804: 
AMERICAN AGRIC ULTUE1ST. 
[August 
Rustic Work—Portable Summer-Houses. 
Our very earliest and most pleasant recollec¬ 
tion goes back to the new western home, when 
we little people set up mock housekeeping—to 
us very real—in the rustic play house, con¬ 
structed of crooked beech limbs. It is real 
to-day, after almost half a century. Connected 
with every house, however humble, there should 
be something around which the young affec¬ 
tions and memories may cluster; and to our 
way of thinking, there is nothing more charm¬ 
ing, or that will live longer in memory, than 
an arbor or summer-house, so constructed of 
rustic work as to harmonize with other natural 
objects. These structures may be of the sim¬ 
plest form, and be erected without great skill 
or loss of time, and -without expense. Modern 
times have developed much taste and ingenuity 
in construct¬ 
ing a great 
variety of rus¬ 
tic arbors, 
seats, chairs, 
flower-stands, 
pictureframss 
bridges, sum¬ 
mer - houses, 
etc. The mate¬ 
rial, red cedar, 
laurel, grape 
vines, etc., 
left as nearly 
as possible in 
their natural 
condition, are 
worked into a 
multiplicity 
of forms that 
are both pleas¬ 
ing and use- 
f u1. For 
smaller arti¬ 
cles, the Lau¬ 
rel, ( Kalmia ), 
with its natu¬ 
ral crooks and 
gnarled roots, 
is excellent. 
For large 
str uctures, 
such as sum¬ 
cars, and sent to any part of the country, where 
it could be quickly set up firmly again, with 
the use of a few large nails only. We immedi¬ 
ately ordered one for our own use. It was put 
upon a couple of common farm wagons, sent 
25 miles, and in a few hours it was all up com¬ 
plete, just as shown in the engraving herewith, 
which is copied from a photograph of it. (To 
forestall the charge of “ vanity,” or of appro¬ 
priating others “ good looks,” suffice it to say 
we were not in the house when the picture was 
taken; it was “ the other man.”) This.house has 
already been seen and admired by many per¬ 
sons. Its dimensions on the ground are 9 x 13 
feet; the roof projecting all around 2 to 21- feet, 
covers a space about 14x18 feet. The hight 
at the plate is 8J feet, and at the ridge, 101 or 
11 feet. The floor is of narrow pitch pine 
boards, and the seats along each side of narrow 
chestnut boards bordered with cedar. Both of 
(Manufactured by James King, New Haven, Conn., and sent in sections to the residence of Mr. Orange Judd. Mr. King retains the 
copyright of the photograph and engraving.) 
The Colorado Potato “Bug.” 
As long ago as 1864, we gave engravings of 
the “ Potato Bug,” and told all about it; since 
then we have repeated these, and have kept our 
readers advised of its eastward progress. It at 
one time came eastward at the rate of about 70 
miles a year, but several causes have led to a 
more rapid travel, and last fall it was within 
about ten miles of the coast, some four or five 
years earlier than was at first predicted. Now 
it is at the coast, and has been especially des¬ 
tructive as far as Long Island. There is almost 
a procession of persons bringing these beetles 
to our office, as if they were something new ; 
the mails bring them in great numbers; it 
would seem that all that we have said has been 
forgotten, and now we must at this late day re¬ 
peat for the benefit of our eastern readers—for 
to those at the 
west it is an 
old story—the 
history of the 
Colorado Po¬ 
tato Beetle. 
As space is 
scarce, we 
make an old 
engraving 
save many 
words of de¬ 
scription. If 
the vines had 
been exam¬ 
ined in May, 
there would 
ha ve been 
found here 
and there an 
insect like d r 
which prob¬ 
ably came in 
from else¬ 
where, or may 
have been 
raised on the 
place last fall 
in such small 
numbers as to 
escape notice. 
This insect is 
of the size 
mer-housas, arbors, and bridges, the Red Cedar 
is best, for it is not only very durable, but the 
angles of its branches are useful, and the color 
of its bark harmonizes w r ell with natural scen¬ 
ery....For the more elaborate structures, a 
natural ingenuity is required to combine irreg¬ 
ular shapes into architectural designs—other¬ 
wise there may be only a grotesque mass, quite 
devoid of pleasing effect. There are a few 
persons who make a business of manufacturing 
rustic work for sale, and who go out, upon 
call, to put up summer-houses, bridges, and the 
like. Recently when at Lake Salstonstall, we 
noticed the rustic manufactory of James King, 
Esq., of New Haven, Conn., where we saw at 
different points a large number of men and 
women busily engaged, under the eye of the 
proprietor and other skillful workmen, prepar¬ 
ing material and putting it together in rustic 
form—flower baskets and stands in great vari¬ 
ety, chairs, settees, arbors, summer-houses, 
bridges, etc., etc. On examining and admir¬ 
ing a large rustic Summer-House, all set up 
complete, we were surprised to learn that it 
was so arranged in sections, that it could he read¬ 
ily taken down, loaded upon wagons or railway 
these woods and the red cedar which makes up 
all the rest, are almost imperishable, so that the 
structure may stand fifty or a hundred years 
even. The engraving hardly does justice to the 
pleasing rustic appearance of the braces and 
other work under and around the roof. It is a 
most desirable addition to our grounds, which 
we should be very loth to part with. As above 
noted, Mr. King has completed, and in process 
of manufacture, a great variety of summer¬ 
houses and other rustic objects, large and small. 
The point to w T hich we call especial attention, 
is the fact that the larger structures are made 
in easily transportable sections. Many persons 
who would like to adorn their homesteads with 
Such things cannot readily collect suitable ma¬ 
terials and bring to their own grounds the skill¬ 
ed workmen needed. Such persons have now 
only to go and see the articles they want and 
order them, or send for engravings or photo¬ 
graphs or designs, and get estimates, and then 
have the structure made where the men and 
materials are concentrated, and have the fin¬ 
ished articles forwarded to where they are to 
be set up. Those having time and skill, but 
little money, can try building themselves. 
and shape shown in the engraving, yellow¬ 
ish or buff color, with 10 black lines on its back. 
A little later, orange colored eggs would have 
been found upon the under sides of the leaves,. 
COLORADO POTATO BUG.—EGG, GRUB, AND BEETLE, 
shown at a. These hatch, and produce the lar¬ 
vae, or grub, which, when first hatched, b, are- 
small and blackish, but which eat vigorously* 
