406 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[October, 
A Stanchion for Cattle. 
Mr. E. D. Gibson, Worcester Co., Mass., 
has changed the form of his stanchion for 
cattle from the old-fashioned “pin” to the one 
here described. The 
scaffold over the 
lean-to was so low 
that he could not 
use either the “cap” 
Fig. !■ the bent rod. or th0 „ drop „ fast _ 
enimg. Pieces of old lightning-rod were cut 
off the desired length, and bent into shape, 
with loops at the ends as shown in mj- 
figure 1. Iron pins, long enough to 
reach through the stanchion, and the 
loops of the rods, were made of the 
form shown in figure 2, there being 
an eye at one end through which a 
leather strap was passed to keep them 
in place. One-half inch iron pins are 
sufficiently strong, the holes in the 
stanchions being bored with a 1 1 1 e-inch lrv 
bit, so that the pins will fit tightly in the 
wood. The stanchion, as completed, is shown 
in figure. 3, made from a model sent by Mr. 
G., who writes : ‘ ‘ such a stanchion will last a 
lifetime if made of new materials, and costs 
very little. I like it better than anything I 
Fig. 3.— THE STANCHION COMPLETE. 
have seen.”—If the stanchion is very low 
and cattle can unfasten it, a cleat may be 
placed in the front side, just under the loop. 
Remedies Against, and Means of Coun¬ 
teracting, Injurious Insects. 
BY PROP. CYRUS THOMAS, CARBONDALE, ILL. 
So far as making known the life-history, 
habits, and characteristics of the injurious 
insects are concerned, the entomologists have, 
to a great extent, performed their work. But 
after all this has been done, can we truly say 
that the farmers and horticulturists are any 
more able to cope with their insect foes now 
than they were forty years ago ? So far as 
the insects of the greenhouse, garden, and to 
a certain extent the orchard are concerned 
they are—a fact due very largely to the in¬ 
vestigations of entomologists. But when we 
turn to the farm we see the Army-worm, 
Chinch-bug, Hessian-fly, Wheat-midge, etc., 
year after year destroying large portions of 
the field products, while the farmers are al¬ 
most, if not entirely powerless to prevent it. 
Even in the orchard the “Little Turk” re¬ 
mains master of the situation, and in the 
vegetable garden the Cabbage-worm (Pieris 
rapce) still carries on its work of destruction. 
Seeing this to be the case, many agricul¬ 
turists have been disposed to vote the work 
of the entomologist a failure. This decision 
does manifest injustice, as will be seen by 
what is hereafter stated, although this article 
is not intended as an apologetic one. That 
it has failed as yet to accomplish what the 
farmers and horticulturists expected of it, I 
admit. Perhaps I might truly add that the 
entomologist’s work has failed to accomplish 
all that entomologists hoped for. 
•One reason for this disappointment, for 
such we may as well confess it to be, is that 
agriculturists expected too much of entomol¬ 
ogists. Another is that both parties have re¬ 
lied to too great an extent on topical remedies 
and means of direct destruction. The more 
I study the effect of topical applications, the 
less faith I have in their value. It is true 
that they are useful in ridding the garden and 
greenhouse of certain species that are com¬ 
paratively easily killed by acrid or poisonous 
substances. But of what avail are such rem¬ 
edies against the Army-worm, Hessian-fly, 
Chinch-bug, Wire-worm, or White-grub ? 
Paris Green will doubtless check the Colorado 
Potato-beetle, but I have found by actual ex¬ 
periment, on a limited scale it is true, yet of 
sufficient extent fairly to test the matter, that 
by carefully watching and killing them as 
soon as they appeared, I could prevent their 
injuries as effectually and as cheaply as by 
using Paris Green, with much less danger. 
So far not one of the numerous applications 
recommended has proved a specific against 
the European Cabbage-worm. Even should 
one be found effectual, I have serious 
doubts as to its value. The injury done to 
the cabbage during the repeated applications 
that are necessary, the injury by the worms 
before they are destroyed, and the dead worms 
remaining in the heads will so lessen the mar¬ 
ket value as scarcely to pay in the end. 
Must we therefore conclude that the work 
of the entomologist has been of no value? 
By no means. Although Entomology, strictly 
speaking, has reached an advanced stage as a 
science—Economic Entomology is as yet but 
in embryo. While hundreds in our country 
have devoted attention to the former, those 
who have applied themselves to the latter 
may be counted on the fingers. The relation 
of climatic influences to insect development — 
an absolutely necessary pre-requisite to the 
adoption of adequate preventive measures— 
is yet an almost unbroken field. A knowl¬ 
edge of this relation to a given species must 
be obtained before the entomologist can pre¬ 
dict in advance the coming of that species. 
If by a careful study of this relation entomol¬ 
ogists can predict with reasonable certainty, 
a year in advance, the appearance of one of 
the species notably injurious to field crops, 
the farmers will then be enabled to plant 
such crops as will be likely to suffer least in¬ 
jury from this species. For example, if it 
is a species that appears late in the season, 
crops that mature early will be the ones to 
plant, as oats, for instance, in place of corn. 
If the coming of the Army-worm can be pre¬ 
dicted in time, the farmer can then plow up 
a portion, at least, of his meadow and sow it 
in oats, or plant it in com, or some other 
crop. It may, I think, be safely assumed that 
a long and careful study of this relation will 
ultimately enable entomologists to do this. 
A somewhat hasty collation of the meteor¬ 
ological records of Illinois with reference to 
their bearing on the development of the 
Chinch-bug, a resume of which was pub¬ 
lished in the “American Entomologist” for 
October, 1880, led me to believe that the sum¬ 
mer of 1881 would be of such a character as 
to develop this insect in injurious numbers. 
Unfortunately for our farmers, this predic¬ 
tion, based wholly on this comparison, has 
been only too literally fulfilled. 
Judging from the same data, I conclude 
that these insects will not appear next year 
in injurious numbers in the middle and 
southern portion of the State, or in south¬ 
eastern Iowa, or eastern Missouri. To deter¬ 
mine this relation will require long and la¬ 
borious work. It will be necessary to divide 
the whole country, geographically, into areas, 
according to the different meteorological 
types presented. To do this, a comparison 
and discussion of all our rainfall and temper¬ 
ature records will be necessary; and as com¬ 
plete a series as possible of annual, seasonal, 
and monthly means will have to be made and 
carefully studied, in reference to any evi¬ 
dences of periodicity that may appear in 
them. This is only one side of the subject; 
on the other hand all notices and records of 
the advent of the different species in each of 
these areas will have to be compared with the 
meteorological series. Nor is this all, the en¬ 
tire life-history ©f each of these species must be 
ascertained; also the conditions under which 
it develops most rapidly, as well as those 
under which it is reduced to a minimum. 
Fortunately there are but comparatively 
few species that really demand serious atten¬ 
tion on account of the injury they do to field 
crops, probably less than a score; but un¬ 
fortunately these do immense damage. The 
life-history and habits of these are to a large 
extent already known, still we cannot say 
our knowledge is absolutely complete as to 
any one of them, but the other part of the 
work remains almost wholly untouched. If 
more of our entomologists could be induced 
to devote attention to this branch of the sub¬ 
ject, in reference to these few species, I have 
no doubt that in the course of a few years 
the good results would be felt by the farming 
interests of our country. 
Entomologists will not have completed their 
work until they can predict with reasonable 
certainty the coming of these species, and 
warn the farmers as to crops likely to suffer. 
Koot-Uellars.—The leading features of 
a good root-cellar are, proof against frost, 
neatness, dryness, ventilation, and cheapness. 
If a hill-side is conveniently near, it helps 
much to secure these desired ends. An ex¬ 
cavation should be first made, in size depend¬ 
ing upon the required capacity of the cellar, 
and in this erect a stout frame of timbers— 
posts with plank, or a log pen, and on which 
place a stout roof. The earth that has been 
excavated, is thrown over the structure, until 
the whole is covered to the depth of two feet. 
A door should be made in the exposed end of 
the cellar, through which the roots may be 
put in and taken out. The smaller the door, 
and still be convenient, the better, as it allows 
of less exposure to the frost. A quantity of 
straw pressed in the door-way, will aid great¬ 
ly in keeping out the frost. Every farmer, 
with many roots to be stored, should have a 
root-cellar, either by itself, or in the lower 
part of the barn. It is not well to store a 
large quantity of roots in the cellar of the 
house, as the gases rising from them during 
winter may cause sickness to the inmates. 
