r'^HWfW'S?^ •T-^'j=?iiSiii-«r t^ 



THE ILLlJ>^OIS FA.KMER. 



263 



named. It seems to me that the measure 

 •would get up a great interest, second 

 only to that of the State Fair. 



By another season every county I have 

 named will be on a Railroad, and stock 

 and other articles for Exhibition could 

 be transported to the Union Fair ground 

 by the cars, and visitors could also reach 

 the Fair by Railroad from all the coun- 

 ties. I cannot doubt that the Railroads 

 would find it for their interest to furnish 

 for these fairs the usual facilities they ex- 

 tend to the State Fairs. 



The arrangements for these fairs would 

 be made by the Agricultural Society 

 of the county where they should be 

 held. They should be at all the expense 

 of preparation, and should be entitled to 

 proceeds — after paying expenses. It 

 would then be the interest of the county 

 having the Fair, to make all due prepar- 

 ation for the Fair, and secure such com- 

 petition and attendance as would do the 

 connty credit, make the fair useful, and 

 furnish the "material aid," so necessary 

 in all such enterprises. " UNION. " 



For the Illiaois Farmer. 



Natural History. 



in S EOT 8 . 



books, but as 



MmtPHTSBOlo, Jackion Co. Bl. April 12th, 1859. 



As the grasshoppers are beginning to 

 make their appearance, I select them as 

 the subject of this article, not in the or- 

 der we find them in the 

 they are appearing this season 



The insects we commonly call "grass- 

 hoppers'" belong to the families Gryll- 

 idae and Socustidae', of the order Or- 

 thoptera distinguished from each others 

 by the long antennae and exserted ovi- 

 jyositar of the former, while in tha latter 

 family the antennae are shorter than the 

 body and the ovipositar wanting. 



Fetrix'xB the name of a genius belong- 

 ing to the family Socustidae^ which was 

 established by Labreille, and distinguish 

 ed by the enl-dr ged j^rothorax, which like 

 a horny shield extends back over the 

 entire abdomen, and terminates in a 

 point, and by the small wing covers 

 Avhich are reduced to little scales on the 

 sides of the body. All of our species of 

 this genius are small, none exceeding 

 three fourths of an inch in length while 

 some are less than half an inch long. 



The determination of the species of 

 this genus is difficult, on account of the 

 dull colors, numerous variations, &c. 

 and to show this I may state that Tat- 

 terstedt described eighteen species, which 

 Charpentier reduced to two. Westwood 

 in his ''Synopsis of British genus" gives 

 three species, Serville in "Hist. Nat. 

 describes Ortlwptres' which is intended 

 to give all known species describes but 

 ten; yet Dr. Harris gives as many as 

 eight species, found in Massachusetts. 



Following the arrangement of Dr. 



Harris, we may divide tVis genus into 

 two divisions. 



1. Those with the antennae 13 or 14 

 jointed; ages prominent, protliorax ex- 

 tending beyond the abdomen, nearly llat 

 on the top. 



2. Those with the antennae 22 join- 

 ted; angles not prominent, protliorax 

 somewhat heeled. 



Those of the first division appear to 

 vary in their size and coloring more 

 than those of the second; of these I 

 have discovered this season the following 

 species. ■ 



T. ornata. Dark ash- colored; with 

 a large white patch on top of the pro- 

 thorax between four small black spots. 

 Length slightly over half an inch. 

 Sometimes white spot varies to pale pur- 

 ple. 



T. dorsalis. Underside sooty; sides 

 and legs washed with pale streaks; on 

 the protliorax opposite the lateral angles 

 a large rusty-red patch, rest of the 

 protliorax pale ochre-colored. Length 

 half an inch. 



T.hilineata. Ash- colored; ^^rofAoraa; 

 marked by a double whitish line, aftei 

 uniting into one, and extending from the 

 head to the end of ika protliorax^ widest 

 in front, narrowing to the middle and 

 then expanding, having a dark triangular 

 patch on each side at the lateral angles 

 of the protliorax. Length about two 

 fifths of an inch. 



T. guadriniaculata. Dark gray above 

 variegated with dark or black spots, 

 four black spots, near the lateral angles 

 two in front and two behind, latter lar- 

 gest; wings in this and all the preceding 

 species, equal to exceed the prothorax. 

 Length less than half an inch. 



Among the specimens belonging to 

 this first division, which I have found 

 are some varying considerably from either 

 of the above descriptions and yet do not 

 agree with either of Dr. Harris' other 

 species. 



Some with the back of an entire dull 

 ashy color; others an ashy purple; others 

 variegated with ochre-yellow, grey and 

 black, others with the back almost en- 

 tirely white. All these species and 

 varieties correspond in having the lateral 

 portions oii\xQ protliorax depressed and 

 rough at the neck, also of a muddy 

 greenish color; the back of the protliorax 

 almost flat, marked by an elevated line 

 running lengthwise in the middle, and 

 the protliorax is also slightly elevated at 

 tlie extremity. Dr. Harris says that 

 when young, these are heeled on the 

 back. 



Belonging to the second division I 

 have found two well marked species also 

 a wide variety of one of the species. 



T. lateralis. Sides black, eyes black, 

 thorax pale clay-colored, slightly heeled, 

 posterior thighs, face and lower edge of 

 pronoturn pale ochre- colored; wing-cov- 



ers with a minute elevated silvery spot 

 at the tips, abdomen yclIoAv beneath, 

 wings extend considerably beyond the 

 prothorax, and the prothorax beyond the 

 abdomen, the polpi of a pearly white. — 

 Of this species I have a variety with 

 every part a deep black that in the fore- 

 going is whitish except the face, popi 

 and sides of the prothorax. but exactly 

 agreeing in every other particular. — 

 Length half an inch. , ; 



The other species does not correspond 

 with any given by Dr. Harris, though 

 very similar in shape and color to the 

 T. parvipennis^ but the thorax extends 

 beyond the abdomen and the wings be- 

 yond the thorax, and it is full tlu-ee- 

 fourths of an inch in length. But as 

 none have appeared yet, and those spe- 

 cimens I saved last season have faded, I 

 will not at present attempt a description. 



As further proof of the difficulty of 

 distinguishing between varieties and spe- 

 cies, I may add that of the T. hipunetata, 

 one of the most common European spe- 

 cies, Phillippi (Orthop. Berol.) gives no 

 less than thirteen varieties, while of the 

 same Tetterstedt (Orthop. Suec.) anoth- 

 er very common European species, the 

 former author give twelve varieties, and 

 the latter divides it into five species, — 

 This species is very similar, in the des- 

 cription by Servile, to Dr. Harris' T. 

 Sordida, and some of the varieties given 

 come very near his hilineata. 



These insects are generally found in 

 sandy spots, road- sides, or in places 

 where the weeds or grass are thinly scat- 

 tered over the ground. They do not ap- 

 pear to be very injurious to useful veg- 

 etation, seeming to prefer spots where 

 such plants as the knot-weed grow. — 

 They live over the winter either in the 

 pupa or perfect state, probably the lat- 

 ter, as they appear so soon perfectly de- 

 veloped, and their colors not bo bright 

 as in the latter part of the season. 



C. T. 



Note. — By some mistake, the copy of 

 this valuable communication was lost af- 

 ter the proof was taken. We apprehend 

 that it will be found to contain errors ; 

 for Avhich the author is not responsible. 

 — ■■ — ■ «•» 



Rhubarb Wine. — At a meeting of 

 the Farmer's Club in New York, "Solon 

 Robinson announced that he had a bot- 

 tle of Native Wine that very strongly re- 

 sembled Sherry, which he would offer to 

 the ladies and gentlemen in the beauti- 

 ful silver goblet which *'the friends of 

 progress in Connecticut presented him 

 for telling them they could better grow 

 grapes than corn upon their hard, rocky 

 hillsides." This wine was drank with 

 great satisfaction, and highly praised ; 

 and then he told those who admired its 

 good qualities that it was made from the 

 juice o£ rhubarb (pie plant,) at the rate 

 of 800 gallons per acre in Wisconsin." 



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