234 
K£W YORK FARMERS’ CLUB. 
alternately steeping and drying are repeated three 
times, and are, finished by putting the pears, for the 
fourth time, into the oven, and leaving them there 
till they are quite dry; when, if they have been 
properly treated, they will be of a clear, pale- 
brown, with fine translucent flesh. They are then 
arranged in boxes, garnished with white paper, and 
kept in dry places, or offered for sale. They will 
remain good, in this state, for three years, hut are 
considered best the first year. 
NEW YORK FARMERS’ CLUB. 
At a late meeting of the Farmers’ Club of the 
American Institute, Mr. Meigs read from the An¬ 
nals of the Royal Horticultural Society of Paris, an 
extract from the Report of a Committee, relative to 
the progress of their gardener in 
Drying Cabbage Leaves, with the view ©f pre¬ 
serving them, on long voyages, not only as an 
article of nourishment, but on account of their 
highly medicinal properties, in the prevention or 
cure of the scurvy. The leaves were cut into 
strips about four fingers wide, and placed on 
hurdles in a stove raised to a temperature of 
eighty-two degrees to one hundred and five degrees 
F., where they w'ere kept for four days and as 
many nights, being turned during the time, only 
once or twice. They lost in the process of drying 
about two-thirds of their bulk, and seven-eighths of 
their weight. When prepared in this way, they 
harden if put into cold water; but if soaked in 
warm water in a covered vessel for about one 
hour, they will resume nearly the same condition as 
fresh leaves. They are then taken out of the warm 
water and boiled nearly one hour, when they will 
be completely cooked. If taken out and seasoned 
in various ways, there will be no appreciable dif¬ 
ference between their odor or taste and those of 
cabbages freshly gathered. The leaves, when car¬ 
ried to sea, may be packed up in tight boxes, and 
kept in a dry place for many months. 
Mammoth Oats and Gooseberries. —Mr. William 
J. Townsend presented stalks of Scotch Imperial 
Oats from his father’s farm, at Astoria, which mea¬ 
sured six feet, two inches and a half in length. 
The grain he represented to be good, weighing 43 
ibs. to a bushel. Mr. Steele, of Jersey city, pre¬ 
sented a branch of the English gooseberry, a foot 
long, containing 28 perfect berries, some of which 
measured three and a half inches in circumference. 
Protection of Crows and other Insectivorous 
thrds. —Mr. Turrel presented a report of some 
humorous remarks lately made by the Hon. Mr. 
Preston, in the Legislature of New Hampshire, on 
the subject of the useful habits of the common crow 
( Coi'vus corone) in destroying insects. 
Mr. Skinner stated, that, in Alabama, a planter 
had a pair of crows, with their wings clipped, 
which very dexterously cleared his garden of a 
troublesome vermin called craw-fish (land crabs), 
m seizing them in the act of entering their burrows, 
and immediately destroying them. 
Mr. Samuel Allen said that he was much pleased 
with the crow case in New Hampshire, and that 
these birds, as well as all others, that devour in¬ 
sects, are most important aids to us in the preser¬ 
vation of our crops, and should be protected rather 
than destroyed. 
Insects injurious to Vegetation. —Mr. Van Wyck 
said that we ought to make ourselves thoroughly 
acquainted with the habits of insects, in order to 
carry on our agricultural operations with success ; 
that their numbers are annually increasing, and 
many new species have appeared hitherto unknown 
to naturalists-; and that accurate descriptions of 
them should be obtained and published. 
Mr. J. C. Parsons presented specimens of the 
ordinary squash-bug ( Coreus ordinatus, of Say), 
which he collected in Mr. Wakeman’s garden. 
These well-known enemies to the squash-vine* 
issue from their winter retreats soon after the plant 
has put forth a few rough leaves, under which they 
take shelter, pair, and shortly afterwards begin to 
■lay their eggs. During the day time, at this periods 
by carefully examining the vines, close to the 
ground, w T e find these insects, apparently lying 
there to escape observation; but at night, they 
crawl on the under sides of the leaves, where they 
deposit their eggs in little patches, securely fasten¬ 
ing them with a species of gum or glue. The eggs, 
which are round and flattened ©n two sides, are 
soon hatched, and the young bugs are somewhat 
shorter and more rounded in proportion, than 
the adult insects, and are of a pale-ash color. 
As they increase in age and size, after easting 
their skins several times, they assume a more 
oval form, and their under sides gradually become 
of a dull ochreous yellow. At first they subsist 
together in small families, by puncturing the 
under sides of the leaves upon which they 
were hatched, and which, in consequence of the 
quantity of sap imbibed by them, soon begin to 
wither, and finally become wrinkled, dry, and 
brown. As the eggs are laid at successive periods, 
the young broods will consequently be found in 
various stages of growth throughout the summer. 
They do not attain their full size, however, and 
appear perfectly furnished with wings and wing- 
covers, before the months of September and Octo¬ 
ber, soon after which they deseyt the vines and 
conceal themselves in the crevices of walls, the 
bark of trees, or other places of security, where 
they pass the winter in a torpid state, and on the 
return of warm weather, at the putting forth of the 
squash leaves, they issue from their retreats, pair, 
lay their eggs, and continue their work of de¬ 
struction. 
The best preventive of the ravages of these in¬ 
sects, is to visit the vines daily at every period of 
their growth, and kill them before they begin to 
lay their eggs ; but should any escape observation 
at this time, their eggs may easily be found and 
destroyed. A solution of green cow-dung and 
water, or similar preparations from the barn-yard, 
have been applied to the vines with success. Gas- 
water, obtained at the gas-works for lighting cities, 
diluted in six times the quantity of pure water, will 
also drive them away almost instantaneously. 
Ants, snails, slugs, &c., will not remain where it 
has been used. It may be objected that the smell 
is disagreeable, but this passes off quickly, while 
the effect in the ground remains, which may be 
proved by turning up the soil several days after¬ 
wards, w T hen the smell will be nearly as strong as 
at first. Experiments with gas-water, as well as 
' with coal-tar, should be made with precaution. 
