‘3i** =»*» un » u • I 
TWO DOLLARS A YEAR.] 
SINGLE NO. FIVE CENTS, 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
AN ORIGINAL WEEKLY 
Agricultural, Literary and Family Newspaper, 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
WITH AN ABLE CORPS OF ASSISTANT ’EDITORS 
that when standing upright the insect is held opon 
it in its natural horizontal position. All beetles 
are pinned through the anterior part of the right 
wiDg-cover. All other insects are pierced in the 
middle of the body directly between the insertion 
of the wings. 
Some diversity prevails as to the height at 
which the insect is placed upon the pin. Many 
English collectors ran the point of the pin but a 
short distance through the specimen, so that tbe 
insect appears to bo standing in a natural position 
upon the surface into which the pin is Inserted.— 
But if any vermin finds its way into the box, it 
travels around among snch specimens and destroys 
them with the greatest facility; and it is also most 
difficult to brash and clean the dost and particles 
of dirt from boxes having the specimens thus 
pinned, withont mutilating them. Amateurs, on 
the other hand, crowd the specimen almost or 
quite up to the head of the pin; for what reason 1 
know not, nnless it is that the insect may be more 
and the pin less in view. If this be the object, 
snch gentlemen should use headless pins, and 
place the insect at very summit, like “little robin 
red-breast perched upon a pole.” Specimens 
pinned in this manner can only be handled with 
forceps, grasping the pin beneath. Much valuable 
time is consequently wasted in taking them up for 
examination and replacing them. With men of 
science convenience is the paramount considera¬ 
tion, in this matter, as both their precepts and 
their practice show. Specimens which have been 
gathered by such men, being designed for frequent 
study, and not like those of the amateur for mere 
show, may commouly be recognized, by being 
placed upon entomological pins at abouttwo-thirds 
of the distance from the point to the head, so that 
either end of the pin can readily be held in the 
fingers, and every part of the specimen be tbns 
examined with tbe greatest facility, and the least 
risf. of beijfi touched and broken. And for tbe 
same reasons, when we are obliged to use the short 
common pins, the middle of the pin will be tho 
best situation for the specimen. 
Insects which are to small to allow of their be¬ 
ing pinned are glued with a solution of colorless 
gum arable upon small square or oblong slips of 
thin card or Bristol board, through which a pin is 
passed. And instead of using the most 9 lender 
sizes of pins, which, from repeated handling, be¬ 
come badly bent and their points doubled into a 
hook, or broken asunder from being often straight¬ 
ened, many now prefer gumming much larger 
insecls to card than was formerly practised, as 
they can thus be supported upon a coarser and 
Etifl'er pin. Insects over a quarter of an inch in 
length are put up in this manner by some of the 
first entomologists of our day. 
As the under side of the specimen is hid when 
placed upon card, it is sometimes better to cement 
small insects, by their right side, directly to the pin, 
with balsam of Fir (the turpentine from blisters 
upon the bark of the Abies balsamea,) which, from 
the trials I have made, appears to hold them se¬ 
curely and permanently. Mites and other minute 
soft insects whieli shrivel to a shapeless mass on 
drying, are best preserved under a drop of the 
same balsam upon a slip of colorless mica—their 
legs and other members being extended with the 
point of a needle and the aid of a magnifying 
glass. 
If a leg, wiDg or any other part gets broken from 
a valuable specimen, it should forthwith be re- 
placed. Mach the best adhesive preparation I 
have ever used for holding the parts of a mutila¬ 
ted specimen together, or for attaching labels to 
glass bottles, or any other nse where gum Arabic 
fails to hold, was lately communicated to me by 
Dr. Fisher of Sing Sing. It Is made of one part 
of dried beef's gall and two parts of gum Arabic, 
dissolved in water to about the thickness of honey. 
A few words rernaiu to be said respecting the re¬ 
pository in wbieh specimens are kept. Entomologi¬ 
cal boxes are made similar to a backgammon board. 
The size of those in common use is the same with 
that of a large octavo volume, namely, ten and a half 
inches long, seven and a half wide and two and a 
half deep. Double boxes for having specimens 
affixed to the top as well (vb the bottom are made 
an inch deeper. Snch boxes may be arranged 
with the books on the shelf of a library, their con- 
boxes may be obtained ready made, in London or 
Paris, for less than fifty cents each, which is a 
smaller sum than the cork for this lining will cost 
in this country. For common use, however, boxes 
of any size desired, may be made of thin boards, 
care beiDg taken to have tnem perfectly tight.— 
And as cork is 30 expensive and difficult toobtaip, 
tbe bottom and top of the box maybe made of the 
softestwbite pine or basswood, and closely creased 
with the point of a knife drawn lengthwise of the 
grain. The pins will stand very well with their 
points inserted in snch creases. A person who de¬ 
signs to collect insects extensively, will find it 
more economical to have for storing a portion of 
them, a small cupboard with doors closing tightly 
in front, or a chest, filled with sliding shelves 
placed about two inches -part, made of soft wood 
and creased as above spoken of. 
The present communication has extended to 
Bueh a length that I am constrained to defer to a 
succeeding article a notice of some further pre¬ 
cautions for guarding specimens from the attacks 
of vermin and the manner of disinfecting them 
when thns attacked, and in which the modes of 
hunting and capturing iosects will also be given. 
East Greenwich, N. Y, Mi/ 19,1S57. 
SPECIAL CONTUIilCTOJiSi 
Fhoi. 0. DEWEY, T 0. DETERS 
Lt. M. F. MAURY, H. T, BR001 
Db. ASA FITCH, EWD. WEI 
T. a ARTHUR, Mrs. M. J 
LYMAN B. LANGWORTHY. 
Tim Rubai, New-Yorker la designed to be TiiiAiirpassed In 
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and beautiful In Appearance. Its Conductor devotes Mb per¬ 
sonal attention to tho supervision of Us Tnriooa departments, 
find earnestly labors to render tho Rubai an eminently Reliable 
Golds on the Important Practical, Sciontttlc trnd other Subjects 
Intimately connected with the biintncss of those whose Interests 
ft tealonsiy advocates It embraces more Agricultural, Horti¬ 
cultural, Scientific, Mechanical, Literary and .News Matter 
interspersed with appropriate and beautiful Engravings, than 
any other Journal,— Tendering It the most complete Agricui/- 
tubst.. Lite kart and Family Journal In America. 
I^“A11 communications, and business letters, should be 
addressed to D. D. T. MOORE. Rochester, N. Y 
For Terms, and other particulars, see last page. 
7. Buckwheat to Destroy Weeds. 
Buckwheat is a cleansing crop to the soil, and 
is often sown mainly for the purpose of clearing 
the land of weeds, and fitting for the higher cereal 
grains. Ita roots penetrate deep into the soil, 
which tends to its pulverization, and the umbra¬ 
geous character of ita growth, spreading over the 
surface, almost forbids any other plant, however 
strong its foothold, from growing beneath its 
branches. Hence it is ! n valuahle on every kind of 
land, but more particularly o i heavy, moist soils, 
most likely to be in^ *c;i with weeds and boshev, 
and less easily worked for other cleansing crops. 
Even Canada thistles, those pests of the farm, 
cannot contend successfu’ly with successive crops 
of this grain. Plow thoroughly as soon as the soil 
is sufficiently warm for rapid vegetation, sow on 
buckwheat, and it will start at once, and soon get 
above the sprouting thistles and keep above them 
through the season. Thns shaded, they can scarcely 
grow, and the same course followed a second sea¬ 
son will almost entirely eradicate them. Some 
farmers sow buckwheat one year, following with 
oats, and seed to clover, with excellent effect in 
purifying the soil. It is generally fonnd that corn 
cannot be grown successfully after buckwheat, — 
why we know not. 
8 . Buckwheat as a Manure. 
Growing where clover will not flourish, and in 
so short a time,) first to plow under in six or eight 
weeks,) this plant is often employed as a renovator 
of exhausted soils. Tho copious foliage, and easy 
decomposition of the stalk, together wiih its depth 
and extent of roots, and the source whence it de¬ 
rives the greater portion of its supplies, render a 
buckwheat crop peculiarly favorable for this sys¬ 
tem. Three crops may be plowed under in a single 
season, and a single crop equals in effect a dressing 
of manure applied at considerably greater cost. 
9. Harvesting and Threshing. 
Though the blossoms continually forming will 
produce grain as late 83 the season will allow, that 
first ripened is heaviest and most valuable. It 
should be ent, perhaps, as soon as the lower leaves 
begin to die, and with the cradle, if possible. If a 
frost should occur and any portion of the grain be 
ripe, it is best to harvest at once. After cutting, 
the swaths are raked into small bunches, and set 
upright with the heads twisted together —leaving 
each bundle to stand alone, the butts spread and 
resting upon the ground. Rain injures it but little 
if thus treated, and it may stand several weeks or 
until thoroughly cured. 
Buckwheat shells very easily, and much waste 
often occurs before tbe crop is secured. Care in 
handling and the nse of tight bottom-boards for 
the wagon or sled upon which it is drawn to the 
barn, will prevent this loss to a considerable ex¬ 
tent. In case some other grain which would be 
injured by the mixture, is to follow this crop, some 
means must be nsed to extirpate it from tbe soil. 
Swine will consume much of that lying on the sur¬ 
face, and lightly harrowing will cause the remnant 
to vegetate, and the first frost will destroy the 
young plants. 
Threshing buckwheat upon the bare ground in 
the open field, is little practised at present. It is 
well, however, that it be threshed as soon as drawn 
in, or if this may not be, it should remain in the 
barn until freezing weather, and it will thresh more 
easily. 
10. “ Buckwheat Pancakes..'* 
The great end of buckwheat culture in this 
country Is to furnish material for pancakes, which 
probably torra a part of the winter breakfast of a 
large share of the native population of tho northern 
portion of the Union. They have become with 
many, one of the established “Institutions’' of the 
* Concluded from our last number, page 173 , 
country, and the “ area” of their influence is rapidly 
extending. . 
11. Use as Slock Feed, etc. 
By itself, th is grain is not generally valued very 
highly for feeding stock, unless it be for poultry. 
Mixed with oats and gronnd, it furnishes a cheap 
and good food for horses, especially if not required 
to labor hard. Some dairymen recommend it as 
an excellent mattriat for slopping milch cows.— 
Mixed with other grain, it is excellent for fattening 
hogs, and even She bran is found to contain a large 
per centage of nutritive matter. One bushel of 
buckwheat is valued as equal to two bushels of oats 
for cows or swine. 
12. Yield and Profit of the Crop. 
In repeated statements ot‘ the usual average pro¬ 
duct, we find twenty bnshels per acre the lowest, 
and thirty the highest estimate. The cultme is 
not expensive, the time occupied only about ten 
weeks, and any surplus is readily marketable at 
fair pricee. Probably the culture of buckwheat 
pays as fair a profit as that of any crop on the 
farm, though it would not be likely lung to do so, 
were a much greater breadth of land devoted to 
its production. 
up and down with narrow battens. It should be 
ceiled with hemlock boards, tongned and grooved, 
and laid cross-wise, and filled in between the tim¬ 
bers with spent tan, or any other dry substance, 
well rammed or packed in. Or tbe spaces between 
the posts may be filled in with brick and a thin 
coat of plaster. In either case, whether of brick 
or wood, it should be whitewashed with lime. 
The roof should also be ceiled with boards and 
tilled in with tan, which would render ft cooler in 
snmmer and warmer in winter, and it would have 
many advantages, especially as affording easy ac¬ 
cess to the lime-brush, an operation that should 
never be neglected four or five times in the year. 
Those who have insisted on the cleansing process, 
know well how amply the trouble is paid by the 
increased eomfort and consequent health of their 
stock. It is also certain death to vermin. 
For the floor- we regard bricks as the worst of 
all materials; they retain moisture, whether atmos¬ 
pheric or arising from indifferent drainage; and 
thns the temperature is kept low when warmth is 
most essentia], and disease too often follows, 
especially cramps in the feet and legs. Let the 
floor be of whatever materials, it should be kept 
covered with fine sand or gravel, and removed often. 
The interior may be finished to aeeommdate the 
kind of stock intended to be kept. If for the large 
Asiatic fowls, the perches should be low, or the 
floor of their roosting-room may he covered with 
straw; iu which case it should be cleansed or the 
straw changed daily. In the following gronnd plan 
A, A are roosting-housee, laying-nests, etc. 
BY DB. ASA FITCH. 
MODE OF PRESERVING INSECTS FOR STUDY. 
(C0NT1XUKD FU0M LAST WEEK'S RURAL.) 
It is currently supposed that insects are very 
perishable and that much cere is required for their 
preservation, I know not how this very errone¬ 
ous idea has become so widely prevalent in our 
oountiy, unless it be from the ill successor the 
proptr«lore of public irmstamx iu uttr cities, who, 
iguoi rX upon this subject, have commonly had 
tbe collections of insects which they have some¬ 
times acquired, totally destroyed—precisely as a 
farmer would lose his field of grain, were he so 
witless as to place a fiimsyenelosure itruund itand 
never expel the cattle which breakover this barrier. 
The entomologist has no more trouble or difficulty 
in saving bis insects than the farmer his field of 
grain. In soarcelyanydepartmentof Natural Histo¬ 
ry are specimens prepared and preserved with so 
much facility as in this. The labor is slight com¬ 
pared with that to which the botanist is subjected 
in pressing and drying his plants. No skinning 
and stuffing is here required as in the case of lar¬ 
ger animals. No aromatic or other antiseptic 
preservative even, is it necessary to upply to pre¬ 
vent deeny. Insects are preserved by merely passing 
a pin through them and fixing the phis to the bottom 
of a tight box or drawer having no crack or crevice 
by which moths or other vermin can find their way 
into it, and keeping them in a dry room, so that mould 
or mildew will not invade them. This is all the la¬ 
bor, and these are all the precautions required iu 
this business. Thus treated they may be preserved 
permanently. I have specimens from Mr. Wkst- 
wood, which were formerly in Mr. Donovan's 
cabinet, and were therefore captured probably be¬ 
fore the commencement of the present century; 
yet their parts are as perfect and their colors as 
bright in most instances as they were a year after 
they were first taken. The identical specimens 
from which Linajus and others of the old masters 
in this science drew their descriptions, are still 
preserved, and in so perfect a condition that they 
are every year appealed to, to Bettle doubts that 
arise, as to which one of two or more closely rela¬ 
ted species these authors had before them, and is 
therefore entitled to the name which they gave. 
Since it is so easy to preserve this class of objects 
we hope no person who reads these lines will fail 
to save any insect which he may happen to meet 
with, which is on any Account interesting or re¬ 
markable. To do so, he has only to fix a piece of 
cork or other soft wood in the bottom of a tin box, 
pass a pin through the insect, and place It therein; 
and though the box should not be opened again in 
twenty years, the specimen will be fonnd as perfect 
as when it was first inclosed. An insect will live 
several days or even weeks with a pin passed 
through it, which shows that it suffers no acute 
paffi from this seemingly cruel treatment.— 
And A butterfly or moth will be liable to mar the 
beauty of its wings by fluttering them after it Is 
pinned. But if a drop or two of chloroform or 
ether, which may be obtained of any apothecary 
or physician, bo dropped into tho box, the vapor 
instantly paralyzes and soon kills it. 
Pius arc made expressly for this use, of various 
lengths ami ditlerent degrees of fineness, those 
which are an inch and a half long boing now al¬ 
most universally preferred. But there is at pre¬ 
sent no shop in this country where entomological 
pins are on sale, and many of our collectors ure 
therefore obliged to use tho best common pins of 
different sizes which they cau obtain. These are 
much preferable to needles, which aoou rust and 
break asunder. The pin is to bo passed perpen¬ 
dicularly downwards through tho specimen, so 
Wb don’t know that fowls will prosper any bet¬ 
ter in a fancy house, such as is shown in the en¬ 
graving. than in a common one, if it is so con¬ 
structed ft9 to be light and warm, and convenient 
for airing and cleaning. We doubt whether the 
most intelligent inhabitants of the poultry yard 
cun appreciate the beautiful, either in design or 
execution. Those who build such a house do so 
for their own enjoyment, and as an ornament to 
their grounds, and in this respect nothing could 
be finer or more appropriate, than the Fancy Poul¬ 
try House, which we give from Bemenfs Poulterers 
Companion. The author says, “ it is designed for a 
poultry-house and yard for breeding fowls, ducks, 
and pigeons. It is intended to stand in the centre 
ot a piece ot grass-land or park, and if on a slight 
knoll or mound so much the better. If the soil is 
inclined to clay, it should be excavated all around 
the building at least two feet deep, and first a lay¬ 
er of stones about one and a half feet deep, then 
covered with coarse gravel and sand. This is de¬ 
sirable—tor we consider it almost essential to suc¬ 
cess—stagnant moisture or wet in the soil being 
more inducive to diseases than any other circum¬ 
stance. 
A southern aspect is the best, and if sheltered 
from the north and north west, by plantations of 
evergreens, it will not only be a protection from 
the cold winds of winter, but a resort from the 
rays of the sun in summer. 
The houses and yards must be constructed to 
suit the views and purposes of the proprietor. The 
yards should be fenced with pickets at least six 
and a half feet high—wire would be more orna¬ 
mental, bat rather expensive. Not less than one- 
fourt'u of an acre should be allowed for fifty fowla 
The walls ot the poultry-house should be of brick, 
nine inches thick, and hollow; they should beat 
least twelve feet high, so that the roof can project 
some four feet, forming a shed for protecting the 
fowls from the storm. The front of the shed may 
... 
