Many fields are " silking and lasselling," and, In a 

 few days, will have roasting ears sufllelently ma- 

 tured to cat. The early planted Is virtually made. 

 We see and know of nothing which can or will like- 

 ly happen, which will prevent the galberlng of 

 enough to supply the country. Of course, one or 



