BUBAL JSEW-YOBKEB 
djutoinolcrgicid. 
THE TWIG-GIRDLER. 
iOncideres clngulatus-SAY.) 
In the Transactions of the Academy of 
Natural Science of Philadelphia, Vol. 5, 
Nov., 1826, Thomas Say described this in¬ 
sect under the name of Snpcrda cinyulata. 
But in the republication of Mr. Say’s writ¬ 
ings in two large octavo volumes, which 
appeared after his death, the editor, Dr. 
John L, Lb Conte, says that it “belongs 
to Oncldercs," and by this name it is best 
known at the present time. Although this 
beetle was described more than forty years 
ago, and has frequently invaded our or¬ 
chards, doing considerable damage, as we 
shall presently show, still very few persons 
seem to know the insect, much less any¬ 
thing of its habits; even our entomologists 
have looked upon it as rather a rare beetle. 
Mr. < 'has. V. Hii,BY, who is a close observ¬ 
er in this field, says, in the American F.nlo- 
mologist, \ ol. 1, page 70, 1868, in reply to a 
correspondent who lmd sent him specimens, 
“The girdling insect proves to be one of 
the rarest of our Capricorn or Long-IIorn 
beetles.” But it is really one of the most 
plentiful, being more or less abundant from 
the Atlantic Coast Westward to the great 
plains, and Southward to Texas. 
Its Appearance and Habits. —This 
twig-girdler is a robust little beetle (figure 
1) about three-fourths of an iuch long, the 
body being covered with short grayish hairs; 
head of a brownish red color; antenna usu¬ 
ally longer than the body; elytra brownish 
at base aud tip; a broad silver-gray band 
passing across the middle of the elytra and 
entirely around the body. These oolors are 
quite distinct in the live insects, but they 
fade out in cabinet Specimens. 
Tho beetles appear in the vicinity of New 
York City about the first week in August, 
and from this time until the middle of the 
month; but as they live several weeks it, is 
not difficult to find specimens during the 
greater part of September. Both sexes 
feed upon the bark of small hickory twigs, 
one and two years old. When tho females 
are ready to deposit their eggs, they select 
the largest twigs or ends of vigorous branch¬ 
es; but if the tree is small they are very 
likely to choose t ho terminal shoot, laying 
several eggs in small holes in the soft bark 1 
made for the purpose, one egg only being 1 
deposited in each. < 
Instinct has taught this beetle that her 1 
larvae require dead wood for food; there- I ! 
fore, to secure this, she immediately sets to . 
work to kill tho twig Uj which she has de- 1 
posited her eggs. This she does in a very [ 
systematic manner, by descending below a 
where the eggs have been deposited, and V 
there girdling the branch, as shown in Fig. 1 
2. In performing this operation she does 1 
not eat the chips cut out, but drops them to :i . 
the ground. After finishing this little job, ‘ 
she extends her operations to another " 
branoh, feeding through the day and work- ° 
ing mostly at night. Both sexes are quite 
lively at this time, flying about among the C: 
trees aud seeking each other’s oompauy; H 
but are passive through the day. The eggs, P 
which are very small, white, aiid of an oval l ] 
shape, batch withiu twenty-four to forty- 
eight hours after they are laid, and the v 
young grub immediately penetrates the P 
soft inner bark, not attacking the wood ai 
until it is several days old. This beetle, if I ); 
abundant, as may readily be seen, can do ^ 
an immense amount of damage to hickory 01 
timber; and when it leaves the forest, as it tl 
frequently does, aud attacks our orchards, ai 
girdling pear aud apple twigs from a half 01 
inch to an inch iu diameter, it really be¬ 
comes quite a formidable pest. Last year 
it damaged some of tho pear orchards in 
and about Norfolk, Va.; but iu attacking 
tie pear tree the female Beams to make a nf 
great mistake, her object being to perpistu- ( se 
ate the species; for in girdling the twigs of th 
this tree, she invariably cuts so deep that 
tho twig breaks off and falls to the ground, sa 
where the grubs are pretty sure to be de- to 
stroyed, not only by the moisture, but rapid fa 
decay of the wood. The wood of the hick- &u 
ory being hard and tough, she only outs He 
fairly through the bark, which is enough to A 
kill it, but it still remains firmly attached ' 
to the tree during the two years (not one, th 
as usually asserted) required for the larva let 
to mature and pass through its transforms- bo 
'mn. If any one doubts this statement, coi 
that it requires two years, instead of one, yo 
or the larva to mature, they have only to na 
examine the infested hickory t 7 'ees, and no- ho 
tice the annual growths thrown out on the tic 
girdled twigs. We have examined hundreds wi 
of girdled twigs during the past two or three 
weeks, and find no variation; besides tho 
trees, we have other proofs that this insect 
is biennial brooded, instead of annual, as 
has been claimed by those considered au¬ 
thority on such questions. 
The grubs, or larva\ when fully grown 
are nearly an inch long, although variable 
in size, tho same as are the beetles. One 
taken at random from many in our pos¬ 
session is shown in figure :3; also a pupa, iu 
figure 1, both natural size. Tim grub eats 
, out tho entire inner or woody portion of 
I the twig, leaving nothing but a thin shell 
of hark by tho time it changes to a pupa. 
We might suppose that the wood of a small 
twig, sometimes scarcely a foot long, would 
<$h(| floultitjt jgari 
PARAFFINE - DESTROYING LICE ON 
FOWLS. 
Fig. 1. 
Fro. 3. 
Fig. 4. 
not suffice as food for one grub two years; 
but it does, and even more than this, for iii 
at least two-thirds of all the twigs gathered 
this season containing pup® or larvre wo 
found three, and in some instances four, 
full}' developed specimens. 
Prof. Ha i, deman, who wrote a brief his¬ 
tory of our American Longicom Beetles in 
the American Philosophical Transactions 
fnr 1837, and other entomologists, have sup¬ 
posed that this insect confined its depreda¬ 
tions while in forests to the Shcllbark 
Hickory (Caryrt alba); but we have found 
it abundant upon the Whiteheart Hickory 
(C. tobu.nt.osa,) and the Pignut (G. porcino) ; 
and there is no good reason to doubt but 
wlmt it lives upon all the different species, 
preferring those that have rather coarse 
twigs, as these would furnish a greater 
amount of food for the larvae than the slen¬ 
der twigged. It also attacks the persim¬ 
mon, and will probably be found upon 
other trees. 
How to Check.—Tho girdled branches 
can bo readily seen in the early part of 
Summer while they contain the larvre or 
pup®, and it is no great task to gather all 
these infested twigs from trees of moderate 
size and burn them with their contents. 
We gathered a quantity during the latter 
part of July and the first week in August, 
aiid placed them m a box, where they soon 
passed through their last transformation. 
Those who may desire specimens for study, 
ox their cabinets, can very readily supply 
themselves in this way, and have no occa¬ 
sion to hunt the wood or whip the branches 
of hickory trees in order to obtain them. 
-•-*■+-- 
ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTES. 
e A oorrespiINDENT inquires what paraf- 
0 flue is and whether it can be used for the 
_ destruction of lice on fowls. Paraffine, 
n properly so called, is a solid, and cannot 
H very well be used for the purpose named, 
f but there are numerous paraffine oils that 
j might bo so used, and with good effect 
undor some circumstances. 
1 Paraffine was first obtained from wood- 
l tar. It is a white, waxy-looking substance, 
without taste or smell, and it is not at all 
greasy. It resists the action of acids, alka¬ 
lies and chlorine, and hence was called 
paraffine , because it seemed to bo without 
affinity. It lias boon procured in consider¬ 
able quantity from peat, and many of the 
readers of tho Rural must remember the 
enthusiasm with which was hailed the an¬ 
nouncement that the peat-bogs of Ireland 
could be made to yield unlimited quanti¬ 
ties of a beautiful white mineral wax which 
was to drive tallow, oil aud ordinary wax 
out of the market for illuminating purposes. 
Tho paraffine oils are very similar in consti¬ 
tution to kerosene, and are used in similar 
lamps. 
When oily substances are used for de¬ 
stroying insects, they act in the following 
way:—Almost all insects breathe through 
holes iu their sides, known as ttjdraclcg, 
these spiracles being connected wit h a curi¬ 
ous set of tubes known as trachea which 
take the place and perform the same func¬ 
tions that the lungs do in the higher animals. 
When the body of an insect is smeared 
with oil those spiracles are closed, and the 
insect is suffocated, and, as it, has no power 
of blowing out any foreign matter from 
these spiracles, aa we do from our mouths 
and noses, it bus no power of resisting the 
application of oil or grease. Hence grease 
is one of the best applications when tho 
higher animals are infested with external 
| parasites; but when liens are sitting on 
eggs for the purpose of hatching it will not 
do to grease their feathers, as in their case 
the grease is transferred to the eggs, closes 
the pores and prevents certain processes 
which are necessary for successful incuba- 1 
tion. , 1 
Fine dust seems, however, to bo nearly as 
effectual as grease, for it clogs up tho 
trachem of tho parasites and kills them. 
Hence the power of the so-called insect 
powders, and henco the fondness of hens 
and other sitting birds for what is known as 1 
a, dust-bath. Tim best powder iu common f 
use, however, aud one that is perfectly safe, r 
is sulphur. It is host applied with a pepper f 
box or llour-dredger, and should bo dusted r 
very thoroughly between the feathers ami 
over the eggs and nest. Wo have tried it " 
and can speak for its efficacy. It is also a 
good plan to make the foundation of the 
t hat was sick for a few days aud finally died. 
Symptoms were, weak in legs, pale around 
_ the head; would uot eat anything unless X 
forced it down, and drank but very little. 
Can you tell me the complaint and also tho 
treatment? I lost a valuable game rooster 
same way last Fall,—A Sunsciun eti. 
e Have any of our readers had a similar ex- 
pei ieuce, and can they give a remedy? 
t ~~ ---J _ 
; c#i)[M <£ it on out ir. 
SUBSOIL ATTACHMENT TO PLOW. 
1 1 wu ' r - describe a subsoil attachment that 
. I uso: It, is it stout bar of iron, from 2 to 
l feet long, with a plate of steel fastened 
, at tho lower end, roundish-pointed front, 
. to run nearly flat; from 8 to 10 inohos of the 
. front edge of the bur above the foot should 
, be sharpened (not very sharp). Tho bar is 
put in between the land-side and mold¬ 
board, and hold there by a clasp on tho in¬ 
side of tho beam, with bolts ami nuts to 
screw it tight, to hold It to any depth you 
like; a rod of iron running from the king¬ 
bolt of the plow, with a hole In the cud for 
(bis Upright bar, to keep it from breaking. 
In cross-plowing in manure, we first, plow 
four inches duop, and then put the subsoil- 
er four or six inches deeper. This is a 
cheap arrangement, costing not over * 5 , 
and is worth five times Its cost every year 
to any farmer who will have it attached to 
his plow for common plowing; but in green¬ 
sward it is rather snug work for a common 
team. For such work attach it to a sort of 
plow-beam with handles, using it as a sep¬ 
arate subsoiler, Wo use it in this way for 
ditching, to loosen the dirt instead of pick¬ 
ing; and when tho ditch is too deep for the 
off horso to go in it, wo have a long evener, 
so that the horses can straddle the ditch; 
and ns wo luivo over 1,500 rods of stone 
drain, wo ought to know something about 
tho oost of loosening dirt. 
We subsoiled a lot. for corn in 1860 (being 
trreensward, we used 2 teams, that being a 
very dry season), and planted it to corn. 
Wo bud a very largo crop; where we sub- 
soiled, the leaves did not roll in the dry 
weather; but where tho subsoiler was not 
used, they rolled badly, showing that sub- 
soiling is a remedy for drouth. 
Oneida Co., N. Y. A> D G 
--»♦»- 
ECONOMICAL NOTES. 
(JrasBhopper Catcher.—Among the 
novelties in agricultural machinery is a lo¬ 
cust or grasshopper catcher, which, by 
means of an apron extended in front, catch¬ 
es the creatures and passes them through 
ioilers, reduces them to a paste, which is 
dried and used for poultry aud hog feed. 
Cockroaches, — Will you give me the 
name of the inclosed insect? I have never 
seen them in any other house than ours; 
the first time I saw one in our kitchen was 
about a year ago, and now there are thou¬ 
sands of them. I have tried several things 
to kill or drive them away, but have always 
failed. If you can give me their name and 
suggest anything by which 1 could rid my¬ 
self of them, you would very much oblige— 
A Constant Reader. 
The specimen came to hand, as such 
th ings usually do when inclosed loosely in a 
letter, smashed aa flat as Uncle Sam’s mail 
boys know how to do it. Your insect is the 
common cockroach, and wo would advise 
you to try some one of the many extermi¬ 
nators advertised. We cleared an infested 
house in three days, at a co6t of 81 and tho 
time required in sweeping up the dead bugs, 
with Isaacsen’s Cockroach Exterminator. 
SIMPLE READING CHAIR—(see PAGE 158.) 
nest of tho shavings of resinous wood, as 
the vapor seems to drive away all parasites. 
Nothing makes such a good bed for a dog 
as highly resinous shavings —all the better 
and more pleasant if cedar. 
—--- 
POULTRY NOTES AND QUERIES. 
Mosquitoes and Poultry.—The Poultry 
World says correspondents in the “Gulf 
States’ ask for sorno remedy or preventive 
for the attacks of mosquitoes on young 
chickens. The bite of the mosquito causes a 
large sore or ulcer so severe oftentimes as 
to eat the eyes out of the head of tho poor 
chick, which always dies. 
Fowl Dead. I had a light Brahma hen 
#w[al Clrchiti'iinn'. 
NOTES FOR BUILDERS. 
Excavation and Walls for Barn Base¬ 
ments,—Slant tho bank one foot from the 
bottom to the top; dig far enough back to 
take in one foot of cobbles or broken stones 
at the bottom; dig your trench two foot 
three inches wido, throe inches Inside of the 
fiout of tho wall; bo sure you dig below 
the frost, more or loss; fill up the trench 
with field stone broken up; it is as good as 
cobbles; put in dry, whatever it is. Now 
commence the mortar wall two feet thick 
at the bottom; slant it on tho back side to 
eighteen inches on the top; fill in the space 
between the bank and tho wall with cobbles 
or broken stone clear up to the top; lay 
your sill three inobes back of tho front edge 
of the wall. I have no faith in a concrete 
wall in such a place as that.— Harvv A dams, 
Allegany Go., N. Y. 
Protecting Roofs from Fire. — R. J. 
Sunderland is correct in supposing he has 
seen a whitewash recommended for render¬ 
ing shingle roofs not only fire-proof but 
more durable. Wo have seen commended 
by men competent to judge, a wash com¬ 
posed of lime, salt and sand, or wood ashes, 
applied In tho way of applying ordinary 
whitewash. It is said to render shingles 
fifty-fold more safe against taking fire from 
falling cinders or otherwise. It is also re¬ 
ported to preserve shingles against the in¬ 
fluence and effect of weather, and is 
especially beneficial when applied to old 
and weatherbeaten roofs—taking tho warp 
out of the shingles and tilling up the cracks 
not only renders tho roof tighter but pre¬ 
vents warping again. 
