86 



THE AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



and about tlio \vii.*t, wliicli liad Ikhoiiic swollen, 

 and |ir..M>iilril ;iii iiill;uncil aiiiicaniiic-c. cxlciid- 



intr alon;.'- Ill ■<!> (.f the arm to Ihc slioiddcr 



liladc Immii'.iIIi wiiich a hard kcrni'l had loitned, 

 ill >i/.c' iR'ailyaslarj^eas a. common hickory nut. 

 I'lii' iiillaiiimation rapidly increased, and upon 

 the jiarlicular spot where he had noticed the 

 hlood, there is a very iiaiiit'iil sore, which looks 

 as if it had been lai'i-cil by the ai>plicalion of 

 some rank poisoiKni- >iib-taiicc. A hole has 

 been eaten iu the \\ii~l. which is now ([uite 

 dec]), and is fast niakiiijr its way to the bone. 

 The whole arm is badly swolluu'and inflamed, 

 and Mr. II. his placed iiiiiiself under the charge 

 (if Dr. .1. K. \\ hilinan, of this place, who is eii- 

 deavoiiiii; io rnuuteract the ]ioison communi- 

 catid lo I lie -\ -tern of the patient from the blood 



It has luiij;- been admitted that the potato buff 

 is a poisonous insect, Init I appri^hend the case 

 of .Mr. lluiitlev will tend to make all under 

 whise observation this article iiiav fall, still 

 morccaiefnl how they handle tlinii in the fu- 

 ture. There are a number of olhei- licre w Imse 

 blood has beeimo poisoned in the same iiiaiiiier, 

 causiiijr pimples to appear on the skin, which, 

 however, are i cinlined l<> the liaiuls. and are not 

 seen oil any oilier part of the body. 



I'olalo bujrs can be killed with less trouble 

 and danger, bv -prinkliiiy llie vines liyhtlv with 

 Paris green, Wliieh is also adeadh poison". This 

 is the most ellectual means yet diseovered of 



alter an ai>pliratiou of I'aris green. Let those 

 of our readers who arc trying to raise potatoes 

 try this plan, if they wish to realize anything 

 from their ground and labor. 



We have lately received a copy of an essay 

 read before the Cook County (III.) nomoeapathic 

 Society, by Dr. E. M. Hale, iu which many 

 other authentic cases arc given, of persons being 

 poisoned by this insect. 



OF WHAT 



IS ENT()MOL')(iY 



The subjoined c.vtract is from a recent num- 

 ber of the Canada Farmer: 



Not many years ago this was the question very 

 commoidy addressed lo Kntomologists and col- 

 lectors of insects by those who chanced to find 

 them engaged in thcii favorite pursuit; and even 

 now there are not a few who look upon the study 

 as a mere waste of time, or at best a hariiilrss 

 amusement. Jiut — to use a fa\drili' i\|iri'>si<)n 

 ol'tlicda\- — "public opinion is beiIl^ edurali'd 

 np lo a higliei' appreciation" of the iinporlaiu'e 

 of insec-ts lo our welfaiv anil rMi,i|,,ri. and that 

 too by the hilherl.. .|e-|.i-r,l in-en. i hniiselves. 



For what far r can in'w lliiiik iii-r,ls loo in- 



signilicaiil to be wortliy.il uuiire, when he finds 

 that one of the tiniest of iheni ruins his wheat- 

 (lelds and robs him of hundreds and thousands 

 of dollars ? What gardener but must confess 

 that it is high time lie knew something about 

 insects, when his currant and gooseberry bushes 

 are leafless and fruitless, his plum-trees a per- 



fect failure, his ])eaehes nowlicre, his cabbages 

 no sooner [planted than cut ofl", his grape-vines 

 dcsolaied wilh myriads of foes — in fact, almost 

 everything that he growsattaeked. root, branch, 

 leaf and trunk ? What (irrleinli-i 1ml must ac- 

 knowledge the power ami re-lle-- a.ii\iiy of 

 the borer in the truiik~ ..I hi, m.iih- liee>."(hc 

 caterpillars on the leaM-. the liark-liee on trunk 

 and branches, the worms in the very core of the 

 fruit itself ? What hop-grower but feels him- 

 self by sad experience utterly at the mercy of 

 the aiihis and green calerpiliar? What furrier 

 but loathes I he Dermestes and other beetle Iarv;e? 

 What timber-merchant but has had lo race with 

 the pine-borer for the coveted lire-seorched track 

 of the forest? What butcher but groans and 

 perspires, even iu chilly December, at the vcrv 

 thought of the blow-fly? What housewife bu't 

 has been hall-stilled with eaniplmr and pepper 

 in warding .'If the clothe-nioih from her treas- 

 ured store? What— but we need not go ou with 

 the list, for w ho is there that has no complaint 

 to make of trouble, loss, or annoyance occa- 

 sioned by these tiny but omnipresent foes? 

 Can then a study be pronounced useless or con- 

 temptible, which has for its object the a ijuire- 

 meul of accurate know ledge of the lite and habits 

 of all these myriad foes, and not only of them, 

 but also of the thousands of u>efnl insects be- 

 sides? Until this accurate knowledge be ob- 

 tained, we flght in the dark, and cannot tell 

 friend from foe, but are just as likely to destroy 

 oiir iiKisi useful ally as our most deslruelive en- 

 eiii\ : and unless we arc thoroughly aei|uainted 

 Willi the life and habits of these pe-ls we caii- 

 iiiil iqiply a remedy with any ceitainly as to its 

 value or success. 



A NEW IXSEt^TICIDE. 



M. Clocz, who is engaged at the garden of 

 the Paris Museum — the world-renowned Jardin 

 dcs Plautes — has invented what he considers a 

 complete anuihilator for i)!aiil-lice and other 

 small insects. This discovery is given in the 

 Heme Ilorticole, with the endorsement of its 

 distinguished editor, E. A. Carriere. To re- 

 duce M. Cloez's preparation to our measures, 

 it wiM be sufficiently accurate to say, take thrte 

 and one-half ounces of quassia chips, and five 

 drachms Siavosacre seeds, powdered. These 

 arc to be (lut iu seven pints of water ami boiled 

 until reduced to five pints. When theli<|uidis 

 cooled, strain it, and use with a watering pot 

 or syringe, as may be most convenient. We 

 are assured that tliis preparation has been most 

 efficacious in France, ana it will lie w orth wliile 

 for our gardeners to e.vperirneni wiih ii. l.Mias- 

 si.t has long been used as an in-ici-ih -iioyer. 

 The Stavesacre seeds are the see.U of a species 

 of Larkspur, or Delphinium, and used to be 

 kept iu the old drug stores. Years ago they 

 were much used for an insect that found its 

 home in the human head, but as that has fortu- 

 nately gone out of fa^-hion. it maybe that the 

 seeds are less obtainable than formerly. The 

 Stavesacre seeds contain /)e//)hii)f, which is one 

 of the most active poisons known, and we have 

 no doubt that a very small share of it would 

 prove fatal to insects. — American Agricitlturiist. 



