3o8 



THE Y SAY. 



The pulp is not consumed, and they seem to have little 

 desire for this kind of food, but peck holes in the skin, 

 so that it rots and perishes, simply because of their 

 naturally mischievous and evil nature. It is not only 

 now and then a fruit or a berry, but they go all over the 

 trees and vines, and everything that is getting ripe is 

 tasted and left to rot. Our native birds seldom commit 

 these wanton acts. 



It will be seen, therefore, that the sparrow is a bird 

 out of place, taking possession of a country that was 

 better supplied by its own bird fauna, a usurper that 

 does not meet the expectations of those who introduced 

 it, a disturber of our natural economies, and a general 

 failure. It is very generally remarked that our native 

 birds were more plentiful two seasons ago than for many 

 years. This again refers to the great storm in March of 

 that year. Our birds are migratory ; in passing north- 

 ward they found their old haunts left vacant by the 

 sparrows killed by the great storm, so they have re-occu- 

 pied their old homes. 



It was by man's aid that this enemy of our native 

 birds was introduced, and he must aid in destroying it 

 before we can expect a return of our own more valuable 

 insectivorous birds. We must choose between this na- 

 tive and foreign fauna. This work naturally becomes 

 the duty of the state. Individual effort is not equal to 

 the work. Nor can we begin too soon, because our in- 

 sect enemies that would have been destroyed by our own 

 native birds already threaten the farmer's crops. It is 

 not, therefore, alone a question of what crops the birds 

 destroy. We are being overrun with intolerable insect 

 enemies. The birds seem to come and go in an idle, 

 unsettled manner, and fail generally to fill the useful 

 purposes of our native bird fauna. — D. S. Marvin. 



Croton Bug. — " Insect Life" for March gives a con- 

 tinuation of Professor Riley's "Insect Pests of the 

 Household," being a chapter on cockroaches, illustrated 

 by drawings of the most common species, the croton 

 bug or German cockroach, showing each successive 

 stage from the egg to the adult. The roaches which in- 

 fest the country are of three species ; only one of which 

 is indigenous, and this one is the least harmful of the 

 three and is commonly called the " black beetle." It is 

 much larger than the other two, being frequently an 

 inch and three-quarters in length. The other two are 

 imported species, the largest being the oriental cock- 

 roach and nearly allied to the American species just 

 mentioned. It particularly thrives in ships, which it in- 

 fests the world over. But the croton bug, so called 

 from having first appeared in force on the introduction 

 of the Croton water system in New York City, is by far 

 the most abundant and does the greatest damage. They 

 are nearly omnivorous, but particularly eat everything 

 containing paste, and therefore wall-paper, book-bind- 

 ings, etc. The only practical remedy is to be found in 

 the free and persistent use of fresh buhach or pyre- 

 thrum powder. 



Spray your trees, spray your. grape vines, spray your 

 potatoes. Spray everything. 



Growing Black Walnut on Waste Land. — Owing to 

 the great and increasing demand for black walnut for 

 the manufacture of furniture and inside decoration of 

 railroad cars and dwellings, it is becoming very scarce 

 and the price is advancing rapidly. The supply now 

 comes from Indiana and West Virginia, but will soon be 

 exhausted in those states. Therefore we are confident 

 that it would be a good investment for land owners and 

 farmers to turn their attention to the growing of it. 

 Every farmer could, with small cost and little labor, put 

 out trees, planting them on waste land or that which is 

 too rough or stony for cultivation. It is not necessary 

 to have them in rotation, or to set ground apart for them, 

 but put them wherever there is a waste spot. Fire wood 

 is becoming of little value on account of the general 

 use of coal, and as the wood-lot is cut off it can be reset 

 with black walnut trees. They can also be set in very 

 open woods. It is necessary to have a nursery of grow- 

 ing trees on hand, so that they can be planted out as 

 opportunity offers. In digging the hole for them, make 

 it large enough to hold plenty of good top soil or leaf 

 mould from the woods, upon which to place the tree to 

 give it a good start. They should be set about three 

 inches deep. The only attention they require is to keep 

 briars and undergrowth cleaned off until they are large 

 enough to shade the ground. To raise the young trees, 

 bury the walnuts in the ground in the fall in thin heaps, 

 working the dirt well amongst them, and cover about 

 three inches deep, so that they will be moist. A slight 

 freezing helps to open the shells. In the spring, plow a 

 piece of good ground and furrow three feet apart, put- 

 ting in plenty of good strong manure. Cover the man- 

 ure lightly and drop the nuts in about eight or ten inches 

 apart. Cover two inches deep. When they appear 

 above the ground, keep them clean and the middle of 

 the row well plowed. They can be set out at any size, 

 the larger the better, as they are not so liable to be 

 broken down or injured. Set 15 feet apart each way. 

 This gives 175 trees to an acre, which in 25 years would 

 be worth at the present selling price of the wood at least 

 $30 per tree and probably nearer $50. It is not neces- 

 sary to grub or clean the stumps or roots all out, but set 

 the young trees out and keep any other growth of wood 

 cut out. Even if the land is rough and rocky so the 

 trees grow full of burls, twists or curls, so much the 

 better, as wood of that kind has about four times the 

 value of straight wood, being used for fancy veneering. 

 The nuts are of considerable value as fuel, burning with 

 a bright blaze and giving a more intense heat than 

 coal. — S. B. CoNOVER, New York. 



I Still Prefer London purple to Paris green for use 

 upon the apple, cherry and plum, except in seasons like 

 that of 1889. The meteorological conditions of last year 

 were particularly injurious to London purple tests. — 



Dr. J. A. LiNTNER. 



The Palmer Raspberry is mentioned as one of the 

 best of the recent black-caps. It has been tested since 

 1882, and is now put upon the market. It is said to 

 ripen with Tyler and Souhegan. 



