364 



NEW ENGLAisD FARMER. 



Aug. 



cnlio. Millions of the little pests are taken each | 

 dav. I am surprised at the amount of care and ' 

 labor successful fruitgrowers consider it necessary 

 to give to their orchards. Five acres of fruit is as 1 

 much as one man can attend to properly, and he 

 will find work to do thirty weeks in a year and , 

 six days in a week, certainly. But if properly at- 

 tended to, the returns arc large ; and if neglected, 

 no returns ; as inferior fruit here will scarcely pay 

 for picking, when there is an abundance of first 

 class offered at fair rates. . 



The wheat that was not winter killed is looking 

 well ; but it is too early yet to say with certainty 

 what it will be. The farmers are begimiing to 

 look anxiously for rain. Wheat is #1.20 per 

 bushel. Flour .fJ.OO per barrel, and potatoes have 

 jumped the last week from tliircy up to fcrty cents 

 a bushel; the potato bug having attacked the 

 new crop in great numbers and with evident dis- 

 position to r^ake a clean sweep. They make no 

 distinction and show no preference,— Early Rose 

 or old varieties, it is all the same to them. 



L. E. BiCKNELL. 



Betiton Harbor, Mich., May 30, 1870. 



■WHO SHOI-LB TAKE AN AGRICULTURAL PAPER. 



Not the farmer alone, though to him it is, of 

 course, one of the essentials of life; a wise coun- 

 sellor, a friend in need, a safe and healthful fire- 

 side companion. But it should have a wider range 

 of usefulness. Every one who owns a garden, 

 even if it be hut a "window garden," has an in- 

 terest in its teachings, and would derive pleasure 

 and profit from them. A good and higli-toned 

 agricultural journal exerts a pure and ennobling 

 influence wherever it goes; and it should carry 

 that influence into cities and villages, as well as 

 among the farming community. To those who 

 have scarcely an opportunity of seeing the rich 

 fields, the gay meadows, and the dark forests, 

 from one year to another, it would bring a breatti 

 of pure country air, as refreshing as the cool 

 breeze of heaven in a crowded overheated hall. 

 To many it would be a pleasant reminder of the 

 past ; of the happy childhood spent in some far ott 

 country home, and now remembered as the brigtit- 

 est portion of a busy life. It would lighten me 

 weary hours of the invalid, while the convalescent 

 would find its Domestic Receipts and Market Re- 

 ports es'pecially interesting. 



If half the money that, is wasted upon story 

 papers were turned into this purer channel, what 

 a Innovation in morals there would be throughout 

 the land ; how much less of extravagance and dis- 

 sipation, of vice and sorrow ; how much more ot 

 peace and temperance, of health and happiness. 



Marlboro', Mass., June, 1870. Mattie. 



CABBAGE WORMS. 



About a year ago I wrote you in reference to a 

 cabbage worm which had destroyed the cabbages 

 in this section. , ^ „_ , , „„„ 



The inquiry in Mr. Scudder's note on "Cabbage 

 • Worms," cJSlonthlv Farmer, 18G9, page 362,) as to 

 "whether 1 know or only thought the butterlly to 

 be the parent of the worm," led me to pay con- 

 siderable attention to them during the past year. 

 I was well satisfied then that ttie worm was the 

 otfspring of the buttei lly ; but to be more certain, 

 I confined a butterfly in a box with some cabbage 

 leaves. She laid her eggs, and in a short time ttie 

 worms made their appearance. The cabbages in 

 this section were entirely destroyed by the worms 

 last year,— nothing remaining but the bare stumps. 

 The turnips were also badly damaged, apparently 

 1)v the same species of worms. I could not dis- 

 tinguish any di^erence between the butterflies on 

 the turnips and those on the cabbages. The but- 



terflies commenced to lay their eggs about the 

 first of June, and continued until the last of Au- 

 gust. 



Last August I confined several cabbage worms 

 under a glass, with plenty of air and cabbage 

 leaves. In about a week they fastened themselves 

 to the top of the glass and gradually turned into a 

 chrysalis state, where they remained until about 

 the first of Mav, when thry burst the shell and re- 

 vealed a yellowish white butterfly with black spots 

 on the wings. The under edge of the clapboards 

 of a building, standing near my cabbage patch, 

 was completely covered last fall with the worms 

 in a chrysalis state. We have not as yet discov- 

 ered anvthing that will destroy the worms and not 

 injure the cabbace, except picking them off by 

 hand, which is not very desirable. 



Mr. Scudder, in the note above referred to, says, 

 "the butterflies are of feeble flight, and easily tak- 

 en in a scoop net," and recommerds that as the 

 "easiest way to destroy them." In this, Mr. Scud- 

 der is very much mistaken, as our butterflcs are 

 quite active, and it would be a difficult job to 

 catch them in a scoop net. 



On account of the ravages of these worms, very 

 few cabbages will be set out here this season. If 

 any of the readers of the Farmer know of a reme- 

 dy to destroy the worms, they will confer a great 

 favor on the lovers of torn- crout in this vicinity, 

 by sending it to us through the columns of the 

 New ENGLAND Farmer. H. L. Sowles. 



Alburgh, Vt., May 30, 1870. 



sight restored by salts and cider. 



Some eight or nine years ago, Mrs. David 

 Batehelder of North Reading, Mass., now 80 

 years old, gradually lost her sight, and finally 

 became blind. About a year ago, being somewhat 

 out of health, she was advised to take Epsom 

 salts dissolved in cider to cleanse her blood. She 

 had about a tablespoonful of salts dissolved in a 

 pint of old hard cider, and took a wine glass full 

 each morning. She took it in this manner about 

 three weeks, then left off two weeks, and then be- 

 gan asain, continuing about the same length of 

 time, and leaving off again for two or three weeks, 

 until she had taken half a pound of salts. About 

 this time she began to discern bright colors, which 

 encouraged her to continue the salts and cider at 

 intervals to the present time. She continues to 

 improve in sight and general health, but cannot as 

 yet see quite as well as formerly. Knowing that 

 others have been afflicted much in the same way 

 as Mrs. B., and the remedy being so simple, I send 

 you this for the benefit of the community. 



Reading, May 23, 1870. A. G. 



musty and imperfectly cured hay. 



We read the injunction to provoke one another 

 to good works, and I was almost thus affected by 

 reading an article in a late Farmer from one who 

 wished to know what caused his hay to be smoky. 

 I never have any trouble with smoky hay when 

 rightly cured and housed. But 1 am one of those 

 old fogy farmers who have but little faith in housing 

 hay half made. This putting in the barn heavy 

 l)urdens of clover hay the day it is cut is some- 

 thing I can never do without having smoky hay. 

 That wo may dry hay too much I am fully satis- 

 fied but believe that where one farmer dries too 

 much, ten dry too little. I see it stated by some 

 writers that it is best to house heavy clover hay 

 after just a little wilted and pack it down solid iti 

 the mow. For one I believe that if I should hll 

 my barn thus, I should have the next spring a 

 good supply of manure without putting the stock 

 to the trouble of chewing the hay. 



Bedford, N. E.,June, 1870. T. G. Holbrook. 



