164 



did. Insect pnmsites and Paris-fjreen, if they 

 have not proved exterminators, have at least 

 become very efficient restrainers. The total ex- 

 tinguishment of noxious insects is perhaps not 

 absolutely essential to the preservation of the 

 vegetable kingdom, but an unceasing effort 

 should be made to harmonize their economical 

 relations, and tliis is perhaps all that ever can 

 be done. 



To this list ought also be added the two 

 species that are parasitic on the larva of Thy- 

 ridopterx and Empretia; or the "Sack-worm" 

 and the "saddle-back," whether they are 

 new species or not. It may be taken for 

 granted that there are many more species of 

 these Dipterous jjarasites than tliose already 

 enumerated that are still undescribed, or 

 whose particular habits are unknown, except 

 by analogy. Indeed, R. Ostensacken, in 

 his catalogue of the Diptera of North 

 America, published by the Smithsonian In- 

 stitution in 1858, enumerates 115 species be- 

 longing to the genus Tachina alone ; and, we 

 may infer from what is known of these in- 

 sects, that many of them are parasites, in 

 some degree, if not entirely so. Just here we 

 would remark that twenty years ago, or more, 

 in exploring the contents of a long-neglected 

 wooden box containing shreds of fine woolen 

 fabrics, we discovered a number of large, 

 dirty-white maggots, very active, but did not 

 notice particularly that they had done any 

 damage to the contents. We carefully closed 

 the box and set it aside ; on a subsequent ex- 

 amination we found a half-dozen large grey 

 two-winged flies, similar to "house-flies," but 

 larger, brighter grey, and bristled, as the 

 Tachiniis usually are. We also found a num- 

 ber of dead pupcc, as well as the empty pupa 

 shells from which the flies had evolved. Osten 

 Sacken in his catalogue does not recognize 

 the genera Exorista and Lydella, although 

 they are comparatively old genera, catalogued 

 by Curtis as early as 1837. The family 

 Tachinid^ may be regarded as a sub-family, 

 eliminated from the great family Muscidje, 

 of which the genus Musca, including the 

 common domestic house-fly, is the type. All 

 these flies (parasitic or otherwise) are wonder- 

 ful factors in the harmony of nature, and its 

 normal balances cannot entirely "gang a 

 glee," where their influence is permitted to 

 prevail. So far as concerns the history and 

 habits of these flies, it makes very little differ- 

 ence to what particular genera they may be 

 referred in their family ; it is their economical 

 relations to the noxious species of insects and 

 the products of human labor, that the hus- 

 bandman is most interested in— whether in 

 them he recognizes a friend or a foe. 



The presence, finally, of noxious insects, 

 their rapid increase, their annoyance, and 

 their frightful destructions, are no doubt per- 

 mitted in order to inculcate human prudence, 

 human wisdom and human vigilance — illus- 

 trating that it is lest that man should earn his 

 bread " by the sweat of his face." Suppose, 

 when we desired " golden guineas," or jew- 

 elry, or the thousand and one implements and 

 instruments that enter into the domain of 

 human economy and convenience, they should 

 be found spontaneously growing upon trees, 

 and needed only the stretching forth of the 

 human hand to possess them, is it likely that 

 any one would voluntarily assume the labor 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[November, 



of mining the crude ores and submitting them 

 to the manipulations of the assayist and the 

 manufacturer? Who would trouble himself 

 about making a coat, or a shoe, or a hat, if 

 these things were spontaneously produced just 

 at the time and place they were wanted V 

 Look at the nations whose wants are supplied 

 through the nearest approximation to spon- 

 tanity, and what are they ? Indolent and il- 

 literate greasers at best, if not ignorant and 

 treacherous knaves. No ; man must provide 

 against the redundancy of noxious insects, 

 just as he provides against the chilling blasts 

 of winter, or the torrid rays of summer, and 

 in the former case he has a potent auxiliary 

 in insect parasites. If he commits the eco- 

 nomic sin of ignoring these collateral helps 

 he must suffer the consequences. Until these 

 are discovered, or developed and become 

 eflective, of course he must make use of such 

 appliances as his inventive genius may sug- 

 gest, always acting with that intelligence 

 which would prevent his defeating the very 

 end he seeks to accomplish. But this requires 

 thought, careful observation, discrimination, 

 and practical experiment. The cock-pit, the 

 bear-beat, and the race-course require the 

 same to become a success, and they get it too. 

 Some of this knowledge may come slow and 

 some negatively. When we find out by ex- 

 perience what a thing is not we have made one 

 step toward a knowledge of what it is. The 

 best things often come " little by little." 



We do not think there is any danger of any 

 species of insect becoming permanently, 

 either endemic or epidemic, mainly, because 

 of their liability to parasitic infestation, al- 

 though it might involve great destruction be- 

 fore the parasites became effective ; and we 

 believe that the occasional redundancy of cer- 

 tain species, and then their almost entire dis- 

 appearance IS often, if not always, the effect of 

 a parasitic cause. Of course, no one would 

 expect a parasitic species to precede its hosts ; 

 but it would be quite natural for it, in due 

 time, to follow it. Some twelve or fifteen 

 years ago we noticed, during the summer 

 season, a very large number of dark (nearly 

 black) spiders, among the rocks in the bed of 

 the Susquehanna river. The river was very 

 low, and these spiders were found in fissures 

 and overhanging cavities, and their domain 

 seemed to reach half way across the river. 

 They deposited their eggs in large patches 

 against the sides of the rocks, and especially 

 in such places as projected over the water. 

 These eggs were covered over with a brittle, 

 white, shell-like substance, similar in texture 

 to the "bone" of cuttle-fish, and occurred in 

 masses as large as a man's hand. Occuping 

 one of those rocks, vainly endeavoring to be- 

 guile a fish to our hook, we "gave it up," and 

 essayed an exploration of the rock cavities,and 

 the white scales on their sides. Spiders eggs 

 were present in many thousands, and on the 

 least pressure their yellowish fatty contents 

 would ooze out very freely. In some of them 

 we found many small yellowish "grubs" and 

 pupm, and in others the pupjcr and the imagos 

 of a species of ColeoptEra, belonging to the 

 family ANTinciDiE, of which there are about 

 fifty or more species belonging to the genus 

 Anthicns alone. There were perhaps hun- 

 dreds of these little coleopters present. The 

 year following, there were neither spiders nor 

 parasites in that loealitv. 



Take the "Rocky Mountain Locust," as 

 another instance, and it doubtless can be de- 

 monstrated that as many of these are de- 

 stroyed, or prevented by the various species 

 of parasites, or predacece, as are destroyed 

 by any, or by all, other causes combined. 



"ADAM AND EVE." 



{Aplectrum hyemale.) 



On the 7th of the present month we received 

 from Mr. 3: H. Clare, of Mastersonville, Lan- 

 caster county, a fine specimen of an Orchi- 

 daceous plant, known under the common 

 names of "Adam and Eve," and "Putty 

 root ;" which, although found from Canada 

 to Florida, according to botanical authority, 

 is still by no means common, if not rare. It 

 has been many long years since this plant was 

 first brought to our notice— near the junction 

 of the Big and Little Chiques creeks, about 

 the year lS-22 — and, so far as we are able to 

 recall the circumstances, some mysterious 

 medicinal value was attached to the plant. 

 We did not then know that it was rare — sev- 

 eral specimens having been found in the same 

 locality — although we never come across it 

 except in one single instance in the long in- 

 terval between " now and then," and that 

 was in Kreutz Creek Valley in York county, 

 nearly forty years ago. A practical botanist, 

 in special quest of it, would no doubt have 

 found it more frequently. As already indi- 

 cated, this plant belongs to the Monocotylb- 

 DONOUS family Orchidace^.; of which there 

 are twelve genera and twenty-nine species, 

 recorded in Dr. Porter's catalogue, as belong- 

 ing to Lancaster county; but only one belong- 

 ing to the typical genus; namely. Orchis spee- 

 tabilis. In our youth it was supposed that 

 this plant was invariably found with only two 

 corms, or tubers attached by a slender stalk, 

 hence the name "Adam and Eve," but bo- 

 tanical authorities state that there are fre- 

 quently three and sometimes four or more. 

 The specimen before us has very distinctly 

 three; from one of which arises "a large, oval, 

 many-nerved and plaited green leaf," which 

 is said to continue throughout the winter. 

 These tubers are said to be filled with an ex- 

 ceedingly glutinous matter, and probably if 

 the plant possesses any healing quality at all, 

 it is in this glutinous matter. Our early im- 

 pression was, that it was used, as a diuretic ; 

 but, we do not find it at all in Barton's Medi- 

 cal Botany, and hence its medicinal virtues 

 may have only been a common local notion. 



Many of the orchidaceous plants are para- 

 sitic on other species of vegetation, and some 

 of them are what are termed "Air-plants." 

 Some of the genera in the family to which 

 this unique species belongs, are remarkable 

 for their floral beauty; but we have never had 

 the fortune to see the one under consideration 

 in bloom, having always found it late in 

 autumn. Another peculiar characteristic of 

 some of them is, that they absolutely move — 

 not remaining precisely in the same spot of 

 earth continuously. Rind, in his vegetable 

 Kingdom, p. '269 says : " An orchis, when 

 taken from the ground is found with two solid 

 masses, of an oval form, at the base of the 

 stem, above which spring out the thick fleshy 

 fibres which nourish the plant. One of these 

 bulbs or tubers is destined to be the successor 

 of the other, and is plump and vigorous. 



