MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
JULY 31 
(Entomological. 
INSECT DESTROYERS OF INSECTS. 
At Ithaca, N. Y., a useful Farmers’ Club ( 
is maintained. At a recent meeting, Mr. Com- , 
stock, of the Cornell University, gave an ex- ( 
temporaneous address, reported as follows ] 
in the Ithacan. j 
I will confine my remarks to the destruc- , 
tion of noxious insects by natural means. I | 
am led to do this from the fact that many 
people forget that some insects are our _ 
friends. Although it may be that none of 
my hearers are guilty of this mistake, I am 
afraid that you do uot appreciate how many ' 
friends we have among the insects. You 
meet to talk about noxious insects. State 
entomologists are employed to study and re¬ 
port on noxious insects. 
Your sons in agricultural colleges listen to 
lectures on noxious insects, and ere you are 
aware of it, you como to think the adjective 
inseparably connected with the noun, and 
speak only of noxious insects. As a result 
of this, you see in the various agricultural 
journals plans for the wholesale destruction 
of insects—plans, which, if adopted, would 
destroy many more, friends than foes. 
The speaker then exhibited specimens of 
ichneumon files. These insects can usually 
be recognized by their long, slender bodies, 
wasp-like wings, and a long organ, the ovi¬ 
positor, attached to the posterior end of the 
atidomen. There are many species of them, 
probably 2,000 species living in America. 
They are parasites on the young of other 
insects. The female ichneumon fly lays her 
eggs either in nr upon the body of the insect 
upon which her young are to feed. 
When the eggs of ichneumon flies hatch, 
the young grubs begin at once to feed upon 
their victim. There is a curious fact in con¬ 
nection with the manner in which they do 
this. They first eat the fatty portions, care¬ 
fully avoiding the vital organs, so that the 
caterpillar, or other insect, a« the case may 
be, lives on with these creatures inside its 
body and deriving their nutriment from it. 
In many cases tho caterpillar lives until it 
has spun its own cocoon, and it is then killed 
by the parasites. In these cases, the para¬ 
sitic grubs, when fully grown, spin for them¬ 
selves cocoons within the cocoon of their 
victim. .Specimens of these double cocoons 
were exhibited. In other cases the parasitic 
grubs get their growth beforo the caterpillar 
spins a cocoon. They then crawl out of the 
body of tae caterpillar and each spins about 
its body a cocoon. These cocoons they 
fasten sometimes to the body'of their victim. 
They are usually white or yellow. Feeble 
caterpillars may often be seen crawling 
about with many, from fifty to two huudred, 
of these little cocoons attached to their 
bodies. 
After remaining in their cocoons for a time, 
in some species a few days, in other species 
several months, the ichneumon flies escape 
as perfect insects furnished with wings. 
These creatures show a wonderful iustinct 
in discovering a proper place iu which to lay 
their eggs. Tfiey will not lay them in an in¬ 
sect which is already infested. A large 
ichneumon fly will lay only a few eggs, 
sometimes only one, iu each victim, while 
the smaller Bpecies will lay many eggsiua 
single insect ; never so many, however, that 
the young will want for food. These 
creatures seem to have the power of finding 
their victims wherever they may be hid. 
Even those species of insects which bore in 
the trunks of trees are infested by ichneumon 
dies. Mr. Comstock showed specimens of 
Pimplu, an ichneumon fly which has an ovi¬ 
positor from three to four inches in length. 
By means of this ovipositor these insects 
can lay their eggs in the bodies of wood¬ 
boring grubs. It is indeed a wonderful 
power that enables this insect to discover its 
victims concealed as they are within the 
trunks of trees. Wonderful also, is the 
mechanism by which it bores a hole into the 
wood to the depth sometimes of several 
inches. 
Nearly every group of insects is infested by 
ichneumon flies. They usually lay their 
eggs either in or upon the larvae of other in¬ 
sects. But some very small species lay their 
eggs within the eggs of other insects. Mr. 
Comstock exhibited several small ichneumon 
flies, which he had bred from the eggs of the 
katydid, also the shells of the eggs from 
which the ichneumon flies escaped. 
He then spoke of the chaJeis flies. This is 
a large family of insects, there being iu this 
country probably one thousand species. The 
species are of small size, and of bright me¬ 
tallic colors. Habits similar to those of the 
ichneumon flies, they being like them para¬ 
sitic on the young of other insects. They 
differ, however, froiu'tho ichneumon flies in 
this particular, the ma jority of chalcis flies do 
not spin a cocoon, i. e., their pupa? are 
naked. 
A species of chalcis flies preys upon the 
cabbage worm. In a collection of sixty 
chrysalides of this insect, fifty-seven were in¬ 
fested by chalcis flies, only three producing 
butterflies. One can easily see the immense 
harm that a person would do, who collected 
and destroyed indiscriminately a large num¬ 
ber of these chrysalides. 
Mr. Comstock then spoke briefly of the 
following insects. The ground beetles ( Cara- 
bid <*), theb’ack beetles with long legs, very 
common under sticks and stones. They are 
very active, can run very fast, and destroy 
many noxious insects. 
The lady-birds (Caocinellidoe), the little 
hemispherical beetles, generally red or 
yellow with black spots. They are common 
on all plants, and feed on plaut lice and tho 
eggs of insects. 
The aphis lion, an insect which also feeds 
on plant lice and the eggs of insects. This 
insect places its eggs on the stalks, so that 
the first hatched larva cannot destroy the 
remaining eggs. 
Tho speaker then drew the following con 
elusions : 
(treat care is necessary iu the destruction 
of noxious insects, to avoid destroying those 
that are beneficial. From this it follows 
that one should study a species carefully be¬ 
fore waging war against it. 
Don’t destroy caterpillars that have small 
white or yellow cocoons attached to them. 
Such caterpillars are harmless, as they are 
sure to die before arriving at maturity. And 
each little cocoon contains an ichneumon, 
which, if undisturbed, may destroy many 
caterpillars. 
Collect chrysalides of noxious insects, and 
put them in a box covered with gauze ; an old 
sieve will answer. If a sieve or wire netting 
is not at hand, a box can be prepared in a 
few minutes by driving tacks around its 
edge, and passing a cord back and forth, 
thus making a net. The netting should he 
coarse enough to allow the small ichneumon 
flies and chalcis to escape, but line enough to 
retain the butterflies or moths. 
The cocoons and chrysalides of many of our 
noxious insects may he found under boards, 
and attached to fences or buildings m the im¬ 
mediate neighborhood of the infested plants. 
He recommended placing boards between 
the rows in a cabbage patch. The cabbage 
worms will fasten themselves to the under 
side of these boards, to undergo their trans¬ 
formations. The chrysalides can thou be easily 
collected and placed in boxes as recommended 
above. 
these pests. They may, however, be readily 
poisoned in the same manner as the Colorado 
pest, in fact dusting the leaves with lime 
will usually drive them uway for a time at 
least. They are upon the whole an insect 
not to be feared, although if let alone iu un¬ 
disturbed possession of a field of potatoes 
they will sometimes destroy it in a few hours. 
We have ourselves seen immense swarms of 
the striped blister beetles driven from afield 
by sweeping the vines with a branch from a 
tree and no further trouble was experienced 
from the pest during tbe remainder of the 
season. 
OOLDEN GHR’lSOCHUS. 
(Ralph Burroughs.)— The small oval bee¬ 
tles less than half an inch long and of a bril¬ 
liant golden green color above, and purplish 
green color below', is the “ golden ohryso- 
chus” ( Chrysochus auratus). It is one of the 
most brilliant of all our native beetles, and 
not surpassed in color by any found in the 
tropics. It may be found quite abundant 
during the month of July feeding upon the 
dog’s bane (jLpooynUm androstr.mifuliuni) 
a tail-growing, branching, herbaceous plant 
with small, white, flowers. Another species 
of chrysochus is found quite abundant in 
California. It is of u dark cobalt blue color, 
hence its scientific name rhrysochns oobalta- 
vus. We are uot aware that these insects do 
any injury to cultivated plant!, as they feed 
upon wild weeds mainly if not entirely. 
@hf faulty jigat(d. 
BLISTER BEETLES ON POTATOES. 
(F. D. Jellison.)— The two species of bee¬ 
tles sent are not the Colorado potato pest, 
(Doryphora 10-lineata,) but “ blister beetles,” 
1Canlliaiidoe). The large black one is com¬ 
monly called the Btack-iot Blister beetle, 
lEpicanta pensylmnica) and tho smaller one, 
of grayish color, with wing covers finely dot¬ 
ted with black, is the spotted Blister beetle, 
( E . maculata). Both of these, and fully fifty 
more iudigenious specios occasionally attack 
the potato. They sometimes appear iu great 
numbers for a season or two and then disap¬ 
pear altogether from a neighborhood or even 
an entire county. They are found from 
Florida to Oregon, and Maine to Texas, but 
as tho common Irish potato is not cultivated 
to any considerable extent over the entire 
region named, these beetles feed upon other 
plants beside Solonurns. Still all have a sim¬ 
ilar habit, and their general form may be 
described as rather long and slender, with 
soft bodies and wing covers, none of them 
being hard and horn like as we find the true 
Colorado pest, or even the common scaven¬ 
ger beetles. Some of the species are scarcely 
more than three-eighths of an inch long, and 
a sixteenth in diameter, while the largest are 
fully an inch long and a quarter of an iueh 
In diameter. 
If one of these beetles happens to get 
crushed upon the bare flesh it will cause con¬ 
siderable irritation if it does nob actually 
raise a blister, for all contain more or less 
“ Cantharuime,” similar if not identical with 
that secreted by the well known Spanish fly 
(Cantharis vesicatoria.) 
These insects have been known to infest 
the potato ever since America has been set 
tied, lienee they are not new to farmers or 
entomologists. But their migratory habits 
have generally prevented them from doing 
any considerable damage to potatoes in any 
one locality for more than a year or two at 
farthest, hence the little attention paid to 
THE POULTRY-KEEPER.—NO. 26. 
THE MALAY- COCK -GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS. 
The bodysmaller than that of the Cochin ; 
form more creel) than of any other variety ; 
flesh ordinary, bard anil dense ; feathers long 
and straight, lying close on tho body ; thighs, 
shanks and feet strong and long ; shoulders 
projecting ; tail slender and short; comb 
triple and very thick; skin red ; beak and 
feet yellow. 
Weighl. —Eleven pounds. 
Right.— Twenty -nine inches and a half 
from the head to under the feet. 
Body,— Conical, large in front and becom¬ 
ing gradually smaller to behind, where it be¬ 
comes pointed. This shape and tho plumage 
is so slippery and close-flttiug on the bird that 
it is difficult to hold it. The body is much 
inclined from before to the tail, and the 
arched back forms an angle of 45°. The 
thighs and shanks are long, strong and thick. 
There is no variety that has so much flesh on 
the breast and pinions. The wings are placed 
very high and very close to the sides, which 
make tho shoulders very large. 
I lead.— Strong, short and conical, flattened 
on the skull and wide between the eye3. Tho 
red, fleshy part which envelops the whole 
head is very apparent. 
Comb, —Thick, in a single lump, yet one of 
the triple combs covering the base of the 
beak and extending to the middle of the 
skull. 
Wattles.— Middle-sized. 
Ears .—Proportioned to the length of the 
wattles. 
Cheeks.— Large, bare and red. 
Beak. —Short and conical, very strong, 
bent down, and clear yellow. 
Eye. —Malicious, having the expression of 
that of an eagle ; iris rosy yellow ; pupil very 
dark ,• eye covered by an eyelid so much de¬ 
veloped that when seen in front the eye is 
uot visible. The bird's look is always savage 
and menacing. 
Shank of Ley.—Very long and very strong, 
of a bright yellow color. 
Toes.—Strong, long and well clawed, of 
the same color as the ieg. 
Tbe Malay cock is one of those hardly to 
be classed among the lighters. His gait is 
restless aud threatening. His physiognomy 
is cruel, impatient, fierce. He carries the 
head very high ; his neck, straight and slen¬ 
der, gives an angular form to the shoulders. 
His body is very much rai.-ed in front and 
set on long legs, and finished by a slender, 
horizontal tail, composed of short feathers, 
straight and pointed. Somewhat fleshy and 
large in the body, its plumage is smooth and 
close. 
Plumage.— The feathers arc-- very long, 
very straight and without any down, fitting 
close to the body in layers like the scales of a 
fish. They seem varnished, and are very 
slippery. 
There are Malays of many colors, but the 
principal types are — 
The White variety, the most esteemed for 
the good effect they produce when the cocks 
and hens are together, the pure white of the 
feathers, the yellow beak and feet, and the 
red which surrounds the head arc effective. 
Of tho Black variety, the cock is always 
marked with red on the shoulders, though 
the rest of tho plumage is black, and the hen 
is all black. 
The Red variety is bright rod on the 
hackle ; the lancets and the largo wing 
feathers of a deep mahogany red to the 
shoulders, on the breast and thighs of a paler 
red on the sides, on the abdomen and legs ; 
coverts of the wings and the whole of the 
tail brilliant green. The lieu of this variety 
is entirely red, with rosy tints in patches in 
all the varieties. The hackle feathers are 
short and make more apparent a very long 
neck. The tail is short and thin. 
THE MALAY HEN 
has the. same characteristics as the'.cock, and 
has also fighting propensities. She has, like 
him, a conical shape, fierce look, and a dark 
aud cruel eye. The hackle feathers arc ex¬ 
tremely short ami close-fitting on the neck, 
giving to I,his part a very slender appear¬ 
ance, making still more than iu the cock a 
greater prominence of tho shoulders. She 
weighs from fi tbs. IU ozs. t.o 7% His. Lays a 
pretty large number of eggs, having a yelk 
light yellow, very solid. She sits well aud 
brings up her chickens finely. 
The English esteem this variety highly, 
using it for a cross to give weight to birdsfor 
table. I think it should be used with great 
ciicumspection, especially with Cochins or 
Brahmas. Malays are often sold in France 
under the name of “the Brazil,” “the cock 
of Gros-Marne,” sent to the Society of Ac¬ 
climatisation under the name of “the Re¬ 
union cock,” and an amateur member of this 
Society wished, under pretext of a difference 
hardly discernible, to call it “ the Malacca.” 
In conclusion, the variety is useless, and 
its fierce habit makes it impossible to associ¬ 
ate it with our indigenous fowls. Tho de¬ 
testable. fowls known under the fallacious 
names of “ Ganges,” “Bengal,” “Russian” 
aud “ American ” are degenerated or mixed 
descendants of the Malay, 
METHOD OF RAISING TURKEYS. 
“ G. W. H.,” in the Rural of July 3, asks 
“ what is tho matter with his young tur¬ 
keys.” He says they Bland around with 
drooping heads aud wings, are puny and re¬ 
fuse to eat. Your auswor was all correct so 
far as my experience goes, but 1 will give 
him a little further advice. When he dis¬ 
covers that the young turkeys are affected 
as above, let him give one drop tinct. mur. 
iron, in a part teaspoonlul of water three 
times a day ; put tho tincture in the water 
they drink, about ten drops to the pint, as a 
preventive for tho healthy ones. No doubt 
the cause of their being so affected is giving 
them strong food. We never feud corn meal 
or curdled milk, nothing but boiled or baked 
potatoes the first two weeks, then corn meal 
mixed with boiled potatoes and a little sul¬ 
phur. Curdled milk and corn arc binding to 
young turkeys and chicks, which is the cause 
of groat loss. Our method of raisiug youug 
turkeys ia as follows :—We take them from 
the nest as soon as hatched and, as we term 
it, raise them by hand. Wa pub them in a 
small box, with a little fine hay on the bot¬ 
tom, and on pleasant days let them out. On 
putting them up at night in their boxes, we 
sprinkle over them a little sulphur, covering 
the boxes with a cloth and putting them 
where they will be warm. We have to be 
very careful about keeping everthlng clean 
about their boxes und runways. Wc had 40 
brought to the house about four weeks ago, 
aud we treated them as ubuve, with a loss of 
only one. We give them iron in their drink¬ 
ing water to strengthen them and sulphur in 
their food to keep them loose, and sprinkle it 
over them to keep off vermin. With clean¬ 
liness and plenty of plain food there will be 
no trouble in raising them by hand, I never 
found salt injurious to them in bread or 
mashed potatoes as they come from the 
table. When they are four weeks old allow 
them to take care of themselves, being care¬ 
ful to have them properly housed nights and 
in rainy weather. E. A, B. 
-♦<-*- 
A Village of Hens. —Two brothers named 
Gaff have established a mammoth hennery 
in Colorado, ten miles from Denver. It 
covers four acres, which is laid out like a 
village, with streets and avenues. The popu¬ 
lation of the village is about 2 , 000 , divided 
into Brahmas, Cochins, Shanghais, and 
Dorkings, and the chief products are eggs 
and spring chickens. The brothers Calf ex¬ 
press hut a silicic regret, and that is that 
they did not found their colony fifteen 3 ears 
ago, when eggs brought $5 a dozen, and a 
spring chicken was worth a pennyweight of 
gold dust, 
