of t lie grain consumed by a ben hatching 
fifteen or sixteen eggs only, compared with 
the cost of the oil or gas required to main¬ 
tain the temperature inan incubator hatch¬ 
ing 100or 200 eggs. Experiment proves that 
the artificial heater costs about two-penoo 
every twenty-four hours, so that tho ex¬ 
pense of hatching the brood of from one to 
two hundred Is under 4s. In Summer, when 
the temperature of the atmosphere is nat¬ 
urally high, the expense is considerably 
less. On the other hand, the brood lion is 
not fed at a less expense than one penny 
tier diem, and at this rate no more than 30 
gust In the Rural New-Yorker, you 
frankly admit that you do not know of an 
effectual remedy for them; and after a 
thorough trial of all tho numerous popular 
remedies during the last two seasons, I con¬ 
fidently assert that there Ik no reliable rem¬ 
edy after the egga ha ve been deposited upon 
the cabbages; and that all remedies aimed 
solely at the worms are failures. To give a 
history of my experience with these larvae 
would require a volume. So 1 will, in as 
few words as practicable, state tho result of 
that experience for tho benefit, of those who 
intend or desire to I'niso cabbages next 
year. 
Tho reason why I consular all “worm 
remedies ” useless and vain, is tho fact that 
tho parent butterfly (Plerls rapee) con¬ 
tinues to lay her eggs upon tho cabbages 
from June till Oct., and tbe eggs continue 
to hatch as long us the weather Is warm 
enough to develop them; consequently, I 
found that, although 1 might kill every 
worm visible on tho cabbages, with water 
at 130“, in two days thereafter another vo¬ 
racious brood would succeed tho slain; and 
it is thus with all worm remedies. One 
must “fight it out on that Hue,” and “It 
takes all Summer,” and in the end tho cab¬ 
bages are spoiled, or so badly worm-eaten 
and filled with their exorements as to bo 
unfit for use. 
After becoming convinced that it is vain 
to fight the worms— that tho only hope for 
the successful cultivation of tho cubbage 
lies in finding a means of preventing tho 
butterfly from depositing her egga upon tho 
plants, I commenced a series of experiments 
with various pungent and, repulsive odors, 
as musk, camphor, spirits of turpontine, 
petroleum, nmifeetida, etc., ill order to keep 
the butterfly off tho cabbages. But these 
odors had no perceptible effect iu deterring 
them from this work. At length, by oaro- 
ftilly studying the habits and movements of 
these insects on tho wlug, and especially 
when-alighting, 1 was led to suspect that a 
net spread over tho cabbages would prevent 
tboin from lighting upon tho plants, and, 
of course, from laying their eggs on the 
leaves. 
On making a trial with a white neb (the 
meshes about two-thirds of an inch in di¬ 
ameter) I was not disappointed, and was 
very happy to see the butterflies in great 
numbers lighting upon, but never passing 
through the net. I do not, therefore, hesi¬ 
tate to recommend a coarse white net spread 
over cabbages (about a foot, above them, and 
coining down to the ground on all sides,) as 
tho only Infallible remedy for, and preven¬ 
tive against, cabbage worms. The same net 
would probably last several years. It is 
not necessary now to suggest a convenient 
method of spreading or fastening tho nets 
so as to bo easily removed for hoeing the 
cabbages. But i may do so next year if de¬ 
sired. It was too late In the season when I 
made tho above simple discovery to make 
it. available in saving any cabbages this year, 
which is my apology for not giving it to the 
publlo through the Rubai. New-Yorker 
before. I. w. Taylor. 
ENGLISH INCUBATORS, 
THE TREE CRICKET 
Mr. Wat. H. Tiiiok, Loudon, Eng., has 
invented an incubator, which wo find illus¬ 
trated in tho Farmer, which wo have had 
engraved, and give herewith Mr. Thick’s 
description thereof, since it will interest 
many of our chicken fanciers. He says:— 
These incubators are constructed with a 
reservoir holding about 10 gallons of water. 
Ileat is supplied by gas or by a paraffine oil 
lamp—tho temperature, required for hatch¬ 
ing being regularly maintained day and 
night. Air-carrying pipes pass through 
tho heated water, and carry warmed air to 
all parts of the batching apparatus, and 
hot-water boxes form a part of the reservoir 
uuder which the chicks when hatched aro 
placed to receive the heat necessary for 
their health. The boxes are covered with 
a lamb-skin or a “ Wool-Mother,” against 
which the chiokens nestle their backs, 
while tho cool gravelled flooring affords for 
their feet a surface similar to that which 
they would have, had they been naturally 
hatchod. It is calculated that if proper at¬ 
tention be paid to the instructions, 70 per 
cent, at least of strong healthy birds may 
bo hatched out. 
The drawers of the incubators should be 
strewn with bran or bay out iuto small 
pieces, but never with sawdust, as the 
turpentine in the wood tends to destroy 
the germ in the egg. 
Wo spread a quantity of hay upon the 
bottom of the drawers, so as to lino them 
completely; and we place lifty liens’ eggs 
in each drawer on tho hay, and close the 
drawers. Heat is communicated from the 
water in tho reservoir, tho temperature of 
which must bo about 120". Faiir., in order 
to have the eggs at tho required tempera¬ 
ture of 102 °. to 104. 
Twice every day tho drawer is opened to 
turn tho eggs, and they aro then loft ex¬ 
posed to tho cooler air of the apartment for 
a quarter of an hour before being replaced 
in the machine. When wo add that tho po¬ 
sition of tho eggs in tho drawer may also be 
changed three c r four times a daj r , we have 
given all necessary directions. Artcr an in¬ 
cubation of twenty-one days, tbe chickens 
Will break their way out of their shells. 
They aro then loft for four-and-twenty 
hours after they arc hatched under tho 
“ Wool-Mothers,” to dry and gain strength. 
During this time thoy aro bettor without 
food, as the nourishment they have taken 
before breaking tho shell is sufficient to 
servo them for that period. 
The system of chicken-rearing we have 
described is admirable for tho careful ob¬ 
servation of natural processes upon which 
it is based. Nature lias been copied with 
the most perfect tact, and it is owing to the 
faithful imitation of her operations and 
conditions that success bus been attained. 
Tho reservoir with its flannel covering rep¬ 
resents tho sitting hen, and the heat that 
proceeds from the reservoir is of tho same 
nature as tbe moist heat whioh emanates 
from the body of the parent bird. 
The hen on her nest warms her eggs from 
above, and the incubator is so constructed 
as to supply the heat from tho same direc¬ 
tion. The lieu turns her eggs once or twice 
a day, reraoviug those that are in the cen¬ 
ter of the nest to the outside, and those 
that are on the outside into tho center, so 
that an equable boat is diffused throughout. 
This operation on the part of the parent 
bird may easily bo traced by marking the 
eggs with pencil, aud arranging them in a 
certain order before the sitting commences. 
In using tho incubator, the same process of 
shifting and turning is strictly observed. 
The hen quits her eggs onco or twice a day, 
for a few minutes—about a quarter of an 
hour—in order to take tbe nourishment ne¬ 
cessary to sustain life, and thus the eggs are 
allowed to cool to some extent during the 
interval, tho variation of temperature be¬ 
ing considered favorable to the process of 
incubation. In using the incubator we 
take out the drawer and expose tho eggs to 
the air of the room, thus imitating the nat¬ 
ural process in every minute particular. 
Timid hens are bad sitters, aud if from 
any sudden alarm a shock is given to the 
eggs, the hope of chickens may be consid¬ 
ered as gone forever; but in the case of the 
incubator, with its softly-lined drawers, 
the eggs are not injured, though tho appar¬ 
atuses kept in a workshop in which the din 
of the hammer is continually heard. 
With regard to the economical advantage 
of using the most improved hatching ap¬ 
paratus, we have to inquire what is the cost 
Please find inclosed two insects that T 
found on 1113 ’ young apple and elm trees. I 
send some of the wood attacked—mostly of 
this 3 -ear’s growth.—A Subscriber, Che¬ 
mung Co., N. Y. 
The insect is the Tree Cricket ((Eca/nthus 
niveus, Harris). The branches you send 
contain tho eggs deposited b 3 ~ the female, 
aud aro placed in long, contiguous rows, 
HYGIENIC NOTES AND QUERIES. 
Celery an a Nervine.—A correspond¬ 
ent of the Practical Farmer says: “ I have 
known many men, and women too, who, 
from various causes, had become so much 
affected with nervousness that when thoy 
stretched out their hands they shook like 
aspen leaves on windy days; and by a daily 
moderate use of the blanched footstalks of 
the celery leaves as a salad, they became as 
ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTES. 
Parasitic Plies in a Caterpillar.— 
Inclosed you will find specimens of insects. 
No. 1 is a caterpillar and eggs (or shells) 
whioh were deposited on the 6 th, 7 th and 
8 th of Sept.; and on the 13th there ap¬ 
peared, as the product of the eggs, the iu- 
seots inclosed In the quill. Aro these in¬ 
sects tho natural offspring of the caterpil¬ 
lar ?— Reader. 
The small files inclosed in the quill are 
not the natural offspring of tho caterpillar, 
but parasites which fed upon and passed 
through their transformations within its 
body- There are hundreds of different 
species of these parasitic flies which attaok 
worms, caterpillars, and the pupje of vari¬ 
ous large insects, and they are generally 
considered beneficial aud should not be de¬ 
stroyed. A very minute .species resembling 
the one you send, attacks tho chrysalids of 
tins green cabbage worm (P Leris rupee) 
which is now so abundant in the Eastern 
States. As many as twenty of these little 
flies, known among entomologist', as Pter- 
ornalus pupanivi, have been hatched from 
one chrysalis. The infested caterpillars, or 
Chrysalids, are readily transported from 
one portion of the country to another, and 
thus the enemies of our noxious Insects can 
be distributed iu regions where their ser¬ 
vices are most needed. But to do this we 
must know something of insect life, which 
we regret to say is a subject almost wholly 
ignored by our common schools as well us 
colleges. 
MACHINE COMPLETE FOR 100 EGOS, 
strong and stead 3 ' in the limbsas Other peo¬ 
ple. 1 have known others so very nervous 
that tho least arnoyauoe put them iu a state 
of agitation, who were in almost constant 
perplexity and fear, and who were effect¬ 
ually cured by a dail>- moderate use of 
blanched celery as a salad at meal times. 
[ have known others cured by using celery 
for palpitation of the heart. 
MACHINE COMPLETE FOR 200 EGGS. 
Autumn, and every punctured twig cut off 
and burned. We do not know of any bet¬ 
ter way of getting rid of those pests. 
Another of the Same Insects.—In¬ 
closed is an insect l found on my clothes 
while walking in the woods. What is it?— 
Reader. 
It is the same cricket described above, 
therefore you can be on the look-out for the 
eggs iu your garden and orobard. 
To Expel Proud Flesh,—Proud flesh 
may be cured, as 1 know by experience, by 
simply wrapping the part affeoted iu dry 
wheat llonr. changing it as often as i> neces¬ 
sary. 1 have seen very bad cases cured by 
this simple remedy.— b. v. r>. 
Sugar for Hcrofuloue Children.—A 
physician once said that children of scrofu¬ 
lous and ft weak habit should be allowed all 
the white sugar they desire, since it im¬ 
proves digestion and strengthens the blood. 
CABBAGE WORMS, 
The battle with the cabbage worms for 
this season is past, and they are, as they 
have been for two years previous, victori¬ 
ous, or successful iu utterly ruining the 
cabbage crop; and all we can do now is 
to arm ourselves for tho next campaign. 
Iu speaking of the cabbago worm last Au- 
