164 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[November, 



Contributions. 



CORRESPONDENCE ABOUT RUST. 



Dr. S. S. Rath VON. —Dear Sir: I see by 

 the Lancaster Farmer, for October, that some 

 one in the New York Weekly Times, suggests 

 the proprietj' of steeping seed in a solution of 

 sulphate of copper, and other mixtures con- 

 taining ammonia, for the prevention of rust 

 and sraut, on the plants grown from seed, so. 

 treated. As I see it, I don't go much on 

 such recommendations. The spores or germs 

 of mildew, rjst and smut, are afloat in the 

 atmosphere, and take root on any plant that 

 is in a condition to admit of it — that is, in a 

 wet time, when the stems and leaves are soft. 

 These fungi are parasitic in their habits. In 

 foggy weather, nearly all kinds of plants, 

 especially kitchen garden vegetation, are 

 liable to be affected by the growth of these 

 fungi on the different parts of the plant. If 

 it is true that germs take root on these plants 

 by coming in contact with the exterior of the 

 different parts of the diflferent plants ; then, 

 upon what principle could treating seed in 

 this way do any good ? One of the best 

 remedies that I know of is to furnish the soil 

 with such chemical compounds as the plant 

 wants to give its stem a coating of glass, such 

 as cornstocks have. The silacates, especially 

 of potash, furnish what the plant wants to 

 protect itself from the exhausting effects of 

 this growth, white sand and wood ashes fur- 

 nished the soil, is a good application. Reme- 

 dies for this, as well as for human ailments, 

 consists in assisting nature in this work of 

 protecting itself. 



Philosophers have, already, enumerated 

 more than 150 varieties of these fungi. 



The science of Mycology, as the study of 

 these almost microscopic cryptogamous plants 

 (concealed flowers) are called, is one of the 

 most recondite of sciences. When we are ad- 

 vised to do a thing, before we do it, we should 

 always first ask ourselves, does it look reason- 

 able, or have we a reason for the faith that is 

 in us. — C. O., Bruokville, O., October 27, 18S3. 



CORRESPONDENCE ABOUT APHIDS. 



S. S. Rath VON, Esq.— Dfar Sir: We 

 have been greatly annoyed in this section of 

 the state the past growing season, and injured 

 indeed by the black aphides on our fruit trees; 

 but more particularly on the cherry, in their 

 first years growth of budding and grafting; on 

 their tender suculent terminal leaves. They 

 increase rapidly, and so entirely exaust the 

 leaves of their juices, as to stop the growth of 

 the branch, or stem upon which they are feed- 

 ing. You will greatly oblige by a line, advis- 

 ing me of the best method of getting rid of 

 them early in the season, of their first appear- 

 ance. On examination since our late severe 

 frosts up here near the mountains, I still find 

 some left, and apparently as active and lively 

 of a warm day as they appeared earlier in the 

 season; but nothing like so numerous. As 

 they appear so soon in spring, I infer that 

 many of them survive the winter and com- 

 mence their depredations to some extent on 

 the first opening leaves of early spring, as the 

 Peach tree aphis, which produce the curled 

 leaf. I have your paper and accompanying 

 illustrations, on insects .injurious to fruit 



trees, read and presented to the Fruit Growers 

 Society of Penna, several years ago, but I 

 cannot place my hand upon it, and I am sorry 

 for it, for I am only troubling you for what I 

 want, and which I suppose is there fully set 

 forth. I tried " London Purple," but put it 

 on too strong [ suppose, as it not only de- 

 stroyed the insect, but the leaves and succu- 

 lent shoots — this was done late in the season. 

 If they appear in spring, I will try the experi- 

 ment again in a more mild form. The "curl- 

 ed" leaf is pretty bad on the peach — have you 

 a certain cure for it. I have heard of " Prof. 

 Culver'' s insect annihilate to trees and plants,'''' 

 do you know anything about it j* I forward 

 you with this a copy of my book on the " Cul- 

 ture and diseases of the Peach. — Yours Tridy, 

 ■J. Butter, Muncy, Lycoming Co. Pa., Oct. 22, 

 1883. 



REPLY. 



Yours of the 22d inst. was duly received and I 

 don't know that I can make very a satisfactory 

 reply ; because, of late years, my secular oc- 

 cupation has very much interfered with my 

 experimental entomolgy. Although the apihids 

 and coccids that infest the various fruit trees, 

 shrubbery and plants are, or are supposed to 

 be, different species, yet they all succumb to 

 the same remedies ; but, even if a certain 

 remedy is known much depends upon the in- 

 telligence and practice of the experimenter. 

 He should know exactly what strength of 

 solution, decoction, emulsion or dry remedy, 

 the various plants infested can bear, at their 

 different periods of growth— a young leaf or 

 sprig cannot bear as strong an application as 

 an older one— and your experience with 

 "London Purple " has been one step in that 

 direction. 



The particular species of aphid that infests 

 the cherry tree (Black Aphids) is the 3Iyzus 

 cerasi. Fab. ; that of the peach, Myzus persicee, 

 Sulz. These insects occur from early spring 

 until late autumn ; indeed, in some Instances, 

 they have been known to bring forth young as 

 late as the 1st of November. But finally they 

 yield to the cold weather, and none of them 

 survive the winter. Be'fore they pass away, 

 however, a brood of males is produced ; these 

 fertilize the females, and they then deposit 

 their minute eggs about the base of the buds, 

 and in the small fissures of the bark of the 

 branches, where they remain all winter, and 

 no amount of cold usual to this latitude can 

 adversely effect them. But as soon as the 

 genial warmth of spring swells and bursts the 

 buds the same warmth also incubates the 

 aphid eggs. It wpuld be almost useless to 

 apply a remedy to the eggs, unless you rubbed 

 it in with a stifl' tooth-brush, and if the trees 

 were small and of special value it would pay 

 to go to that trouble ; but when the young 

 appear they are easily destroyed— heavy 

 showers of rain even sometimes destroy mil- 

 lions of them. But the impregnation, or fer- 

 tilization of aphids, is one of the most won- 

 derful things in nature. The first brood evolved 

 in the spring are all impregnated females, 

 and thence forward no more eggs are de- 

 posited until late in autumn, but each female 

 brings forth her young, one at a time, per- 

 fectly formed, and this is also an impregnated 

 female, and in due time brings forth another ; 

 and this continues "unto the thirteenth or 



fourteenth generation," or until the end of 

 the season, when males are produced, as and 

 for the purposes above stated. 



These aphids are visited by many ants, 

 which eagerly lap up their exudations of 

 "honey-dew." but they are also visited by 

 many parasites which feast upon them. For 

 instance, the imago and larvae of "Lady- 

 birds, " the larvse of "Syrphus"and "Lace- 

 wing " flies, and also species of minute 

 "Chalcis flies." These parasites often en- 

 tirely destroy whole colonies of aphids, but 

 still a remnant may remain, and that remnant 

 is capable of originating a new colony later 

 in the season, when the parasites have disap- 

 peared, either by transformation or departure 

 in quest of additional food, for when the 

 aphids are consumed there is no inducement 

 for them to stay. 



Among the artificial remedies for the ex- 

 termination of aphids are decoctions of to- 

 bacco, Pyrethrum, and Cayenne pepper, or 

 solutions of whale oil soap or weak lye ap- 

 plied with a garden syringe, and drenching 

 thoroughly. These will destroy all the insects 

 they come in contact with. According to a 

 series of experiments made under the direc- 

 tion of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, 

 much stress is laid upon emulsions of kero- 

 sene oil, as a general insecticide. As follows ; 

 1 gal. kerosene, J gal. cow's milk — fresh or 

 sour— and stir them thorouglily until they 

 present the appearance of thin butter. One 

 pint of this mixture is then diluted with 1^ 

 gals, of water, poured in gradually, and 

 rapidly stirred, until all is poured in ; applied 

 as aforesaid, or by a portable force pump. 

 This is particularly recommended for scale in- 

 sects, but for aphids it might be further 

 diluted, say two gals, of water. 



I know nothing about tne merits of Prof. 

 Culver's remedy — practically or otherwise. 

 I have seen it advertised, and that is all I 

 know about it. 



With thanks for your work on " Peach 

 Yellows," I am yours truly, 



S. S. R. 



For The Lancaster Fabueb. 

 ON WHEAT GROWING AND THE 

 HESSIAN FLY. 



It seems the Hessian fly was flrst observed 

 in New Jersey, soon after the army was re- 

 moved from the neighborhood of Trenton. It 

 was the supposition that the soldiers from the 

 continent of Europe emptied their chaff bags, 

 that had been filled with straw by the Hes- 

 sians in the English army, and that said 

 straw contained the eggs or pi/j)ce of the fly, 

 or perhaps both. 



The fiy made its first appearance in Lan- 

 caster county in 1806 or 7, and ever since 

 that period, more or less of them have an- 

 nually appeared in different localities. In 

 those days when the wheat would not thrive 

 and properly "joint," the farmers used the 

 German phraseology — " Der weitzen hot der 

 stodt;" the wheat got "boggy"— it ceased 

 growing. From 1806 to 1820 the farmers of 

 Lancaster county cultivated a white wheat, 

 which was the leading variety, but it was so 

 thick in the husk, and the grains adhered so 

 tenaciously, and withal were so diftlcult to 

 tramp out by the horses, that they discon- 

 tinued its cultivation. It would, at the 



