THE AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



245 



destroying them, because, perchance, the}' ma)' 

 kill a few of his 3'oung pheasants and partridges, 

 which he is rearing only to be slaughtered by the 

 degenerating battue system." 



The above remarks are just as applicable 

 to the farmers of this country as to the 

 ignorant game-keepers in England; for the 

 owls, hawks, and other birds of prey are 

 looked upon as enemies to be shot on 

 sight, or trapped whenever an opportunity 

 presents. It is no wonder that the fields are 

 overrun with mice, and hundreds of thous- 

 ands of fruit trees are annually girdled and 

 destroyed by these pests, whose natural 

 enemies have been driven away or killed. 

 Better keep the chickens and turkeys in a 

 secure lath-covered yard until they are too 

 large to be caught by hawks, than to kill 

 off all the birds of prey. 



The Crow and Blackbird, although not 

 classed among the birds of prey by orni- 

 thologists, are considered as such by our 

 farmers, and pursued with as much vindic- 

 tiveness, because both are sometimes caught 

 stealing a few grains of corn, and the 

 former is known to be fond of eggs, and is 

 not at all particular in regard to their kind, 

 whether it be those of the duck, hen, or 

 those of some wild bird of the field or 

 forest. But with all their faults there can 

 be little doubt that they do far more good 

 than harm, in destroying many millions of 

 noxious insects. Only give the crow half 

 a chance and he is the best insect collector 

 known, and there is scarcely anything of 

 the kind that comes amiss, for he has a 

 voracious appetite and a good digestion, 

 and I have known a young half-fledged 

 crow to devour a hundred rose-beetles for 

 breakfast, without appearing to be at all 

 uncomfortable afterward, or lose his appe- 

 tite for a good dinner of the same. 



INSECTICIDES NOW IN USE IN THE SOUTH FOR 

 THE PROTECTION OF COTTON. 



In some remarks at the late meeting 

 of the A. A. A. S. I gave an account of 

 some of the more recent practical results 

 of the investigation now being carried on 

 by the U. S. Entomological Commission 

 to ascertain the best means of controlling 



i the insects affecting the cotton plant. I 

 herewith give you the substance of that 

 portion referring to insecticides. 



The experience of the year has, so far, 

 given us nothing superior to the substances 

 previously tested. We have over five tons 

 of extracts and decoctions of various na- 

 tive plants centered at Selma, Ala., made 

 either by Prof. R. W. Jones, of the Uni- 

 versity of Mississippi, or by Mr. James 

 Roane, agents of the Commission. But 



I two or three so far give any promise, and 

 these not much. Yeast ferment or beer 

 mash, which Dr. Hagen so strongly recom- 

 mended, has proved entirely useless. Of 

 the various arsenical poisons, Paris Green 

 still proves the best so far as efficacy and 

 harmlessness to the plant are concerned, but 

 the use of this and of different prepara- 

 tions of white arsenic is to-day so well un- 

 derstood that they need no further men- 

 tion. 



LONDON PURPLE. 



Of this arsenical refuse which I intro- 

 duced a year ago with a good deal of hope 

 as a cheap substitute for Paris Green, it 

 will be well, however, to say a few words. 



The testimony in regard to it is very 

 generally favorable the present year, as I 

 anticipated would be the case from the ex- 

 periments we made a year ago. But some 

 reports are less favorable, and such mostly 

 come from parties who have not under- 

 stood how properly to mix and use it. 

 Pound for pound it should be made to go 

 twice as far as Paris Green, /. e. a pound 

 of the Purple is sufficient to 80 or even 

 100 gallons of water, and if used dry 

 should be in proportion of i to 40 parts of 

 the diluent. 



It should be borne in mind that great 

 care is necessary in mixing it in water to 

 prevent its forming lumps, and that it acts 

 more slowly than Paris Green. To this 

 last fact is due most of the unfavorable 

 experience and judgment. If a rain fol- 

 low too soon after an application the Pur- 

 ple kills comparatively few worms. Its 

 good effects are fully seen only under 

 favorable circumstances on the second or 

 third day, while the Green shows its good 



