THE AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



119 



BESTS FlU IT TREE INVIGORATOR AOAIX. 



Alas that we should say so ! there is trouble 

 in the camp of this great benefactor of the fruit- 

 growers. A Baltimore firm bought out Mr. 

 Best's old patent right some time ago, and has 

 advertised it extensively, and now Mr. Best has 

 taken out a new patent right (dated June 2d, 

 18C8), for a new and highly improved Invigor- 

 ator, and threatens to prosecute all who buy the 

 old patent right. The beauty of it is, that most 

 of the certificates that Mr. Best prints tu prove 

 the excellence of the new Invigorator, are dated 

 long before tliaf Invigorator was patented, and 

 must consequently apply to the old Invigorator, 

 which he sold out to the unfortunate Baltimore 

 firm, and every buyer of which he threatens to 

 prosecute. 



.Some of our readers may perhaps think that 

 this is a joke, and that as there is said to be al- 

 ways honor even among thieves, so there must 

 necessarily be common decency even among 

 ((uacks and charlatans. But this is what ilr. 

 Benj. Best says himself, of his new Invigorator 

 in his latest circular: "Improved from eight 

 years' experience of the use of the oW Invigo- 

 rator, it is far superior to it. Patented June -', 

 1868. The public arc notified to purchase no 

 Right of John Aheakx, alias George W. Jack- 

 son, of-Baltiraorc, as I will intoSECrTK all 



WHO BUY FROM HIM TO .«ELL 01! LSK." 



Shabby, isn't it? Sell a man a jaiknsM jnul 

 tlirn prosecute him for riding upon il ! 



Blst'.s Thee Invigokatou.— Our extract IVnni 

 the E lit omolofii.it two weeks ago showed the 

 theoretical absurdity of this patent article. J. 

 B., of Tolono, 111., states that this Invigorator 

 was used by certain parties then', and thai tiic 

 borers increased rapidlj' after its application, 

 and that one man took fourteen borers from a 

 peach tree some time after Ur-ing I lie stutf, aiul 

 in his opinion il is of no more uje than an appli- 

 <'alion of wind. As tu potato bugs, he says it 

 may be effectual as it kills the vines, ami if ap- 

 l>lii'dto all the vines the bugs will die df starva- 

 tion. —.^'f/vc// "/■ A'/riri'ltin-c 



The Ixsect Extinguisher, by Joseph Treat, 

 X. J. This is a small duodecimo pamphlet of 

 some 1.5 pages, containing many useful sugges- 

 tions for the destruction of insects, most of 

 which, however, arc as old as the hills. The 

 fundamental error of tlie author is that all bugs, 

 without exception, are injurious, and should 

 therefore be ruthlessly exterminated. For ex- 

 ample, children are to be set to work to kill oft' 

 all the butterflies, " whether in tlie street, the 

 garden, the field, or wherever found." And 

 yet the commonest butterfly that we have in the 

 United States is onr friend rather than our foe ; 

 for its larva feeds exclusively upon milkweed 

 (.iKclepia.t). Upon the same principle all the 

 birds, without exception, .are to be cherished 

 because, as we are told, they all of them prey 

 upon bugs. And yet western horticulturists 

 are now almost unanimously of opinion, that 

 there are about half a dozen birds that mu.st be 

 destroyed by every fruit grower, if lie would 

 raise a crop that will pay for the harvesting. 



MORE GOOD WORDS. 



In the course of the lectures lately delivered 

 at the Industrial Colleges of the States of Illinois 

 and Kansas, the AMEiurAX Entomologist was 

 often very favorably spoken of; while every 

 mail brings good words and compliments from 

 our readers. The manner in which our little 

 paper has been received throughout the country 

 allords us much satisfaction, and we can only reit- 

 erate our promise to improve it with age, so far 

 as it is in our power, and again thank our many 

 friends for (heir kind support. 



BACK*MMBERS. 



We regret to have to announce that we can no 

 longer furnish back numbers of either of our first 

 three numbers, the unexpectedly large call for 

 thorn having cntirelv exhausted those editions. 



J^- As some of our exchanges may wisli to 

 illustrate any article they may coiiy from the 

 .\mi-.rican Entomologist, we have decided to 

 furnish electrotypes of our wood cuts, at one 

 half the cost of engraving; these electrotypes to 

 l)e retained by the parties receiving them, if 

 they desire it. 



AXSWKKS TO CORUKSPONDENTS. 



Lacewiu^ Fly — ■'. /f"'mi,i.', lf.>..<?JKr«, //?,*.— Tlu- 

 llv wbicU you consider .-i OfilicMtf iuul lV.iil lookni^c nisccl 

 tr.be alive and .ictivc at tliis s.-a^on of the ve.ar, and 

 wliicli you found in the house , is a J-acewin;? t ly ( thnj- 

 *»«'.!), btlonghin' to the voi-v same RCiiens as tliat winch 

 was fiKUredaiul treat. 'd of ,iii jin-f :«, of oiii- Oetol.ei- 

 number. It was doiibtl.-^ livLonialiii;; m some eonier 

 of the Imiise. wben 11].- i-.mi-ually wai-ni and pl.-asaiit 

 weather, combnied with tli.- uarmlli .>ltli.' r..oiii. i-.mi-e.l 

 il to activity. It is i,'eiiorail.v snp]iose.i tbaf these msei-ts 

 |iass the wiut.-r in llieii- eoeooiK, hut l.i'M.les thi- indi- 

 \i.liial whieli vou tin.l hvb.-nintin!.' in ih.' tly state, we 

 liave ourbf'i\ es bred manv from the eoooons, suffieientlv 

 late in the season to iieeessilati^ their thus hybeniatni,?. 



Kig-autic Wafer Bus — ^'- ^' ■ itunfoni, VniHtto},. 

 l„j —The larffe. hr.nvii, Ihdt.Mie.l ins.-el which y.m 

 send, and for which vou could ii..t tin. I a uauie in any ol 

 your works on Eiitomol.i-y. is tlie tii-autu' B.'l.istuma 

 (Bdustoma qrandU, Liim.) It is a water nisect, and a 

 true luq, belongiug to the order Heteropter A . Like 

 the rest of the family to wliicU it belongs, it feeds upon 

 acjuatic Insects, and not uiion vegetable food. 



