78 



THE NEW GENESEE FARMER, 



Vol. 2. 



past, been as cicaily arcurioiiieil aa that of any oiher 

 whatever. Tlie tirst publication that 1 know of, is by 

 General J. H. Cocke of Virginia, dated l<^17, which 

 dcscribea the fall duposit; sec American Farmer, Vok 

 1., p. '^98. The second ia l)y myself, dated Ibt Febru- 

 ary, Itf'-iO, alrfo dedcribinjr the fall deposit; sie same 

 ■Work, Vol. II., p, l«iO The third is by Dr. Isaac 

 Chapman, communicated to the Agricultural Society 

 of Bucks county, 1 4th August ld"20, said to have bee:; 

 written in 17i)7, tfU n^ itsappeaiance in liucke coun- 

 ty in ]7d(i, andJls progreps for some lime afterwards; 

 also describing its several changes and habits; butjtlte 

 Doctor has only noticed two generations, having blind- 

 ed the second and third together; See Memoirs of the 

 Philadelphia AgricuUunil Society, Vol. V. The 

 fourth, by myselt, dated 12ih February, 18'21, which 

 traces the history of the insect throughout the year; 

 Bee American Farmer, Vol. 111. p. 187. The fifth is 

 by my.-iclf, dated let June, 18"JI ; see same volume, p 

 213. The si.xth is by myself, dated in 1823, trenlmg 

 of the fly and three other insects injurious to the wheat 

 nop, and proposing a remedy; see Memoirs of the 

 Pennsylvania Agiiculiural Society, p. 1G5. 



I refer you to all of the abovemcntioncd papers, par- 

 ticularly the laet; but as many of your readers may 

 not have nn opportunity of seeing them, I will trans- 

 cribe what I deem to be essential. 



The Il'^ssian fly, I believe first made its appearance 

 on Long Island, N. Y. in 1776, or soon after the Hes- 

 uiuns we're there, and is siip]3osed to have been intro- 

 duced among some straw which they brought with 

 them; hence the name; but the late Judge Peters, that 

 great fiend and patron of agriculture, iit his notice- 

 for a young farmer, sayf, that the insect was unknown 

 in Hesse, " that its name docs not prove its importa- 

 tion, for that appellation was bestowed during our 

 revolutionary excitements, when every thing we dis- 

 liked was called Hessian. The insect has been accu- 

 rately described by Mr. Say aud Dr. Chapman; but 

 .Mr. Say was mistaken respecting the deposit, as the 

 npcrture which he noticed in the sheath of the leaf, 

 was occasioned by the insect passing into the winged 

 state, and not perforated in the act of depositing its 

 eggs. The fly is of a dark color, about the size of the 

 mosquito, and the male much like it except the wings; 

 the body of the female is larger; the wings rest hori- 

 zontally, and where they join the body are almost 

 pointed, gradually expanding tovi-ards the other end, 

 where they form nearly a semicircle. The egg is 

 Bjarccly discernible to the naked eye, is oblong, of a 

 pale red or anib "r color, and placed in the gutter of 

 the led, from half an inch to an inch or more from the 

 Btalk; the caterpillar, of a pale red color, is hatched in 

 a few days lime (according to the stale of the weather) 

 and parses down the leaf to its junction with the 6talk, 

 thence between the sheath and stalk, to near the root 

 or joint; it there becomes stationary, feeds on the saji 

 of the plant, and, being bleac led by its covering, is 

 mistaken fir the egg. The first deposit takes place 

 from the fiftcenlh to the last of April (as the season 

 may be) changes to the pupa from the first to the mid- 

 dle of May, and evolves in the winged state, the lat- 

 ter part of. that mon;h. The second generation com 

 mcnces from the first to the middle of June; the fly 

 chooses the stunted plains, and deposits both on the 

 top and undLrne;itb the upper leaf, and the larvjc pass 

 to near the two upiier joints, but are found mostly 

 about the upper, and in such numbers as many perish 

 for want of fiod, the increased number being so dis- 

 proportionod to the plants which suit their purpose; 

 1 have counted u;)wards of two hundred eggs on a 

 single leaf. The third depor^it is made in the manner 

 of the first, and commences about thefifteenth or later 

 in August, and is continued on until cold weather; 

 The irregularity of this generation is occasioned by 

 the varioiH situations in which the pupa of the sec- 

 ond is thrown, it is lodged in the straw of the stunted 

 plants, 80 that in harvesting, much of it is scattered 

 about the stubble-fields and the rest is carried to barns 

 or stacked; such as is early exposed to heat may pro- 

 duce a fjurth generation, whilst that which is covered 

 till winter may not give a third. 



Oitilisi'overing a fly in the act of depositing, I secur- 

 ed it, and on examination (making the bcstcaleulation 

 that I could, and not knowing whether it had deiiosited 

 any egjs bcforel I supposed it to contain one hundred 

 eggs; if siicli he the fact, the first deposit would he one 

 hnndred; the second ten thousand, and the third one 

 million, all in theciiurse of o le year; happily, howev- 

 er, they have enemies which vastly reduce their num- 

 ber. 



The only plants, according to my observations, 

 which arc suhji.-c-t to the de;iredalion8 of the fly, are 

 wheat, rye, and barley; rye, owing to i's early sining 

 growth, is not naucb injnred; grains should ho sown 



(in this climate) about the first day of October, ns that 

 sown afterwards suffers more from the winter than the 

 fly. 



The only remedy which 1 have any confidence in, 

 must be applied to the second or summer generation, 

 (it is the only one that f think can be assailed with ony 

 prospect of success) whilst in the pupa state, by plough- 

 ing the stubble-fields betiire putting in the next crop; 

 in that case, gross seed could not be sown among the 

 groin; but by changing the course of cropping, begin- 

 ning with wheal, rye, or barley, followed by corn, and 

 ending with oats and grass, the diflitulty might be 

 avoided; nor need the stubble be ploughed till towards 

 the first of April, or any time during the winter; 

 plants about clacks and other places must also be at- 

 tended to; ond let it be remembered that farmers must 

 pursue the same plan, as it is vain for a few individuals 

 to attempt nn object, whilst thonsands are united to 

 oppose it. I will further observe, that the surest way 

 to raise n good crop of any grain subject to injury from 

 ihe fly, is to put the lands in a proper state of cultiva- 

 tion, as where that is the case, and when the season 

 proves favorable, little or no damage will he sustained, 

 although the fly may be very numtrous, as it certoinly 

 is every year. It is folly to sow wheat on a poor 

 soil. 



The insect described by Miss Morris is nol the Hes- 

 sian fly, and i think she is mistaken in the manner of 

 depositing its eggs, it appears to be the same as that 

 noticed by me in 1S23; it has three generations in the 

 course of a year, and isobserved a few days earlier than 

 the Hessian fly, and the same remedy may be applied 

 to both; the spring ond fall generations are to be found 

 near the roots of ihe plants, and the ?ummer are at the 

 several joints. There is another insect lodged in the 

 strow above the upper joint, which causes the prema- 

 ture oppeniance of ripeness of the heod and prevents 

 the grain from forming; it has not yet done much inju- 

 ry, but may hereafter increase. 



There ia also nn insect which attacks the roots of 

 wheat and causes the stunt or sedge; it is probably a 

 species of aphis, and the remedy must be applied to the 

 soil. I would recommend sailor ashes; perhaps lime 

 might be good. JAMES WORTH. 



Sharoyt, March 1, 1811. 



The Artesian Well at Paris. 



Late accounts from Paris mention the complete snc- 

 ecssof obtaining water from beneath the beds of chalk 

 which underlay thot city, after seven years of assidu- 

 ous toil, and an expenditure of one hundred and sixty 

 thousand francs. The depth is variouJy stoted — one 

 account mokes it 1837 feet The iron rod of the ou- 

 ger was " as thick as nn ordinory nxle tree" (just the- 

 thickness of a lump of chalk;) and " on the 26th of 

 February," at the moment of withdrawing it, a copi- 

 ous gush of warm water followed. The lemperature 

 was SO" of Farenheit. Warm baths for publicaccom. 

 modation are to be constructed. The engineer was 

 honored with a decoration, and he is to be employed 

 on three other such wells. Enthusiasm was at its 

 height. Ministers bad been to see it. Crowds had 

 carried away portions of the water in vials and bottles, 

 and some had shuvcil llicmselrcs in public with the 

 warm fluid ! 



It has long been supposed that the central parts of 

 the earth consist of melted matter nt a high tempera- 

 ture; and experiments in deep mines nave invariably 

 shown an increase of heat with an increase of depth. 

 The mines of some countries however, are warmer * 

 than the mines of ether countries, at similar distances 

 below the surface; nnd this might be reasonably expect- 

 ed from chasms which allow the heat to rise through 

 ibem in some places, and from thick masses of solid 

 rock which resist its ascent in other places. In the 

 mines of Cornwall, at 9G"2 feet the water was nt 74 ° ; 

 and at 1200 feet at 78 ° . This shows nn increase of 

 one degree to .')9i feet. 



It bad been calculated however, by Cordicr that 51 

 feet correspond to a degree in France; nnd that the 

 depth at which water would boil from the natural heat 

 of the enrth under the city of Paris, is 8">'12 feet, or 

 nearly a mile ond n half. 



* Coiilicr :iilinil3 tliis may I;c twice, orcvca lUrite, as great 

 in one countryhos another. * 



In applying this rule for calculation, we must com- 

 mence wiih the lemperature of the earth near the sur- 

 face; and if wc assume this ot 50 ° , and divide 1837 

 by 51, the quotient (30) added to 50 will give the oh- 

 ierrcd temperature wilh great exactness. 



Warm springs may therefore only indicate the great 

 depths from which they rise; or they may derive their 

 heat from volcanic action in the neigliborhood. 



The temperature of the sea, on the contrary de- 

 creases with its depth; because if the rocks at the bot- 

 tom were even at the boiling point, the heat woidd be 

 speedily carried up to the surliice, nnd colder portions 

 of the water immediately come in contact. The cold- 

 ness of the sea therefore, conslitues no argument 

 argainst central heal. But the water under the great 

 basin at Paris could nol escope till the reservoir was 

 lapped, and consequently the heat was retained, t 



Farmers-'their independent condition-tbcir 

 happy exemption from the evils of the times. 



Messrs, Editors — Blessed is that man who from 

 his own farm ann, by ordinary industry, procure all the 

 comforts and necessaries of life, nnd sleep contented. 



Look at the great mass of speculators, and see what 

 is their condition. The country brought to the brink, 

 of ruin by their example; new varieties added to 

 crime by their high handed practices; the whole tra. 

 ding nnd manufacturing community paralized or em- 

 barassed, solely by the consequences of their infla- 

 tions 1 1 ! 



In excluding farmers from sharing the evils of the 

 times, I do not mean him who has left his legitimate 

 calling to join in speculation, nor him who with the 

 poor ambition for banking, lends his title to fee sim- 

 ple, as if he were only eager to join in the general ru 

 in. But, I repeat, blessed is that man who is conient- 

 ed to receive from his own farin, those comforts which 

 moderate industry never fail to procure. To hiiDi 

 alone is permitted the heart to feel, and the eyefi 

 to see, the true glory of heaven at night, and thi' 

 brightness of the earth in the morning. No feven 

 dream poisons his sleep; no rising sun wakes bim t< 

 grinding responsibility, diminished self-respect, ruil 

 nnd disgrace. 



If he loves reading and study, rainy days, lonj 

 evenings, nnd the hours of relaxation from his dail 

 task, give him suflicient leisure. If be lacks books 

 the School District Library nlone, enlarged as it no\ 

 is, contains a store house of useful and even scientifi 

 knowledge. If he loves agricultural chemistry, hi 

 farm is a laboratory in which, with little aid from th 

 schools, he may most delightfully unite the vtilc wii 

 ihedulci. S. W. 



The only things in which we can be snid to hni 

 any properly are our actions. Our tbonghts may f 

 bad, yet produce no ixiisou; they maj' be good, > 

 produce no fruit. Our riches may be taken troni i 

 by misfortune, our reputation by nia'ice, our spirits 1 

 calamity, our health by disease, our friends by deati 

 but our actions must follow us beyond the grav 

 These ore the only title-deeds of which we cannot I ||| 

 disinherited. — Lncon. 



F'om the American Citizen.' 



British Corn Laws. 



Having seen w-ith much satisfaction, severol articl 

 in the American Citizen, on the oppressive nature 

 the English Corn Laws, I nm induced to send the fi 

 lowing tables, taken from an old newspaper whi 

 accident lately threw into my hands. 



'■ English Corn Laws. — The M. Y. Courier saj 

 the following accurate and very valuable table, exh 

 iting the rate of duty per b.irrel on flour imported ii ■ 

 England, was prepared several years sint^e, by n hi^ 

 ly intelligent American merchant, then residing . 

 Liverpool. Its nc(-iiracy cannot be questioned, a. 

 we consider it a table w-ell worthy of preservation 1 

 all who arc in any way interested in the exportB:! 

 bread stuffs to Great Britain, under the present ex ■ 

 ing Corn Laws of Great Britain. Act 9th, Geon 



ii 



