1893 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
589 
swallow, but these are not bed-bugs. That bed-bugs 
have not been found on bats is not from lack of ob¬ 
servations on these creatures, for several species of 
m ? nute lice are known to live exclusively on bats. 
Thus there seems to be no necessity for killing the 
bats, which probably could only be done by trapping 
them in some manner. If the bed-bugs are thoroughly 
exterminated once, there will be no recurrence of the 
pest on account of the proximity of bats. Professor 
Comstock, in his “ Introduction to Entomology,” says 
that the means commonly employed to destroy these 
pests is to wet the cracks of the bedstead and other 
places in which they hide, with corrosive sublimate 
dissolved in alcohol. This is sold by druggists as bed¬ 
bug poison, and, as it is v. ry poisonous, it should be 
used with great care. A safer substance to use is 
pyrethrum. Some people use turpentine or benzine 
In case of a badly infested room, it should be thor¬ 
oughly cleaned, fumed with sulphur, the walls re¬ 
papered, kalsomined, or whitewashed, and the wood¬ 
work repainted. In traveling, where one is forced to 
lodge at places infested by this insect or fleas, protec¬ 
tion from them can be had by sprinkling a small 
quantity of pyrethrum powder between the sheets of 
the bed on retiring. m. y. s. 
The Wonderful Winged Ants. 
0. S. R., Berwin, N. Y .—While working in the hay 
field recently, my attention was directed to the woods 
nearby, where I saw several swarms of insects, which 
I at first thought to be honey bees in the act of alight¬ 
ing. Unlike bees, however, the swarms could be seen 
in the air all day, each swarm focusing near the top 
of some tree. My son went into the woods to examine 
the trees, and said the bushes were covered with the 
insects, which he described as like very large black 
ants, with wings. Can you or your readers tell me 
what these insects were, and why they were swarm¬ 
ing, or what they were doing ? 
Ans. —The swarms of insects seen by the corre¬ 
spondent were doubtless winged ants. At certain times 
during the year large numbers of winged forms may 
be seen leaving the nest. These winged forms consist 
of both males and females. Copulation takes place in 
mid-air, and the males soon die or are captured by 
birds. The females drop to the ground and deliber¬ 
ately bite off their own wings. They are then either 
taken in charge by some wingless workers, whose 
queens they become in a new nest, or one of the 
females after losing her wings nuy found a colony 
alone without the aid of workers. This, in brief, is 
the story of some of the most wonderful creatures 
which we see all about us. m. y. s. 
How to Fight Grasshoppers ? 
J. N. B., Dunkirk, N. Y .—The crops of Chautauqua 
County are being all destroyed by grasshoppers. Is 
there anything that can be used to kill them ? Onions 
seem to be their best hold. 
Ans. —More damage is being done by grasshoppers, 
or, more propjrly, locusts, this year in New York 
State than for several years past. The recent long, 
dry spell of weather has been favorable to the develop¬ 
ment of the insects,'and although the injury they do 
is very great every year, it is mueii more noticeable in 
seasons of drought. Usually the pests confine them¬ 
selves to the pastures or grass lands, but this year the 
drought has forced them to seek other food. They 
are now attacking vineyards, onion beds, fruit trees 
and almost eveiy green, succulent crop. So rarely do 
they appear in alarming numbers east of the Missis¬ 
sippi that but little has been done in devising means 
of combating them which would be applicable t_ the 
needs of Eastern farmers. The methods employed on 
the Western plains to fight these insects in their grain 
fields would ,qo^ be practicable here among our vine¬ 
yards, gardens, and fruit orchards nestled on our 
many hills. In the West they rely upon deep fall or 
early spring plowing to destroy the eggs, and upon 
machines called “hopper dozers” for catching the 
young or full-grown insects. These machines consist 
simply of long, narrow sheet-iron pans smeared with 
tar and open at one side, which are mounted on run¬ 
ners or low wheels and drawn over the field. Some¬ 
times the front edge of the pan is turned up an inch 
or two, thus allowing the use of kerosene instead of 
tar. Such a machine might be used to advantage on 
an onion bed. Bushels of the insects are caught on 
these pans in the West. 
The only means of combating these pests which 
seem practicable to use to protect our orchards and 
vineyards is the one very successfully used on the 
Pacific coast. There thousands of insects are killed by 
the use of a poisonous bait scattered about among the 
vines or at the bases of the trees or vegetables liable 
to attack. This bait is known as the “Bran-arsenic 
Mash.” It is made by thoroughly mixing together six 
pounds of dry bran and one pound of white arsenic, 
using a shovel or other convenient instrument. Then 
dissolve one pound of sugar in cold water and add this 
to the bran-arsenic mixture, thoroughly stirring it. 
Add sufficient water to form a paste or mash. The 
sugar is simply for the purpose of sticking the arsenic 
to the particles of bran. This mixture is often sown 
broadcast, while some drop about a teaspoonful at the 
base of each tree or vine. By the latter method, 15 
pounds of the mixture are sufficient to treat an acre of 
grape vines. Of course poultry and domestic animals 
should be excluded from the fields upon which the 
mash has been spread. Even the large amount of 
arsenic used sometimes does not kill the locusts 
for several hours after eating it. The bran is very 
attractive to the insects and they eat it in preference 
to vegetation. Although we have not seen the bait 
used, it is very strongly recommended by California 
fruit growers and vineyardists. And it is the most 
practicable method yet devised that can be used in 
fighting these insects in our own State. It is well 
worthy of a trial. Spraying the infested crops with 
Paris-green strong enough to kill the potato beetle 
seems to have scarcely any effect in lessening the num¬ 
bers of the pest. Sufficient arsenic sprayed on the 
foliage to kill the insects would doubtless destroy the 
plants also. m. v. slingerland 
Cornell Experiment Station. 
Siphon In a Well; Bad Water. 
Af. S , Beaver County, Pa. —I have a 40-foot well in 
which the water every year about this time gets a bad 
taste and smell. Will a siphon work in it if there is 
fall enough ? There are 10 to 12 feet of water in it, 
so that it is hard work to pump it out by hand. What 
would be the best and easiest way to get the water 
into the siphon ? I think by pumping the water all 
out occasionally it would help it. 
Ans. —A bad smell in water indicates the presence 
of decomposing organic matter. This is danger¬ 
ous under any circumstances. To get rid of it the 
well should be cleaned out, and to prevent it in the 
future the well should be protected against the pos¬ 
sible entrance of worms and small anima s which will 
get into the water if they can. Even rats will get 
into wells and poison the water by their dead bodies. 
The covering of a well should always be made safe 
against this kind of impurity. It would be some 
remedy to filter the water through sand and fine char¬ 
coal placed in alternate layers in a barrel, with some 
fine gravel on the top to prevent disturbance of the 
finer materials. A siphon will not draw water more 
than 25 feet in height, taking account of the effect of 
a long pipe. It is a disappointing arrangement any¬ 
how. It would be better to lay a pipe in a deep ditch 
from the well to the house and attach a good pump 
which will draw water 28 feet without difficulty if a 
check valve is fitted at the bottom of the pipe in the 
well. There should be no difficulty in pumping the 
depth mentioned with any good pump, as the pressure 
to be overcome is only 15 pounds on a square inch for 
34 feet in depth. If the house is so situated as to be 
below the level of the bottom of the well, as it must 
be for a siphon to work, the pumping from a distance 
of 200 feet would be quite easy ; and it would be no 
hard matter to carry the water and draw it 25 feet up 
the well for this distance. The pipe should be not less 
than one inch in diameter. h. stewabt. 
Stick to Home-Grown Tylers. 
G. M. A., Tamara, III. —Will it pay me to buy Palmer 
or Progress black raspberry plants when I have plenty 
of Tyler of my own ? I wish to set quite a large tract 
in the fall or spring and want the best if there is much 
difference ; but have no money to throw away, and 
can raise plenty of fine Tyler plants myself. 
Ans. —We must answer our friend that we cannot 
advise him in his circumstances to buy cither Palmer 
or Progress if he has, as stated, plenty of Tyler. 
A West Virginia Orchard Wanted. 
H. C. T., Addison, W. Va .—I want to plant an 
orchard of four acres this fall, and want suggestions 
as to how best to arrange the trees, to consist of 100 
apples and the rest pears, plums, peaches and cherries. 
What are the th.ee best varieties of long-keeping 
winter apples, suitable for this State, and also the 
best kinds of the other fruits that it would be advis¬ 
able to plant—all for commercial purposes? My 
orchard is high up on a northwest hillside. 
Ans. —In answering the above, conjecture to some 
extent is unavoidable, for reasons that are obvious. 
Apple trees planted 33 feet apart each way for alti¬ 
tudes such as are common in West Virginia and 
indicated in this case, will afford sufficient space for 
the trees to do their best. At that distance, 100 trees 
will occupy 2>£ acres of the f our, but in the center of 
each square a plum tree can be planted, and produce 
many crops before the apples will encroach upon it. 
On the remaining 1X acre plant pear, peach and 
cherry trees 20 feet apart each way, and in such pro¬ 
portions as you prefer. It will require about 150 trees 
in all—say 75 pear, 50 peach and 25 cherry. In regard 
to varieties, it would be better to inquire closely and 
carefully among neighbors who grow fruit, as locality 
and soil work wonders in that relation ; however. 
Black Twig, Lawver and Pryor’s lied should give you 
satisfaction among apples, while Lawson, Bartlett and 
Keiflfer would be safe varieties of pears to tie to. In 
peaches, when limited to three varieties, St. John, 
Elberta and Crawford’s Late are among the best for 
commercial purposes. For plums, Botan (called also 
Abundance), Burbank and Chabot are all fine, but if 
natives succeed well in your section Wild (loose and 
Newman are profitable. For cherries, Tartarian, 
Graffion and Mayduke are all reliable and good 
varieties J w. kerk. 
Denton, Md. 
Ashes and Bone Again. 
C. J. W., Mehoopany, Pa .—If two tons of good, 
screened, hard-wood ashes and one ton of pure fine 
bone are well mixed together, how much potash, 
nitrogen, etc., ought the mixture to show when anal¬ 
yzed ? 
Ans. —Of course, it would depend upon the analysis 
of the samples used. With average samples of bone 
and ashes, we should have the following in pounds : 
Nitrogen. Phos. acid. Potash. 
Two tons ashes. .... 40 200 
One ton bone. 00 400 .... 
Thus, three tons of the mixture will contain 60 
pounds of nitrogen, or one per cent; 440 pounds of 
phosphoric acid, or a little less than 7 )4 per cent, and 200 
pounds of potash, or 3 per cent. So far as the phos¬ 
phoric acid and potash go, this compares fairly with 
the average fertilizer used on fall wheat. The per¬ 
centage of nitrogen is low, but a small amount of 
nitrate of soda in the spring would remedy that. Some 
soils will need more potash, which can be supplied in 
the form of muriate. It will not pay'to mix the ashes 
and bone. Apply them separately. 
What to Do With Mack. 
"Inquirer,” Troy, Pa. —I have a rich deposit of muck 
in a mill dam. I w ! sh to prepare a lot of it for top¬ 
dressing grass land. My idea is to make alternate 
layers of muck and lime ; or should I make alternate 
layers of muck and barnyard manure ? IIow long 
should it stand before it is used ? 
Ans. —Dig the muck out now and let it drain per¬ 
fectly. Then compost it by spreading first an eight- 
inch thick layer of muck, then fresh lime enough to 
make it quite white, then a little more of the muck, 
then a layer of fresh manure, and then more muck, 
lime and manure, and so on to the top. The mass 
will heat and ferment, and in three months will ap¬ 
pear like a big manure heap, when it may be spread 
as desired. Remember that muck is not a perfect 
manure—it lacks potash and phosphoric acid. You 
can add them in muriate of potash and bone, either 
in the heap or broadcasted after the muck. 
Apple Pomace for Manure. 
W. B., Stony Ford, N. Y. —I am offered 200 or 300 
loads of decayed and decaying apple pomace for the 
hauling ; will it pay to draw it 1% mile for top-dress¬ 
ing or other fertilizing purposes? What is the man- 
urial value of a ton of it ? 
Ans.— The manurial value of such pomace is not 
over $1.15 per ton. You can judge f- om that whether 
it will pay to haul it 1M mile. We should use it as a 
top-dressing on wheat, grass, or in orchards. It 
would be good to use with muck or similar substances 
in a compost heap, to which could be added potash 
and bone, as described elsewhere in this department. 
Will Rescue Grass Rescue the Poultry? 
J. E. S., Columbus, N. J. —What about the Rescue 
grass? I saw an account of it some time since in an 
agricultural paper from a Southern correspondent, 
who praised its quick-growing and staying qualities 
so highly that I would like to try it for poultry runs, 
as I have several acres devoted to that purpose and 
find it difficult to discover any grass that will stay in 
the yards and furnish green food. 
□ Ans —Bromus unioloides, Schrader’s grass or Rescue 
grass, is valued only at the South as an annual winter 
grass, making its growth between October and April. 
On a rich, light soil, it gives a heavy yield of forage of 
very good quality. As a summer grass for New Jersey 
we think it not valuable. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
J. D. H., Conslablevllle, N. Y. —The plant sent for 
name is Clematis Virginiana. 
P. S., Exeter, Pa. —The plant sent for name is Ver- 
bascum Blattaria, or Moth Mullein. 
Grasshoppers and Cream Starter. —E. L. C., Pana, Ill. 
—Read what is said about grasshoppers in this 
department. John Boyd, Chicago, makes the “cream 
starter.” 
Trimming Sweet Potato Vines. —T. W. L., Cedar Croft, 
Va.—In reply to your question, “ Is it likely to injure 
the sweet potato crop if half the runners are cut off 
now when they cover the whole ground ? We feed 
them to the cows.” We should say, yes, but we can¬ 
not answer authoritatively. Who can ? 
