1878.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
305 
seen, except in its case, or shelter, that it carries 
about with it. This case is made from minute bits 
of wool or soft hair which it fastens together with 
the finest possible silk, which it spins as needed. 
The insect feeds on the wool, which furnishes it 
■both food and raiment, as it begins to build this 
case when first hatched from the egg, and goes on 
adding to it as its growth requires. It does not 
feed in one place, but travels about, cutting away 
the nap, and feeding here and there, often leaving a 
trail of its delicate silk, to mark its track. When 
it has completed its growth, the insect goes to rest 
in the chrysalis state, and in due time comes out a 
minute perfect moth ; this, the dreaded moth-miller 
of the housekeeper, is shown at C. Its body is but 
a little over a fourth of an inch long, and its spread 
of wings only about half an inch; it is of a light 
buff color, and has a satiny lustre. So quiet is it in 
its flight, and so modest its appearance, that one 
who did not know the insect would not think it 
capable of so much mischief. In this state it flits 
about, looking for a dark place to lay its eggs, that 
will also afford abundant food for its young. The 
eggs being deposited, the life of the parent ends, 
and so soon as the young are hatched, they com¬ 
mence anew the work of destruction. These being 
the habits of the insect, it will be seen that clothing, 
etc., put away in such a manner that the mother 
insect can not reach the articles, in order to lay her 
eggs, will be safe. It is important to remember 
how small the insect is, and that it can pass through 
an opening not very much larger than a pin¬ 
hole. Articles, if proper care be used, may be 
made as secure in paper as in the most costly moth¬ 
proof trunk. Common boxes may be thoroughly 
covered with paper, outside and in, or a well-made 
box may be made secure by pasting strips of strong 
paper or muslin around the joints, after the cover 
is fastened down. Let the package be made moth- 
tight, and no camphor, cedar-chips, or other aro¬ 
matic will be needed. When moths are once in a 
fabric, heat will destroy them ; a heat less than that 
of boiling water (or 160°, it is said), will kill them. So 
will the vapor of pure-benzine, such as is prepared 
for cleaning silks, etc. With proper precautions 
to keep them out, it will be unnecessary to resort 
to any measures of this kind. Before putting them 
away, the articles should be beaten, and carefully 
examined, so that no eggs or young moths may 
be put away with them. It is commonly sup¬ 
posed that June is the month in which special vigil¬ 
ance must be observed; this is an error, as the in¬ 
sects begin to fly in early May, and continue through¬ 
out the warm months. It is hardly necessary to 
add that all the perfect insects, or “ moth-millers,” 
that are met with, should be destroyed. 
Household Motes and Queries. 
Last month it was stated that, lacking just one, 
40 housekeepers came to the help of their sister who 
wished for a recipe for the “ Queen of Puddings.” 
We had not then began to hear from the “ outer 
edge ” of our immense circle, and can only say that 
of late the responses have come in such numbers 
that we have given up keeping count. It is certainly 
very pleasing, this readiness with which many 
others endeavor to aid one of their number; but 
what is more pleasing, are the good words which 
come with these responses. Several in furnishiug 
the particular recipe asked for, add others volun¬ 
tarily, and what we are almost as glad to have, 
some few ask questions to which they would like 
replies. All in good time—but now 
41 Tire Last sliall be First,” and we give 
place to the correspondent whose note has made 
the longest journey, Mrs. “L. M. S.,” Whitman Co., 
Washington Terr. We would say to Mrs. S., and all 
others, no matter where they may be, that their 
contributions are none the less acceptable because 
they “live so far away.” The American Agricul¬ 
turist regards the whole American Continent as its 
field, and if others have the misfortune to live else¬ 
where, we claim them as a part of our great family, 
and extend to all the same welcome.... Our friend 
over “towards sundown,” sends, besides the 
“ Queen of Puddings,” a recipe for 
Apple Dumplings.— Use good sized, rather 
tart apples, pare, and remove the cores ; enveloDe 
each separately in puff paste and tie it in a piece of 
cloth ; boil or steam for one hour. Before serving, 
remove the cloths, cut a piece from each and put 
in some sugar and fresh butter ; replace the piece 
of paste, and sprinkle with powdered sugar. If 
preferred, they may be served with liquid sauce or 
sweetened cream... .The same correspondent sends 
Anotlier Method, called i( Apple Roll.”— 
One lb. flour, one fourth lb. of butter; mix with 
sufficient water to make a not very stiff paste. 
Pare and slice rather thick, some tart apples. Roll 
out the paste as for pie-crust, and spread the sliced 
apples to cover it; sprinkle on a little flour, and 
roll up as tightly as possible without breaking the 
paste. Cook it in a steamer, or wrap in a cloth and 
boil for an hour. Serve by cutting across in thin 
slices, with sauce of butter and sugar... .Here 
comes a recipe from “ Down East; ” Mrs. “ S. M. 
A.,” of Conn., gives her method with 
Raked Apple Dumplings.— Pare and core 
smooth apples of uniform size, and fill the cavity 
of each with sugar and a little cinnamon. Divide 
the paste into as many parts as there are apples; 
roll each piece out square, and enclose an apple in 
it, slightly wetting the edges to make them stick. 
Bake in shallow pans, and serve with hard sauce. 
Rye Minute Pudding. —Heat milk to the 
boiling point, salt to taste, and stir in gradually 
rye-flour to make a thick mush. Cook about 15 
minutes, and eat with sugar and cream. [This we 
know to be good, and it recalls pleasant recollec¬ 
tions of early home life. —Ed.] 
Evaporation.— A lady in Western N. Y. asks 
whether a liquid will evaporate more rapidly in an 
open vessel, or in a closed one, like a tea-kettle.— 
In an open one, most decidedly, as may be shown 
by taking two saucers of equal size, placing an 
equal quantity of water in each, and setting them 
on the back of the stove, or in other warm place. 
Now put a piece of stiff paper, piece of window- 
glass, or other material, over one saucer, so as to 
two-thirds cover it, and leave the other uncovered. 
The difference in time between the evaporation of 
the water in the two saucers will be very marked. 
... .One asks if we know any preparation that will 
Remove Hair from the Face without in¬ 
jury to the skin. We know of none, and do not 
think there is such a preparation. With consider¬ 
able experience in such matters, having chemically 
examined them, all that we know of contain some 
form of arsenic. In the use of this, injury to the 
skin is the least danger ; a greater one is that arse¬ 
nic may be absorbed. We have seen many cases in 
which these have been used, and they leave the 
dark roots of the hair in strong contrast with the 
white skin, making the blemish, if such it be re¬ 
garded, more conspicuous than before.This 
brings to mind a most wicked adulteration recently 
discovered in Europe. White arsenic is a very 
heavy.powder, and is so abundant in the refining 
of some metals, that the trouble is to get rid of it, 
hence it is a cheap substance, of which the supply 
is greater than the demand. Recent medicinal 
journals say it has been used to adulterate 
Toilet Powder! Just think of it, one of the 
most deadly poisons known, used because of its 
cheapness, to add weight to an article applied 
solely to the delicate skins of women and child¬ 
ren. Fearful and incurable skin diseases upon 
children to whom it had been applied to prevent 
chafing, led to the discovery. It is safe to discard 
all French toilet powder. Safe preparations are put 
up in this country, but each mother can make her 
own, because the best are only 
Perfumed Starch.—Starch, made perfectly 
dry, and sifted through the finest sieve, may be 
used, or a few drops of any desired perfume may 
be mixed with it. Those who have lavender or 
other aromatic flowers can fold them in thin paper, 
and place these, with layers of starch, in a box, re¬ 
newing the flowers every few days, until the starch 
has absorbed sufficient perfume. The starch will 
take up a little moisture from the flowers, and 
it is best to let it be exposed to the sun until 
quite dry, and then if at all lumpy, be sifted again. 
ieots it mw dmram 
'I'he Young Microseopist’s Club. 
Some of our correspondents write about things which 
are not quite microscopic, though they find our Micro¬ 
scope a great aid in examining them. For this reason, if 
I answer all those who write, I shall not always talk 
about really microscopic things. Here is a letter from “ C. 
M. M.,” Nahant, Mass., who writes that he has “ made 
A Very Curious Discovery 
tins morning—curious, at least, to me. * * * * In 
rambling about the grounds I noticed that the grass ap¬ 
peared spotted with white. Examining it closely, Ifouud 
it to be little clots of froth, or foam, looking much like 
spittle, and then I remembered hearing or reading of 
something called “ Frog’s Spittle,” and thought that this 
might be it. There were great quantities of this froth, 
and I cut five shoots of grass with it attached, and took 
it to the house to examine more nearly. It was not thick 
nor glutinous, but thin, and likely to drop off, so I put it 
on a bit of paper, when, to my great surprise, seven little 
creatures commenced walking about. They were of dif¬ 
ferent lengths, from a quarter to an eighth of an inch—a 
fat little body like that of our “ Hay-makers” or Summer 
Locusts, with eyes and month very distinctly developed, 
and black, while the body was a greenish yellow, like the 
earliest leaves of the Sugar Maple. Now. I want to know 
what these little things are—how they came there—and 
what they will be eventually. Can you help me ?’’—The 
insect is one of a number which are called 
Spittle Insects. 
It is very difficult to get any definite information about 
our insects, unless they happen to be destructive to 
vegetation, in which case Harris in his work, or Riley in 
his various reports, is likely to have something to say 
about them. Others have written about insects, but 
their works, while they may contain the very informa¬ 
tion we seek, have such miserable indexes, that it is not 
easy to find what we want....No doubt most of you 
understand, for I have often stated it, that insects gener¬ 
ally make their growth in what is called the larval state— 
the caterpillar is the larva of the butterfly or moth, the 
maggot is the laivaof some kind of fly, and so on. In 
their larval state, insects are often very slow moving 
and helpless, and there are many curious ways in which 
they hide from their enemies, especially the birds. Some 
insects have a way of hiding themselves in the larval 
state under the remains of their solid food— i. e., com¬ 
pletely cover themselves with a shield of their own dung. 
So these yon found hide in the remains of their liquid food. 
They throw out a quantity of liquid within which they are 
able to form air bubbles, to make a sort of froth, which 
completely hides them, and under which they can feed and 
grow without much danger of being discovered by birds 
or other enemies. In England, this covering is called 
Cuckoo Spit and Frog 1 Spittle, 
from the notion that the appearance is caused by birds 
or frogs. Any one who takes pains, like “ C. M. M.,” to 
examine the spittle, can learn the whole story. I do not 
know which particular insect my 
young friend found, but his likening 
it to the “Hay-maker” or “ Summer 
Locust” shows that he was on the 
right track. In figure 1, is given the 
perfect insect of the most common 
of the English spittle insects, which 
presents a groat variety of colors— 
Plyleus bifascialus. I have a book 
on insects by a very scientific Amer¬ 
ican author, and some American 
species with this habit may be given in it, but as its 
author did not care to have us know whether he had 
either these or any other insect in his book, he has made 
no index; hence, his work is of no sort of value, and its 
nearly 400 pages may almost as well be blank paper, for 
all the use they are. ..Here is another correspondent, 
(a young Miss, too,) at Orange, N. J., who has made 
A Discovery of Anotlier Kind. 
Miss Cornelia was transplanting some plants from a 
window-box to the garden, when she “ found these curi¬ 
ous little seed-cups 
growing in the soil.” 
No doubt of the 
garden, though she 
does not say so. She 
says: “I never be¬ 
fore saw anything 
like them; if they 
are not of sufficient 
interest for some of 
Fig. 2. your talks, would 
it be too much, 
trouble for you to drop me a postal, telling me the 
name of a book which would give me some information 
Fig. 1. 
