ly so on the opposite side. Their average di¬ 
ameter is one-twentieth of an inch. The gen¬ 
eral color is reddish-brown, differing in inten¬ 
sity with the stage of development. The sur¬ 
face of each egg is marked with numerous del¬ 
icate ridges, which meet at the center. We 
have not proof positive fchut these are the eggs 
of this leaf miner, but their size, appearance 
and place of deposit seem to indicate that they 
are 
The work of the larva is welt shown in the 
engraving, Fig. 523, and also the larva itself, 
highly magnified. From a study of the mines 
the larva appears to burrow towards the end 
of the leaf first. Should it arrive at the end 
of the leaf (and it almost invariably does) be¬ 
fore attaining full growth, it reverses its posi¬ 
tion and mines towards the base. The hole of 
entrance and of future exit is apparently in 
all cases enlarged and the excrement pushed 
through, as there is but little to lie discovered 
in the mine, while it can always be found in a 
greater or less quantity at the opening or on 
the leaves below. No instance has been ob¬ 
served in which one larva has injured more 
than a single leaf of the Pitch Pino, but a 
specimen of this insect was found in Virginia 
upon the common Scrub Pine (P. inops), the 
leaves of which are shorter and more slender 
than those of the Pitch Pine, and, from obser¬ 
vations made upon this specimen, it would 
seem that one leuf, if small, does not afford all 
the food needed by a larva. 
When found, on the 1st of January, this 
specimen was hibernating, the mouth of its 
burrow being covered with a thin silken cur¬ 
tain. Six days after, being transferred to a 
warm room, it was found that this curtain had 
been broken and the insect had left its mine. 
It was soon found on another leaf and the 
same day formed a new' burrow, where it con¬ 
tinued to eat until January 23, at which time it 
had completely excavated the leaf. After 
this date all operations appear to have been 
suspended, ami there were no signs of life in 
the burrow until March 3, when a parasite 
issued. 
Leaves of Pitch Pine are frequently ob¬ 
served to be completely mined out, and nearly 
full grown larvee are occasionally found 
crawling about over the leaves and twigs; so 
it seems probable that with this species of 
pine also two leaves may sometimes be suc¬ 
cessively mined by the same larva. 
The full-grown lurva is nearly one-fifth of 
an inch in length. Its color is light brown, 
with the head and the shields on the second 
and last segments black. The body is clothed 
with a few delicate hairs. The form of the 
larva is shown in the cut. Upon reaching full 
growth the larva spins a slight covering to 
the mouth of the mine and retreats a short 
distance above it. There, after spinning a few 
supporting lines of silk, it becomes transform¬ 
ed to a long and slender pupa, which is light 
brown at first, but afterw ards black. When 
removed from the mine the pupa is very act¬ 
ive, jerking the short part of the abdomen, 
which extends below the wing cases, from side 
to side with rapidity. The form of the insect 
in this stage is shown in the upper left-hand 
corner of the engraving, it forcibly suggests 
that the creature has been developed in nar¬ 
row quarters. The duration of the pupa state 
is from 10 to 14 days. Tho moth makes its 
exit from the pupa shell without disturbing 
the position of the latter, leaving it attached 
by its threads some distance up the mine, and 
works its w ay to the entrance. The moth is 
represented in the lower part of the cut, much 
enlarged. I ts expanse of wings is three-eighths 
of uu inch; its color is brownish-yellow, with 
the fore wings marked by three white bands. 
The scientific name of the insect is Gelechia 
pinifoliella. 
i have observed this species more abundant¬ 
ly on the Fitch Fine in New York than else¬ 
where. Hut it infests several species of pine; 
and is found, to my knowledge, in all of tho 
Atlantic States from New York to Georgia. 
When 1 first observed it ut Ithaca it was uot 
very abundant; but it increased steadily till 
two years ago the Pitch Pines in this vicinity 
were so badly infested that the general color 
of the foliage w as brown instead of groen, 
nearly every leaf being mined by the larvae. 
It seemed ’ut that time as if the death of the 
trees must soon follow, as there was no prac¬ 
ticable way of protecting them from the post. 
The larvae, working, as they do, within the 
substance of the leaf, are beyond the reach of 
the substances which are used to destroy insects 
Fortunately, however, although the little leaf 
miner is protected from the attacks of man, it 
is uot secure from tho enemies belonging to its 
own class. I found three species of parasites 
preying upon it. Anil to-day, ns I look from 
my laboratory window, 1 see an excellent il¬ 
lustration of the important results brought 
about by these parasites. Tho trees which two 
years ago were brown and apparently dying 
ar e to-day green and vigorous. A close ex¬ 
amination reveals tho presence of a few leaf 
mines, but not one where there were fifty 
two years ago. 
Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y. 
iiXi scclt ancous. 
RURAL BRIEFLETS. 
A writer in the Ohio Farmer pokes fun at 
our statement that in order to improve a 
given variety of wheat, kernels should be se¬ 
lected from tbe middle of the ear or a little 
above it. “Now just fancy a man,” be says, 
“ thus preparing the beads for a hundred 
bushels of seed wheat. Wouldn’t he have a 
a nice job?” Wo have found that the flowers 
just above the middle of a w'heat head are the 
first to bloom and that the kernels are there¬ 
fore the first to mature. In seeking to im¬ 
prove a given kind of wheat, w*e cannot begin 
with the entire field. It must be done either 
by selection or cross-breeding. It is very 
easy to ridicule tho efforts of those who by 
patient work are trying to effect some good 
purpose. Mr. Stahl might just as well ridi- I 
cule us for spending from two to four hours I 
every pleasant day in our wheat fields while 
engaged in tho tedious wox-k of crossing 
wheats. As the result of the season’s work 
we had barely a thimbleful of seeds to show. 
But from this little quantity of seed Mr. 
Stahl may some day be glad to sow a part of 
the product. That it would be absurd for 
every farmer to select his seed-wheat by shel¬ 
ling out by hand the middle kernels of the 
best heads, or even as he would select his seed- 
corn, is very evident, and this was stated in 
the article criticized. 
The Normuutown Wonder, Dutneller or 
Wellington Apple, as it is severally known in 
England, is said to lie of large size, highly pro¬ 
lific and possessed of first-rate keeping quali¬ 
ties. It meets with a ready sale in the Lon¬ 
don markets. W T e should be glad to know if 
this apple has been tried in this country and 
with what results... 
Two new double Tropmolurus are announced 
in France—one bearing scarlet, the other yel¬ 
low tlowers as large as those of double portu- 
laca and quite resembling them. They may 
be looked for in florists' Spring catalogues, we 
presume.... 
We learn that Professor Blouut enters as a 
competitor for our wheat premiums. We 
hope that every Rural subscriber that owns 
a square rod of land will strive either for the 
wheat or corn premiums. It may be well 
thus early to state that the Fultzo-Clawson 
wheat is to be planted upon a plot 33 feet 
square (one fortieth of an acre) one grain every 
12 inches apart either u>cty. As for the Sur¬ 
prise wheat, each competitor will treat it as 
he chooses. There is but one premium offered 
in connection with this—twenty-five dollars 
for the best five beads. Only a few grains 
will be sent of the Surprise, as has already 
been stated, since we havo but a small quan¬ 
tity of seed. 
Professor Blount writes us: “Iliad a plen¬ 
ty of Black-bearded Centennial with white 
beard. As you say, wheat of the same kind 
will sometimes vary in chaff, beards and oven 
color of kernels. This n rises from climatic 
changes such as showers succeeded by hot 
suns as well as from soils.”. 
A friend, who has made wheat a study for 
years, writes us as follows:—“I have read 
with interest your correspondence with 
Messrs. IIuincs & Co. in regard to the identity 
of the Black-1 awarded Centennial and theGold- 
en Grains wheats. I have all the while be¬ 
lieved you to bo right. What you say about 
the flour-making quality of either of these 
wheats is apparent to the most wireless ob¬ 
server. They are very soft and will not 
make as good flour as the Clawson. It ap¬ 
peal's to me that if you wish to trace the his¬ 
tory of the Black-bearded Centennial you 
might get on the track by writing to the De¬ 
partment of Agriculture and ascertaining 
where they obtained the supply which they 
distributed several years ago. I am not cer¬ 
tain, but I think it is stated in the Virginia 
Commissioner’s report that this wheat was 
imported by the Department from Australia. 
It was among the Australian exhibits at the 
Centennial. If Messrs. Haines got the Golden 
Grains from the Willammette Valley, Oregon, 
there is nothing more likely than that it was 
also brought there from Australia.”. 
Effects of Frequent Cultivation.— 
From the Report of the Illinois Industrial Uni¬ 
versity for 1880, we select several very inter¬ 
esting parts: In an experiment to compare 
common with frequent cultivation of com, a 
plat was planted June 14. One-half, in alter¬ 
nate strips of four rows, was cultivated six 
times during the month of July: the other 
half three times. The result was as follows: 
Founds. 
Four rows, cultivated 3 times.229 0) 
“ “ 6 " .. .2F2 ('ill 
•* 
3 
“ .259 70 
44 
“ 
G 
“ .*>2i1 70 
** 
•* 
3 
“ . :«i so 
«* 
6 
“ . .329 70 
»* 
41 
3 
» .315 no 
(4 
G 
“ .299 fio 
“ 
44 
3 
“ .27fi 50 
(( 
44 
fi 
“ .2<>9 50 
“ 
>1 
3 
•• .2<il 90 
“ 
44 
3 
“ .295 HO 
“ 
3 
*• .27K 50 
44 
fi 
44 .284 *.«» 
44 
3 
“ .291 90 
44 
41 
fi 
•* only three rows.. ,2u 4o 
Averages of rows cultivated fi times.2<i3 07 
“ « “ 3 .243 89 
Frequent cultivation gave an increase in 
yield of something over eight per cent. In an¬ 
other experiment of the same nature the in¬ 
crease was a little over five per cent. 
Shrinkage and per cent, of Cob. —As 
shown in the report of Prof. Scovell, Agricul¬ 
tural Chemist, the average shrinkage of ten 
ears of each of six varieties of yellow dent 
com, gathered October 7, 1879—when all was 
fairly matured except one variety—and kept 
in a warm room until February 38, 18.80, was 
12.1, 16.8, 17.4, 22.5, 22.8 and 88 per cent. The 
percentage of cob at same date, taking varie¬ 
ties in same order, was 12.3, 10, 12.0, 15, Hand 
14.4—the average being 13.7 per cent. In an¬ 
other trial in 1S80, of corn well dried in a 
warm room, tho average percentage of cob in 
specimen ears of fourteen dent varieties was 
a little over 14. The varieties were from 10 to 
a little over 20 per cent. The w ight of the 
cob varied from one ounce to two-aud-one- 
fourth ounces. 
Conveying Water by a Siphon. —Water 
being required for pasture lots on tbe farm of 
the Industrial University, reports Mr. E. L. 
Lawrence, the head farmer, the attempt was 
made to supply it from wells, located high 
enough above low portions of the lots to permit 
the use of a long siphon, by w hieh the water 
should run up and out of the well in a steady 
stream to the point required. Aside from the 
collection of air in the tubing, there is no 
probability of this getting out of order as is 
tho case with the wind-mill; there is no ma¬ 
chinery to wear out and there is no cessation 
of action. The first expense, of course, de¬ 
pends upon the depth of the well, and the dis¬ 
tance the water is to be carried. In many 
cases, however, this is much less than the orig¬ 
inal cost of the wind-mill. The two trials 
made have proved eminently successful. 
With tho view of obtaining water by means 
of the siphon, for stock supply, the following 
experiments were made: First, in July, 1878, 
under the following conditions: Well nine feet 
deep to bottom, depth of water from two to 
4 hi feet, size of pipe used, one-half inch. Dis¬ 
tance from well to tank, 700 feet. Pipe laid 
feet below the surface. Highest point 
where pipe is laid, above bottoniof well, nine 
feet. An excavation of feet was made 
for place to set the tank, and one side planked 
over, with tile laid underneath connecting with 
a previously laid drain, 100 feet further down 
the slope, with a pipe connecting with the 
pipe to carry off the overflow from the tank. 
The cost of this is given as follows: 
Tank holding 12 barrels. ...... 
7(» feet U Inch Has pine & 3c. 
Digging and lllling (im feel of ditch... 
Excavating for tank, fitting pipe, etc 
$ 9 75 
21 00 
9 (.0 
. 15 00 
Total. .*5* 75 
To remove the air from the pipe a common 
cistern pump, costing 83 was used. The result 
of this may be briefly stated. Whenever there 
is four feet or over of water in the well, the 
flow is uninterrupted and continuous; thus 
from October, 1879, to May, 1880, it never 
stopped, and never froze during the Winter. 
When the water in the well falls below four 
feet, it is necessary to use the pump to remove 
air from the pipe that accumulates at the 
summit. With three feet in the well, the 
pump must be used for about ten minutes, 
about once a week, and oftener if tbe water 
falls below that point. 
The second trial was made about three- 
fourths of a mile from the first, in October, 
1879. In this case the conditions are as fol¬ 
lows: Length of pipe, 1,000 feet. Fall from 
surface of water in well to bottom of tank, 
five feet. Size of pipe used, one inch. Here, 
instead of going over the hill, as in the first 
instance, we went around it and for several 
rods dug down from five to six feet to lay the 
pipe, so that no point is higher than where it 
leaves tho well. This will supply w'ater at all 
times for 100 head of cattle and cost $119. It 
is thought worth $500. 
Sugar from Sorghum.— 1. From careful 
chemical analyses of and practical experi¬ 
ments with Sorghum cane grown on the Uni¬ 
versity Farm, the following general conclu¬ 
sions were reached. It appears that crystal¬ 
lized sugar can lie obtained from sorghum, of 
as goo! a quality as that of the ordinary 
brown sugars found in market. A portion of 
this brown sugar was re-dissolved and the so¬ 
lution passed through a mixture of charcoal 
and clay. On evaporation it yielded a light 
brown sugar, which dried very rapidly in the 
air. and showed no trace of sorghum taste or 
smell. A portion of this product was placed 
in a percolator and the adhering molasses 
washed out. The result was a perfectly white 
sugar. 
2. To insure the production and best yield 
of erystallizable sugar, the juice must be 
treated with lime before heating. If, after 
skimming, the excess of lime be neutralized by 
aluminum sulphate, sulphurous acid, or even 
sulphuric acid, the simp obtained will be of a 
light color; otherwise the excess of lime will 
cause tbe sirup to be dark. 
3. From tbe proximate analysis of the cane, 
it appears that one acre of sorghum produces 
2,559 pounds of cane sugar. Of this amount 
we obtained 710 pounds in the form of good 
brown sugar, and 205 pounds were left in the 
737 pounds of molasses drained from the sugar. 
Hence, sixty-two per cent, of the total amount 
of sugar was lost during the process of manu¬ 
facture. This shows that the method of manu¬ 
facture in general use is very imperfect. 
4. The 710 pouuds of sugar, at eight cents a 
pound, would bring $50.80. The molasses is 
worth, at 25 cents per gallon, $17.75; or the 
products of an acre of sorghum would bring 
$75.55. There is no question that, with preper 
care and apparatus, the above yield can be 
readily doubled. 
5. Nearly two-thirds of the sugar, as has 
been seen, is left in the begasse. This could, 
in great part, bo recovered by percolation 
with water, as is done sometimes in the manu¬ 
facture of beet-root sugar. 
In feeding rutabagas with grain in proper 
proportion as related in the Husbandman, 
Pres. McCann of the Elmira Farmers’ Club 
would count them worth 28 cents when corn 
is a dollar a bushel—that is to say, he con¬ 
siders four bushels of rutabagas worth a little 
more in cattle feeding than a bushel of com, 
when both are fed together. 
G. W, Hoffman thinks that roots used in 
feeding cattle are worth for that purpose not 
more than 10 cents as compared with grain at 
market rates. The main advantage in the use 
of roots is in their favorable action in the im¬ 
provement of condition, not as flesh-making 
food so much as an appetizer and regulator. 
With corn at a dollar he would prefer to use it 
rather than pay 25 cents for rutabagas. His 
estimate of relative values would be not far 
from five of rutabagas or beets or carrots to 
one of corn. Potatoes rate higher. They are 
worth in his feeding nearly half as much as 
corn—say three bushels, perhaps two nnd-a- 
half, of potatoes to one of corn. Common 
flat turnips he ranks about ten to one. All 
these estimates it must be understood are for 
mixed feeding. 
