© 
(Bitlomotagical 
PEAR SLOGS AND BASKET WORMS. 
Inclosed find some pear leaves wliich 
have been skeletonized by an insect unknown 
to me ; also the shoots of n pear, which look 
as though diseased. Are they i 1 a nd you 
by this mail a box containing specimens of 
the “basket worm,” alive ; also a twig upon 
which u female is laying her eggs, these 
worms infest the lurch, spruce, and occa¬ 
sionally the Austrian pine. 'they com¬ 
menced depositing their eggs about two 
weeks ago. Can you give me any inlornm 
tion concerning this insect f—H arvey Ld- 
wakd Fisk, Mercer Co., A’. J. 
The leaves of your pear trees have been 
eaten by what, is culled the “ Pear Slug”—a 
small, black, tillhy-looking grub, which is 
the larva of one of the Saw flies (Selandrla 
cerast .— Peck). Had you examined your 
trees a few weeks ago, these slugs would 
have been found feeding upon the leaves. 
They are readily destroyed by dusting the 
leaves with lime, ashes, or even line, dry 
road dust, which adheres to the slimy coat 
of the worms and soon kills them. We see 
no sign of disease in the youug t wigs sent 
beyond what would be the natural effect of 
the ravages of the slugs named above, You 
sent in the box two quite different species of 
insects instead of one, as you evidently con¬ 
sidered them. 
THE TUSSOCK MOTH. 
The female moth which you say was in the 
act of depositing her eggs when put in llic 
box does not belong even to the same genus 
as those which make the long, tapering 
cocoons, ornamented upon the outsido with 
bits of evergreen leaves, but is the female of 
the white marked Tussock moth (0 ryyia 
Uucostigtna of Smith <fc Abbott). It was 
rather a strange freak of the one which you 
send ns to go upon tui evergreen as a cater¬ 
pillar to spin its cocoon, for this insect usually 
confines itself to deciduous trees. The cater¬ 
pillars frequent various kinds of trees, but 
are usually more abundant upon the apple 
than other cultivated kinds. When lull 
grown the female caterpillars are about an 
inch and a half long, but the males arc not 
more than half as large. Upon each ex¬ 
tremity there are two long, black plumes, 
not unlike a slender camel’s hair pencil. 
Each segment or ring is also ornamented 
with white hair, or bristles ; the neck is of u 
bright orange color, and upon the back there 
are four cream-colored tufts on segments 4, 
5, 6 and 7, and upon segments ‘J and 10 there 
are two round spots of a bright orange 
scarlet. 
These caterpillars spin very thin cocoons, 
and the female is much larger than the male. 
Two or three w eeka after spinning the moths 
begin to appear, The male, is winged, but 
the female has no wings, or at most more 
rudiments of those appendages, consequently 
she is compelled to remain at home, not 
leaving even to (ind a mate. At t he proper 
time she crawls to the outside, of her cocoon 
and deposits her eggs thereon, covering them 
with a white, frothy matter, resembling 
spittle. This was the insect which you saw 
depositing her eggs and forwarded to us 
along with the basket worms. There are 
usually two broods of this Tussock moth, 
one. appearing in May or June, and the sec¬ 
ond in September or October. The eggs de¬ 
posited by the later broad do not hatch until 
the following spring, and can be found at¬ 
tached to the old cocoons any time during 
the winter. 
THE BASKET WORM, 
This insect is also known in some local¬ 
ities as Bag worm ; in others as Drop 
■worm ; but its scientific name is Thyridop- 
tcryx cplicmcriformlx, of Haworth. It is 
sometimes very destructive to evergreens, 
mid especially to t he Arbor Vi t ie, ’which is 
not mentioned in your list. The history of 
this insect is quite interesting, and may ho 
briefly stated as follows:—lu the winter 
numbers of the basket like cocoons may be 
found upon the infested trees, some of them 
being entirely empty, while others contain a 
mass of soft, yellow eggs. The empty co¬ 
coons are those of the males, and the others 
the females. 
In spring the eggs hatch and the caterpil¬ 
lars crawl out of their winter habitation, 
spreading over the tree and immediately 
commencing to feed upon its leaves. But as 
soon as the little caterpillars begin to eat 
they also begin to make themselves a case, 
which is carried along in their travels from 
branch to branch, or tree to tree. This case 
is formed of silken threads spun in the form 
of a conical tube, the caterpillars remaining 
within adding to its base from time to time, 
and also ornamenting the outside with small 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
pieces or the entire leaves of the evergreen, 
upon which it feeds. When the caterpillars 
are full grown they fasten their cocoons to 
small t wigs with a strong band of silk. T p 
to this time the cocoons and the caterpillars 
within have all been so near alike that it 
would be difficult to distinguish any differ¬ 
ence, but now there is ft marked change, and 
the female chrysalis is twice the size of the 
male. A few weeks later a still greater 
change t akes place, for the male moth ap¬ 
pears and with ample wings seeks his mate, 
she, by the way, being obliged to receive 
him at home, having neither wings nor am¬ 
bulatory organs sufficient to be of use. in 
traveling. She merely works her body out 
of the cocoon, and, after meeting her mate, 
crawls back again, fills the hole in the lower 
end of the case with eggs, and then stuffB 
what remains of her body into the upper one 
and dies. Next spring these eggs hatch and 
the same changes occur again. 
-- 
Wire-Worms. — These are found in the 
greatest quantities in fresh, new loam, just 
brought from the fields, and such soil when 
used lor valuable plants, should be carefully 
examined, and the wire worms crushed; 
their brownish-red bodies arc easily seen. 
Mr. TH.L ARY writes to the Garden, that 
slices of potatoes or lettuce stems will like¬ 
wise entice them where they are numerous. 
The slices should be placed under ground,and 
then frequently examined. He saved abed 
of seedling Gladioluses that were, planted in 
some new loam, which he found after¬ 
wards swarmed with wire-worms, by plac¬ 
ing slices of potatoes and lettuce stalks in 
the ground after he found that some of the 
plants were flagging. 
giarir of a pluralist. 
DAILY RURAL LIFE. 
From the Diary of a Centleman near New 
York City. 
THE VIRBIUA OR YELL0WW00D. 
Any. 10.—“This is one of the very hand¬ 
somest and neatest of ornamental trees,” 
says Dr. Gray in his “ School and Field Bot 
any ;” and while all who know this I ree will 
agree with him, it should also be added that 
it is one which is almost universally omitted 
from lists of choice kinds. J was reminded 
of the words of T)r. GRAY while standing in 
the shade of a splendid specimen on my lawn 
which was a mere whipstalk when planted 
ten years ago. The Yellow-wood tree (Ola- 
drast/s tinrtoria) is a native of Kentucky 
and further south, growing on rich hillsides, 
but it is also quite Hardy throughout the 
Northern States. In the CambridgeBotanic 
Garden, near Boston, there is a magnificent 
specimen planted t here more than fifty years 
ago, hence the honored botanist alluded to 
above has had abundant opportunities for 
learning its merits. When standing alone 
this tree assumes a broad, round head with 
a very graceful outline, being well furnished 
with slender, delicate branches. The bark 
is of u gray, ashen color, very smooth, not 
unlike the beech in this respect; the wood is 
fine-grained, hard and firm, of a pale, yellow 
iah color ; hence its common name. The sap 
of this tree flows as abundantly in the spring 
from wounds made in the wood us it does 
from I he sugar maple, and it is also decidedly 
saccharine ; but whether sweet enough to 
make sugar or not is a point which 1 think 
lias never been practically determined. The 
leaves are large, odd-pinnat e, rich green and 
smooth ; flowers white, or cream white, 
about an inch long, and produced in droop¬ 
ing panicles a foot long. My specimen tree 
bloomed this season the last of May, and 
while the general appearance of the flowers 
reminds one of the common locust, still they 
are so much larger and the general character 
of the foliage and habit of the tree so widely 
different, no one would be likely to confound 
the two. The seeds of the Yellow-wood are 
very similar to the common locust and grow 
quite us readily. 
It is rather strange that such a handsome 
and valuable ornamental tree should be so 
seldom seen in cultivation, and lean account 
for it upon no other hypothesis than a neglect 
of frequent application of printer’s ink. In 
other words, it requires “talking upland 
writing up through the agricultural and hor¬ 
ticultural press. The tree possesses sufficient 
merit to make it popular; but the masses 
have not as yet been made, acquainted with 
it , hence its scarcity even in good collections 
of other trees. This will also apply to another 
beautiful and almost universally neglected 
native forest tree, the 
PIN OAK OR SWAMP OAK, 
With its deeply cut and glossy leaves, rival¬ 
ing in beauty many of the foreign kinds of 
trees, of late so much sought for on account 
of their delicate, and graceful foliage. The 
recently introduced fern-leaved maples, from 
Japan, ns well as the better known cut¬ 
leaved alder and beech, are certainly well 
worthy of all the praise bestowed upon 
them, but our own common swamp oak 
(Qucrcus jnilus(ris) is not one wliit behind 
the best of them, if giveu the same opportu¬ 
nities for displaying its beauties. This oak, as 
its name implies, grows more abundantly in 
swamps and low grounds than elsewhere, 
but it will thrive in any good, rich soil, and 
its general form when given plenty of room 
is all that could be desired, and it is unsur¬ 
passed among deciduous ornamental trees, 
not valued for their flowers. It also pos¬ 
sesses the additional merit of being valuable 
for it s wood, either for fuel or timber. 
TWELVE GOOD GLADIOLUSES. 
Any. 11.—Every summer as my Gladio¬ 
luses come into bloom I am reminded that 
everybody has not the good fortune to pos¬ 
sess a good collection of i hose queens of the 
lily tribe. For gorgeous colors and perfec¬ 
tion in form of flowers there are few plants 
which will equal the Gladiolus, and in addi¬ 
tion they arc of easy culture, and readily 
preserved from year to year. But the num¬ 
ber of really superb sorts is so great that it 
becomes a difficult matter to select a few of 
the very best, even should we extend it s list 
to fifty or a hundred sorts. New varieties 
appear every year and are at first sold high, 
but then prices should never be taken as u 
criterion of merit, because some of the old 
and cheap sorts are far superior to the new 
and high-priced. 
Newness is frequently the only reeom 
mendation of a variety of gladiolus or other 
plants, and as soon as this is past it is thrown 
aside as inferior or worthless. Several of 
my correspondents have asked me for a list 
of a dozen choice Gladioluses, and the follow¬ 
ing are the cream of some seventy-five 
which 1 find in bloom to-day, Perhaps a 
few days earlier I might have made some 
changes, but those named are really superb, 
although many more could he added equally 
good. 
Antonins .—Beautiful cherry color, slight 
ly tinged with orange, with delicate stripes 
of white. 
Dell Oabrielle .—Very large, rose color, 
mottled with deep rose. 
Bertha Habourdtn.— Large, pure white, 
with carmine stain. 
Bernard dc Jussieu.— Violet ground; 
shaded and tinted with cherry and purple, 
and purple stains on a white ground. 
llorteme .—Rose color, on a white ground; 
with bright carmine stains. 
Imperatriot Eugenic. — White ground, 
blazed with violet. 
La Favorite. -Rose color, blazed with car¬ 
mine; lower petals light yellow. 
Napoleon III.— Brilliant scarlet, with 
white stripe in lower petals. 
Nemesis. — Bright rose, with carmine spots 
on a yellowish ground. 
I’rincesse Marie de Cambridge. —White, 
with very large carmine stains; a superb 
variety. 
Picoli .—Deep rose and white ; curiously 
blotched. 
Sol/aterre.— Deep lemon yellow, with 
light crimson stains. 
PERENNIAL PHLOXES. 
Adjoining my Gladiolus bed 1 have another 
filled with hardy perennial Phloxes, which 
rival the former in the brilliancy of their 
flowers, although not in number of shades 
of color. They are, however, almost indis¬ 
pensable In a garden where anything like a 
succession of showy flowers is attempted, 
but like the Gladiolus, it is difficult to name 
the best, because the number of varieties 
in cultivation is almost innumerable. Borne 
of the very old sorts are i-:t ill unique in pecu¬ 
liar variegations of color, although some 
progress is being made in size of truss or in¬ 
dividual flowers Among the most desirable, 
at least those which please me best, are Cross 
of St. Louis, outer edge of each petal pure 
white, center crimson. Fusi Hama .— 
Flowers brilliant deep crimson : plant rather 
dwArf inhabit. Hebe .—Flowers pure white, 
with deep pink eye. Henderson .—Bright 
firev crimson. Fefurre.-—Large flowers, dark 
vivid crimson. Madam Masson ,—Deep red 
or crimson eye, with color gradually shaded 
outward until tips of petals are slightly 
tinged with rose. Madant Fun Houlte .— 
Bright, red, each petal distinctly tinped with 
dark crimson, Hoi Leopold. --While, with 
center of each petal distinctly striped with 
crimson. Triomphe de Ticiekle .—The most, 
showy and brilliant of all the variegated 
sorts’; flowers white and bright crimson, 
produced in an immense truss. 
Tlu* above are all old so its comparatively, 
but I huve seen nothing among the late 
novelties that suits my taste better. 
THE GRANGER’S CARDINAL CONFESSION 
OF FAITH. 
Acrostfcally Defined. 
FAiTn in the First Great Cause of all, 
As our true polar-star and guide, 
Is the Patron's first duty's call, 
That In him must always abide. 
Hallowing each act and thought withal. 
HOPE, he nurtures as a life-spring. 
Opening to tlio pilgrims of life 
Path# that will Joy and sunshine bring. 
Escaping time’s besetting strife. 
CyAlMTV, virtue’s sweet employ, 
He dispeusetb with cheerful hnnd, 
And seeks, ere his own, his brother’s joy; 
Rarest of virtues though lc bo. 
In every Patron’s heart we see. 
The power of Its chanu benign, 
Yet inviting all to Its shrine. 
Fidelity ! The crowning glory 
In the Patron’s faith and life; 
Deem not our life's fitful story, 
E’en though with incidents most rife, 
Labor lost to humanity. 
If pure Faith, Hope, sweet Charity, 
True Fidelity’s charm as well,— 
Ye let these virtues with ye dwell. 
Hart Uuatt, In Pacific Rural Press. 
♦ * » 
PROBLEMS FOR PATRONS.-I. 
My Dear Colonel Moore In the. de¬ 
partment of your paper devoted to Patrons 
of Husbandry I read much that emanates 
from Patrons—some that lias its origin in 
the mind prejudiced against that Order, and 
very little from any one who is neither a 
Patron nor yet entirely opposed to the 
Grange movement. In the ranks of the 
latter I desire to lie enrolled. There is much 
to be said on either side which would be un¬ 
answerable by the other, and, while we 
criticise the Order for its many sins of omis¬ 
sion and commission, we cannot but admire 
the benevolent spirit which appears to per¬ 
vade much of its literature and the admir¬ 
able results which it has accomplished in 
many localities. The Farmer or Patron is, 
to no inconsiderable extent, in his temporal 
instincts, perpetually antagonistic to all who 
are not farmers. lie ia the producer, whose 
duty is to do the best he can with his pro¬ 
duce, while all others are consumers, whose 
duty is to make the best possible terms 
with him. 
The Patron would say that he is on perfect 
terms of amity with all the world, except 
soulless corporations and grasping middle¬ 
men ; but in takiug that position, he assumes 
much the same attitude as the farmer who 
prays constantly and persistently for rain 
when rain would surely destroy much valu¬ 
able property belonging to his neighbor the 
miller. The corporate officer or the middle¬ 
man would say that the Grange movement 
is thrust forward in the interest of shrewd 
politicians and for the sole advantage of a 
few self careful leaders, and he would there¬ 
by stand on the same ground with the man 
who condemns all Christianity because of a 
few hypocrites in the church. They would 
both be wrong and both be right so far as 
their own prejudices Wculd permit. The 
soulless corporations and the grasping mid¬ 
dlemen could not exist without the patron 
age of the producer, and what would be the 
value of all the productions of the world ex¬ 
cept to supply the wants of the consumer I 
And that brings me to the very point of this 
subject. 
Divided into the two classes above-men¬ 
tioned, the integral parts of the great hu¬ 
man family of industry are mutually de¬ 
pendent upon each other. For one to at¬ 
tempt to make war upon the other is much 
like the man on the limb of the tree who 
severs it between the trunk and himself. 
Both must go down together. This mutual 
dependence of industries seems to be one of 
Nature’s laws, which have always proved to 
bo wise and beneficial to mankind. It is the 
natural sequence of the frequent contact of 
men with each other, which results in what 
we term civilization, in its turn producing a 
higher manhood. Still, evils which accom¬ 
pany these results must be corrected, as they 
refuse to correct themselves. How, then, to 
correct them, becomes the question which 
must be answered. Will it furnish its own 
answer l I think not. Medio. 
Westchester, X. Y., Aug. 5,1S74. 
-♦ -- 
Installing Officers.— A Past Master of a 
Subordinate Grange was elected Secretary. 
The question arose, could the Secretary- 
elect install the other officers, and lie in turn 
be installed hy the new Master t Certainly, 
and with the utmost propriety, because Past 
Musters are members of the State Grange, 
and hence have authority to install officers 
of their own or other Granges. And after 
installation the new Master has the same 
powers, for then he, too, is a member of the 
State Grange, 
