REMEDY FOR THE CQCUS ON ORANGE TREES.—STANDARD OF CHARACTER FOR PRIZE CATTLE. 
55 
troublesome. These insects, as well as the red 
spider, are effectually routed by free watering of 
the leaves and bark of the orange trees. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
REMEDY FOR THE COCUS ON ORANGE TREES. 
St. Augustine, East Florida, March 8, 1842. 
To the Editor of the American Agriculturist, 
Sir: I am now cultivating a somewhat extensive 
grove of orange trees in this city arid vicinity, and 
am very desirous to obtain information from you, 
as to an effectual antidote for a very destructive 
little insect, called the cocus, which has been for 
the last two or three years injuring-, and nearly 
destroying, in -some cases, our orange trees.. I send 
you enclosed a piece of the orange bark, covered 
with the insect. It inhabits the long shell or house 
adhering to the bark, and is so small as to be im- 
p#rcepuble to the naked eye, but is seen by the 
magnifying glass in great numbers and in lively 
mood, in the months of April and May. They 
multiply very rapidly, till they cover all the smaller 
branches of the orange and its leaves, and soon kill 
the upper parts of the tree. They threaten the 
entire loss of this our most valuable production, 
(just recovering now from the great frost of 1835,) 
unless we can find a remedy. 
We have thrown dry ashes and lime over the 
trees when wet,—whitewashed, and once applied 
whale-oil soap, at the rate of 2| lbs. to 16 gallons 
of water, and in some cases, have added to the 
w r ash 2| lbs. sulphur and oz. nux vomica. None 
of these applications seem to be effectual except 
the last, which had some influence in checking 
them. You will confer a favor on me and on this 
whole community, as well as South Carolina, 
Georgia, and the West Indies, (for they all suffer 
from the same insect,) if you can give us informa¬ 
tion of an efficacious remedy; and in return for 
such, we should no doubt soon be able to send to 
you forty shiploads of our most delicious and valu¬ 
able fruit. 
Yours, very respectfully, 
Franklin Y. Yail. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
STANDARD OF CHARACTER FOR PRIZE 
CATTLE. 
Mr. Editor —Sir : It is generally understood, I 
believe, that the object of offering prizes for the 
best stock, by the State Agricultural Society, is to 
collect together animals from different sections and 
from different herds, that a comparison may be made 
by placing them side by side, that their merits or 
demerits may be fairly tested. A farmer, living in 
a remote section and not in the habit of visiting, 
except in his immediate vicinity, may suppose 
that he possesses the finest animals in the country, 
which is very natural, as he has probably never 
seen any better or perhaps equal, and his being 
much superior to those of his neighbors, he rests 
perfectly contented. This I consider a very dan¬ 
gerous situation for a breeder to be placed in. It 
is only by comparison that his eyes will be opened, 
or that he can be convinced of his error; when by 
ocular demonstration, the defects of his animals 
will be so apparent, that he will return home with 
a determination to improve, until he shall arrive 
at the acme of excellence. 
These exhibitions are a school for the novice, 
the young, and inexperienced. Here they not only 
find some of the best animals in the state, but they 
meet gentlemen from all parts, interested in the 
same pursuit, hear the different opinions, and see 
the good and bad points pointed out, which per¬ 
haps heretofore had escaped their notice. 
And now let me ask, how many of those persons 
generally selected as judges of stock, know what 
points are necessary to constitute a perfect animal, or 
one that approaches nearest ? I must confess my 
own ignorance, and seek for information. At present, 
there is no rule or criterion for the government of 
the committee, and they are left to decide accord¬ 
ing to their whim or caprice. We want enlighten¬ 
ment on that subject; and for that purpose I coin¬ 
cide with the suggestion you made, page 140, Yol. 
I. of your paper, that the “ chairman of each com¬ 
mittee mount the rostrum, the animal or manufac¬ 
tured article be brought out before the public, and 
then the explanations for their decisions be set 
forth at large.” 
li What a school would this be to the rising and 
ay to the risen generation. A person might learn 
more by attending one such day’s exhibition and 
explanation, than from studying books, and plates, 
and animals, unaided by the opinions of others, for 
a month.” 
As the awards and the reports are now made 
out, xve are left in the dark, and drive home our 
animal, without knowing why he was or was not 
successful. The writer speaks feelingly on this 
subject, as he exhibited an animal last fall, in the 
first class of bulls, to which was awarded the 
third premium. One of the committee was asked 
where his bad points were, or why he was 
placed third ? The answer was, that his head was 
short, and his horns a little too long! Now this 
was news to me, and my eyes were opened , for I 
must confess I had not noticed it before; and I re¬ 
turned home with a determination, that if ever I 
exhibited him again, I would saw off his horns: 
but this or something else so affected the animal, 
that he sickened and died in less than one month 
afterward! 
At the annual meeting of the N. Y. State Agri¬ 
cultural Society, in January last, the writer called 
attention to the propriety of “ erecting a standard 
of character for every class of stock to be exhibited 
hereafter for prizes ; and also a standard of form, 
and every point necessary to constitute a perfect 
animal, to be noticed according to its influence in 
the decision of the judges.” 
This excited considerable interest, and some de¬ 
bate as to the manner in which it could be effected, 
and finally resulted in the following resolution 
offered by Mr. Rotch: 
“ Resolved, that the executive committee be 
requested to call a meeting of breeders, at such 
time and place as they may deem proper, for the 
purpose of discussing the different points of merit 
in domestic animals, with a view of arriving at 
