1898 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
8i7 
The Farmers’ Club 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name and address of 
the writer to insure attention. Before asking a question please 
see whether it is not answered in our advertising columns. Ask 
only a few questions at one time. Put questions on a separate 
piece of paper.] 
The Grain Moth in Wheat. 
IF. B. M. K., Eureka, Pa .—I send you specimens of a new wheat 
pest, new at least to me. What is known about it ? Some crops 
in this vicinity are fit for nothing but chicken or cow feed. The 
grub hatches out after the grain is stored in the mow. I was in 
a barn a day or two ago, where the millers were as thick as flies 
in July. Ought the grain to be thrashed and sold right away, 
or is the mischief all done now ? 
ANSWERED BY PROF. M. Y. 8LINGERLAND. 
The little “millers” sent in by W. B. M. K. are 
known as the Angoumois Grain moth (Gelechia cereal- 
ella). This insect is one of the most destructive pests 
of grain, especially in the South. It is a European in¬ 
sect which has spread so widely during the past cen¬ 
tury as to be now nearly cosmopolitan. Its favorite 
food in America is corn and wheat, but it attacks all 
the other cereals, as well as buckwheat, chick peas 
and cow peas. It has been estimated that, in six 
months, grain infested by this moth loses 40 per cent 
in weight and 75 per cent of farinaceous matter. In 
addition to the loss in weight, the grain is totally 
unfit for human food (probably fowls might get some 
sustenance from it), and it has been said that bread 
made from wheat injured by the insect was the cause 
of an epidemic in certain regions of France infested 
by the moth. The moth is about the size of, and very 
closely resembles, our familiar clothes moth. 
The moth normally deposits its eggs in standing 
grain, singly or in clusters of from 20 to 30. The eggs 
are red in color, and hatch in from four to seven days, 
when the minute caterpillars burrow into the kernels 
and feed on the interior. A single caterpillar inhabits 
a grain of the smaller cereals, but in corn, sustenance 
is afforded for two, three, or more individuals. In 
about three weeks’ time, the caterpillar attains full 
growth, when, without leaving the kernel, it spins a 
thin silken cocoon in which it transforms to a pupa, 
the moth emerging a few days later. Thus the entire 
period from the egg to the adult embraces, in Sum¬ 
mer, from four to five weeks. The moths soon deposit 
their eggs for another brood, and in this manner, 
several generations of the insects are produced in the 
course of a year. In Pennsylvania, there are, prob¬ 
ably, four or five generations annually. 
In some respects, this grain moth is more trouble¬ 
some than any of the other granary insects. Even as 
far north as central Pennsylvania, it lays its eggs on 
grain in the field, and it is, therefore, impossible en¬ 
tirely to prevent infestation. The custom of leaving 
the harvested grain in stack in the field or mow for 
weeks before thrashing, is the cause of, perhaps, the 
greatest proportion of infestation. The introduction 
of the insect into the granary through this channel 
may be practically prevented in the case of the smaller 
cereals by harvesting and thrashing as soon as pos¬ 
sible after the grain reaches maturity. 
I would advise W. B. M. K. to thrash his wheat im¬ 
mediately. In this process, many of the insects will 
be killed. Then prepare to store the wheat in a very 
tight box or compartment not near the mow where 
the infested wheat was. After the thrashed wheat is 
in the tight box, treat it with carbon bisulphide ; that 
is, arrange it so that you can shut the box practically 
air-tight, then pour the liquid over the top of the 
grain, at the rate of one pound of liquid to each ton 
of grain, and close the box immediately. The fumes 
of the deadly liquid will penetrate all through the 
grain, and are sure death to all animal life. Keep the 
box closed tightly for several hours, then open, but 
be very careful about bringing lights or fire near the 
box until the fumes of the liquid have disappeared. 
With the grain thus freed from the living insects, 
doubtless the injured kernels and the dead insects 
can be eliminated so that some of the grain may be 
used for human food. 
The Queen Buttermaker Tested. 
J. IF., Gratiot Go., Mich .—Is the Queen Butter Maker Co., of Cin¬ 
cinnati, Ohio, reliable, and are the churns as represented ? 
Ans. —One of the Queen buttermakers was sent to 
the Cornell Experiment Station for trial, and Leroy 
B. Anderson, assistant in dairy husbandry, made a 
test of it. He says that they did not succeed in mak¬ 
ing such quick time in churning as is claimed by the 
manufacturers, or as some of the testimonials assert. 
These trials were made during the latter part of June 
and in July. The highest temperature used was 66 
degrees, the time required 11 minutes, and the butter 
was in poor condition, as well as too much fat left in 
the buttermilk. The quickest churning was in 6 X 
minutes, with the butter salvy and IX per cent of fat 
in the buttermilk. The second trial gave superior 
butter and as close churning as one could wish, while 
the time was 31 minutes. The same kind of cream, in 
a Standard churn, came in 20 minutes, but the churn¬ 
ing was not so close or the product so good, because it 
came out warmer than from the Queen. Trials to 
compare the effect of speed upon the time were made 
with the result that revolutions of 100 to 110 per min¬ 
ute brought the butter four minutes quicker than 
when the wheel was turned 85 to 95 times per minute. 
The product was practically the same in both cases. 
They also sought to compare the Queen with the com¬ 
mon dash churn. The dash made five minutes better 
time than the Queen, with the product in every way 
similar. In two cases, separator cream was used ; in 
all the others, Cooley cream. Their conclusions are : 
“1. The Queen buttermaker does good work if the 
cream is at the proper temperature. 2. The temper¬ 
ature advised by the manufacturers (65-70 degrees) is 
too warm for close churning and the best quality of 
butter ; thus we cannot recommend its use as adver¬ 
tised. 3. Compared with two other churns, the Queen 
took a longer time for churning than either, the prod¬ 
uct being in one case the same, and in one poorer than 
from the Queen.” 
California Privet for a Hedge. 
C. W. F., Yorktown Heights, N. Y. —I intend to set a hedge 300 
feet in length in front of my residence. 1. Is California privet 
hardy 40 miles north of New York City ? 2. Has it any insect 
foes ? 3. How far apart should the plants be set ? 4. Is it advis¬ 
able to set a double row, and will a double-row hedge live and 
thrive as long as a single row ? 5. What size is best to set to 
secure a thrifty, uniform growth ? 6. How many times during 
a year would the plants require pruning to keep them symmetri¬ 
cal ? 7. Is this privet the best ornamental hedge plant for my 
locality ? Will it succeed with less care, and on a greater variety 
of soils, than any other hedge plants ? 
Ans. —1. No, it is not hardy, even at the Rural 
Grounds, oftener than two Winters out of three, but 
the roots are never killed, and the plants make such 
a quick and vigorous growth that the killing back of 
the tops makes little difference. 2 . No, we have never 
discovered that it has any insect foes. 3. About four 
feet apart. 4. We do not know what would be gained 
by planting a double row. A double row would live 
unquestionably, but the plants would not be so 
thrifty. 5. We would select plants about two feet in 
height. These may be purchased for about $3 per 100. 
6 . Once a year, early in the Spring. 7. No, we should 
say not. Our choice of all the ornamental hedge 
plants would be the Japan quinces, the price for which 
is about $5 per 100 . 
Whitewash for Peach Trees; Forest Leaves. 
1 . W. H., Pike County, O. —1. Will you give the formula for white¬ 
wash to be used in spraying peach trees ? 2. Will forest leaves 
be a good covering for strawberries ? Would the leaves pack and 
smother the plants ? 
Ans. —1. The whitewash used at the Missouri Ex¬ 
periment Station was composed of four parts of water, 
one part of skim-milk and enough freshly-slaked lime 
to make as thick a wash as could conveniently be 
pumped through an ordinary nozzle without clogging. 
This wash was sprayed on the trees four times, the 
first application the last of December, the others 
whenever necessary to keep the trees thoroughly 
coated. 2. Leaves are poor mulching material. They 
are too liable to blow off unless wet or weighted 
down, and in this case, they pack down too much, 
and are liable to smother the plants. 
Feeding Pigs on Purchased Grain. 
C. W. M., Fremont, Mich.—I have 10 nice pigs about 10 weeks 
old. They are in good condition. If I keep them, I will have to 
purchase feed for them. At the present prices of pork and feed, 
would I make anything ? Pork is $4.50 per 100 pounds, and shorts 
$16 per ton. At this figure would it pay me to feed those pigs to 
turn off the last of April, or would it be best to let them go now 
for $2 each ? Would you advise feeding clear shorts, or would it 
be better to feed some corn meal ? About how much feed will it 
take to keep them till the last of April ? What should they dress 
then ? Would you feed any oil meal to them ? With corn stalks 
and hay for roughage, would you think shorts good feed for a 
milch cow ? 
Ans. —It is very doubtful whether it will pay to keep 
those pigs until the last of April. By that time, they 
ought to weigh in the neighborhood of 250 pounds 
each. In New York State, it would not pay at all to 
keep them to that size, since the market demands 
light pork, dressing from 125 to 150 pounds. As more 
food is required for the same gain as the pig increases 
in size, it is much more profitable to turn them off 
early. From the average of many experiments, it is 
found that the 100 pounds gained from 50 to 150 re¬ 
quire 420 pounds of food (grain); the gain from 150 to 
250 pounds requires 490 pounds of food, and the gain 
from 250 to 350 requires 523 pounds of food. Assuming 
that the pigs weigh 50 pounds each, then with shorts 
at $16 per ton, the cost of the first 100 pounds gain 
would be $3.36, the second 100 would cost $3.92, and 
the third $4 17. It would not be advisable to try to 
fatten pork on shorts alone ; but this is a fair average 
of what the feed would cost in any case. Some corn 
meal would be a benefit, and the proportion of corn 
should be increased as the fattening period advances. 
A handful of oil meal to each pig per day proves 
healthful, gives a sleek coat and nice appearance. 
The average amount of food required for 100 pounds 
gain from 50 to 250 pounds, is 455 pounds. Thus, if 
the pig gained 200 pounds from now until April next, 
it would require 910 pounds of food, which, at $16 per 
ton, would cost $7.28. Considering the pig to dress 
away 15 per cent, it would weigh 200 pounds dressed 
which, at $4.50 per 100 pounds, is worth $9. This 
leaves a margin of $1.72, which is not enough to cover 
the present value of the pig. Of course, the figures 
are largely guesswork, for two reasons : 1, I do not 
know how fast C. W. M. can grow his pigs; and 2, we 
have no means of knowing what the price of pork will 
be next April. My advice would be to sell the pigs 
now. If that does not seem expedient, the next best 
thing is to grow them as fast as possible, and sell at 
the first favorable opportunity. Keep them in a warm, 
dry place, and give them plenty of grain with skim- 
milk or buttermilk, if possible. 
Shorts are good for milch cows, and with corn stalks 
and hay, can be made a fairly good ration. The oil 
meal mentioned above would, probably, pay better if 
fed to the cow than to the pigs. L. A. 
Wholesale Poultry-Lice Killing. 
H. II., Raritan, AT. •/.—For several years, I have kept the small 
lice in check in my poultry houses, by a liberal use of kerosene. 
To-day I examined three or four of my young stock that did not 
look quite right; I found them quite thin in flesh, and several of 
the large body lice on each. I could find an occasional louse on 
some of my finest hens. I would like to get rid of the lice at 
once, but I do not know how to do it with kerosene. It makes 
me feel very tired to think of dusting 250 to.300 fowls with insect 
powder, one at a time. Can you recommend any good way to 
treat a large number at one time. 
Ans. —If the hens are provided with a good, dry 
dust-bath, they will usually keep themselves free 
from the body lice without further trouble. The only 
thorough way to use the insect powder is to treat 
each bird separately, holding her up by the legs, and 
working the powder all through her feathers. A 
number may be placed in a box, and the powder dusted 
over them ; but this is not so effective, as the powder 
does not penetrate the feathers, and the lice are found 
close to the body. The slower and more laborious 
way is likely to prove the better in the end. A little 
kerosene brushed lightly over the feathers is also 
helpful. If you order a 10-cent sample of Lambert’s 
Death to Lice, he will send a book free that will be 
helpful to you. 
Something About Hen Manure. 
S. H., Ansonia, Conn. —Is hen manure suitable for a vegetable 
garden? How must it be applied to produce the best results? 
When is the proper time to use it, Spring or Fall ? Is it a com¬ 
plete fertilizer without the addition of anything else ? 
Ans. —Yes, hen manure gives good results—usually 
better for such crops as corn and cabbage. It is a 
“one-sided” manure, that is, it contains an excess of 
nitrogen as compared with potash and phosphoric 
acid. The best way to use any manure is to make it 
as fine as possible, and add what is needed to give it a 
good balance of plant food. Hen manure should be 
scraped up frequently, kept well dried with plaster, 
and stored in a dry place. In the Spring, it will be 
left in dry, hard chunks. These should be smashed 
and fined, which can usually be done on a hard fioor 
with a heavy shovel. When reasonably fine, the fol¬ 
lowing mixture can be made : 700 pounds of hen man¬ 
ure, 300 pounds dissolved phosphate rock, 100 pounds 
muriate of potash and 100 pounds nitrate of soda. On 
reasonably good land, this mixture would give fair 
results with most crops. Few farmers seem willing 
to go to the trouble of making this mixture. Our own 
practice this Winter is to put the hen manure in the 
compost heap with muck, sods and other refuse. The 
hen manure helps start and keep up the fermentation 
which is to “cook” the muck and other raw plant 
food. 
A Simple Catarrh Cure. 
A. W. S., Albion, Pa.— Some time ago, you published a cure 
for catarrh. I have every paper tiled away, but without the 
yearly index. Can you repeat the remedy ? 
Ans. —While under treatment for deafness caused 
partly by catarrh, we were advised to use pure bicar¬ 
bonate of soda (cooking soda) as a snuff, and to keep 
the inside of the nostrils well smeared with vaseline. 
Twice a day the soda is snuffed up the nose and held 
there as long as convenient, when the contents of the 
nose are blown out. In cases where there is a dis¬ 
agreeable raising of mucus from the mouth, it is a 
good plan to blow the dry soda in through the mouth 
against the upper part of the throat. Use a tube for 
this purpose, and let some companion blow the soda 
through it. The effect is startling for the moment, 
but it will greatly relieve the throat. The vaseline 
should be kept constantly in the nostrils so that they 
will never become dry or hard. This simple treatment 
may not effect a “ cure ” in severe cases, but it will 
give great relief in most nasal troubles. 
