370 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
make their appearance until the latter part 
of June or forepart of July, according to the 
latitude, and only attack the wheat while in 
a soft state, and on this account early wheat 
escapes injury. Using only the early, hardy 
varieties, or sowing early, and forcing to 
quick maturity with guano or other stimu¬ 
lating manures, are the best known means 
of escaping this insect. The yellow or 
orange-colored maggots are easily observed— 
there frequently being as many as twenty or 
thirty, or more of them, on a single wheat 
head. We have often found several of them 
on a single kernel, upon carefully removing 
the chaft’or sheath. From the imperfect de¬ 
scriptions given, we think that much the 
greatest “ insect ” injury of the present sea¬ 
son has been done by this species. During 
the latter part of July and the fore part of 
August, the maggots or worms obtain their 
full size, cast off their skins, descend to the 
ground and bury themselves half an inch or 
so below the surface, where they remain 
during the Winter, and come forth perfect 
flies the following season, to continue and 
multiply their depredations. It is against 
this fly that sprinkling lime over the growing 
wheat, burning sulphur in the field, and such¬ 
like means, have proved a partial remedy. 
The Grain Moth {Tinea Granella,) when 
fully developed, is a small winged insect, a 
little resembling a butterfly in its general 
form. Upon its head is a white hairy tuft, 
and two short antennae or horns. Its fore 
wings are mottled with black, white and in¬ 
termediate colors, always with one black 
rectangular or square spot near the middle 
of the outer edge. The eggs are deposited 
in Spring, and again in the latter part of the 
Summer. The first brood are hatched in 
July, and take the form of a sixteen-legged 
caterpillar, with a naked soft body, nearly 
half an inch in length. They gnaw the sur¬ 
face of the grain, and cover it with a thick 
web, which sometimes fastens together a 
number of kernels. After a time these cater¬ 
pillars spin a cocoon, in which they undergo 
the usual transformations, like those of the 
butterfly. 
The Angoumois Moth (Anacampsis cereal - 
ella) is another grain moth, which has proved 
immensely destructive in France, especially 
in the province of Angoumois, from whence 
it derives its name ; and the same moth, or 
one very similar, has appeared in this coun¬ 
try. The perfect insect is a very small 
moth, of a pale cinamon brown color, and 
satin luster. Its wings are long, narrow, 
broadly fringed and ash or lead-colored. It 
has two thread-like antennae or horns con¬ 
sisting of numerous bearded joints ; a spiral 
tongue of moderate length, and two taper¬ 
ing feelers turned back over the head. It 
lays twenty or more eggs upon each of three 
or four wheat grains, and within a week these 
hatch out little worm-like caterpillars not 
thicker than a hair, which immediately dis¬ 
perse, each selecting a single grain and bur¬ 
rowing into its most tender part. Within the 
grain (and not upon the surface like the 
grain-moth) it devours all the heart portion, 
then spins a web to divide its cell into two 
cavities, in one of which it deposits its ex¬ 
crements or rejected fragment of food, and 
in the other it undergoes its transformations 
preparatory to coming forth a perfect moth. 
These, like the grain weevil, may be de¬ 
stroyed by kiln-drying. 
There are several other species of grain- 
moths, but they are yet imperfectly known, 
and have not been generally destructive. 
Chintzot Chinch Bug (Lygceus leucopterus.) 
This insect has proved more destructive in 
Virginia and other Southern States than at 
the North. In its perfect state it has a 
black downy body about one-sixth of an inch 
in length, and is readily distinguished by its 
white wing-covers, upon each of which there 
is a short, black central line, and a large 
black oval spot upon the margin. They do 
not arrive at their perfect state until about 
the time the wheat is ready to cut. Pre¬ 
vious to this they are without wings and re¬ 
semble the bed-bug in odor and color. It is 
at this time that they are most destructive. 
From the eggs laid in the ground the pre¬ 
vious season, the young come forth in the 
Southern States in May—later at the West 
or North—at first of a bright red color, but 
changing with age to brown and black. They 
travel from field to field in immense columns, 
like Locusts, destroying everything as they 
proceed. They destroy wheat by attaching 
themselves to the green stalk and sucking 
out the entire moisture. They have been 
arrested in their course by running ditches 
across the field before them, filling these with 
dry straw which is set on fire when the bugs 
are seen thereon. They have also been de¬ 
stroyed by burning the dry leaves of the for¬ 
est, upon which they have settled. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
UNDER-DRAINING. 
The beneficial effect of under-draining has 
presented itself so unmistakably to my ob¬ 
servation, that I feel it my duty, as an indi¬ 
vidual desirous of seeing the farming com¬ 
munity prosper, to write a short article upon 
the subject. I hope to call forth something 
from abler pens than mine ; for I really be¬ 
lieve this to be one of the most important 
matters that can engage the attention of the 
farmers. 
There is scarcely a farm within my knowl¬ 
edge, that can not be more or less improved 
by under-draining. Few farms are to be 
found on which there are not many patches 
of cold springy land, which are considered 
nearly worthless, and on many there are 
large fields bearing only a little sour grass, 
which no stock will eat unless verging on 
starvation. But such lands under proper 
management often become the most valuable 
portion of the farm. 
I have examined within a short time sev¬ 
eral fields which have been under-drained, 
and the effect is indeed surprising. One 
piece having a slight inclination to the east, 
was previously cold and wet. I have as¬ 
sisted in cutting the grass upon it several 
times, though considered hardly worth mow¬ 
ing, it never having, to my knowledge, half 
a tun of hay to the acre, and what there was 
being of poor quality. An attempt was at 
one time made to reclaim it by plowing and 
manuring, but without success. The first 
year the potatoes planted were hardly worth 
harvesting. It settled down so heavly the 
second year that the oats with which it was 
sown were not worth cutting. And the 
grass crop that followed was even lighter 
than previous to its being plowed. The 
owner said he considered it of less value 
than if composed of a flat rock, for then he 
could have carted over it. with less difficulty, 
which, as far as profits were concerned, 
would have been worth more than all he ob¬ 
tained from it. 
A gentleman acquainted with under-drain¬ 
ing, having witnessed its beneficial effects in 
another State, purchased this tract of land 
for a trifling sum, and has already raised pro¬ 
duce enough on it, not only to pay for the 
land, but also to pay for all the labor and ex¬ 
pense of reclaiming it. He has grown heavy 
crops of potatoes, corn and oats on it, and 
thinks of trying wheat; and should he do so, 
I have no doubt he will meet with success. 
Last season, and the present, he has cut two 
tuns of hay to the acre on that portion now 
in grass ; the hay being composed of timo¬ 
thy, and clover. 
His method of reclaiming was as follows : 
He opened ditches about three rods apart, 
three or four feet wide, and two feet deep. 
These he filled with small stone, to within 
one foot of the surface, and then covered the 
stones with the earth thrown from the ditch¬ 
es. This was done in the fall, after an oat 
crop. The beneficial results of under-drain¬ 
ing have been completely demonstrated on 
this piece of land, which, from being nearly 
worthless, has been rendered as valuable as 
any in this region. 
One of our best farmers having failed to 
get a crop on a flat piece of land, lying be¬ 
tween two knolls, concluded to try the effect 
of under-draining. He opened a ditch some¬ 
what larger and deeper than those above de¬ 
scribed, and having nearly filled it with 
stones, covered them with a portion of the 
earth thrown from the ditch. The remain¬ 
der he spread on either side evenly over the 
ground, which he sowed with wheat. His 
most ardent anticipations were realized in 
the succeeding harvest. I visited this piece 
of grain when he was cutting it, and I think 
I never saw stouter wheat than a strip 
marked by the drain, about three rods wide 
and thirty long. Although lodged in some 
places, it appeared well filled. He after¬ 
wards told me that he never before got so 
many bushels of wheat from the same num¬ 
ber of square rods, and he believed that the 
drain through this piece of land had more 
than doubled its value. 
It is actual experiments like these that 
carrys conviction to the mind of the farmer, 
and have ten times more effect on his future 
action, than labored articles written by 
learned men, on scientific principles, but 
without experience or practice. 
As our lands grow old, the importance of 
under-draining will more fully develop itself. 
New land seldom needs it; roots, and vege¬ 
table matter contained in the soil obviate, to 
a considerable extent, its necessity. But as 
these become eradicated the earth settles 
down, becomes hard, sour and lifeless, and 
the importance of under-draining becomes 
apparent. The air , the great fertilizer, can 
not penetrate such soil; dead, and stagnant 
water accumulates in it; its productive pow¬ 
ers are destroyed; and under-draining can 
alone restore it to its original fertility. 
I believe this subject is yet in its infancy, 
and that if farmers will but give it the atten¬ 
tion its importance demands, they will find a 
mine of wealth, which is destined to increase 
the value of our farms beyond any thing else 
within reach. 
Thousands of acres that produce little or 
no income to the owner may, in this way, be 
caused to remunerate him well for his labor, 
and rendered in value to the very best in 
their vicinity. Jas. Fellows. 
Salisbury, N. H., Aug. 13, 1855. 
