A CONSOLIDATION OF BUEL’S CULTIVATOR AND THE GENESEE FARMER. 
“ AGRICULTURE, AT ONCE THE CAUSE AND EVIDENCE OF CIVILIZATION.” 
•Cult. Vol. Vll— No. 5. 
ALBANY, N. Y. MAY, 1840. Cult, and Far. Yol. I— No. 5. 
PUBLISHED MONTHLY, 
BY JESSE BUEE & CO. PROPRIETORS, 
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fans <DU3Li5nrAf , ©3a. 
WILLIS GAYLORD &, LUTHER TUCKER, Editobs. 
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ments, &c. see cover. 
Predatory Insects. 
Most of those insects that inflict such serious inju¬ 
ries on the farmer, considered as individuals are harm¬ 
less and inoffensive; it is only when appearing in mul¬ 
titudes, that the small quantity of food required by each 
one, swells into an amount destructive to the hopes of 
the husbandman, or the injury sustained in the granary, 
garden, pasture, or orchard, is observed or appreciated. 
N otwithstanding the losses the agriculturist or fruit grow¬ 
er is continually sustaining from this source, very little at¬ 
tention has been given the subject; and the history, ha¬ 
bits, and transformations of those •that are the most 
destructive, are very little understood; and of many of 
them that inflict serious injury, even the name and ap¬ 
pearance is unknown, or involved in doubt and mystery. 
Certain classes of insects are known to prey upon the 
roots of plants ; others on the leaves and fruits; others 
on the ripened seeds—some on the woody fibre, and 
some on the ascending juices; all more or less perni¬ 
cious; but the means of destroying which, or prevent¬ 
ing theiy ravages, can never be fully effected or known, 
until their habits and modes of existence shall be ob¬ 
served. Every farmer may aid much in this investiga¬ 
tion; he may collect facts respecting the appearance 
and action of these depredators, from which he him¬ 
self, or the man of science, may deduce the most impor¬ 
tant results. 
To aid the farmer in this matter, to put him as it 
were on the correct course of observation, and to show 
how important a knowledge of the insects that prey 
upon his labors, and diminish his profits, is to him, is 
the object of this paper. 
Fig. 40, Wire Worm. 
Larva. Perfect insect. 
Cataphagus lineatus, of Stephens. 
Eleater segetis, of Bierk. 
Eleater lineatus of Linnaeus. 
“ It measures when full grown about seven lines in 
length. The body is very narrow, of a yellow color, 
hard, shining, and composed of twelve segments, on the 
last of which are two indented, dark colored specks. 
The head is brown, the extremity of the jaws black. 
The anterior segments have six scaly feet. It is said 
to remain in the ground four or five years, from which 
it issues as an Eleater/’'— Wilson. 
This is a most destructive insect to crops, frequently 
committing the greatest ravages, particularly on roots, 
and spring grains. Perhaps there is no insect so inju¬ 
rious to the Indian corn plant, as this; and it is the 
most numerous in the turf of old pastures or meadows. 
We once turned over a piece of old meadow, and plant¬ 
ed with corn. This was entirely destroyed—three or 
four worms frequently attacking a single kernel of the 
seed, or a stalk of the plant. Not supposing the pota¬ 
to was liable to their attacks, we planted the ground 
over with this root, but even these were in many cases 
destroyed by them. The potatoes planted were first 
attacked by them, and on digging up a tuber, from five 
to ten were found sticking into it like pins. The sprouts 
were then assailed, but these were so numerous and vi¬ 
gorous, that in most cases they were soon beyond dan¬ 
ger from the worm, as a fine crop of potatoes was the 
product of the ground. Barley, spring wheat,and oats 
are sadly thinned out by them where they abound. The 
perfect insect is a slim black bug, of the kind com¬ 
monly known as the snapping bug; and after deposit¬ 
ing its eggs in the earth, perishes within a short time. 
Late plowing, by exposing the torpid larvae to the action 
5 
of severe frosts, or ashes and lime applied to the earth 
or plants, appear to be the most effectual methods of 
counteracting and destroying the wire worm. 
Fig. 41, White Grub. 
The perfect insect of this destructive worm is called 
the May-bug, cockchafer, &c.; and makes its appear¬ 
ance about the time of the blossoming of the fruit trees. 
It is slow and unwieldly in flight, remains secreted du¬ 
ring the day, is attracted by light, and during the time 
of its appearance at dusk, seems to rise up in countless 
numbers from the earth, the grass, or its hiding places. 
The perfect insect exists but a short time, and is not 
considered as injurious. The male speedily perishes af¬ 
ter the sexual union. The female, as soon as she is fe¬ 
cundated, digs a hole in the earth about six inches deep, 
deposits her eggs, and dies. The larvsefrom these eggs 
are the white, red-headed grub of our meadows and 
corn fields, feeding on the roots of these plants, and 
often inflicting great ravages. We have seen acres of 
meadow, the roots of the grasses in which were so cut 
oft’ by this grub, that the turf might be readily rolled 
up in pieces of almost any size. Both this worm and 
and the wire worm confine their ravages beneath the 
surface, never showing themselves above the earth, un¬ 
til the last transformation is undergone, and the perfect 
insect produced. These grubs change their skin every 
year, and, according to Kirby and Spence, they remain 
in the ground four years. 
The larvae of the melolontha, is one of the very few 
which have been distinguished by the name of vegetat¬ 
ing insects, from their being found both before and after 
death with shoots of some vegetable fungus issuing from 
them. In some districts of Pennsylvania, it is a com¬ 
mon belief that these vegetable elongations change to 
blackberry bushes; a supposition, it is needless to say, 
utterly unfounded. Hogs not unfrequently commit se¬ 
rious injury in turf lands in hunting these larvae. It 
has been recommended in districts where this grub 
abounds, that during the few evenings in which it ap¬ 
pears, bright fires be kindled of straw or brushwood, 
which, by attracting the insects, will destroy thousands, 
and prevent the annual deposition of eggs. Late and 
deep plowing, will, as in the case of the cut worm, de¬ 
stroy such of the larvae as are thrown out and exposed 
to the action of the frost. 
Fig. 42, Plant Louse — Aphis. 
Aphis Rosa , ( magnified .) 
This predatory insect is in many respects a most sin¬ 
gular one; and is well deserving the attention of the 
curious—certainly of the farmer on whose labors it 
preys abundantly. The genus is a large one, and there 
are many species, infesting different plants and trees; 
indeed, almost each variety of tree or plant seems to 
have its peculiar colony or kind of aphis. 
The true aphis are usually very small, their bodies 
of a soft consistence, the eyes entire, and the abdomen 
furnished with two horn-like projections at its posterior 
extremity. Their movements in walking are slow, 
they cannot leap, and during a large part of their lives 
are without wings. They have no proper mouth, but 
are furnished with a sucker which they use in extract¬ 
ing the fluids of plants which constitutes their food. 
When the aphis first appears in the spring, they are 
usually solitary, and all females. These give birth to 
living young, and these, too, are females—the males 
not being produced until late in the season. Unlike 
any other known insect, the females thus produced con¬ 
tinue to multiply their numbers without connexion with 
the male—the effect of the parental impregnation ex¬ 
tending, according to Huber and Bonnet, to no less than 
eight generations. The effect of this singular mode of 
re-production is a multiplication of such rapidity, that 
Reamur calculates a single mother in five generations 
may be the means of producing 5,904,900,000! Every 
farmer witnesses instances of this raoid increase. A 
single female fixes herself on the leaf pf a turnep, cab¬ 
bage, or the tender shoot of a tree. In a few days they 
can be numbered by thousands, each vigorously em¬ 
ployed in pumping out the juiees of the plant, and thus 
injuring, if not wholly destroying it. The leaves curl 
and wither, and if they fix on plants intended for seed, 
the seeds are not perfected. 
Another striking peculiarity in the aphis, is the honey 
like product it furnishes in such abundance ; and which, 
during the summer months, constitutes the principal 
food of the ant. The two horn-like protuberances just 
mentioned, are hollow; and while they are fixed to the 
leaf or twig, small drops of a transparent liquor exude 
from the opening, and if not taken oft’ by the ant, are 
thrown oft’ into the air. A few years since a magnum 
bonum plum tree, standing in our garden, was infested 
by millions of aphides, the under side of the leaves be¬ 
ing encrusted with them. From this tree, there fell a 
continual shower of these minute drops, looking, when 
the sun was in the proper direction, like falling mist. 
The currant leaves, grass, &c. below, was frequented 
by flie^ and wasps, as the tree itself was by numerous 
ants—all partaking of this animal nectar. 
The destruction of these insects is a matter of much 
difficulty, after they have once obtained possession of 
a plant. Close fumigation with sulphur, washing or 
sprinkling with soap suds, tobacco water, &c. may 
sometimes succeed; but the surest remedy is to watch 
their appearance, and whenever a colony appears crush 
it at once, by destroying the leaf or twig. The figures 
we have given are those of the Aphis rosae, a fair re¬ 
presentation of the species generally; green, and prey¬ 
ing on the shoots of the rose bush, the flowering of 
which it damages or prevents. The figures are much 
magnified. 
Fig. 43, Wood Louse. 
a, Coccus acer, found on the maple and bittersweet. 
b, Coccus malus , apple tree louse. 
Coccus, of Linnseus. 
Gallinsecta, of Reamur. 
This insect was classed by Linnaeus among the aphi¬ 
des, and in some respects it resembles them; but it 
differs decidedly in its mode of reproduction, its pro¬ 
ducts, and in its general appearance. Like the aphis, 
it lives by sucking the juices of plants, and is thus very 
injurious ; but it confines itself to trees, while the aphis 
is omniverous. There are many species of the coccus, 
several of which are common in our orchards and wood¬ 
lands ; all, however, but little known except those that 
infest appletrees, which they sometimes destroy. Two 
of the most important coloring materials used, are the 
products of these insects, or rather the insects them¬ 
selves; the first called Kermes, (Coccus ilicis.) and 
known from the earliest ages as imparting a crimson, 
or blood-red dye to cloth ; and the other the Coccus cacti, 
or cochineal of South America. Of this insect, in some 
years, nearty 5,000,000 dollars have been exported to 
Europe and the United States. What is called in com¬ 
merce Lac, is the product of an East India coccus. 
The insect that infests appletrees, is the female of 
the coccus malus, and appears like a small, hard, im¬ 
movable shell, as indeed it usually is when observed. 
This coccus, when impregnated, fixes itself by its suck¬ 
er which projects from between its two forelegs, to the 
bark, and after depositing its eggs between its body 
and the bark, dies, and forms a covering that complete¬ 
ly protects them through the winter, as well as the 
