1883.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



US 



I 



they bave to root in, and as their elevated position 

 affords them plenty of room, light and air, they are 

 able to reach the fullest stage of development. If 

 the land appears to be at all poor, it is a good plan 

 before digging the trenehes for the celery to scatter 

 a thin layerof rotten manure between, which niunure 

 tlie lettuces will have to make use of when tlicy be- 

 gin to turn in. — Lundon OnnUn. 



Domestic Economy. 



Spilled Ink. 



Spilled ink upon a carpet or other woolen article 

 may be entirely removed in the followinir manner : 

 While the ink is still wet take clean blottinsr paper 

 or cotton batting and carefully soak up all that is 

 possible ; tlien pour a little sweet milk on the article 

 and sop it up with clean cotton batting. This must 

 be done several times, eacli time soaking the milk up 

 Willi fresh batting and using fresh milk. When the 

 milk is removed wash the spot with clean soap suds 

 and rub dry with a clean cloth. If the ink had be- 

 come dry the milk must remain on longer and used 

 oftener. With perseverance, however, it will all dis 



appear. 



^^ 



Glass Staining. 



Glass staining may be done at home by the follow- 

 ing process : Spread over the glass a strong gum 

 water, and when dry lay it over the paper on which 

 the design is sketched, and trace with a fine hair 

 pencil all the outlines. Dip the tube-like pencils in 

 the colors, and let them flow out upon the glass ; 

 have a care and not touch the pencil to the glass. 

 The lights and shades are produced in a variety of 

 ways ; one of the easiest, and especially to beginners, 

 is to take a goose quill cut in the shape of a pen, 

 without the slit, and with it carefully take out the 

 lights by lines and little dots. This part of glass 

 staining is the most exacting and diflicult, as much 

 of the elTect depends upon the shading. The glass is 

 then ready for the kiln. 



The Troy Pound. 



The Troy pound, still used in this country for 

 weighing the precious metals, is believed to have 

 been derived from the Roman weight of .57r)9.3grains, 

 the 135th part of the Alexandrian talent; this weight 

 like the Troy pound, having been divided by the 

 Romans into twelve ounces. The earliest statute of 

 this kingdom in which the Troy weight is named, is 

 the 2 Henry V, statute 3, chapter 4, but the Troy 

 weight is universally allowed to have been in gen- 

 eral use from the time of King Edward I. The most 

 ancient system of weights in the Kingdom of Eng- 

 land, was the moneyer's pound or the money pound 

 of the Anglo-Saxons, which was continued in use for 

 some centuries after the concpiest, being then known 

 as the "tower pound," or sometimes the goldsmith's 

 pound. It contained twelve ounces or 4.50 grains 

 each, or 5,400 grains, and this weight of silver was a 

 pound sterling. The tower pound was abolished in 

 1527 by a statute of Henrv VIII, which first estab- 

 lished Troy weight as the only legal weight for gold 

 and silver, and from this time to the present our sys- 

 tem of coinage has been based on the Troy weight, 

 the Troy pound containing 5,700 grains. — Nature, 



Peanut Flour. 

 No doubt ere long " peanut Hour " will be an im- 

 portant produce of the South. Virginia is set down 

 this year for 2,100,000 bushels, Tennessee for 2.50,000 

 and North Carolina at 1S5,000 bushels, these being 

 the chief States engaged in their cultivation, and 

 those in which it was first introduced from Africa. 

 In Virginia they are called " peanuts," in North 

 Carolina " ground-peas," in Tennessee " goobers," 

 and Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi " pinders." 

 Virginians are beginning to turn the peanuts into 

 flour, and say it makes a peculiarly palatable " bis- 

 cuit." In Georgia there is a custom, now growing 

 old, of grinding or pounding the shelled peanuts and 

 turning them into pastry, which has some resem- 



blance, both In looks and taste, to that made of 

 cocoanut, but the peanut pastry is more oily and 

 richer, and, we think, healthier and better every 

 way. If, as some people believe, Africa sent a curse 

 to America in slavery, she certainly conferred upon 

 her a blessing in the universally popular peanut, 

 which grows so well throughout the Southern region 

 that we shall soon be able to cut oil' the now large 

 importation altogether. 



Entomological. 



The Buffalo Moth or Carpet Beetle. 

 No insect is more despised and liatcd by the house- 

 keeper than the"Bullalo Moth" or 'Carpet Beetle," 

 as it is called by some. It attacks all flannel, wool- 

 en and cotton goods, but especially carpets and rugs. 

 The technical name of this small but otfcnsive in- 

 sect is Anthrenus scrophiilaria. The "dermcstidac," 

 the family to which these moths belong, are noted 

 for their destructiveness. It is only within the past 

 ten years that it has appeared in this country, and 

 it was not until 1870 that this destructive, though to 

 the nsturalist interesting beetle, was examined by 

 entomologists. At abou: that time Dr. Lintner, the 

 well known entomologist of New York, reared some 

 of them, and after watching the different phases of 

 their life, sent specimens to Dr. LeConte, the lamous 

 coleopterist, of Philadelchia, who pronounced them 

 identical with the European species, Anthrenus scropJi- 

 ularia. About the same time Dr. Fuller had speci- 

 mens sent him from central New York, and on com- 

 paring with the Anthreni in the cabinet of Dr. Le 

 Conte, named them A. lepuhts. To prevent a mis- 

 understanding Dr. LeConte explained that the insects 

 labeled A. lepidns in his collection, were sent him 

 from California in 18.50, where they were found on 

 flowers; and that they differed from A. scrophularia, 

 in having the satural line white instead of red, but 

 that they were in all probability but a variety of the 

 former. 



It is the larva and *pupa of this insect which is de- 

 structive, the imago or perfect form being harmless; 

 it should be destroyed, however, whenever seen, on 

 account of its oviparious propensities. Dr. A. S. 

 Fuller says of this genus: "The Anthreni are well- 

 known pests of museums of natural history the 

 world over. There are numerous species, some half 

 dozen which are found in this country, including the 

 well known Atithmms muxcoiorum Linn., the great 

 enemy of collections of natural history. But the 

 Anthrenus xerophularia of LeConte appears to fre- 

 quent rugs and carpets, and it is particularly de- 

 structive to the latter." 



The "Carpet Beetle," like all other insects, has 

 three stages of growth. It first emerges from the 

 egg a small white worm, a thick growth of dark 

 brown hair next appears completely covering the 

 naked little body ; it now looks like a little buffalo, 

 whence one of its common names. The change to 

 the pupa or second stage, and to the imago or per- 

 fect form, is carried on within the skin. On the ap- 

 proach of winter the skin splits down the back, and 

 the little beetle steps fortli after disrobing itself of 

 all encumbrances. It is of dark-brown color, with a 

 bright stripe down the centre of the back ; the wing- 

 cases are ornamented with dashes of red ; the legs 

 are dark brown, and the eyes a brilliant jetty black. 

 It is but fair to the housekeeper, after this descrip 

 tion of the beetle, to give its habitat and some of the 

 methods used for its extermination. They generally 

 live in the crevices between the boards forming the 

 floor. The best thing then to do is to lill these places 

 with some poisonous substance. Paris-green and 

 liorax have been tried without much good resulting ; 

 salt, or cotton saturated with kerosene have been 

 used with better success. Some advocate benzine, 

 but as this is so highly inflammable and consequent- 

 ly dangerous, it is not to be thought of. A very ef- 

 fective way of killing them is to pour a mixture of 

 boiling water, strong potash lye and washing soda 

 into the places where they are supposed to be ; some, 

 however, are so tenacious of life that even this does 

 not effect them. 



The amount of destruction effected by these insects 

 is almost Incredible. Dr. Packard, in speaking of an 

 invasion of a dwelling in Cold Springs, N. Y., dur- 

 ing the absence of the family for a year, says : 

 " They took complete possession from attic to cellar, 

 in every nook and crevice of tlie floors, 'under mat- 

 ting and carpets, behind pictures, and eating every- 

 thing In their way." 



Nearly every housekeeper in the country has 

 suffered more or less from the ravages of this Insect. 

 But if all makes war on it, It is to be hoped that It 

 will soon be exterminated.—^. A. ('., Germanloien 

 Teirgritph. 



*TliiM is very priilmlily "a slip . f the pen." at least 

 irt- know of no ('iitrujArnus iiinrct, lliat is deMtruetivc in 

 the pitjid .Htiitc. Tlie " naiseiiin-lM-t.(le "'—Atithrrnutt 

 liinVii«— Hoilestnietive to llie eabihel iil' the eiitoliiolo- 

 Kist. nelierally paw'^eM itM pupal perioil within the .skin 

 of the Inrrii, \n\i il then is (luiiiem-eiit anil certainly not 

 <lestnieti\c. ^Ve lia\e Ii4-eti for some years lookinf^ for 

 the advent of this iiis.-et in l.aiK'aster eoiinty, but so far, 

 havi' not heard of its presence hen*. We have not dc- 

 teeteil il on our premises, alul if it e.xJMts elsewhere in 

 the *-i(y or ef)nnty of Lanen.ster, the people must be 

 oblivious <»f its pres»-]ice, whieh.judKirii; from our cx- 

 peiienee in reference to some other destructive iiiseets, 

 would not he very extraordinary. If any of our readers 

 are eoKuizant of its presence on their premises, Ihey will 

 confer a favor hy sending us specimens of f«rr«, ^tupn, 

 and imtiyo. 



Literary and Personal. 



niuatrated New Mexico, by Hon, William 6. Kitch, 

 Secretary of the Territory, and President of the 

 Board of Immigration, 3rd edition, revised and en- 

 larged. Published by the Bureau of Immigration, 

 Saute Fe, New Mexico, 1S8:J. 



This is an octavo pamphlet of 141 pages, with em- 

 bellished paper covers, and thirteen full page illustra- 

 tions, besides forty-three other Illustrations and cuts, 

 two folded plates— namely a topo£rra|ihical map of 

 Las Vegas Hot Springs and vicinity, and a birds eye 

 view of the city of Santa Fe, with explanatory refer- 

 ences ; and lastly, a map of the Territory of New 

 Mexico, and adjacent Territories and States by which 

 it is l)Ounded. 



In this work is condensed an immense amount of 

 information on ancient and modern New Mexico, its 

 organic law ; its mining districts; its railroads, their 

 stations and distances ; its resources and advantages ; 

 its business centres ; its people and their patriotism ; 

 its water courses ; mineral and precious stones ; 

 smelting works and mining products. Also its agri- 

 cultural wealth ; its vineyards, jwmology and horti- 

 culture : its cattle, sheep, swine, horses and mules ; 

 its domestic manufactures ; mountains and their al- 

 titudes ; timbers and floral productions. Also its 

 hotels, banks, churches, and public buildings. Be- 

 sides historical sketches of its different counties, 

 their situations, topographies and productions. Also 

 its coal lands; its native grasses ; its stock statistics, 

 its ranches and prominent rancheros — in short, nearly 

 every thing that would be interesting and useful to 

 those who are [aliout to leave their old homes and 

 seek new ones in the far south-west. 



It will be remembered that only a few weeks ago 

 New Mexico celebrated the three hundred and thirty 

 third aniversary of her first discovery and settlement 

 by the while race ; on which occasion, it held an ex- 

 hibition of its mineral, agricultural, mechanical and 

 and manufacturing products, and made a most 

 magnificent display— espeeiallv in the mineral de- 

 partment — which was professedly the leading inter- 

 est. 



Long before California was opened up as a gold 

 region, New Mexico had the reputation of an El 

 dorado of silver treasure. Time and " grit" will 

 eventually develop the resources of the country, that 

 are still in " the bowels of the earth." 



Crop Report of ihe Kansas State Board of 

 Agriculture, for the month ending July :U, 1883; 

 containing area, estimated production, and condition 

 of crops, condition of fruit, the meteorological sum- 

 mary for the month, and a list of district and 

 county agricultural societies, with names of presi- 

 dents and secretaries, and the times and places of 

 holding their annual fairs for 1883. Wm. Sims, Sec- 

 retary, Topeka, Kansas ; 19 pp. royal octavo. From 



