1880.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
315 
and is to be guarded against. In some of the large 
patented dryers the trays are suspended upon end¬ 
less chains, which pass over wheels above and be¬ 
low ; the trays of fresh fruit are put in nearest the 
furnace and gradually raised as others are ready to 
go in below them. Those w'ho propose to dry fruit 
on a large scale will very likely find it cheaper in 
the end to arrange for the construction of one that 
has been thoroughly tested, even though it is 
patented. The sum paid the patentee for the right 
to construct, according to his plans, may easily be 
less than an inexperienced person would expend in 
experiments and alterations, and after all, he runs 
the risk of making use of some device that has 
been patented, and may at the end have to pay more 
for it than it would have cost at first. It would be 
well for all who propose to dry fruit largely to 
look into the capacity of the largest Zimmer¬ 
man, as well as examine the stationary apparatus. 
The Tortoise Beetles. 
Mr. P. Frenzeny, Bergen Co., N. J., recently 
left with us specimens of an insect found upon his 
potato vines. Since the advent of the JDoryphora , 
which is by common consent known as the Potato 
Bug, we hear much less than formerly of the dozen 
other insects, known to live upon 
the potato plant. The insect left 
by Mr. Frenzeny, is one of the Tor¬ 
toise Beetles, and though recog¬ 
nized as an enemy to the potato, 
has never been sufficiently numer¬ 
ous to cause much injury. As a 
representative of a group of in¬ 
sects, some of which are quite de¬ 
structive of other plants, especi¬ 
ally the Sweet Potato,’ and the 
larvae of which have some marked peculiarities, 
we reproduce its portrait from Prof. Riley’s Second 
Report on the Insects of Missouri, and some figures 
of the larvse of related species. The insect is 
known as the Clubbed Tortoise Beetle, Deloyala 
clavata. The engraving is almost twice the real 
size. The broad, yellowish, transparent wing- 
covers, extend for some distance on each side, and 
at the rear, beyond the body of the insect, and in 
front there is a similar helmet-like projection 
beyond the head. The resemblance to a tortoise is 
still further increased by the dark opaque mark¬ 
ings, which, extending to the edges of the shell, 
look much like the paws of a turtle. At the time 
this Report was made, the larva of this particular spe- 
Fig. 1. 
Fig. 2. 
cies was not known, it being the 
perfect insect that feeds upon the 
potato. But there are several other 
Tortoise Beetles, belonging to the 
closely related genus Cassida , of 
which the history is well known, 
and it is likely that the larva of 
this one, will be found to have 
similar habits. Fig. 2 shows the 
larva of one of these, the Mottled 
Tortoise Beetle, a well known 
enemy to the Sweet Potato in the 
Southern States. This has a forked tail, and uses it 
to spread a sort of screen or parasol, apparently to 
protect it from the sun. This shield consists of 
the dried dung of the insect, often mixed with its 
cast off skins. In some, this 
parasol is irregularly three- 
lobed in shape, but in this 
it is in broad masses with 
branches, as in fig. 3, which 
shows a similar larva as look¬ 
ed down upon. As the ex¬ 
crement is thoroughly dry, 
there is nothing offensive 
about it, and its real nature 
might not be suspected at 
first sight. In marked con¬ 
trast with what we can not 
help regarding as an un¬ 
pleasant habit of its larva, is the great beauty of 
the perfect insect of one of the species, the Golden 
Tortoise Beetle, which Riley describes as “ one of 
the most beautiful objects that cau be imagined. 
It exactly resembles a piece of golden tinsel.” 
Fig. 3. 
These species of Cassida are found on the wild 
Morning Glory, and also on the Sweet Potato vine. 
Teosinte for Warm Climates. 
BV PItOF. ASA GRAY. 
When the American Agriculturist first figured and 
brought to notice the gigantic grass known as Teo¬ 
sinte, as a forage plant, it was careful to state that 
it required so long a season that it promised to be 
of value only in the Southern States. As we have 
been the means of sending seeds to subscribers in 
several of the wanner states, this spring, we hope 
to have reports of its behavior this fall. Prof. Asa 
Gray has gleaned some items as to its value in other 
countries which have an interest here. He writes : 
The Director of the Botanic Garden and Gov¬ 
ernment Plantations at Adelaide, S. Australia, re¬ 
ports favorably of this strong-growing, corn-like 
forage plant, the Euchlcena luxurians ; that the pre¬ 
vailing dryness did not injure the plants, which 
preserved their healthy green, while the blades of 
the other grasses suffered materially. The habit 
of throwing out young shoots is remarkable, 60 
or 80 rising to a hight of 5 or 6 feet. Farther north, 
at Palmerston, in the course of 5 or 6 months, the 
plants reached the hight of 12 to 14 feet, and the 
stems on one plant numbered 56. The plants, after 
mowing down, grew again several feet in a few 
days. The cattle delight in it in a fresh state; 
also when dry. Undoubtedly there is not a more 
prolific forage-plant known ; but, as it is essential¬ 
ly tropical in its habits, this luxuriant growth is 
found only in tropical and subtropical climates. 
The chief drawback to its culture with us will be 
that the ripening of the seed-crop will be proble¬ 
matical, as early frosts will kill the plant. To 
make the Teosinte a most useful plant in Texas 
and along our whole south-western border, the one 
thing needful is to develop early-flowering varieties, 
so as to get seed before frost. And this could be 
done without doubt, if some one in Southern Texas 
or Florida would set about it. What it has taken 
ages to do in the case of Indian corn, in an uncon¬ 
scious way, might be mainly done in a human life¬ 
time by rightly-directed care and vigorous selec¬ 
tion. Who is the man who is going to make 
millions of blades of grass grow where none of any 
account ever grew before ? 
Melilots as Weeds. 
It now and then happens that a plant heretofore 
regarded as harmless, finds a locality specially favor¬ 
able to its development, becomes aggressive, grow¬ 
ing where it is not wanted and is recognized as a 
weed. Singularly enough two species of the same 
genus, Melilotus, have come to us this year from 
widely separated localities—Maryland and Texas— 
to ascertain their names, and both represented as 
unwelcome intruders. There are two species of 
Melilot common in the older States, a white and a 
yellow flowered. Both are coarse branching plants 
2 to 4 feet high, or even taller. The leaves are 
shaped like those of clover, rather smaller, and the 
divisions toothed; the flowers, which are minute 
pea-shaped are in little racemes, which go on 
lengthening and blooming, so that while there are 
buds and flowers above, the little one- or two- 
seeded pods at the bottom of the cluster will be 
full grown if not ripe. The engraving of the top 
of a branch of about the natural size will allow it 
to be identified if met with. The White Melilot, 
M. alius , is the one-figured, and the one brought 
from Maryland ; the yellow, (M. officinalis) besides 
the different color of its flowers, has somewhat 
differently shaped leaves, there are other species, 
and all have the peculiar odor that is so marked 
in the Sweet-scented Vernal-grass, the Seneca 
grass, and especially the TonquaBean. The White 
Melilot, known as Sweet Clover, and sometimes as 
Bokara Clover, is sometimes cultivated by those 
who are fond of its perfume. It was formerly cul¬ 
tivated in England, not so much as a fodder crop, 
as cattle will not eat it when fresh, but to mix with 
poor hay in order to perfume it. In Europe this or 
a related species is bruised and mixed with the 
curd to flavor it in making Gruyere cheese. This is 
all that can be said in favor of the plant; it is often 
found as a straggler along road sides and in waste 
places, but not in a manner to arrest attention. 
Last June, Mr. T. Davids, who lias a farm near 
Annapolis, Md., brought us a remarkably vigorous 
specimen, which reached as high as one’s head, and 
branched from the very base. This, according to 
Mr. Davids, is spreading with great rapidity, mak¬ 
ing inroads upon the grass lands, appearing in the 
wheat fields, and threatens to be a serious pest. 
In case of the Texan plant, a specimen was sent by 
a correspondent of a plant that had suddenly ap¬ 
the sweet clover (Melilotus albus). 
Single flower and Pod Enlarged. 
peared in his “ bottom lands,” as the alluvial banks 
of rivers are called in all the Western States, the 
teftn being the equivalent of intervale as used in 
New England. The plant proved to be still another 
species, the Small-flowered Melilot, Melilotus par- 
siflora, of Continental Europe, and no doubt intro¬ 
duced by the early Spanish settlers, as it extends 
from Louisiana and Texas across through Mexico 
to California. We have seen it occupying acres 
along rivers to the exclusion of everything else, 
but even hungry mules would not eat it. It is not 
so robust a plant as the White Melilot, and has still 
smaller yellow flowers. These plants are trouble¬ 
some as is any other that occupies land needed by 
cultivated crops. If left alone they are biennials, 
the root dying at the end of the second year, and 
after it has provided for its abundant increase by 
seed. If the tops are cut away before the seeds 
are ripe, we are met by another difficulty—-cutting 
off the top prolongs the life of the root. Were a 
crop of seeds perfected this would so exhaust the 
root that it would die, but by preventing this we 
keep the old root which becomes stronger and 
pushes up its shoots year after year. There seems 
to be one of two alternatives : to grub up the root 
and make an end of it, or to cut frequently and 
continously; as often as there is a sufficient 
growth for the scythe to take hold of, it should be 
cut away. The difficulty attending the destruction 
of this and many other weeds when well established, 
shows how important it is for the farmer to be able 
to recognize these plants in their young state. At 
that time a stroke of the hoe will, without difficul¬ 
ty, destroy a pest which, when it gets full posses¬ 
sion, may require the work of hours to remove it. 
Currants are one of the welcome small fruits in 
mid-summer, being especially welcome in the hot 
days. If left to themselves the season is short, but 
by covering the ground around the bushes with a 
heavy mulch, a screen of cloth, or even of newspa¬ 
pers, the season may be prolonged by several weeks. 
