July, 1889. 
143 
ORCHARD 
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©ARDEN 
liar appearance. It is about one fourth of 
an inch in length, each segment having a 
ring of projecting bristles. The head is al- 
most invisible owing to the thick ring of 
hairs surrounding it. At the posterior ex- 
tremity of the body is a pencil of hairs in 
length often equal to that of the body. 
Both the larva and beetle mimic death 
when frightened. 
No cocoon is formed when the insect as- 
sumes the pupal form, the skin of the larva 
serving as a pupa case, as shown at b, which 
represents the case as split at the back ex- 
posing the pupa represented by c. The ma- 
ture beetle is represented at d . 
In the accomplishment of its work, the 
larva usually selects the margin of the car- 
pet as the scene of its action. Finding a 
thread suitable to its taste, it follows this 
up, cutting off the cross threads in its path 
till reaching the other side of the breadth, 
it leaves it cut as neatly as could be done 
with a pair of shears. Not only carpets but 
any woolen goods, and it is now claimed 
cotton goods, are liable to injury from this 
insect. A case is recalled in which a lady in 
Lansing, Mich., had a costly shawl com- 
plete 1 y cut in two by this insect. 
When may we expect to find these in- 
sects? The larvae make their appearance in 
early June and after feeding at the expense 
of the carpet, go into the pupa state about 
August 1st, from which they emerge as 
beetles about October 1st. The dates of 
these transformations are not constant but 
vary with the temperature of the rooms in 
which they are made. 
Various means of extermination have 
been tried with greater or less success. 
Some have found it almost impossible to 
keep carpets, and others have done so at 
the cost of unceasing vigilance. Some have 
supplied them with food which they seemed 
to like better, by placing strips of flannel 
under the carpet. Others have left an un- 
occupied margin of twelve or eighteen 
inches about the room which seems to in- 
terfere with their activity. Kerosene and 
lienzine are objectionable on account of 
their odor. One remedy, pyrethrum, is re- 
commended. As a harmless vegetable pow- 
der this may be placed among the fibres of 
the carpet where it will bring death to the 
larva? eating it. 
Probably the best method is to steam 
them. Three or four thicknesses of wet 
cloth are laid upon the infested portion of 
the carpet, and very hot flat-irons passed 
over them. The steam thus produced per- 
meates thoroughly the carpet and crevices 
of the floor when larvae, pupa; and beetles 
have to yield to the common destroyer — 
heat at the temperature of 212 deg. 
Furniture infested by either the carpet 
beetle or bed-bug, Acanthia lectularia may 
be successfully treated by removing from 
the house and saturating thoroughly with 
gasoline or benzine which is a sure cure 
for the insects and does not injure the fur- 
niture. 
For a Disordered Liver try Beecham’s Pills. 
Jnly Operations. 
In the latitude of most of the readers of 
Orchard and Garden it will be high time 
to spray the vines with the copper solu- 
tions and also to pick off the first rotten 
berries as soon as they appear; it sometimes 
happens that only a few rot, and if remov- 
ed in time, the spread of the disease may 
be prevented. As the rot only appears un- 
der certain atmospheric conditions, which 
in some seasons do not occur more than 
once, the damaged berries should be remov- 
ed at once and burned. Should this cop- 
peras solution fail to prevent rot it will be 
useless in some localities to attempt to grow 
many of the finer varieties of grapes. Even 
Norton, Cynthiana, Martha, Northern Mus- 
cadine and Dr. Wiley which thus far have 
proved exempt, may yet succumb to the 
disease, when in proximity with rotting 
kinds. One prominent grower says he 
feels discouraged and inclined to abandon 
grape growing unless he can reconcile him- 
self to one crop in two years; by cutting 
the vines off at the ground, scraping all the 
old bark off the stump, gathering up and 
carefully burning the leaves, limbs, bark 
and old berries, although that season there 
will be no crop, yet by leaving three or four 
of the best canes, cultivating them care- 
fully and training them to the top of the 
trellis, but no higher, one may the follow- 
ing season count somewhat on having a 
crop. This is certainly better than no grapes 
at all. There are other fruits that do not 
give us a crop every year, and I think we 
must consent to give the grape the same 
privilege. 
The Concord has some years rotted so 
badly with me that once I had an acre of 
them grubbed out and, like Titus after the 
destruction of Solomon's temple, planted 
corn on the ground . Some roots however 
were not entirely grubbed out and sprouts 
came up, a few of which escaped the culti- 
vator. The following season there were 
canes two feet long that bore immense 
crops of grapes without a sign of rot, while 
other vines in this vicinity lost nearly their 
whole crop by the disease. 
The theory that giving the vines plenty 
of air and keeping the grapes high on the 
trellis is somewhat of a preventative may 
be true, but it is a rule that will not hold 
good in all cases, for I have seen the top 
bunches open to air and light, but rotten 
entirely, whilst some near the ground on 
canes that broke loose from the trellis and 
were nearly hidden with foliage, were en- 
tirely free from rot. By the month of July 
young shoots will all have reached the top 
wire of the trellis or top of stakes if tied to 
such; pinch the ends off so that the canes 
will throw out laterals; on some varieties 
these laterals will bear the finest bunches. 
This is particularly so with the Concord, and 
its progeny. 
When the vineyard is not too old and one 
wishes to propagate some .vines from it by 
summer layering it may be done without 
taxing the vine sufficiently to injure it. A 
good cane should be allowed to grow along 
the ground until about six feet long, then 
nip the point off, which will soon start the 
laterals, these will be upright, and when 
near a foot high dig a trench four inches 
deep, lay the vine in the bottom, first cut- 
ting off the tendrils and leaf at the base; 
cover with a few inches of soil and press 
firmly, and in a few weeks fill up the trench 
level with the surface of the ground. If 
the variety is a short jointed one, every al- 
ternate lateral should be broken out. 
If some of the shoots seem to take the 
lead too much it will be well to give them 
a pinch and throw more of the force in the 
others. By fall these will be well rooted 
and each shoot will have sufficient roots to 
pass for a good vine; not more than ten of 
these should be grown from one vine how- 
ever. 
At this season there is little pruning to 
do except pinching out any superfluous 
shoots that start. Train the young canes 
that are for next year’s bearing in as open 
a space as possible and keep tied up care- 
fully with some soft material that will not 
chafe the young bark. Raffia grass, cotton 
twine, or even corn husks torn in strips 
half an inch broad make a good tie. Bass 
wood or poplar bark is also a good article. 
One important point is to have the bear- 
ing canes well tied so they will not be sub- 
ject to breaking loose in case of high winds 
or storms. It is very annoying to find a 
strong cane with a full crop of fruit on it 
lying on the ground, and if it happens to 
be in that condition but a few days, it will 
injure the fruit. 
If the ringing of the bark to hasten rip- 
ening has been omitted it may be attended 
to now. It may be done on small or large- 
branches, but in no case on the same branch 
that is to remain another year, as it will 
injure that part of the vine. Bnt where 
there are sufficient strong canes growing 
for the next year’s crop, all outside of them 
whether large or small may be completely 
girdled. 
Last, but by no means least in import- 
ance, is the ripening part. It is still a no- 
tion with some that the leaves should be 
clipped off where they shade the fruit too 
much, so as to let the sun shine on the 
bunches to ripen, while the exact reverse 
will be the consequence. The leaves are 
the life of the plant, and are absolutely es- 
sential to the development of the fruit. If 
one wants sour unripe grapes just let him 
denude the cane of leaves. 
Sacking or bagging will most likely have 
been done ere this reaches our readers, but 
if any have neglected it, it may not be too 
late to protect the finer grapes from the 
birds, even if they are free irom rot. Here 
it is the only sure way to secure them. — 
Samuel Miller. 
