1864. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



173 



dirt ! From 2738 bushels of Canary seed were 

 obtained 171 bushels of foul, worthless seeds, a 

 portion of which were found to be seeds of pois- 

 onous plants. 



Among the seeds more common for farm use, 

 from 77 bushels of barley were obtained 61 bush- 

 els of pure barley, 9 bushels of oats, 4 bushels of 

 peas, and 3 bushels of tangle-weed and other foul 

 seeds. 



From 336 bushels of rye were obtained 306 

 bushels of pure rye, 21 of oats, 6 of light rye and 

 oats, 1 of tangle-weed, h bushel of peas, 8 lbs. of 

 pure ergot, and some otner vile stuff ! 



From 30 bushels seed wheat, 1£ bushels of foul 

 seed wei-e obtained, and from 297 bushels flax 

 seed, 20 bushels of "No-flax" and kale, or wild 

 turnip seed, were obtained. From 28,992 lbs. of 

 foreign mustard seed were obtained 27,829 lbs. so 

 pure that it was shipped to England and sold at 

 11 cents per lb., leaving 1054 lbs. of chaff, Canada 

 thistles and other foul seeds. 



It would be useless for us to spend many words 

 in commending "a machine that will accomplish 

 such results as these. Adams' Fanning Mill will 

 accomplish this with certainty and rapidity, and 

 its general use would greatly lessen the present labor 

 of 1 lie farm, while it would as certainly increase its 

 profits. 



For further information inquire of J. Nourse, 

 Agent, at 34 Merchants Row, Boston. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 CATERPILLARS AND THEIR NATURAL 

 ENEMIES. 



Caterpillars have increased so as to be very de- 

 structive in some sections. Neglected apple trees 

 near me the last season had every leaf devoured, 

 while the wild cherry in the woods supplied en- 

 tertainment for legions. In common with many 

 others I keep them off my trees so that they have 

 done no great injury, but had enough left that 

 escaped to observe their habits, and to find that 

 they have enemies unknown before to me. When 

 a good Providence provides a check to such infes- 

 tations, it will be well to know our friends, and 

 not in ignorance destroy them. I put my hogs- 

 head used for irrigation on end under an apple 

 tree, and on its head the tunnel for filling, which 

 is a pail with a large tin pipe fitted in its bottom. 

 Inside of this the caterpillars found an excellent 

 place in the angle formed by the sides and bot- 

 tom to make their cocoons, which they improved 

 by filling all around ; at the same time it made 

 an excellent place for me to observe them, which 

 I did by lifting the pail from time to time, to study 

 them and to astonish older people than myself 

 with my "laming," by showing them what had 

 been done every year of their lives under their 

 noses. Surely, "having eyes they see not." Af- 

 ter their cocoons were all formed, (and it is sur- 

 prising how quick a worm two inches long will 

 shorten into a chrysalis three-fourths of an inch 

 long, enveloped in silk,) we continued to look to 

 see when the moths would come out. Instead of 



millers, I found one day two of the chrysalides 

 attacked by "grandpa-long-legs," who gnawed in- 

 to the cocoons a short distance from one end and 

 were feasting upon them. 



Being very much pleased to find grandpa mak- 

 ing himself useful, even if his teeth were poor, 

 in eating the life out of this pest, I made a visit 

 the next day to note progress, when lo, and be- 

 hold, young America was there — a worm had 

 pushed aside the silk at the thin end and was go- 

 ing straight through the chrysalis ! Filled with new 

 delight and hope, I visited my observatory in the 

 later part of the day, and found two worms at 

 work. I then proposed to take time the next day 

 and get a careful description of those good fel- 

 lows, and make it known through the Farmer," 

 so that no man should lift his hand against them, 

 as we are apt to do with all worms, not knowing 

 friend from foe. Went the next day with this good 

 purpose and was chagrined to find that we, who 

 are all the time on the jump, should be too "slow 

 a catch" for them, for before the grandpas could 

 finish their breakfast, they had swept the board 

 and devoured a baker's d&2en, and were away, no 

 doubt for more ! Now for the best description I 

 can give. 



I could not see their heads — they being out of 

 sight in the insect they were feeding upon — but 

 the rest of the body was very smooth, light brown, 

 long and slim ; say 1| inches long by 3-16 of an 

 inch in diameter ; could see that they weie span 

 workers, and no doubt quick travellers -when in 

 motion, and when still, lying straight along a 

 branch of their own color, and are not easily seen. 

 Wherever I have seen the chrysalides — and that 

 is a large number — amongst hotbed sashes and 

 planks, under window sills and fence rails, every 

 one appears to be destroyed by this worm. On 

 •xamining my trees to find the nesls of eggs, 

 (which all ought to do before ^he trees leaf out, 

 for they are very easily seen and are generally on 

 low branches,) I have found but very few, which 

 gives me a large hope that we have found a check 

 to the ravages of the caterpillars. 



Caleb Bates. 



Kingston, Mass., April, 1864. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 PROFIT OP HENS. 



Frequent statements and inquiries are made as 

 to the profits of hens, and what kinds are the 

 most so. There is probablv a difference in the 

 various breeds, but no certainty to be relied on in 

 the matter. Much depends upon the individuals 

 of whatever breed, whether profitable or not. 

 Many kinds have been tried and got mixed up 

 with the old sort, and this mixed breed is gener- 

 ally kept in this part of the country and give as 

 good satisfaction as any. 



To explain what I mean by individuals of the 

 various breeds, I will mention two cases within 

 my knowledge. One of my neighbors, a few years 

 since, was inquiring about the profitableness of 

 keeping hens, and said he had had three hens for 

 two years past, that had not, to his knowledge, 

 laid an egg, and he did not think them profitable. 

 They were on a farm where plenty of corn, wheat 

 and oats were raised, and could never have suf- 

 fered for want of good fare. The other case oc- 

 curred last year. In the spring, little Johnny 

 Ames' grand mother gave him a hen which he 



