832 
DEC. 48 
should not be confounded with the Cotton 
worm—has the scientific name of Lucania uni- 
puncta, and has been known in the United 
States since 1743. but its history and ravages 
attracted little attention until since 1861. 
The adult insect is a night-flying moth of a 
dull brown color and nearly two inches in 
width when its wings are expanded. The eggs 
and manner in which they are laid, as well as 
the pupa, which is of a dark-brown color and 
nearly three fourths of an inch in length, are 
shown at figure 449. These remarks will help 
to locate and determine the insect, but it is the 
larva, or worm, which does the injury. 
thing choice and remarkably hardy, whereas, 
in fact, fruit of this kind ib no better than the 
bitterest wild crab I have ever tasted. I also 
saw a lot of “ Quaker Beauty " apple trees sold 
under various other names, though no one who 
knows this sort wants it. Ben Davis has often 
been sold for Pewaukee. Forked, crooked and 
stunted four or five-year-old trees have been 
sold for first-class three year olds. Whole 
car loads of trees have been bought up at the 
South, after all that could be sold in the home 
market had been culled out, and these refuse 
trees have been carried up to the north of us 
and again brought South and sold as Northern 
trees, after having been shipped and reshipped, 
exposed to the sun and winds often for hours 
and not niifrequcntly frozen and thawed be¬ 
fore reaching their destination. In this neigh¬ 
borhood agents sold the people large bills of 
such trees by representing that they were 
themselvea connected with a particular church 
here. 
The man who has been swindled himself by 
these sharpers ean warn others with greater 
force than the man who has escaped their 
snares. 1 belong to the former class, having 
bought a lot of common apple trees on condi¬ 
tion that a specified number of choice sorts 
should be sent with them at the same price. 
The common varieties came to hand, but only 
one of the choice sorts, and of this only one- 
tblrd of the number of specimens promised. 
Frequently 1 have been asked by strangers to 
make out a bill of trees at my owu price, in 
order that they might get my name on their 
books so as to get a good 6tart among my 
neighbors. One agent showed me hiBeontract 
with the firm he was working for, and by it 
more than half his sales had to be of trees of 
such kinds as were thought good 
well as the old Dutch or Evergreen. This may 
possibly be so in some localities, but it is quite 
at variance with my experience and observa¬ 
tion. It has also been said that it docB not 
bloom quite so early or quite so late. This, 
too,' is inconsistent with ray experience. With 
me, and wherever I have seen the true kind, 
it blooms early and continuously till late in 
the Fall, It is also a dense mass of foliage, as 
a general thing, till mid-winter has been long 
past and gone, and it is no uncommon thing 
to see old leaves and new side by side in the 
Spring. The flowers are abundant and deli¬ 
ciously fragrant. In these respects, I think it 
will compare favorably with the best of the 
old kinds. But I have auolher claim for it, 
which places it above and before all the others. 
It is well-known to all who have grown the 
honeysuckle that the old kinds are fearfully 
subject to the aphis and mildew. On the piazza 
where ladies are accustomed to sit on pleasant 
afternoons, this aphis is a disgusting nuisance. 
If one brushes againBt the plant she becomes 
covered with these pests, and her pleasure for 
the lime is gone. To be brief, I have grown 
Rail’s Honeysuckle for a number of years, and 
I have found it to be free from these serious 
drawbacks, and a clean plant to handle at all 
times; so much so, that I removed ail the 
other kinds from the piazza about four years 
ago and icplaced them with Hall’s, and have 
never regretted it. 1 now never use any other 
kind to plant near the house. Some of the 
others are very pretty, hut they must go to the 
background till they can present more cleanly 
habits. 1, therefore, name Lonicera Haliiana, 
(or, if you prefer it, Lonicera Japoniea var. 
J lallii) as another subject for your list of hardy 
Bhrubs, to be used around the piazza and simi¬ 
lar places; but I do not wish to be understood 
as discarding ihe others. 
RAISING BROILERS IN WINTER 
L. 8. HARDIN 
(Incubator experience continued.) 
The incubator has been running quite steadily 
for the last tew weeks, giving but little trouble 
to keep a regular temperature in the oven; 
but now that bitter cold weather has set in, I 
am having some bother. The bottom of the 
incubator is very thin, with no protection 
against the weather. In fact, it has numerous 
holes to let the air pass through. This is on 
the theory that the nest being naturally upon 
the ground, a cold bottom is necessary. In 
extremely cold weather we get a litile too 
much of this, and while the air in the oven 
marks the correct temperature on a thermom¬ 
eter hung over the eggs, one laid on them indi¬ 
cates too low a temperature. To avoid this 
trouble, 1 must change the gauge and heat the 
air to a higher temperature in the oven, Bay 
to 106 degrees. As the room warms up after 
the adjacent kitchen fire has been going all 
day, the eggs become too warm, which must 
be guarded against. The gauge to my ma¬ 
chine requires several hours to regulate it 
after changing, and to save this trouble I have 
put a ventilator in the top ot the oven, which 
I open gradually as the rooui warms up, aud 
thus keep the eggs at the right temperature. 
There is u peculiarity about the temperature 
of the eggs—the oldest are always the warmest, 
while those last put !o the oven are one or two 
degrees cooler, according to age. iu order to 
get at the mean temperature wheu all the eggs 
are subjected to the same degree of heat, the 
thermometer should be kept on those nearest 
ten days old. To provide against the incon¬ 
venience ol this requirement some Incubators 
have different, degrees of heat In different 
drawers, which is a good provision. Iu my 
machine there are also about two degrees, 
variation of heat between the eggs nearest the 
center and those at the outer edge of the pan. 
In order to give all as nearly as possible the 
same advantage, wheu they are turned the 
position of the eggs should be changed, those 
on the outer circle being put in the center and 
vice versa. The sand should not he allowed to 
get packed too hard, and to prevent this, at 
least once in three weeks the eggs should be 
put into a fresh pan with the sand well mois¬ 
tened and looseued up. In ray machine 
the pans slope toward the center, aud to pre¬ 
vent the weight of the eggs from injuring the 
air bubble at the larger end, I place all the 
eggs with the pointB inward until the chicks 
are expected to appear, when I reverse them 
to give the chick the advantage of gravitation 
in getting out of the shell. These are email 
matters, but it is u multitude of these little 
things that measures the success or failure iu 
handling eggs and young chicks. 
The Breed for Broiler*. 
Since I get my eggs promiscuously about 
the country, as the chicks feather out I find 
every conceivable breed represented, with 
more or less of purity, the Leghorn and Brah- 
Chicks 
PIG. 450. 
The worm is, when full-grown, about one 
and a half inch in length, as seen at figure 451. 
During the larva or feeding stage, lasting from 
16 to 30 days, it changes or casts its skin five 
times. Its body is of a pale green color, varied 
with longitudinal stripes of yellow, gray and 
black, the gray often so closely dotted with 
black as to be dusky. The worms are found 
eating the leaves and buds of different kinds of 
grasses and cereals, and feeding chiefly at 
night. They commenced feeding in places on 
Long Island about the first of June, 1880. and 
migrated to other places, disappearing in flora 
20 to 30 days. There was but one crop during 
the Bcason, but in some parts of the country 
two and even three are reported. 
The natural habitation of the moth is in low 
marshes or about the wild grass of wet or 
moist places. Iu a dry season it is said to 
breed more abundantly than usual, having an 
unlimited range for feeding; then, if a wet 
season follows, the overflowed swamps drive 
t it out from its lurking place in 
immense numbers, bo that it 
swarms over the adjacent coun¬ 
try, When it has become suffi¬ 
ciently mature to get its wings, 
however, it flies back’ to the 
swamps, finding the open conn- 
' try too dry for It, and in this 
way rejoices the husbandman 
by its disappearance. 
8 The remedy is to keep watch 
ot any piece of lowland and de- 
£? stroy the worms by burning the 
bushes, etc., so as to destroy the 
hibernating insects, or by pois- 
oning them with London-purple, 
I’aris-green, etc,, when possi- 
hie. When they appear in fields 
—J they may be sprinkled with ai- 
Ofaj senic or the above poisons, by 
JW mixing them with water and 
Iffp using a fountain pump. An- 
other method is to plow a f m row 
jESyj or ditch around any infested 
field, which prevents their mi- 
An insect or parasite 
no value 
when started in the seed-bed or nursery row, 
but which had proved failures when old 
enough to sell. 
These are only a few specimens of the tricks 
of tree-peddlers in the Northwest. Moral— 
Before buying, know your man. 
Floyd Co., la, ' Anti-Humbug. 
I am very much pleased with Mr. Stewart’s 
articles on Farming for BoyB. Thus far they 
have been simple, clear aud practical and ad¬ 
mirably adapted lo the understanding and 
capacity of boys. If he can only maintuin 
this lucid style, aud remember all the lime 
that he is talking lo boys, he will furnish an 
invaluable series of articles which many “ boys 
of an older growth " may read with much 
profit. He has a difficult and tedious, but I 
hope loving task before him, and 1 wish him 
all the success which his articles thus far give 
promise of. 
The Beurre d' Anjou Pear nnd Lindley Grape. 
I am happy to 6ec by the Rural, that Patrick 
Barry—than whom no man is better able to 
judge—pronounces so emphatically on the 
excellence of the Beurrd d'Anjou Pear and the 
Llndley Grape. 1 concur fully in his appre¬ 
ciation ot both, and, although it may appear 
egotistical even after forty years of trial, I 
beg to icpeat wbat 1 have often said in our 
pomological conventions, that if I had done 
nothing else beyond introducing the Anjou 
1 should feel that the man who was so fortu¬ 
nate as to have been the medium of doing this, 
would be remembered as a benefactor to Amer¬ 
ican pomology. I have never known it lo fail 
to yield a fair crop, having had, even in this 
poor season, 150 bushels. I have it ou my 
table from October to March, aud, take it all 
in all, Isay with Mr. Barry, *‘it is the beet 
pear in the world." Of the Lindley Grape— 
aud it is time to drop the No. 0, the American 
Pomological Society bavlngjdecided to do this 
long ago—I would also state that from the 
first introduction of Rogers’s grapes I have 
considered it one of the most reliable varieties. 
Its quality is but little below that of the Dela¬ 
ware with me, while in size, beauty, vigor and 
hardiness it is superior. As a proof of its excel¬ 
lence, I selected samples of both, taking small 
berries of the Lindley, so as to have them in 
appearance as much alike as possible, and had 
them tested by connoiseurs. Nine out of eleven 
persons preferred the Lindley. 
Dorchester, Maas. Marshall P. Wii.ukk. 
I am strongly moved to add here a few 
simple words to the memory of the late Mrs. 
Charles Downing. Her relation to the horti¬ 
cultural world was of a peculiar nature, and 
deserves recognition. It may be safely said 
that no woman ever entertained so many hor¬ 
ticulturists as she did. la ibis aud other ways 
Bbe materially helped the cause, and is en¬ 
titled to respectful mention and remembrance. 
She had a nice taste for fruits, and wa6 passion¬ 
ately fond of flowers which she grew largely. 
Having no children of her own, she went about 
doing good among the children of the poor, 
and in the church and outof it she waB known 
for her many acts ol benevolence. In thiB 
field of labor she will long be gratefully remem¬ 
bered. Above all, her daily walk was a beau¬ 
tiful example of a consistent Cliristiau life aud 
faith, which enabled her to bear years ot pain¬ 
ful suffering without complaiulug, aud at last 
to fall asleep, as it, were, so peacefully that 
none knew when she departed [May her 
worthy husband long be spared to us.— Eds ] 
ma blood largely predominating, 
that become heavily feathered early, grow 
slowly aud are sure to be the flrBt to fall ill, be¬ 
ing appaiently weakened, as though the pro¬ 
duction of the heavy coat of feathers had sap¬ 
ped the life-blood iu them. Those with partly 
nude bodies even in the coldest, weather seem 
to suffer less from exposure than the others, 
aud grow much more rapidly. They are full 
of blood, with bright-red combs- and vigorous 
appetites. From the present outlook, theoreti¬ 
cally, for I have had no actual experience as 
yet, the most perfect cross, considering con¬ 
stitution, which is the vital point of profit, 
would be that of a Brahma cock with Houdan 
hens. I call constitutlou the “ vital point," 
for while quality of flesh. aB of the Dorking, 
tells well in market, thiB cau be acquired by 
correct feeding; while a little chick is a deli¬ 
cate subject to (leal with, and the rate of mor¬ 
tality is by far the most dangerous feature in 
the business so far as a square profit Is con¬ 
cerned. With a wise and judicious selection 
of breeding stock, together with proper hand¬ 
ling and care, trouble from tills cause can be 
greatly remedied, but iu my experience the 
cost ot ruunlng the incubator and of buyiug 
eggs aud feed for the chicks, is not of so 
much importance as the keuping of the chicks 
alive. In my case the mortality among 80 
chicks iB about one a day. If the same num¬ 
ber of chicks were running with hens, the 
number lost could only be guessed at, for 
those lost in the weeds or otherwise would 
not be missed, and I am sure under such cir¬ 
cumstances I would consider myself doing 
wonderfully well to bIiow as good results aa I 
uow do. 
Accident*. 
To manage 80 chicks, two brooders and an 
incubator, without previous experience, and 
the mercury near the freezing point, requires 
aBtcady hand and the greatest vigilance to pre¬ 
vent an occasional accident. I have not bro¬ 
ken a half dozen eggs since I started, but 
HjfX gration 
upon the Army worm, and which 
wBD i destroys a great number, is the 
W f Tachina fly—Neraorpna lucaniic 
■ I —which is shown at figure 450. 
Iff and haB much the appearance 
Iff of the ordinary house fly, and 
1/ isfound in great numbers where 
the Army worm abounds. It is 
thought the crop of worms will 
be lighter next year from the 
known exiBteuee of great num- 
fig. 451. berB of these parasites. The fly 
lays its eggs, often as many as 18, upou a sin¬ 
gle Worm, in such a manner that the latter 
cannot destroy them. Here the eggs hatch and 
the laryie eat into aud destroy the worm. The 
birds are among the best friends of the farmer 
in destroying these peBts. 
THE TREE-PEDDLERS OF THE NORTH 
WEST. 
THE ARMY WORM 
These remarks are penned wholly from a 
sense of duty, in Ihe hope that they may help 
to guard the honest, industrious citizen from 
being victimized by the glib and wily tongues 
of the above class. While 1 speak of facts, I 
omit names, not caring to be personal, and 
because I wish to warn the community against 
a class rather than against individual dealers, 
and not being a tree dealer myself 1 have no 
competitor to abuse. 
The clasB of men 1 refer to are always stran¬ 
gers aud nearly always from some other State. 
The territory they seek to pillage is that occu¬ 
pied by new and inexperienced settlers, and 
they always shun the old settler with his years 
of experience. Men living north of us have 
sent their agents down through the northern 
part of Iowa, each year taking a new strip at 
a distance from that “ worked " the year be¬ 
fore. Lurge lots of plums have been Bold by 
them, under the name of Miner, at the extrav¬ 
agant price of 50 cents aud 75 cents a tree. 
Had they been the genuine Miner, they would 
have been dear at these figures; but they have 
seldom or never been true to name. Hundreds 
of the once famous Soulard Grabshave been sold 
at the same prices. In my travels through 
Dakota this Fall 1 saw a great many trees of ihe 
same variety sold to new settlers who had been 
made to believe that they had in them some¬ 
This well-known pest, has been often referred 
to, and few parts of the country have not suf¬ 
fered from its depredations. In order that the 
Official Work or Ihe EntouiolOgUt*. 
The work of the U. 8. Entomological Com¬ 
mission has advanced with marked success 
during the present year. Professors Thomas 
and Packard have been engaged in a study of 
the Rocky Mountain Locust, and Professor 
Riley has conducted the cotton-worm investi¬ 
gation. It is thought that the pyrethrmn may 
prove a valuable and safe antidote to the cot¬ 
ton worm, and steps have already been taken 
to Introduce thiB plant in the Southern Slates. 
The result of the locust investigations made by 
Professors Thomas aud Packard and their able 
assistants, Bhows that the Caloptenus spretus 
(the specieB of locust under consideration) lias 
done much less damage this year than usual, 
Utah, Dakota, aud Montana being unusually 
free from its attacks. Investigations will be 
resumed in the Spring of 1881, when Professor 
Packard will take up the work again in the 
Western States and Territories. Ii is thought 
that the locust will never again be as destruc¬ 
tive as in the past. So may it be. 
fig. 449. 
farmer may know exactly wbat it is he haB to 
deal with when it appears upon his crops, we 
reproduce new illustrations of it from Prof. 
Comstock's description in the forth-comingRe- 
port of the Department of Agriculture, show¬ 
ing the beetle, the worm and the larva. See 
figures 449, 450, 451. The Army worm—which 
