1897 
3o9 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Katydid “ Didn’t Do a Thing” to the Twigs. 
C. T., Tupelo, Miss .— I inclose a sample twig from my young 
apple orchard. What is the pest on it, and how shall I destroy 
it ? The trees were set one year ago. I have about 600 trees. 
Ans. —The apple twig from Mississippi, and a piece 
of grape vine from Pennsylvania, both bore two rows 
of the same curious, elongate-oval, flat, brown, over¬ 
lapping objects shown in the upper part of Fig. 133. 
They are the eggs of an insect closely related to the 
one shown on the leaf in the lower part of Fig. 133. 
The insect which lays these large eggs in such a 
curious and regular manner on the branches of many 
different plants, is one of the green grasshoppers 
which are commonly known as Katydids. The song 
of these Katydids is known to every lover of Nature 
that lives in the country, but the insects themselves 
are much less familiar. Only the careful and patient 
observer succeeds in tracing the well-known and oft- 
repeated “ Katydid, Katydid,” or “ Katy-she-did” to 
their source. The successful ones are rewarded by 
the sight of a pretty insect. The Katydids are large, 
green grasshoppers with leaf-like wings and long, 
delicate antennae or “ feelers”. They differ from the 
ordinary meadow grasshoppers in their habits, for 
they more often live in trees. Their color and the 
resemblance between their wings and the leaves 
afford them protection except from the closest observa¬ 
tion. Although they may feed upon the foliage of 
the trees upon which their eggs are laid, it is rare 
that they are sufficiently abundant to be of economic 
importance. In Florida, they sometimes injuriously 
infest orange trees. Thus while it would be advis¬ 
able to cut off and burn all the branches bearing the 
curious eggs, yet one need have little fear of any 
serious or even noticeable damage being done by the 
insect if the eggs are not gathered. m. v. s. 
11 Black Lice ” on Apple Trees. 
H. K. II., South Lincoln, Mass.—I see on some apple trees and 
Rock maples, myriads of black lice. They are not those that 
adhere to the tree by scales. What are they; and what their pur¬ 
pose ? The trees infested are first-class, healthy ones. 
Ans. —The “ black lice ” seen by H. K. H. on the 
apple trees may have been the minute shiny black 
eggs of the Apple aphis or Apple plant louse, or they 
may have been the lice themselves. If there was no 
movement or life about the objects, and they were 
scattered promiscuously about on the bark, they 
were, doubtless, the eggs; if they moved about and 
were on the opening buds, then it was, probably, the 
lice that he saw. Of course, this answer is very in¬ 
definite, but the query is just as indefinite. How 
quickly a few specimens could have been inclosed 
with the query, and then we should have had some¬ 
thing definite to talk about. Send specimens when¬ 
ever possible. One specimen is worth more than 
pages of descriptions. It is, doubtless, another in¬ 
sect on the Rock maples. There is no practicable 
method of killing the eggs, if they are eggs, but 
plant-lice will readily succumb to kerosene emulsion, 
whale-oil soap, or a hard, cold rain. m. y. s. 
The Oyster-shell Bark-louse. 
JV. R., Franklinton, N. T.—l send some insect scales I find on a 
young apple tree. Are they the San Jos6 scale ? 
Ans. —Ever since the advent in the East of that 
most destructive of all our scale insects—the San 
Jos6 scale—fruit-growers have seen more scale-like 
objects on their trees than they ever before suspected 
were there. Scarcely a week passes but I receive 
some of these things, supposed to be the dreaded San 
Jos6 scale. There are two or three kinds of scales 
which have been common pests in the East for many 
years. The Oyster-shell Bark-louse is the one most 
often sent in, and the specimens sent by N. R. proved 
to be this insect. It is, probably, the most common 
and most widespread of any of the orchard scales. 
It infests many of our orchard and garden fruits be¬ 
sides the apple, and is also found on a large variety 
of forest trees. If, during the winter, one of the 
long, narrow scales be lifted, it will be found packed 
nearly full of minute white eggs ; and the scales 
contain no other life, the shriveled body of the dead 
mother being tucked into the more pointed end of the 
scale. The entire winter is passed in the egg stage ; 
there may be from 40 to 90 eggs under the scale, all 
laid by one mother. These eggs usually begin to 
hatch, in the latitude of New York, about May 15. 
The young lice are minute, yellow creatures that can 
crawl over the bark at quite a lively rate. They 
wander over the bark for a few hours, until they find 
a suitable spot, when they work their piercing, beak¬ 
like mouth-parts through the bark and into the soft 
tissue. When once thus established, the females 
never leave the spot; those that develop into males 
acquire wings and then, of course, move about again. 
Soon after establishing themselves, the little lice be¬ 
gin to secrete their scaly covering, and this is com¬ 
pleted about August 1, and by September 1, most of 
the eggs are laid. It is no uncommon thing for a 
tree to bear millions of these tiny little pumps_fsuck- 
ing out the sap. 
If the scales were scraped off, as many thousands 
of them could easily be, at any time when the tree is 
dormant, many of the eggs under them would be 
crushed or would perish in some other manner. The 
scale-covering is so impervious to insecticides that 
the eggs cannot be reached successfully. But the 
young lice which hatch in May are very tender, are 
not protected by a scale, and are thus easily killed. 
Fruit growers having trees infested with this long, 
narrow, oyster-shell-shaped, dark scale, should watch 
their trees in May, and when the young lice, looking 
like minute white specks on the bark, are seen, then 
drench the bark with kerosene emulsion diluted with 
9 or 10 parts of water, or a whale-oil soap solution— 
one pound in 15 or 20 gallons of water. As these lice 
are sucking insects, it is essential that every louse be 
hit with the liquid. Prompt and thorough work in 
May will check this most common of all scales in 
eastern orchards. If very numerous, repeat the 
spraying a week after the first one. M. v. s. 
Onion Thrips on Long Island. 
O. W. II., Orient, iV. Y .— Is there any known remedy for the 
onion thrips ? It was very destructive to the onion crop here last 
season. What are the cause and cure if either is known ? 
Ans. —The onion thrips is the cause of what has 
come to be known as the “ white blast” of onions. 
The disease is characterized by many whitish, cor¬ 
roded spots appearing on the leaves where the little 
thrips have fed, and in many cases, the tops wilt and 
bend over. The insect is a minute, yellow creature 
scarcely visible to the unaided eye. It is a compara¬ 
tively new insect pest, which has come to us from 
Europe, and now occurs in many of the States in this 
country. During recent years, it has done much 
damage here in onion fields in widely-separated 
localities. The eggs of the insect are inserted in the 
tissue of the onion leaves. They hatch in a few days, 
and several generations of the pest occur during the 
season. The thrips collect particularly in the axils 
of the leaves, and in the bent portions of leaves which 
have drooped. Cabbage and other garden crops also, 
often suffer from the attacks of the insect. These 
thrips can be controlled by several applications of 
kerosene emulsion, diluted with about 10 parts of 
water; or a solution of whale-oil soap, one pound in 
10 or 15 gallons of water, or a strong tobacco decoction. 
Spray the infested plants at intervals of four or five 
days until the pest is conquered. The insect was 
discussed in detail in Bulletin 83 issued from the New 
York State Experiment Station, at Geneva, N. Y. 
M. Y. S. 
Rape for Pasture in Wisconsin. 
M. J., Waldo, FFia.— I have five acres of good, high clay land In 
pasture. I wish to pasture it till July, then plow and put some¬ 
thing on it for fall pasture for cows. I have been thinking of sow¬ 
ing rape. I shall plant to corn next season. What crops will be 
best? 
Ans. —Rape may be sown in Wisconsin any time 
from the middle of May to August, and will afford 
feed about eight weeks after sowing, if conditions 
are favorable. The crop may be sown broadcast on 
well-prepared land, three or four pounds of seed per 
acre. Or, if the land is very weedy, it may be sown 
in drills and some cultivation given. Generally, 
broadcasting is best. Rape is peculiarly adapted to 
sheep, and is a good feed for pigs. It is fed off by 
turning them directly into the field. I think that it 
will prove a fairly good feed for cows, though I 
should not want to rely wholly upon it until careful 
tests have been made. The rape plant will die this 
fall, as the winter climate is too cold in Wisconsin for 
it to live over w. A. henry. 
Wisconsin Experiment Station. 
Questions About Cow Peas. 
W. M. B., Coleman'8 Falls, Fa.— Can I sow and mow one crop of 
peas each year, and use no other crop or fertilizer without im¬ 
poverishing the soil ? Would the roots gradually improve the 
soil? Which is better, the Gray or cow pea for hay and im¬ 
prover? Can one crop of peas be sown and allowed to ripen, 
then be turned under and get another crop the same season, from 
seed plowed under ? When should the first crop be sown ? 
Ans. —No, you cannot remove successive crops of 
cow peas, or any other crops, without ultimately 
impoverishing the soil in some of the elements of 
plant food. Cow peas add the costly nitrogen, but 
the hay removed subtracts potash and phosphoric 
acid. A dressing of a mixture of acid phosphate and 
muriate of potash costs less than the hay is worth, in¬ 
creases this in quality and quantity, and leaves the 
great fertilizing value of the roots and stubble free 
of cost. To remove continually the hay without 
applying potash and phosphoric acid, would put the 
land ultimately in a condition similar to that of land 
said to be “ clover sick”. But many of our Virginia 
red clay subsoils are so lavishly rich in potash that, 
if the land be well broken and subsoiled, it will take 
many a day to exhaust it of this element. Under the 
same conditions, allowing the presence of sufficient 
potash and phosphoric acid, the second and succeed¬ 
ing crops will be better than the first for reasons 
explained in The R. N.-Y. last year. The roots and 
stubble add humus to the soil, an item by no means 
to be despised. I know of no other plant that will 
add so much nitrogen in so short a time. Carefully 
lift a vigorous vine out of mellow soil, examine the 
nodules as regards size and number, and it will be 
plain that the roots not only gradually, but very 
rapidly, improve the soil. I find the Black cow peas 
best suited to W. M. B.’s needs, and as we both live in 
the same latitude, save a distance of about 20 miles, I 
am satisfied that they will also prove best for Bedford 
County. The Wonderful will make more growth, 
the seed costs more, it yields less, and I question 
whether a ton of the hay is as rich in muscle-makers 
as a ton of hay made from the Black cow pea. The 
latter matures in much less time than the Wonderful. 
The amount of growth obtained by plowing under 
the first crop to get a second would not compensate 
for the trouble. As soon as the hay is removed from 
the field, why not at once sow to Crimson clover ? 
The stubble would be rather a protection to the 
young clover, and this would be in full bloom before 
the ground would be needed for the next year’s cow 
peas. J- c. SENGER. 
List of Shrubs for a Lawn. 
R. K., Somerville, N. J .— We have just seeded our lawn, which 
is almost square and contains about one-half acre. We wish to 
leave it mostly in grass, but would like two clumps of shrubs in 
two triangles formed by the curving driveway and the three fence 
lines, and a third at the lowest part of the large plot just where 
the driveway curves into the road and at a point which is not 
only on the extreme edge of the lawn, but also at the lowest point, 
and directly opposite the center of the house. What would you 
recommend ? 
Ans. —For one plot we would select the following : 
Azalea mollis, A. nudiflora, A. Pontica ; Berberis 
Fortuneii, B.Thunbergii; Daphne Mezereum, Deutzia 
crenata, D. gracilis; Hypericum Kalmianum ; Rhodo- 
typus Kerrioides ; Spiraea Billardi, S. Anthony Wat- 
erer, S. Bumalda. These are all of low growth. For 
the second plot, we would choose the following shrubs, 
which grow nearly twice as high as the others : 
Calycanthus floridus ; Cornus mascula ; the Japan 
quinces in variety; Weigelas; Exochorda grandi- 
flora ; Forsythia Fortuneii; Hydrangea paniculata 
grandiflora; Philadelphus coronarius, P. Gordonia- 
nus ; RhusCotinus ; Viburnum plicatum. For the third 
plot, we would select hardy herbaceous plants. 
Aquilegias ; Campanulas ; Delphiniums ; Dicentras ; 
Filnkias ; Phlox ; Paeonies. 
Lessons Taught by Wood Ashes. 
C. E., Forest Grove, Oregon .— I have.tried Crimson clover on 
different places, and seeded at different times, without success 
except around an old stump where there has been some fire and 
ashes. This leads me to think that the ground needs some 
chemical substance. Can you advise me on this subject ? 
Ans —The ashes contain potash and lime. The fact 
that the clover does well where they were used, indi¬ 
cates that the soil lacks potash, or else it is sour and 
needs lime to “ sweeten” it. Clover cannot do well 
without a good supply of potash. When soils become 
acid, the bacteria which develop on the roots do not 
thrive and grow, the result being that the plants are 
weak. Supply lime and neutralize the acid, and the 
clover will grow well. The chances are that your 
soil needs potash. That is usually the most expensive 
fertilizer to obtain on the Pacific coast. 
Nemaha Raspberry and Fertilizers. 
S. P„ Steuben Co., N. Y. —1. How does the Nemaha raspberry com¬ 
pare with Gregg for hardiness and yield ? 2. What fertilizer is 
best for raspberries ? 3. When and how should it be applied ? 
Ans. —The Nemaha is hardier than the Gregg, and 
the yield about the same. 2. We would prefer muri¬ 
ate of potash and bone in the proportion of three of 
the latter to one of the former. 3. Early spring is 
the best time. 
What Ails the Ducks ? 
F. E. D., Jackson, Mich .— What is the cause of my ducks dying? 
First I notice that they drink so much; they stand by the trough 
and drink and don’t care for feed. In a week or so, I find them 
so that they can’t stand on their legs. If scared, they hobble 
around, will not eat, but drink all the time. They will seem 
better, but linger a few weeks and die. They have a good clean 
run on grass, clean trough (iron), to drink from, and clean 
water. The feed is corn and wheat. The trouble is with my old 
ducks—one year old; I have no trouble with the young ones. 
Ans.—F. E. D. does not state how he manages. If 
the ducks are in damp quarters, they will be attacked 
by leg weakness. The food (corn and wheat), is, 
probably, too fattening and should be ground. The 
desire to drink incessantly may be due to some local 
cause, but the probability is that a change of food to 
cooked potatoes, with bran and ground meat added, 
with dry quarters at night, will effect a favorable 
change, as ducks are partial to bulky food. 
P. H. JACOBS. 
Sitting Hen Eating Eggs. 
A. B., Fayetteville, N. C.— What will keep a sitting hen from 
eating her eggs ? 
Ans. —A sharp ax applied across the neck. A hen 
so depraved as to eat the eggs she is supposed to 
hatch, isn’t worth bothering with. But perhaps the 
hen isn’t to blame for breaking the eggs. Sometimes 
eggs are used for sitting, the shells of which are so 
poor and thin that it’s a wonder they aren’t all 
broken. A sitting hen’s nest should be tolerably 
dark, and so arranged that other hens cannot trouble 
her. With these precautions and good shells on the 
eggs, there should be little trouble. 
