1897 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
293 
Life Habits of Twig Borers. 
R. 0. M., Manzanola, Col. —What are the habits of the twig- 
borer that works on apple trees, grapes, etc. ? 
ANSWERED BY M. V. SLING ERL AND. 
The twig-borer which works on apple trees and 
grape vines is. a beetle about one-fourth of an inch 
long, of a dark-brown color, the front edge of the 
thorax being armed with short horns, and from near 
the end of each wing cover of the male beetles, there 
projects a single quite conspicuous horn. The insect 
is commonly known as the Apple-twig borer. Its 
scientific name is Amphicerus bicaudatus. It is often 
destructive in the western States, and occurs in New 
York. Although it has been known since 1824, its 
life history has only been recently worked out. In 
1887, Prof. Popenoe, of Kansas, found the grubs, pupae 
and adult beetles in burrows in tamarix and grape 
vines. They are fleshy, curved objects about four- 
tenths of an inch in length and much thickened just 
back of the head. Prof. Popenoe concludes that the 
eggs are deposited in April and May in the unhealthy 
or dead wood in the vineyards or elsewhere. The 
larvae bore into the canes, forming cylindrical bur¬ 
rows two or three inches in length. Within these, 
the grubs change to pupae, and these reach the beetle 
state in the fall or winter, and remain through the 
winter in the burrows. In the spring, the beetles 
eat their way out, making conspicuous holes leading 
into the burrows. They often bore into fruit and 
forest trees for protection and food, and thus fre¬ 
quently do serious injury. This habit of boring into 
apple twigs has given the insect its common name. 
Most of the injury to grape vines is done by the 
grubs, and to the fruit trees by the beetles. There 
seems to be but one brood during the year. 
This is a hard insect to combat. All tnat can be 
suggested at present is to collect and burn the dying 
twigs, caused by the burrowing of the beetles in 
winter, thus destroying the pests. Also, the diseased 
and dead vines and prunings in the vineyard should 
be collected and burned, thus taking away all sought 
breeding places and, if done in the summer, killing 
many grubs. 
Some of the branches sent showed the peculiar rag¬ 
ged slits made by the Snowy Tree cricket in laying 
her eggs. The slit consists of a longitudinal series 
of punctures placed close together, and extending 
through the woody portion of the branch into the 
pith ; in each puncture, there is an egg. The insect 
which thus sometimes seriously injures the smaller 
branches of fruit trees, but more often of raspberry 
canes, is a delicate greenish-white cricket. It is pop¬ 
ularly known as the Snowy Tree cricket, from its 
habit of living among the foliage of trees and shrubs. 
Its wing covers are broad and transparent, and are 
crossed by oblique thickenings or ribs, which form 
the musical apparatus of the male insect; the females 
are not musicians. In those parts of the country 
where the true Katydid does not occur, the familiar 
chirp of this cricket is the most prominent of all 
sounds made during the late summer and early 
autumn evenings. Except for the injury caused by 
the female in laying her eggs, this cricket is not re¬ 
garded as a noxious insect. Its diet is said to consist, 
in part at least, of plant lice and other small insects. 
The eggs are laid late in the summer, but do not 
hatch until the early part of the following summer. 
It is, therefore, a simple matter to combat the insect 
by cutting out the infested canes or branches, and 
burning them before growth begins in the spring, 
and this is the only practical way of fighting the pest. 
Boring Stumps to Death. 
W. F. A., Eleanor, Penn .—We have a large lot of stumps to get 
rid of. I am told that a cheap way Is to bore holes In them in the 
fall, and fill with saltpeter, and by spring the stumps are 
saturated with this material and burn readily. What can you 
say on this subject, and have you a remedy that will do the work ? 
Ans. —We doubt whether the saltpeter will do any 
good. These stumps were put into the ground to 
stay there. You must dig them out, blow them out 
with dynamite, or pull them out by some machine 
like the Hawkeye stump puller. 
Weeder and Cultivator. 
C. A. S., Vancouver, B. C .—What advantage does a weeder have 
over a cultivator in exterminating weeds ? 
Ans. —By looking at the pictures of weeders in the 
advertisements, you will see that the implement is 
quite different from the cultivator. The working 
principle of the weeder is that of a long, slender and 
flexible finger which scratches rather than plows or 
tears. It is not intended for deep work, and is most 
useful when the plants are small, or even before they 
come up. It will work directly over the plants, tear¬ 
ing up the weeds and giving the soil a thorough 
working. We have also found it very useful in putting 
in oats, millet and grass seeds. It covers a space of 
seven or more feet wide at one operation, is lighter 
than a cultivator, and more easily under control. It 
does not dig or tear out the roots. It works best on 
level, smooth land, though with care, it will prove 
useful on rough land as well. Until the plants are 
a foot or more high, we think that the weeder does 
better work than the cultivator ; after that, the culti¬ 
vator is necessary. Our opinion is that a man who 
has enough of a crop to need a cultivator can use a 
weeder also to good advantage. 
Raising Rabbits for Market. 
R. O. I)., Bennington, N. II. —Could raising rabbits for market 
be made profitable ? If so, what breed is best ? 
Ans. —Keeping rabbits is much like keeping poul¬ 
try ; some people make money, others lose. The busi¬ 
ness must be learned, and can then be made fairly 
profitable. But there are not the extraordinary profits 
which some people interested in the sale of high- 
priced breeding stock would have us believe. The 
German or Belgian hares are the ones generally 
raised. Practical Rabbit Keeping, price $1.50 post¬ 
paid from this office, is a good guide to the raising of 
rabbits. 
Wood Ashes and Ground Bone. 
G. II. F., Tellar, Pa. —Would It be right to mix hardwood ashes 
and pure ground bone in equal parts to drill with oats, the 
ground to be seeded with clover and Timothy? Jly object is to 
get a good grass crop. 
Ans. —Wood ashes and bone make a good combina¬ 
tion, but we would not attempt to mix them. The 
ashes are too fine and dusty to mix well. We would 
apply them separately, though there will be no 
chemical loss by mixing. We would prefer two parts 
of ashes to one part of bone. 
Lime and Salt for Oat Smut. 
J. J. T, Montgomery County, N. Y .—When a boy, we raised con¬ 
siderable spring wheat, and sometimes, the crop would be nearly 
destroyed or greatly damaged bv smut; if there was not enough 
to destroy it entirely, there would be enough to blacken it and 
make the flour nearly worthless. The remedy was supposed to 
be an application of quick-lime applied fresh slaked, but as it 
was generally spring wheat with nearly always some oats, we 
usually made a strong brine and swam out as many of the oats 
as possible, and then dried it with the lime and sowed immedi¬ 
ately, always, as far as I know, with perfect success so far 
as the smut was concerned. What killed the smut ? Was it the 
lime or the salt, or the action of both combined ? 
Ans. —The only information I have been able to 
find that has any connection with J. J. T.’s question 
is the following, taken from Bulletin 27 of the North 
Dakota Experiment Station. Prof. Bolley says: 
“Many farmers claim success in preventing stinking 
smut by mixing dry air slaked lime with the seed. 
The tests made last year indicate that the process, as 
there carried out, has merits, but in these tests, lime 
was used in quantities such as it would scarcely be 
economical to undertake in actual practice. It is, 
also, a very troublesome substance to handle in the 
drill upon windy days, because of its dustiness. If it 
is used for treatment purposes, it may be shoveled 
into the grain a month or more before seed time. I 
cannot explain whence come its good results, for 
lime water in saturated solution made from quick 
lime seems to have but slight effect upon the smut 
spores.” I have been unable to find any reference to 
the effect of salt on the smut spores. The bulletin 
referred to above, contains the most complete account 
of the smuts of wheat, oats and barley and of the 
latest methods of treating the same, that I have seen. 
Any one having trouble with these fungous diseases 
should write to the North Dakota Experiment Station 
at Fargo for a copy of this bulletin. m. y. s. 
“Hot" and “ Cold ” Lightning. 
T. P., Carlisle, Pa. —Is there a hot and cold stroke of lightning ? 
If not, why do some barns burn and others not ? 
Ans —Lightning is not hot and, of course, not cold, 
for hot and cold are only terms to indicate a changed 
condition of matter. Scientifically, we think of cold 
as a low degree of heat, that is all. Lightning is 
never hot; it is nothing more than force or energy 
transferred suddenly from one object to another. 
But in the passage of this energy through the air, it 
meets with resistance, and in overcoming this, a part 
of the energy is changed into heat. Thus when 
lightning—as we call it, but really this current of 
energy—passes from a cloud in a high degree of ten¬ 
sion, to the earth which has a less degree, and makes 
the effort to get an equal balance, it has to push its 
way through the air, and this resistance produces 
heat; a part of the air is doubtless decomposed into 
its elements by this heat, and the sudden combustion 
of these, the oxygen and the nitrogen, producing 
nitric acid, which we know is always produced during 
a lightning storm, accounts for the flash of light. 
Then when the lightning or the current of electricity 
which we call this, strikes any object that is not a 
good conductor of electricity, as a mass of hay in a 
barn, it will again produce heat, and set the hay on 
fire. If it strikes a lightning rod which is a good 
conductor, or a wet roof which is also a good conduc¬ 
tor, it is carried off without resistance and without 
heat being produced. To explain a little more easily 
perhaps, we think of a telegraph wire and a current 
of electricity going through it taking a message ; 
there is not enough resistance to make heat, and the 
wire is cold. But if a part of the wire be not 
sufficiently conductive, the resistance makes heat 
and the wire is melted instantly. The same happens 
with lightning, which is only a very strong discharge 
of electricity, in its passage through the air and ob¬ 
jects which it meets in this passage. Then it causes 
heat when these objects resist this passage, other¬ 
wise no heat is produced. It is the same with all 
moving objects when they meet with resistance ; a 
lead ball, for instance, from a gun, makes heat when 
it strikes an iron plate, and this heat sometimes will 
melt the lead. It may thus be correctly said that 
lightning is hot or cold as circumstances may affect it. 
Lime Paint for Outbuildings. 
N. A. A., Camp Point, 111 .—Wbat Is a recipe for making a pain 
from lime for outbuildings? 
Ans. —The United States Government uses, for 
lighthouses, etc., 10 parts freshly slaked lime to one 
part of the best hydraulic cement, mixed well with 
salt water and applied quite thin. Another formula 
requires one-half bushel of lime slaked with boiling 
water, keeping it covered during the process of slak¬ 
ing. Strain and add one peck of salt dissolved in 
warm water, three pounds of rice flour boiled in 
water to a thin paste, one-half pound of whiting and 
one pound of white glue dissolved in warm water. 
Allow it to stand several days, but apply hot. Two 
coats of either of these paints are usually found 
necessary. 
How to Use Dynamite. 
II. H. P., Mooney, lnd .—How can 'I 'dynamite ground to get 
water off ? 
Ans. —To make holes, a set of steel drills is neces¬ 
sary ; one five and one seven feet long would, prob¬ 
ably, suffice. Octagon steel is best suited, and for 
H. H. P.’s purpose, I would not have it more than an 
inch in diameter. Have the blacksmith put a “ bit” 
on one end about twice as wide as the diameter of the 
steel. Start the hole by repeatedly plunging the 
steel in the place, taking care to make a one-eighth 
turn of the steel every time, thus insuring a round 
hole with a minimum danger of getting the drill 
stuck. When the hole is from one to two feet deep, 
pour in a small quantity of water. This will make 
the drill work easier, and will convert the clay cut 
loose by the bit into t a thin mush. Water should be 
added from time to time to keep the mud quite soft. 
Now and then remove this soft mud with a “ swab- 
stick”, made by battering the end of a stick for about 
six inches with a hammer. Plunge the “swab-stick” 
into the mud, which will adhere to the battered end. 
The mud is removed by simply striking the stick 
against a stone or other solid substance. Occasion¬ 
ally, even with the best management, a drill will 
stick. Should this happen, slip a pick over the steel 
down to near the ground and wedge fast to the drill. 
Now you have something under which you can slip a 
crowbar or pole, and if the work has been done right, 
the bit is bound to loosen its hold, after which the 
steel is readily removed. 
But when it comes to blasting, a man must know 
exactly the effect intended to be produced in order to 
be able to advise the most judicious method of load¬ 
ing a given hole. A mass can be lifted in a body, 
shattered all to pieces, or produce an intermediate 
effect. In the case of dynamite, it is possible to 
make quite a cavern at the bottom of the hole with¬ 
out, sometimes, even showing a trace of the blast on 
the surface. This peculiarity of dynamite is often 
made use of with the most satisfactory results. As a 
general thing, it is better and cheaper, not to say 
safer, to use coarse-grained blasting powder when 
one has a hole that is “ dry”, i. e., one that does not 
make water, or, in other words, a hole in which 
water'will not accumulate before it can be loaded 
and fired with the powder. Unless H. H. P. knows 
how to handle dynamite, I would advise him to let it 
severely alone, as not only will it not be likely to 
give him satisfactory results, but it might, also, prove 
difficult for his family to gather his remains. An 
expert can do wonders with it. For his work, nothing 
but waterproof tape fuse should be used. Circum¬ 
stances attending each hole and the effect desired to 
be produced must determine the size of the charge of 
any blasting material. No specific rules can be laid 
down at haphazard. As a general thing, the more 
the charge is accumulated at the bottom of a hole, 
and the more and firmer the “tamping”, the more 
ripping and tearing there will be. On the other 
hand, if the object is to move, say, a large rock 
without cracking it too much, the hole must be filled 
nearly full of powder, leaving space only for the 
modicum of “tamping” necessary to restrain the gases 
until the entire mass is moved. Blasting and getting 
results as wanted are quite a neat art, which can be 
learned only by years of extensive experience. 
J. c. sengeb. 
