VOL.. XVIII. NO. 47. 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER 



3d3 



as the boautifiil purple butterfly, the J'diiessix anlio- ' 

 pa or the Carnberwell Beauty. I 



On referring to Jardine's Naturalists' Library, 

 vol. 3, p. lt)8, il, plate 18, fig-. 2, (which see for an [ 

 excellent figure and description,) "c find it there j 

 stated that tliis species of J'atitssa had not until 

 within four or five years, been seen for nearly for- 

 ty years, when it was exceedingly abundant. Ht>re 

 is a striking instance of a butterfly of rare occur- 

 rence in England, that has become common in the 

 northern States of America, and is seen regularly 

 year after year, and might be highly prejudicial to 

 the elms, but for the numerous enemies that prey 

 upon it in its different stages, and serve to keep 

 tlie species within due bounds. 



If we had not already extended these remarks to 

 a greater length than was intended, we might enu- 

 merate some of the ingenious methods that have 

 been tried to destroy the canker v.orm. Tarring 

 the trunks of the trees in spring while the moths 

 continue to ascend, and the circular lead trough 

 filled with ril, ar" perhaps the mast efiicacious ar- 

 tificial means that have been adopted. The lead 

 trough, we learn, has been thoroughly tried at New 

 Haven with the elm trees ; and we have seen one 

 apple tree in this city so protected. These means 

 are rather expensive. 



One' of our farmers last season saved half his 

 apple trees by tlie following process ; finding his 

 trees full oft;.: canker worms, he toi !; air slackcJ 

 lime and had this freely dusted from the top of each 

 tree. This was done while the dew was upon the 

 leaves. Our informant states that all the trees so 

 treated, were rescued from the devouring insects, 

 while the rest in the same orchard, in wliich no 

 lime was used, became a proy to the worms. 



It appears to us that more effort should be made 

 to destroy the caterpillars at the time they quit the 

 trees, as tliis period occupies but about .3 nights : 

 they are then in their most defenceless stale. If 

 the ground beneath the trees could be newly turned 

 up and made smooth and strewed with quick lime ; 

 or in orchards with grass, perhaps some noxious 

 fluid might be used to destroy them at once. 



The great and- important service rendered tocr- 

 chards, gardens and fruit trees by small birds, is 

 not, wc apprehend, fully appreciated by the people 

 of Connecticut. Flocks of blackbirds, when unmo- 

 lested, pass much of tlieir time in the orchards in 

 spring, and are known to devour great quantities of 

 insects. 



One of our best informed farmers assures us he 

 has the greatest confidence in the presence of the 

 blackbirds and robins, in securing his /'arm and 

 fruit trees from the depredations of insects. So far 

 his numerous fruit trees have been exempt from the 

 canker worm. At this lime, .\pril, he says tlicre 

 are three large flocks of blackbirds and great num- 

 bers of robins, that are constantly on his preniises, 

 nnd enjoying his protection. If this gentleman's 

 (ixaiiiple was more generally followed with regard 

 to the protecting of birds, we feel satisfied there 

 would soon be less reason to complain of the do- 

 .struction caused by insects. 



.\nother species of bird, of extraordinary use in 

 the orchards, is the cedar or cherry bird, Bombi/cilla 

 carolincnsis — see a figure in Nuttall's Ornithology, 

 vol. 1, p. :J46. Mr?.', observes, that " lielore the 

 ripening of the cherries and mulberries, tor hours 

 at a time, they may be seen feeding on the all- 

 despoiling canker worms." Prom the gentle hab- 

 its of this bird, it is an easy prey to rapacious gun- 

 ners, for we cannot call such persons sportsmen. 



There was a time when the crows in Massachu- 

 setts were destroyed. The farmers soon found 

 great increase in insects injurious in their pastures 

 and fields — and the crow bounty was annulled. 



We have been informed that in one portion of' 

 Massachusetts where the greatest care was taken 

 to prevent the wanton destruction of small bird-*, 

 there has been a remarkable exemption from all 

 noxious insects, while all round this district was , 

 sufliering from them. From causes perhaps not ful- i 

 ly understood, the proportion of birds varies in dif- ] 

 fetent seasons. Last spring, in the county of Mid- ! 

 diesex, blackbirds and robins were very scarce, j 

 and the small birds generally were seen in much 

 less numbers than is usual. 



Since penning the above remarks, we have had 

 the satisfaction of meeting with a most interesting 

 communication, by Mr E. C. Herrick, in the Ameri- 

 can Jounal of Science for April, 1840. Mr H. has 

 paid great attention to the wheat fly, and has, it ap- 

 pears, directed his attention to the geometra ver- 

 nata. Ke finds thst a partisite attacks the eggs of 

 the canker moth. The insect belongs to the genus 

 P/a/^g'ffsifr of Latreille. As yet there has been 

 but one American species of it described, although 

 the foreign species are very numerous. 'J'his mi- 

 nute parasite appears to be abundant, and promises 

 to be of especial service in clieckiug tlie increase 

 of the devouring canker worm. We regard the 

 observations of Mr Herrick as being valuable. Tlie 

 disappearance of the canker worm from time to 

 time, may in part be owing to the rapid increase of 

 the minute insects he has directed our attention to, 

 with perhaps other insects allied to it, increasing 

 in such numbers as to destroy the eggs of the can- 

 ker worm. 



The wheat fly Cecidomysa tritici, and destruc- 

 tor, which occasioned so much alarm some years 

 since, was found to be kept in check as well as 

 nearly destroyed by a minute parasitic insect, which 

 deposites its eggs in the bodies of the minute lar- 

 V!e of the wheat fly, or Hessian fly, as it was im- 

 properly called. Mr Say has described this most 

 important insect under the name of Ceraphron de- 

 structor. 



The extraordinary provisions in nature, by which 

 certain insect tribes multiply rapidly to keep oth- 

 ers in check, would be a subject of peculiar inte- 

 rest, had we leisure now to follow it into its details. 

 We may perhaps be induced to attempt it at some 

 future time. 



fields and gin liousco, that the inhabitants are but 

 the tenants of a day. But few farniera present to 

 the eye of the traveller the neat country cottage, 

 partly hid by the ornamental shrubbery surrounding 

 it, with the apple, the pcacli, and other necessary 

 fruit trees, ".-itanirmg in bold relief," feasting the 

 eye and the appetite. Though this part of the cul- 

 ture may not be a source of much profit to the own- 

 er, yet it may well be questioned whether without 

 it there can be those endearments to our homes 

 that follow with it; will not the family ties be 

 strengthened by that which may be the joint core 

 of all its members: — our daughters pointing to 

 the woodbine, the honeysuckle, the jessamine, and 

 other vines which they have trained; and our sons 

 to the trees they planted. If the education of our 

 sons as farmers be desirable, may it not with pro- 

 priety be asked, how there can be a plan better cal- 

 culated to "teach the young idea how to shoot"? — 

 How essential then, that order and good taste should 

 surround the dwelling, either in ornamental or veg- 

 etable culture. Whether we intend our sons for 

 farmers or for professional life, is it not more like- 

 ly that being thus surrounded, their minds will be- 

 come better systemalised, than when confusion ot 

 no order at all prevails ? 



"'JVain up a child in the way he should go, and 

 when he is old he will not depart from it." Traio 

 them up as farmers, and whether we are fond of 

 the ornamental or the more profitable pi./tions of 

 culture, let order and good taste abound, thereby 

 laying the foundation of a proper system of educa- 

 tion for the young farmer. — Mississippi Farmer. 



ORDER AND REGULARITY. 



'i he patriotism of men may be doubted, (or at 

 least their State pride questioned,) who have no or- 

 der, taste nor convenience about their homes. Men 

 cannot be happy, (at least married men.) whose 

 fanidies are subject to perpetual change of resi- 

 dence. Females are not likely to form attachments 

 to their home, without something to ornament and 

 adorn it, which may be rendered doubly <lear by 

 their assistance in that decoration. Hence, until 

 the people of iMississippi look <ui their residences 

 with that soul-cheering emotion inspired by the 

 poet, of " home, sweet home," — in vain may we 

 look forward to permanent improvement, from the 

 efforts now on foot in the State, through the State 

 and county agricultural associations. In travelling 

 through the country, you are forcibly reminded, at 

 almost every plantation by the way, of the com- 

 mendable enterprise and industry every where to 

 be met with, and yet equally impressed with there- 

 flection, that apart from the wide-spread cotton 



From Ihc New Genesee Farmer. 



TO PREVENT SMUT IN WHEAT. 



Messrs Editors — As many farmers are slow to 

 believe in the efficiency of brine and lime in pre- 

 venting smut in wheat, I am induced to give addi- 

 tional testimony in its confirmation. 



.■\s Bur - inter wheat is rarely smutty to any eij- 

 tent, Ave have never prepared that seed b)- brining 

 and Uini";j. Hut our spring wheat having former- 

 ly b^'n 'TiOre or less smfjtly, we now prepare our 

 seed in the foKowing manner: After putting the 

 seed into water, to separate the light kernels and 

 oats, if there-should be any amongst it, we put i^ 

 into a tub, and' four strong brine, ahoutblood warm, 

 on to it till it is C(>mi>!etely covered. .After it has, 

 steeped three or four hour.*, wc take it out in bask- 

 ets, in which we let it stand until it is sufiiciently 

 drained ; then wc spread it on a barn floor, and 

 rake in fresh slacked lime until the wheat becomes 

 dry, when it is fit for sowing. 



The past two seasons we have prepared our seed 

 wheat in this way, and not a kernel of smut has 

 been found in the crops raised from it ; while oui 

 neighbors who neglect this pieparation, are gener- 

 ally troubled with si.iut. 



CASSANDER. 



Iinpiirlitnt Discov<ry. — A very important discov- 

 ery in I'aris is spoken of. A gentleman has suc- 

 ceeded in making very excellent bread from bcej 

 root, mixed with a small portion of potato flour. It 

 is said that this bread is of very excellent quality, 

 and can bo sold to the public at so low a price as 

 two sous per pound. 



Every one can accomplish some good in the world, 

 for every one can set a good example. 



