For cuttings, nothing but pure sand should 
be used, and the boxes should be deep enough 
to allow three inches of sand, and leave space 
enough between it and the top for the ex¬ 
posed stems of the cuttings; then place a 
sheet of window-glass on the top of the box, 
to insure greater heat and a confined atmos¬ 
phere. Almost all of our ordinary, soft- 
wooded bedding plants may be rapidly prop¬ 
agated in these boxes. The sand should be 
kept wet and warm, and as soon as the cut¬ 
tings are well rooted, take them out and re¬ 
plant In good soil, containing, at least, one- 
fourth pure sand. 
borers from Nebraska and Northern Texas, 
all appearing to have the same habit of bor¬ 
ing the twigs of t rees. We have identified 
three species, viz.:— Amphicerus bicaudatus, 
Lec. ; Bostridius serneoUis, Lec. ; and B. 
IruncatcolUs, Lec. These beetles are capa¬ 
ble of doing, and probably do, considerable 
damage to fruit trees when abundant; but 
we do not know of any better way of de¬ 
stroying them than to cut off the young twigs 
I containing the beetles and burning, with 
' ' ‘ • contents. We hope that C. R., and 
i-> who find such pests at work in their 
| orchards, will not fail to forward specimens 
:„ xv to ns, for it is not enough that we 
know t he insect, its name and hab- 
Sgjgtits—we wish to place ou record its 
If the same 
DAILY RURAL LIFE. 
INSECTS ON CABBAGES. 
A “Subscriber” asks if he cannot use 
some liquid preparation to prevent the bugs 
and flies from destroying his cabbages. If 
we had a description of the flies and bugs or 
their names wo could tell better what kind 
of advice to give. The little fly (Anthomyia f their < 
Brass ica) which deposits its eggs in the roots others 
of the small plants while in the seed-bed, 
From the Diary of a Gentleman near New 
York City. 
COCOONS FROM IOWA. 
Feb. 25.—I have received a small box from 
the Rural New-Yorker office, containing 
cocoons and the following letter : 
Daily Rural Life— jricar Sir.- Pleas; find 
inclosed five cocoons which I should 
like to have named. There ai’e 
four of one kind and one of the 
other. The latter is quite common £ 1 
ou the apple, willow and cherry 
trees. I would like to know what 
the worms feed upon.—P. W. Hol- 
lings worth, West Brandi, Iowa. ' 
The long, cylindrical cocoon, of 
which you send only one, is that of 
the Cecropia Moth (Attacus Ce¬ 
cropia), an insect quite common in 
all the Northern States. This moth 
usually makes its appearance in 
June and July. The catterpillars 
are found on various fruit trees, but 
appear to prefer currant bushes. 
When young, it is of a yellow color, 
but as it grows older the color 
changes, until it is of a light green, 
ornamented with bright, coral-red 
warts beset with bristles. It feeds 
upon the leaves of the plants it in¬ 
habits, and comes to maturity early 
in autumn. It then spins its co 
coon, fastening it longitudinally to 
some small twig. The cocoon is 
about an inch in diuincter and near¬ 
ly three inches long, and of the 
form shown in Figure 1. The moth 
comes out of the cocoon the follow¬ 
ing Summer, and is one of our larg¬ 
est native species. Its wings ex¬ 
pand five to six inches. The ground- 
color of the wings is a grizzled- 
brown, with the hind margins clay-colored, 
near the middle of each there is an opaque, 
kidney-shaped, dull red spot. The fore wings, * 
next the shoulders, are dull red, with a 1 
curved white band ; and near the tips of ( 
each there is an eve-like, black spot within a * 
bluish crescent. [This moth is shown in Fig. J 
2, natural size.— Ed. Rural.] t 
The four cocoons which are inclosed with- 1 
iu withered leaves, are those of the Attacus “ 
polyphem us —Fabr. The larva or caterpillar d 
feeds upon the oak, elm, and probably other j ? 
kinds of forest trees. It is nearly as large as | 
those of A. cecropia, and of a pale, bluish- " 
green, ornamented with pearly tubercles, I b 
tiuted with purple. In the Autumn the cc 
geographical range 
species of insect is found from Maine 
to Texas, it is well that we and 
others should know the fact. 
r ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTES. 
Ants’ Nests in Gardens. —F. M. 
G., in Nature, says:—I have fouud a 
very effectual remedy for the an- 
noyance of ants nesting in the gar¬ 
den paths and borders. A strong 
solution of carbolic acid and water 
poured into the holes, kills all the 
ants it touches, and the surviroia 
immediately take themselves off. 
Care must be taken in its use, as it 
destroys animal and Vegetable ns 
well as insect life. 
Wire-VTorma and Lima Beans. 
—This i« what one who lias tried it 
says:—The wire-worm lodges in 
the ground, and is destructive to 
the seeds of Lima and pole beans 
and Indian corn. Plant twice as 
many seeds as you want plants. 
When they begin t o push Hi rough 
the ground, draw- the soil from the 
plants gently, and see if there be no 
worms in them. If the worms are 
there, pick them out with a pin or needle 
and destroy. 
FRUITS FOR EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA 
The Pennsylvania Fruit Growers’ Society 
at their Winter meeting, at Reading, Pa., rec¬ 
ommended by vote the following fruits for 
Eastern Pennsylvania : 
A pplr. —Baldwin, Smith’s Cider. Smoke 
House, Fallawater, Maiden’s Blush, and Red 
Astmehan. 
Peach. —Crawford’s Early and Late, Old 
Mixon Free, Smock’s Free, Early York, and 
Susquehanna. 
Pear. —Bartlett, Lawrence, Seckel, Dueh- 
esse, Bourre D’ Anjou and Howell’s. 
Grape.—Concord and Martha. 
Sirmcberry—W ilson’s Albany and Triomphe 
de Gand. 
uuyos uavu neon cultivated ior several years 
iu succession that it is almost impossible to 
get rid of them. Five or six bushels of salt 
per acre, applied just before planting, will 
usually check the ravages of this insect, kill- 
ing those in the soil, and at ilie same time 
the salt acts as a stimulant to the plants. In 
some localities the little flea beetles (HalUcas) 
attack cabbages wliile smoli, eating holes 
on their loaves. A mixture of fine salt and 
dry ashes, scattered over the plants when 
wet with dew, will drive away this pest. A 
aenei-s, artists and scientific men generally, 
are not made, but are born great, and noth¬ 
ing will thwart nature so effectually as con¬ 
stant and abundant aid, especially to a man 
in his early years. If a young man is deter¬ 
mined to be a great gardener, or become em¬ 
inent in any profession, he will accomplish 
!iis purpose, provided the right materials are 
in him ; and if they are not, no amount of 
aid or education will enable him to reach the 
coveted position among men. A good and 
| thorough education, which should never go 
further than to show a young man or woman 
how to learn, is certainly a great help, but in 
nine cases out. of teu the man who attempts 
to become wise by absorbing knowledge from 
teacheis, will be transformed into a mere : 
echo, or Poll - Parrot, repeating only the ' 
words, or, at most, the ideas, of his preoep- | 
tore. 
We want gardeners who have been'taught 
fundamental principles only, and then they 
P0M0L0GI0AL GOSSIP 
and ash mixture will usually destroy them, Pears in Wisconsin seem to be pronounced 
but sometimes it is necessary to apply fresh- a failure, if not a pronounced failure. We 
R -slaked lime. The above are only a few of i notice that at the reoeut meeting of the State 
the many insects that feed on the cabbage, ' Hort. Society, one member said, “ The money 
but to know the beet methods of destroying annually expended in buying pear trees in 
each requires a knowledge of their habits. If Wisconsin, would buy more pears than are 
our correspondents will send us specimens, raised in the State;” another that “the 
we may be able to aid them ; but to say that m °ney that has been invested in pear culture 
flies, beetles or bugs are at work on certain ! iu Wisconsin is equal to $5 for each perfect 
plants does not give us sufficient information P ear that lias been produced. ” But the 
upon which to base a direct reply. society recommended the following list of 
---pears for continual trial :—Flemish Beauty, 
APPLE TWIG BORERS. Ananas d’Ete, Early Bergamot, Bartlett, 
-- ' Swan's Orange, Seckel, Winter Nellis. A 
C. R. of Columbus, Nebraska, writes us resolu tion, offered by Mr. Plumb, was also 
that some kind of insect attacks his pear and ^opted, recommending planting pears on 
high, airy, well drained locations, in only 
■ moderate rich soUs, and with only culture 
/ enough to give u fair growth. If the growth 
_ * S excess * ve » Summer root-pruning, or grass* 
^ fug the surface is recommended, 
. y-kjSj Sa--. | ^Vie Huntsman's Favorite Apple, which 
-- originated at Fayette, Mo., and which is de- 
scribed in the appendix to Downing's last 
edition, has been brought to our notice in the 
form of fine specimens received from Blair 
s 1 Bros., Lee’s Summit, Johnson Co., Mo., re- 
wiu not be mere copyists, but originators and 
investigators. We have had too much of the 
old-time ideas of doing this or that way, or 
believing this or that creed, because our fa¬ 
thers did so in their day. 
apple trees, boring out the center of the 
small twigs, usually entering just above or 
near the junction of theleaf with the branch. 
Had our correspondent examined the twigs 
last Fall, he would probably have discovered 
a small cylindrical beetle about a half inch 
long and a twelfth of an inch in diameter, 
ensconced in the burrows. Last Fall we re¬ 
ceived several distinct species of these twie- 
A Greenish Mealy Louse, in vast numbers, 
attacks cabbages when nearly full grown. 
Two dustings of fresh lime will kill them. 
small quantity, j 
