PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS' CLUB. 136 



And there is the Ephemera, too. It is in our air for a few 

 hours only — a little fly that appears near sunset of a summer 

 evening in such vast clouds in some parts of the world, that the 

 Bands of the sea shore could hardly equal it in numbers. These 

 little creatures have been living in another form for four years, 

 and under water too. If you observe carefully the muddy banks 

 of your fresh-water streams, you will find places almost as cellu- 

 lar as a honey-comb, and here these little fellows have their 

 homes — comfortable homes — carefully arranged, and all they want. 

 There they live, and move, and have their being for four years, 

 and then when their full time is come they rise to the surface of 

 the water, emerge from their submarine coats, take wing, meet 

 their lovers, scatter their infinitesimal eggs by myriads upon the 

 Burface of the water and die. 



I have thus given a brief account of a very few of these singu- 

 lar insects that appear at longer or shorter intervals. 



During the seventeen years the locust is under ground it never 

 changes its form — it is supposed to attach itself to the tender 

 roots of trees and plants and live by suction. To me it is a wel- 

 come guest, I love its music — I think it beautiful — it is certainly 

 wonderful. To contemplate it, you cannot but contemplate also 

 the God that created it. The only regret I have in seeing it 

 again is that it is seventeen years since I saw it last. 



June 1, 1860. Yours, T. 



Yardley Taylor, of Virginia, gave an interesting account of 

 the locusts in Virginia. In the valley there are two sets of sev- 

 enteen year locusts, so that they come eight and nine years apart. 

 Each parcel are seventeen years apart. 



Dr. Trimble thought that this was where two broods overlap 

 each other. 



The Chairman gave several locations where the families over- 

 lap. In 1855, they were in Illinois, Iowa and Kansas. 



Mr. Taylor gave the dates of their appearance each eight and 

 nine years since 1817. In some cases, in coming out where a 

 brick-yard Avas in operation, the locust bored right through the 

 bricks drying in the yard. 



Wm. S. Carpenter read the following item, from the Boston 

 Transcript, upon the grape culture, which elicited some dis- 

 cussion : 



GRAPE: CULTURE. 



From all accounts, the grape crop in the United States will be 



