SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
271 
INQUIRIES. 
1st. Wine from Berries. — Editors Soxdliern Odtiva- 
iPY — When we cork up, air tight, immediately after strain- 
ing, it bursts the bottles. 
"\Vhen we let it stand till done fermenting it turns to 
vinegar. What is the matter 'I We have in both cases 
followed the recipe books. 
2nd. Wild Pot.^toes are abundant here and perfectly 
hardy, very prolific and very large; old roots are bitter 
and stringy. Some young roots taste finely. There are 
worse esculents. Better than artichokes for hogs. Who 
will try to improve them by cultivation '? I will furnish 
seed to any careful cu’tivator who will undertake the 
work. 
We, in Tennessee, fail almost entirely to keep seed 
Sweet Potatoes through the winter. We gave five dollars 
a bushel last spring for seed brought from the South. It 
is time to get a hardy substitute. 
3rd. Catalogues. — Will all the Tennessee and Georgia 
Nurserymen and Seedsmen who read this send me their 
Catalogues^ B. W. lvIcDonnald. 
McLemorcsville, Tcnn., 18.57. 
THE ORIGIN OF THE “BIEE BUG,” OR CORN 
Borer, and niotle of Destroying tiie same. 
' Editors Southern Cultivator — I wish togiveto your 
many interested readers my present and past experi- 
ence upon the above very distructive bug to the young 
corn. Your verj^ many respected readers, as well as my- 
self and many others, have experienced the great incon- 
venience of securing a stand of corn in the spring of the 
year, from what is generally called the (but very errone- 
ous) Bud Worm, for instead of it being a bud worm, it is 
a “ Bug.” For a better discription of the insect Bill Bug, 
or Corn Borer, I cannot give than to refer your many rea- 
ders to the description given by Senator Evans, of South 
Carolina, in the Patent Office Report for 1854, plate 4, 
page 67, where he says : “The insect, Bill Bug, or Corn 
Borer {Spenophorus) is from four to six tenths of an 
inch in length, and of a redish brown or redish black cgjor. 
The head is furnished with a long trunk or bill, hencefits 
common ^lame.” It is very destructive to corn in many 
parts of the South and Southwest, and was brought for 
examination by Senator Evans, where he states it is very 
injurious to the crops on the Peedee River. He says:! 
“The perfect insect cuts into the stalk of the corn either 
below or just at the surface of the ground where it de- 
posits its egg. After changing into a grub the insect re- 
mains in the stalk, devouring the substance until trans- 
formed into the pupa state, which occurs in the same 
cavity in the stalk occupied by the grub. It makes its 
appearance the following spring in the perfect state, again 
to deposit ius eggs at the loot of the young corn plants. 
These insects destroy the main stem or shoot, causing 
suckers to spring up which usually produce no grain, or 
if any, of very inferior quality to that of the general yield. 
Swamp lands or low grounds are the places most gener- 
ally attacked.” 
I have given your readers a very correct description by 
Senator Evans, of South Carolina, of the Bill Bug, but I 
entirely differ with our worthy Senator as to the generation 
of the Bill Bug, or when the egg is deposited, for the Sena- 
tor says, in the latter clause of the same report, “At the 
same time the wild plants they infest should be discovered 
and also be desiroyed.” Then it seems he had some notion 
that he was not entirely correct concerning germining state. 
My experience is, that they do infest a wild plant, and 
that plant is the common Carrot or Rag Weed that is so 
common to our Southern plantations and which v/holly 
destroys our grass pastures after the small grain is gather- 
ed off. 
These bugs destroy the young corn by boring their 
long bill into it, just below the surface, for the purpose of 
sustaining life, as the young corn is at that time about the 
first vegetation up and being very full of juice, it affords 
them fine succor. They continue to sap it until its life is 
exhausted. They continue to destroy it in this way until 
about the first of June, when they leave corn and com- 
mence depositing their eggs in the very tender stems of 
the Rag Weeds which have grown up at this time from 
six to ten inches high. They bore into the lender stem of 
the Rag Weed with their long bill and there deposit a 
small yellow egg about the size of a small mustard seed 
and in the course of some two weeks or less time it is 
hatcl'.ed into a small grub. It then lives on juicy portions 
of the weed and continues to grow and finally passes into 
three different formations before it beconies tlie perfect 
bug. But I will not go into the minuiicB of the thing at 
t^hs time. 
During the time they are depositing their eggs in the 
stem of the Rag Weeds near the top they can be seen 
at all times of the day from the time iliey commence until 
past; and whilst depo.siting the egijs they feed on the 
young tender leaves of the Rag WeudtS,' anffithe very- mo- 
ment they are interrupted they tumble off on the ground 
as sullen as an opossum. 
My mode of destroying the bug is to destroy first the 
Rag Weed ; and as the time ol year is near 'at hand to 
commence opperations I send you this communication, for 
I regard it one of vital interest to the planting com- 
munity in the Southern States, and I hope this commdni- 
cation will enlist many friends in behalf of destroying this 
great enemy, not only by saving themselves the trouble 
and vexation of replanting the corn crop so often, but of 
having our stubble fields covered over v/ith with fine lux- 
uriant Crab Grass, which is generally covered with this 
obnoious weed. I commence about the middle of August 
to turn these weeds under with a very large two or three 
horse plow, which very effectually destroys them before 
seeding time ; and in my cultivated lands I suffer no Rag 
Weeds to go to seed ; and in this way I can effectually 
destroy them. A very good way is to cut them down on 
your stubble lands with grass blades — I tried both last 
summer and did well. But I prefer turning the weeds 
under with a large plow, say Prouty & Means’ No. 22. 
But on a large plantation where there is a great many 
hands plowing- and cutting, both would prove advantage- 
ous. 
I very much hope that this imperfect communication 
will enlist a goodly number of your intelligent readers in 
this great work, for I regard it a matter of more vital 
interest to the planter than anything that now could be set 
on foot. Saluda Planter, 
Good Plows. — W/iy should you have a good Plow ? — 
1. Because you will do your work so much easier. You 
may save 25 per cent, in the strength of your team by us- 
ing the best plow. 
2. Your work will be done so much better. The same 
per centage may be saved in the doing of the work, and 
in the crop succeeding. How much better, then, to get the 
best. 
Whai are the qualities of a good Plow ? — 1. Easy 
draft. 
2. Easy management with the hand. 
3. Even depth of furrow, 
4. Facility of gauge to plow deep or shallow. 
5. Sharp coulter and point, to cleave the turf and soil 
6. Freedom from liability to be clogged. 
7. Turning the turf completely over, and hiding all the 
grass. 
The way to learn these qualities, is practice and obser- 
vation, aided by the opinions of good judges.— FarvH'^ 
er. 
