396 TliANSACTlONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



drains, his roost, and bis stye, will kill all nuisouie smells, and remove 

 what is frequently a nest for slow and lingering diseases. 



Dr. J. D. Peck. — This subject is an important one to all farmers. 

 Those who have no access to muck had better use earth. The appli- 

 cation of loam does away with all oifensive odors. I am in favor of 

 muck first, but loam is a good substitute, and if loam is not available, 

 then clay is much better than nothing. 



Decomposing Tukf. 



Mr. Elijah Ware, of Salem, N. J., wrote as follows :— " Will you 

 please inform me what disposition I had better make of some hun- 

 dreds of loads of turf taken from the water-course along a meadow 

 of mine recently by a steam mud-digger. A great deal of it is simply 

 turf without any vegetable matter, or but little in it, is very light 

 when dry, and would burn quickly. Could I make a compost with 

 lime or some other substance, to use next year on my truck field, pay ? 



Prof J. A. Whitney. — Unless on a heavy soil the turf will do 

 but little good applied alone. Its decomposition will be hastened by 

 mixing it with lime and letting it lie exposed to the weather. When 

 pretty well reduced, and in a dry condition, it would answer well for 

 composting with highly organic manures, which is the best use it can 

 be put to. 



Dr. Isaac P. Trimble. — I don't see what better thing he could do 

 than to transfer the turf to the low marshy places, provided there are 

 such oil his flirm. 



An Insect Enemy. 



Mr. W. F. Goble, of Pleasant Ridge, Kansas, wrote that he had 

 noticed during the past twenty years in Iowa, and other States where 

 spring wheat is raised, that what is called the chinch-bug becomes 

 more or less a pest. " Has it ever been settled whether or not this 

 insect peculiarly accompanies spring wheat, and can the Club give the 

 laws and history of its operations ?" 



Dr. Isaac P. Trimble. — This is a minute species of bed-bug. It 

 increases immensely in the great wheat-growing regions of the coun- 

 try, but fortunately the weather is sometimes such as to militate 

 against its operations. There has been much written on the subject, 

 and drawings have been made which would be interesting and helpful 

 to our correspondent. 



Mr. T. C. Peters. — There is a periodical published at St. Louis, Mo., 



