1884 .] 
AMEEIOA^T AGEICULTUEIST. 
379 
coons look like eggs, but should not be destroyed. 
Another fly attacks the chrysalis when just formed. 
This (Fieromalus hrassieai), lays some two hundred 
and fifty eggs upon the tender skin of the chrysalis, 
the young maggots eat their way into the interior, 
and live upon its contents, of course destroying 
the foster insect. The engraving shows the cabbage 
butterfly at 1, its eggs at 3, caterpillar at 3, chrysa- 
NEW DESTBOTEE OP THE CABBAGE WOEM. 
lis at4, and the Ichneumon fly of the natural size at 
5, and magnified at 6. One parasitic fly has been 
found attacking the cabbage worms in this country; 
whether it is of this species, we are unable to 
say. Wherever such flies, or their little cocoons 
are discovered, they should not be destroyed. 
What Cuts Rose Leaves ? 
Mrs. S. Walker, Bergen County, N. J., writes us: 
“ I find the leaves of our rose bushes are badly dis¬ 
figured. Pieces forming a part of a circle are, as 
in the specimens sent, as neatly cut as if the work 
was done with a pair of very small scissors. What 
cuts the rose leaves ? ”—The leaves show that one 
of the Leaf-cutter Bees has been at work upon them. 
These bees belong to the genus M&jachile, of 
which there are several species. They are ail pro¬ 
vided with stout jaws, which are able to cut the 
leaves like scissors. The engraving shows (re¬ 
duced) the manner in which the rose leaves are 
cut. The pieces of leaf are used to build a nest, 
which maybe in a crevice in a tree, or under a 
board. One of the nests is shown in the lower 
part of the engraving. Having built her cell, the 
hee places in it a supply of pollen for the food of 
the larva, and finally deposits an egg in the cell, 
which is then closed up, and another is begun. 
LEAF-CUTTEE BEES. 
One writer states that he turned over a board, un¬ 
der which he had noticed a hee at work, and found 
that she had made thirty cells, all of pieces of rose- 
leaves. Upon making an estimate, he found that 
about a thousand pieces of leaves had been used. 
It is not likely that these bees, also called Uphols¬ 
terer Bees, will ever be a serious pest to rose- 
growers. They may be kept in subjection by 
watching them as they leave the rose bushes, ascer¬ 
taining where they build their nests, and destroy¬ 
ing these before the new brood of bees appear. 
Broadcasting and Drilling-in Wheat. 
There are two methods of sowing wheat—broad¬ 
cast and in drills. By the first the seed is scattered 
irregularly upon the surface of the prepared soil, 
and covered with a harrow or cultivator. Broad¬ 
cast sowing may be by hand, when the expense of 
a machine is saved, or by a broadcast sower, with 
which the work is rapidly done. Cheapness and 
rapidity are the principal advantages of broadcast 
sowing, either by hand or with a machine. More 
or less of the seed remains upon the surface of the 
soil after the harrow or cultivator has passed, while 
the covered grains are at various depths—some too 
deep and others too shallow for their best develop¬ 
ment. There is therefore some loss of seed, which 
must be allowed for in the seeding. Sowing in 
drills cannot be done by hand, and the cost of the 
machine must therefore be counted when this 
method is considered. The advantages of drill¬ 
ing, however, far outnumber those of broadcast¬ 
ing, so that drills are now very generally used in 
the wheat-growing regions. With a drill properly 
adjusted, nearly every grain can be placed at the 
depth best for germination and growth, and well 
separated from all other neighboring grains. There 
is much less seed required in drilling than in broad¬ 
casting, making an important saving in favor of 
the former method. An average of two bushels 
per acre is used broadcast, while one-half to five- 
eighths of this is sufficient with the drill. 
Wlieat that is drilled-in “ winter kills ” less than 
where it has been scattered broadcast. This winter 
killing is caused by the frequent freezing and thaw¬ 
ing of the earth near the surface, which raises the 
roots out of the soil, and exposes them to the drying 
air and sun. When sown with a drill, the grain is 
in a slight furrow, and the freezing and thawing 
does not so easily lift the plant; it also tends to 
fill up the furrows made by the teeth of the drill, 
and thus adds protection to the roots which may 
have become exposed. Under the best condi¬ 
tions wheat should be sown about one inch deep. 
Valuable, but Little Known Grasses. 
Timothy is so generally grown by our farmers, 
that one might suppose it to be the only grass 
suited to our climate. One reason for its culture, 
to the exclusion of other grasses, is the reputa¬ 
tion that Timothy enjoys among buyers of hay. A 
city livery stable keeper, or other purchaser, will 
not usually accept any other hay than Timothy. 
As a hay crop, this grass has much to commend it, 
but there are others quite as valuable, while as a 
pasture gTass, it is one of the poorest. It is very 
difficult to break up a long established practice, 
yet we are glad to know that our frequent advocacy 
of Orchard grass in past years, has induced many 
farmers to sow it instead of Timothy, and they 
have found the change profitable, especially if the 
field was ultimately to be pastured. Among other 
grasses to which farmers should turn their atten¬ 
tion, is the Tall Meadow Fescue {Festuca elaiior). 
This grass presents itself in three forms. The typ¬ 
ical Tall Meadow Fescue {F. elatior), is three or 
four feet high, with an ample spreading panicle and 
broad leaves, as in the engraving. The Common 
Meadow Fescue {F. pratensis), is not so tall as the 
foregoing, and with a close, slightly branched pan¬ 
icle. The Spiked Meadow Fescue (F. loliacea), 
has the flowers in a spike, i. e., the cluster is 
not branched. These three forms were regarded 
as distinct species, indieated by the names above 
given. They however run into one another, and 
while botanists regard them as forms of one spe¬ 
cies, the seeds of the varieties are kept distinct 
by seedsmen. Though rarely sown in this country, 
these forms have been introduced, and one or all of 
them may be found in established grass lands, es¬ 
pecially in the older States. In nutritive quality, 
the three forms are regarded as about equal, the 
principal difference among them being in size. 
The second form (F. pratensis), is known in Vir¬ 
ginia as “ Kandall Grass,” and in North Carolina as 
“Evergreen Grass,’' and in the mountainous por¬ 
tions of both States is highly esteemed as a pas¬ 
ture grass, especially for sheep. These Fescues 
are very valuable on account of their adapt¬ 
ability to moist and even wet or marshy lands, and 
as their roots penetrate the soil to a great depth, 
they endure the drouths remarkably well. The 
seed catalogues advise sowing forty pounds of 
TALL MEADOW FESCUE. 
seed to the aere ; a good stand has been made with 
half that quantity of seed of the best quality. 
Another, and related species, deserving attention, 
is the Sheep’s Fescue (F. ovina). This was described 
and illustrated in February of last year. Like the 
species already noticed, this has several well marked 
forms, and is as valuable for elevated and dry soils, 
as is the other for wet ones. It is affected by the 
character of the soil to a remarkable degree. 
Sow Now for Spring Flowers. 
While our gardens present a much greater variety 
than did those of a half century ago, there are 
some plants in which the old-time gardeners ex¬ 
celled. We do not see such beds of Pansies, or of 
Rocket Larkspurs, as were then the pride of the 
gardeners. Success with Pansies is mainly due to 
sowing the seed in autumn. If the seed is sown in 
spring, by the time the plants begin to bloom hot 
weather comes, and the flowers become fewer and 
smaller. In order to have the flowers in spring, 
sow the seeds early this month. Make a spot of 
rich soil fine, and level the surface by pressing it 
with a board. Sow the seeds, sift a little soil over 
them, and press down firmly with the board. 
When the plants are an inch high, transplant them 
to the place where they are to flower. The plants 
are quite hardy, and all the winter protection they 
need is a little brush to keep the snow from press¬ 
ing too heavily upon them. The Rocket Larkspurs 
are, unlike the tall ones, annuals. A bed of them 
is as showy as one of Hyacinths. Sow in a well 
enriched bed this autumn, but leave them to 
flower where they were sown. The bed may be 
covered with brush during the winter, and if the 
plants are too mixcli crowded in any part of the 
bed next spring, thin them by cutting out the 
surplus. They do not transplant satisfactorily. 
