,v rr. 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
AN ORIGINAL WEEKLY 
AGRICULTURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY JOURNAL, 
account of these tiny objects we doubt not will 
interest the reader. 
This insect i3 commonly called the snow-llea. 
Itha3 evidently received this name from its re¬ 
semblance to n flea in size, shape and color, and 
from its possessing in a slight degree the faculty 
of leaping, like that insect. This skipping is per¬ 
formed by means of a tail-like organ with which 
these insects are furnished, which wc will describe 
presently, and which has acquired for the insects 
of this kind the designation of “spring-tails."— 
Linnaiys gavo them the scientilic name Podura, a 
term meaning leg-tailed. They belong to the 
Wingless order (Aptkka) of insects. The accom¬ 
panying cut is a representation of the snow flea 
as it appears when 
# highly magnified, the 
i / right hand ligure being 
/fcfs a view of its under 
side, I described this 
insect ten years ago in 
n ^p Dr. Emmons’ Journal of 
Agriculture and Sci¬ 
ence, Volume V., page 
283, giving it the scientific name Podura mvicola, 
this name meaning snow-inhabiting spring-tail. 
Prof. Agassiz many years ago brought to notice a 
similar insect, named Desoria glacial is, which oc¬ 
curs upon the glaciers of the Alps in such abund¬ 
ance as to blacken them in places; and in the 
northern countries of Europe another species, 
Degeeria nivalis, derives its name from being found 
upon the snow. But our American snow-flea is 
very different from both these species, and per¬ 
tains to the genus Podura, as that genus is re¬ 
stricted by T Nicolet. The Podura ai/ualica, how¬ 
ever, which occurs in myriads upon the surface of 
standing w:,tcr > i Europe, is most intimately re¬ 
lated to our snow-flea, and may perhaps prove to 
be the same insect, though in being destitute of 
scales and in the color of its legs and horns it 
appears to present differences which may serve to 
distinguish it. 
The following account of the habits of the snow- 
flea I guv in the journal above cited; and proba¬ 
bly many of the readers of this paper w hose busi¬ 
ness has taken them into the woods upon winter 
days, will at ouce remember this little insect, on 
perusing this account ol it. 
“This is an abundant species in oar New York forests, 
in the winter and fore part of spring. At any tune in the 
winter, whenever mild weather occurs, the suifuce ol the 
snow, often over whole acres of woodland, may be lound 
spriuklod more or less thickly with these minute fleas, 
looking, at firnt sight, ns though gunpowder had been 
there scattered. Hollows and holes in the anow, ant of 
which the insects are unable to throw themu-lvts readily, 
are often black with the multitude* which have become 
imprisoned. The line meal-like powder (or scales) with 
which their bodies are coated, enables them to float buoy¬ 
antly upon the surface ot water, without becoming 
wet. When tbo snow is molting, so as to produce small 
rivulets eoundug along the tracks ol the lumberman's 
sleigh, these anow-fl. a* rtre oltm oImvvh), boating passive¬ 
ly in the current, in such number* ns to form continuous 
strings; whilst the eddies and still pools gather them in 
such my liads as to wholly hid the clement beneath them.” 
One of the most curious things relating to these 
insects is their faculty of leaping. The snow-flea 
may be seen to throw itself suddenly an inch or 
more, and some kindred insects equally small will 
skip a much greater distance. This is not done 
by means of the legs, as in the grasshopper, the 
flea and most other leaping insects, but by an ap¬ 
paratus peculiar to the species of this group.— 
They arc furnished with a tail like organ, which is 
split or forked at its extremity, as shown upon the 
second one of the figures which we have given 
above. This organ is not attached to the cud of 
thobody, but to the next segment before the last, 
and is received into a groove in the under side of 
the body, somewhat like the blade of a pocket- 
knife shutting into its handle, and opening like it 
with a strong spring. This tail opening thus and 
striking forcibly against the surface on which the 
insect is standing, throws it a short distance, the 
insect commonly falling upon its back with its 
tail extended. Even upon the water it is able, 
when not chilled and torpid from the cold, to skip 
iu the same manner, the surface of the water re¬ 
sisting the stroke of its tail as though it were a 
solid plaue. 
Another remarkable fact respecting the snow- 
flea, is that cold has no power to kill it. Storms 
frequently come on when these insects are all 
abroad, whereby multitudes of them are buried 
beneath the snow, or are congealed in the sleet 
which crusts its surface. Others, too, are frozen 
in the solid ice upon pools ot water; yet as soon 
as this ice melts they revive and return to life. 
And yet, strange to sav, if these insects are brought 
into a stove room, the dryness and warmth of its 
atmosphere is fatal to them and they immediately 
perish. The popular dogma which has been bla¬ 
zoned through our country with so much assur¬ 
ance by some of the medical empirics of our day, 
“Heat is life, cold ia death,'' thus meets with a 
sorry exposition in this insect. 
All the insects of this group inhabit cool, moist 
situations. Their lavorite abode is in moss, but 
they also occur under the loose bark of trees, in 
the crevices of rotten wood, under chips and stones, 
and in cellars. It is rather difficult for us to credit 
the fact that such multitudes of the snow-flea as we 
meet with, can And a lurking place under the scaly 
bark and among the moss growingupon the trunks 
of trees, where they are ready whenever a mild 
day occurs, to leave their coverts and scatter 
themselves abroad, to enjoy their brief term of 
life in skipping about upon the clean, white sur¬ 
face of the snow. But that this is the source from 
whence they come we are well assured, having re¬ 
peatedly, when they' were first beginning to ap¬ 
pear, noticed the snow immediately around moss- 
covered trees to be black with the thronging mul¬ 
titudes which were issuing forth, very few having 
as yet leaped away to any distance. As their eggs 
are exceedingly minute and are strewed like par¬ 
ticles of dust among the moss and under the bark, 
it is probable that now broods are hatching and 
coming out upon every warm day during the win¬ 
ter. And in the spring they continue to be met 
with some time after the snow has disappeared, 
floating In clusters upon the surface of woodland 
brooks. Even after the atmosphere has become 
dry and the weather is so warm that it would suf¬ 
focate them if they were abroad, countless mil¬ 
lions will sometimes be found huddled together in 
a mass, on removing the loose bark of a decaying 
stump or log, the coolness and moisture of the 
spot having invited them to this retreat. When 
thus clustered together they are of a deep bine 
color, but when a single individual is examined its 
color appears to be pure black. 
These insects subsist upon the fine particles of 
decaying vegetable matter which they find in 
abundance iu the situations where they dwell.— 
Thus tly?y are innocerv of doing any injury and 
are inserts ur out llnf importance in an econo¬ 
mical aspect. They, however, occasion some in¬ 
convenience to the makers of sugar from our 
maple trees, the buckets and troughs employed to 
receive the sap being often thronged with snow- 
fleas, rendering it necessary to skim or strain the 
fluid before emptying 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOOBE, 
WITH AH ABLE CORPS OF ASSISTANT EDITORS, 
SPKCIAL CONTKIUrTOJSBi 
Pro* C. DEWEY. T. 0 PETERS. 
Lt. M. F. MAURY. IL T. BROOKS. 
Dr ASA FITCH. EDW. WEBSTER. 
T. S. ARTHUR. Mrs. M. J. HOLMES. 
LYMAN B LANGWORTHY. 
Tn* Rural Nrw-Yorkrr in ili'»lgtifil to bo unsurpassed In 
Value, I'urlty, Unefulnetse oud Variety of Contests, and unique 
and tioautifii I In appi-arum-o. It* Conductor devout* hi* Jiornoiial 
attention to the biipottHIou of Its various departments, and 
CHnitutly Inboi* to reudor tho Rural nn eminently HelUhle 
Guide on Urn Important Pott-ttcal, Scientific and othor Subject* 
intimately connected with the bu.-.lncts of those whoso Interests 
)t icnlomdy advocates. It embraces more Agricultural, Horti¬ 
cultural. Btlcutifle, Mechanical. Literary and News Matter, 
Intnnpmied with appropriate and buauliftil F.njfrtivlngs than 
any other Journal,—renderinR It the most complete Agricultu¬ 
ral, Lira KART inn Family Nrwsvaprr In America. 
fir*All communications, and huflaot* letter!', should be 
addreitsed to 1). D. T. MOORE, Rochester, N Y. 
FOR Terms, and other particulars, 6C« lact page. 
CHAMPION BLACK HAWK 
Among the best representatives of the celebrated 
Morgan horses, as given in the work on this valua¬ 
ble breed published by C. 51. Saxton & Co., will 
be found the one above represented —“Champion 
Black Hawk." In the account of the Ag. Fair at 
Florence, Kentucky, iu October, 1855, published 
in the Cincinnati Gazette, that paper, in speaking 
of the exhibition of Stallions, says: —“In the ring 
of stallions for harness, of four years old and up¬ 
wards, the blue ribbon (highest premium) was 
tied on a dapple grey, but just then Champion 
Black II Awk, be ion gi a g to Messrs. P. & l Melfndy, 
of Hamilton county, Ohio, was brought in, and the 
multitude immediately shouted, ‘take it off, ‘take 
it o8.’ It was accordingly taken off and put upon 
Black Hawk, and no judgment of the Committee 
was more heartily approved by the spectators than 
this. Champion Black Hawk closely resembles 
old Green Mountain Morgan in size, build and car¬ 
riage. He is a small horse, but compactly built, 
indicates power and endurance, and in horseman 
phrase is 'big for his size.’” 
Pedigree.— Champion Black Hawk was foaled 
in lS4'J,tbc property of C. W. Fletcher, of Orwell, 
Vt. Sired by Black Hawk, g. sire, Sherman, g. g. 
sire, Justin ilorgan. Dam, by Cock of the Sock, 
_g. dam said to be out of a Bulrush Jlorgan mare, 
by a Messenger Horse. Champion Black Hawk is 
a dark red chestnut, 1$J hau ls high, and weighs 
1,100 lbs., is compact and muscular, with beautiful 
ear and head. He has taken the first prize at five 
State, and several County fairs. Spirit, style and 
actiou excellent. In the fall of 1855 he trotted 
two miles in 5 min. 45 sec. 
[Entered according to Act ot <'or>Rri‘*s. in the yenr 1857, by 
D. 1) T Mooiie, In the Clerk's Office of the District 
Court for tbo Northern District of New York.] 
ENTOMOLOGY 
BY PR. ASA FITCH. 
“WHO CAN ENLIGHTEN US ON THE BUG QUESTION?” 
A year ago a storm of unusual severity occur¬ 
red which, ia the Souther*. States, covered the 
earth with snow over an extent seldom known to 
be thus covered before. And soon after, the fol¬ 
lowing item from the Alexandria Gazette went the 
round of the newspapers: 
A Singula it Phenomenon. —We were shown yesterday, 
by a gentleman living near Fairfax C. n., a aperies ol bug 
that full at that place during the rain of Saturday night 
fhst. The fiuow for several miles wns robbed ot its white¬ 
ness, and rnado to resemble a vast field ol colored velvet_ 
What la still more aurpiising, the intense coldness of the 
weather cannot kill them. They apparently seem to be 
stiffened by the law atmosphere ; but tf placed near the 
lire, wLU relax and exhibit signs of liTe. They are very 
blnck, and but little larger than a grain of coarse powder. 
Who can enlighten us on “ the bug question i” 
From this paragraph it appeal's that after a pe¬ 
riod of cold weather with the ground covered 
with snow, a rainy night occurred, and next morn¬ 
ing, over a distance of several miles, the snow was 
found to be enshrouded as it were with a pall of 
black velvet — this blackness being caused by 
myriads of minute insects, lying upon the snow in 
such numbers as to totally hide it Irom view. And 
it is given as tin uudonbted fact that these insects 
had fallen with the rain. This intelligence, com¬ 
ing to us from a place which is almost under the 
Bhsulow of the Smithsonian institute, is rather 
startling. As though the process of “ordinary 
generation” (as it is termed in the rood old West¬ 
minster catechism) did not stock the earth with a 
sufficient number of these vermin, but we must 
huve the windows of heaven opened, literally 
raining them down upon ns. Ia view of such a 
“singular phenomenon” the Alexandria editor 
may well exclaim, “ who can enlighten us on the 
bug question?” 
1 have a neighbor, a sensible, vigorous-minded 
but uneducated man, who strenuously maintains a 
different theory with regard to the source from 
whence these Insects come—for they are as plenty 
here in New York us they are in Virginia. Being 
engaged duriug the winters in his business of lum¬ 
bering, ho has noticed the fact, times without 
number, that after a spell of cold weather, when a 
mild day occurs on which the sun shines out 
warm and clear, the snow immediately becomes 
covered with these insects, so extensively and in 
such numbers that he is firmly persuaded they can 
originate from but one cause; and his hypothesis 
is, that the rays of the sun have such a vivifying 
power, such a life-giving energy, that they actually 
change the cold particles of the snow into these 
living insects, I think it very probable that my 
neighbor first received his ideas on this subject 
from tradition, and that this same theory may be 
found iu some old author, it is so much iu accord¬ 
ance with the crude notions respecting the spon¬ 
taneous generation of insects which were preva¬ 
lent a century or two ago, before the microscope 
had enabled men of science to make those minute 
examinations which render our knowledge of this 
and kindred matters so full and accurate at the 
present day. it will suffice to say that although 
these creatures are so minute, the eggs which 
they lay have been discovered, and no must there¬ 
fore conclude that the insects themselves are not 
bred from particles of snow, nor do they full with 
the ruin, but like all the other living thiugs which 
we meet with in our world, they uro simply de¬ 
scended from parents like themselves. 
After what has now been stated, some further 
into the kettles for boiling, 
where due regard is had to the cleanliness and 
purity of the syrup and sugar. 
What an instance have we, in this insect, of the 
life with which our world is teeming. No spot is 
a blank. No uniubabited desert can be found.— 
Even when universal nature appears to be dormant, 
slumbering in repose, chained down and congealed 
by the frosts of winter, we see these little creatures 
coming forth and occupying the bleak waste, the 
cold surface of the snow—nay, not occupying 
merely, but thronging and blackening it, so con¬ 
genial is this dreary situation to them and in such 
astonishing numbers are they generated. When 
the winter is beginning to wane, let a person st3rt 
from the latitude of Virginia and journey north, 
keeping upon the border of the snow where it is 
commencing to melt, and let him cross Pennsyl¬ 
vania and New York and Canada, and travel on¬ 
ward through the boundless forests which lie 
beyond, to the furthest point of the distant north 
to which the rays of the sun penetrate sufficiently 
to dissolve the snow, and it is probable that over 
all this vast stretch of country he may tread upou 
scores and olten upon hundreds and thousands of 
these insects at every step which be takes. What 
arithmetic can man invent, that will be able to es¬ 
timate and tell us what may be the number of oven 
the thousandth part of this immense population, 
which has been annually renewed upon our conti¬ 
nent since the dawn of time. And yet this is only 
one of a countless host of creatures belonging to 
this class, with which our world is thronged.— 
How truly limitless, how infinite must ho that 
creating Power which is able to call into existence 
such teeming myriads of beings! 
In view of such numbers of this insect, spread 
over such a wide extent of country, the query at 
once arises in the mind, For what purpose were 
they created? What office do they fulfil? Of 
what use are they iu the ecouomy of nature? The 
small amount of decaying vegetable matter which 
suffices these insects for their subsistence, renders 
them of no consequence in clearing tne world of 
tiiis effete and miasm-generatingsubstance. Their 
minute size, moreover, forbids our regarding them 
as being designed for food for the few birds which 
stay with us during the wiuter, since a hundred of 
them would scarcely furnish a taste ior a chicka¬ 
dee; and we know that larger insects are provided 
for the sustenance of these birds. These larger 
insects, however, cannot exist without food; and 
some of them we find to ho predaceous iu their 
habits, subsisting upon other insects. We thus 
conic io tho conclusion that the snow-flea is chiettv 
designed for the subsistence of insects of a larger 
size, which larger insects are iudispensable as food 
for our winter birds. This is a truly interesting 
though yet unwritten page in the Natural History 
of our country. How surprising is it, in addition 
to the species which we have been considering, 
to meet with several other kinds ot these creatures 
coming out to enjoy their day of life at this in¬ 
clement period of the year, when all nature is dor¬ 
mant and seemingly dead, and all the rest of the 
insect race is reposing, chilled and congealed in 
their frost-locked cells. Some of the readers of 
the Rural New-Yorker will probably wish to be 
informed more fully respecting the structure and 
habits of thtjse singular animals which have the 
snowy wastes assigned to them for their abode. I 
will therefore endeavor to resume this subject in 
a future number. 
Saltm, N. Y., Jan. 28, 1857. 
around the yard. Make them the pleasantest part 
of the farm yard, and the cattle will spend the 
greater share of their time there, and thus leave 
less to be done by the farmer. But this mass of 
litter and cow manure will ferment hut slowly, 
even under favorable circumstances, and, alone, 
hardly be fit for early use in the spring. To hasten 
its decomposition, scatter over the sheds every 
day, as removed from the horse stable, the dung 
and litter found there. This will prevent waste in 
the latter, and so temper the former that its de¬ 
composition will be forwarded, and the whole mass 
of litter and mixed manure, with hut small loss, 
be fitted for application to the soil in spring. The 
stock of fertilizing material will be of nearly uni¬ 
form character, and of far higher value than if 
left unmixed, and without the trifling attention 
which this plan demands. 
If—as would be most profitable to the farmer— 
the cattle are sheltered at all times, and their sta¬ 
bles regularly cleaned, it will still be of great 
benefit to mix and shelter the manure, but the plan 
will work better if pigs or other animals are al¬ 
lowed to run over it so as to tramp it hard, and 
thus prevent too early decomposition. Other con¬ 
siderations connected with the subject ought to he 
offered—and we shall take occasion hereafter to 
speak of sheep and hog manure and their best 
winter management. 
MANAGEMENT OF MANURE 
them, with as Little loss as possible, for application to 
the soil? This question is one of much impor¬ 
tance to the farmer, yet it is one which, in many 
cases receives no attention whatever. This should 
not he so, as has already been shown from the au¬ 
thorities quoted in our former article. 
Most farmers keep their horses in stables, and 
their cattle in yards with sheds attached, through 
the winter. The writer so winters his farm stock. 
It is the general practice to keep the manure from 
the horse stable, mixed with strawy litter, by 
itself—usually under the eaves of the building—as 
thrown from the dung-hole or opening left for 
this purpose. Here it remains undisturbed until 
removed to the field in the spring. The yards and 
sheds of the cattle are also their feeding places, 
and if coarse straw and cornstalks are fed out, as 
is generally the ease they are tolerably well littered 
—the manure being scattered at random around 
both shed and yard. In some places there will be 
a large proportion of straw—around the stack for 
instance — in others refuse corn-stalks, — while 
other places, still, w ill be filled up with a larger 
proportion of droppings from the stock. Perhaps, 
on the approach of spring the open yard will be 
exposed to surplus water from the eaves of the 
farm buildings, Ac.—washing out its richness and 
and.carrying it away where it is not needed, or, it 
may be, off the farm. 
The state of the manure in the spring is often 
something of the following character. The outer 
part of the heap from the horse stable will be 
composed of well-bleached straw and dung—while 
the centre will be an inert, almost valuless mass of 
fire-fanged manure. The heat which has been 
evolved in its decomposition has been sufficient to 
drive off its most valuable constituents; and the 
property of fermenting readily and bringing other 
vegetable substances into a state of fermentation, 
is now, nearly or quite lost. In the yard there 
will be a quantity of long manure from unrotted 
straw and corn-stalks, and under the sheds, per¬ 
haps, a mixture of these and cattle droppings of 
far higher value, but still too little decomposed for 
the most beneficial application to the soil. 
The reader will have seen something of a reme¬ 
dy for this state of things. It lies in mixing and 
sheltering the manure. Keep the cattle sheds well 
littered and remove to them, from time to time, 
the refuse straw and corn-stalks and the droppings 
BY BON. A. B. DICKINSON. 
Influence of the Color of the Skin upon Potatoes—While 
or Yellow vs. Red—Crops from Seed-Rails not less 
liable to disease—Experiments in Culture, /fc., <$-c. 
[Concluded lioui last week.) 
There is something in cultivating as well as in 
seed, since the blight made its appearance; pre¬ 
viously any sloven could raise them. Nor do I 
concur with the general impression that a warm, 
dry and sandy soil is most congenial to their 
growth, or renders them less liable to the disease. 
Believing, as I do, that a cool, moist, light soil is 
the best, as the potato will succeed neither in ex¬ 
cessive moisture or in a severe drouth, I will try 
to show how a delver of the soil can in a great 
measure avoid both. 
A stiff clay soil, with a thick sod, should he 
plowed the year previous and sowed to some 
spring crop, and again plowed after the crop is 
taken off. Then either in the fall or spring, furrow 
it out three and a half feet—making two furrows, 
turning both from the centre iu that direction of 
the field that will surely drain at tho slowest rate. 
Theu put three horses to a subsoil plow, that has 
uo mold board to raise the cold clay to the surface^ 
each horse walking in a furrow, the plow following 
the centre horse. To make the drain sure, go 
twice in the same place; this will not leave the 
furrow any deeper. For the purpose of covering 
up the cold clay and having a good soil in which 
to place the potatoes, use a light butterfly drag, 
lengthwise, which will replace sufficient of the 
TWO DOLLARS A YEAR.J 
“PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT.” 
[SINGLE NO. FIVE CENTS. 
YOLUIE YIII. NO. 7.1 
ROCHESTER, N. Y.-SATURDAY, FEBRUARY U, 1857. 
J WHOLE NO. 371. 
