28 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Jan. 



railroad ! A man with a three-tined wooden 

 fork tosses up the grass to the sun wliich the 

 "weaker vessel" is mowing! While watching 

 the operation in the field, a damsel passes us 

 with a wash-tub on her head. No grenadier of 

 the grand army of France ever stood more 

 erect. She is busy with her knitting-work the 

 while. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 A JOUBNAL ON DESTRUCTIVE IN- 

 SECTS. 



Mr. Editor : — Are the farmers of our New 

 England States generally aware that there is a 

 valuable paper published monthly in Philadel- 

 phia "for the dissemination of valuable knowl' 

 edge" about insects all over the land, at a less 

 annual cost to the subscriber than it takes us 

 here in the city to buy a pound of good butter ? 



Scientific men and societies with scientific 

 aims, have been frequently condemned for car- 

 ing only for the Greek and Latin names of 

 things, and nothing for the use to which their 

 knowledge might be put in aid of the common 

 necessities of every-day life. Doubtless the 

 charge has some truth in it, but labor must be 

 divided to accomplish much. Now here is a 

 go-between, published by a scientific body, 

 which invites the farmer to contribute of his 

 knowledge about insects to the entomologist, 

 who, in return, AviU do his best to aid the cul- 

 tivator of the soil. It is an admirable plan, well 

 conceived, very practical and practicable, and 

 satisfactorily carried out ; it will certainly be 

 no less for their detriment than their discredit 

 if our farmers don''t assist in its support. 



I send j'ou the number for July last, a du- 

 plicate of which I happen to have in hand, that 

 you may see for yourself what an admirable 

 thing it is. It commences, you will see, with 

 an article illustrated with wood cuts, giving 

 some outlines of the study of insects, told in 

 clear, simple language, so that any of our 

 boys may ac(|uaint themselves with the general 

 features of their structure ; then follow differ- 

 ent articles of a column or two in length, about 

 various insects injurious to vegetation, what 

 they are, the injury they do, and how they may 

 best be destroyed. One, you will notice, 

 brings together extracts from different agricul- 

 tural papers about the same insect, and clears 

 up their apparent incongruities of statement, 

 or exposes the mistakes into which the wi'iters 

 had fallen. There is, in this number also, an 

 article on scientific names-, to show why natu- 

 ralists are obliged to use them. Then foUow 

 mor(! than three pages of answers to corre- 

 spondents, by the associate editor, one of the 

 most industrious and active entomologists in 

 the land, witli a veiy accurate and practical 

 knowledge of insects and their ravages. This 

 seems to me the best feature of the journal, 

 and is admirably sustained in each number. 

 In this way the farmer is made accjuainted with 

 the injuries which insects are doing all over the 



country, and will be quite sure to find an ac- 

 count of some which have been giving him par- 

 ticular trouble, and be informed what they are, 

 and how best to rid himself of them. In this 

 single number are answers to communications 

 from no less than thirteen States, extending 

 from Maine to Kentucky, and from ^Maryland 

 to Missouri. 



The paper is a quarto of a dozen pages, all 

 but two of which contain original reading mat- 

 ter. Surely 144 pages of such a journal as 

 this are worth fifty cents a year. They have 

 published it at this cheap rate in the hope that 

 they may receive a long list of subscribers, and 

 state that it cannot be supported on less than 

 5000 names. The year commences in October, 

 and I believe every subscriber will be con- 

 vinced, at the end of the year, that he has re- 

 ceived in valuable information, ten times its 

 cost. Now is the time to subscribe, and I hope 

 it will receive the coixlial support of c^very far- 

 mer and horticulturist in the land. The paper 

 is called ''The Practical Entomologist,'''' and is 

 published monthly, at No. 618 South Thir- 

 teenth Street, Philadelphia. s. H. s. 



Remarks. — About a year ago we received a 

 circular from the "Entomological Society of 

 Philadelphia," soliciting subscriptions towards 

 a fund of $50,000 which it was proposed to 

 raise "to insure the permanence of the society 

 and the continuance of its publication." The 

 publication alluded to was an annual volume of 

 "Proceedings," three of which had been issued 

 with the following pecuniary result, as stated 

 by its publication committee, Jan. 1st, 1865 : 



Expenses $1,796 33 



Aggregate income 550 00 



Deficiency $1,246 33 



In connection with this circular, we received 

 the first number of a new monthly publication, 

 entitled the "■Practical Entomologist,'''' to be 

 issued GRATUITOUSLY, by an association of 

 whose fitness for prosecuting the business of 

 book and newspaper publishing we had no oth- 

 er means of judging than what was furnished 

 by the above account current, rendered by its 

 own special committee. In connection with 

 these documents we were also considerately 

 furnished with a plainly written editorial for 

 our own columns, warmly commending both 

 the Society at Philadelphia and its publications 

 to the liberal contributions and patronage of 

 the readers of the Nev^ England Farjier. 



We appreciate as highly as any one the la- 

 bors of scientific men. We anticipate much 

 from their cordial and hearty co-operation with 

 what .arc usuallv termed the laboring classes. 



