874 
June  2:l;  l!)2:t 
Iht  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
Questions  About  Insects 
Answered  by  Prof.  Glenn  W.  Herrick 
An  Outbreak  of  Fleas 
I  am  inclosing  under  separate  coyer 
some  insects  which  we  have  been  calling 
fleas.  They  have  annoyed  us  excessively, 
being  found  in  the  grass  and  on  the 
porch.  At  one  time  they  were  very  thick  ; 
so  much  so  that  we  could  not  pass 
through  the  front  yard  without  being 
covered.  They  bite,  but  do  not  seem  to 
suck  blood.  They  poison  us,  the  swelling 
itching  very  much.  'We  had  thought  of 
using  a  delayed  dormant  spray,  contain¬ 
ing  nicotine,  but  it  stains  the  paint  so 
badly  that  we  hesitated.  Could  you  in¬ 
form  us  as  to  some  method  of  controlling 
this  pest,  and  what  they  are?  N.  J. 
Sodus,  N.  Y. 
The  insects  sent  are  the  human  flea 
( Tulex  irritans).  The  human  flea  is 
not  considered  common  in  the  East,  but 
it  is  known  by  everyone  living  on  the 
Pacific  coast.  This  outbreak  is  interest¬ 
ing,  but  we  are  at  a  loss  to  know  the 
cause.  It  must  be  breeding  on  dogs  or 
cats,  although  N.  J.  does  not  say  whether 
any  of  these  animals  are  owned  and  live 
about  the  house.  Fleas  are  certainly 
very  annoying,  but  can  be  exterminated 
if  the  animals  on  which  they  live  are 
treated  and  kept  free  of  the  pests. 
If  the  dogs  or  cats  sleep  beneath  the 
porch  the  loose  material  should  be  raked 
out  and  burned  or  buried.  Then  com¬ 
mon  salt  should  be  scattered  freely,  all 
over  the  ground  and  wet  down  by  sprink¬ 
ling.  One  or  two  treatments  of  this  kind 
should  kill  all  of  the  fleas.  A  thorough 
sprinkling  beneath  the  porch  with  kero¬ 
sene  would  also  be  effective.  The  ani¬ 
mals  should,  in  the  meantime,  be  treated 
to  destroy  the  fleas.  Dogs  should  be 
treated  to  an  application  of  a  3  per  cent 
solution  of  creolin.  made  by  adding  four 
teaspoonfuls  to  a  quart  of  water.  For 
cats,  a  2  per  cent  solution  is  strong 
enough,  for  the  skin  of  a  cat  is  more  sen¬ 
sitive  than  that  of  a  dog.  Enough  of 
the  solution  may  be  made  up  for  a  bath, 
or  it  may  be  applied  with  a  brush  or  rag. 
To  clear  a  room  in  the  house  of  fleas 
one  may  scatter  5  lbs.  of  flake  naph¬ 
thalene  over  the  floor,  close  the  doors  and 
windows  tightly  and  allow  the  room  to 
remain  closed  for  24  hours.  The  naph¬ 
thalene  may  then  be  swept  into  another 
room  for  similar  treatment. 
The  irritation  caused  by  the  bites  of 
fleas  may  be  allayed  by  applying  a  3  per 
cent  solution  of  carbolic  acid  in  wafer  to 
the  bitten  areas. 
Bark  Borer  in  Oak 
I  would  like  some  information  concern¬ 
ing  an  injury  which  happened  to  a  large 
oak  tree  which  is  on  my  property,  and  of 
which  we  are  very  proud.  A  large  sec¬ 
tion  of  both  the  inner  and  outer  bark 
and,  as  I  should  judge,  the  cambium  lay¬ 
er.  has  been  eaten  away,  leaving  the  wood 
exposed  in  a  hard,  dry,  weather-beaten 
condition.  Around  the  base  of  the  in¬ 
jury  I  found  a  quantity  of  finely  pulver¬ 
ized  brown  powdery  substance,  in  which 
were  some  brown  cocoons,  one  of  which 
was  open  and  contained  a  large  white 
maggot.  I  am  sending  two  of  these  co¬ 
coons  in  the  hope  that  you  can  tell  me 
what  has  caused  this  injury  and  what  the 
remedy  for  it  would  be.  H.  w.  L. 
Hillsdale,  N.  Y. 
The  oak  tree  -has  probably  been  in¬ 
fested  with  a  bark  borer,  perhaps  the  flat¬ 
headed  borer  ( Chrysobothris  femorata), 
which  also  works  in  apple  trees.  It  is 
impossible  to  say  just  what  the  trouble 
is  without  actually  examining  the  tree, 
and  perhaps  then  one  could  not  be  sure. 
The  brown  cocoons  which  H.  W.  L. 
sent  were  the  cocoons  of  the  rough  flow¬ 
er  beetle  (Osmoderma  seabra).  This 
beetle  is  a  secondary  inhabitant  of  the 
tree.  That  is  to  say,  its  white  grubs  live 
in  decaying  wood  of  different  trees,  and 
they  come  in  after  the  injury  has  been 
done  and  after  decay  begins  to  take 
place.  I  should  not  therefore  consider 
these  grubs  of  first-class  importance. 
To  save  this  tree  the  dead  wood  and 
bark  should  all  be  scraped  away  and 
the  wound  treated  with  some  good  anti¬ 
septic  such  as  corrosive  sublimate,  one 
part  to  1.000  parts  of  water.  After  the 
wound  has  been  washed  with  this  it 
should  be  covered  all  over  with  a  coat 
of  gas  tar.  sometimes  called  coal  tar.  Tf 
there  are  any  large  cavities  they  should 
be  filled  with  a  mixture  of  one  part 
asphaltum  to  five  or  six  parts  of  sawdust. 
The  asphaltum  should  be  melted  and  the 
sawdust  stirred  into  it.  and  the  cavities 
filled  while  the  material  is  warm. 
Trouble  with  Borers  and  Cutworms 
1.  For  the  past  two  or  three  years, 
especially  this  year,  we  have  been 
troubled  a  great  deal  by  borers  getting 
into  our  trees  and  shrubbery,  especial1  v 
the  lilacs,  elderberries  and  umbrella 
trees.  As  we  have  valuable  specimens  of 
this  kind  here  we  have  become  somewhat 
alarmed.  Could  you  suggest  any  treat¬ 
ment  of  the  soil  or  around  the  trees  in 
order  that  we  might  overcome  this  situ¬ 
ation?  2  I  would  like  to  ask  your  ad¬ 
vice  regarding  what  seems  to  be  a  small 
cutworm,  gray,  that  cuts  into  the  bulbs 
and  perennials.  It  is  not  the  white  cut¬ 
worm.  The  color  is  gray,  and  it  is  a  lit¬ 
tle  larger  than  the  lead  in  a  pencil.  I 
have  also  found  a  worm  somewhat  larger, 
yellow  in  color,  with  a  hard  shell.  Both 
of  these  worms  are  destructive  to  the 
flower  garden  where  such  plants  are  lo¬ 
cated  as  I  have  named.  Of  course  I 
realize  if  this  stuff  could  be  dug  up  and 
the  ground  turned  over  it  would  take 
care  of  the  matter,  but  this  would  be  im¬ 
possible,  as  the  shrubbery  is  quite  ex¬ 
tensive  and  of  long  standing,  and  also  the 
flower  garden  has  been  planted  for  a  long 
time.  I  feel  that,  undoubtedly,  some 
treatment  of  the  soil  would  overcome  the 
matter.  E.  E.  M. 
Wilkesbarre,  Pa. 
1.  Borers  in  plants  are  among  the  most 
difficult  insect  pests  to  control,  but  much 
can  be  done  to  repel  the  adults  from  de¬ 
positing  their  eggs  by  coating  the  bodies 
of  the  shrubs  with  ordinary  lime-sulphur. 
The  grubs  should  first  be  dug-  out  of  the 
shrubs  early  in  the  Spring,  so  as  to  be 
sure  the  plants  are  once  free  from  them. 
Then  the  trunks  of  the  shrubs  should  be 
given  a  coat  of  lime-sulphur  at  full 
strength.  The  dirt  should  be  hoed  away 
to  a  depth  of  2  or  3  in.,  and  the  coat  of 
lime-sulphur  should  begin  at  the  bottom 
and  go  up  perhaps  2  ft.  or  more,  depend¬ 
ing  on  the  plant.  Then  the  dirt  should 
be  replaced  about  the  base. 
2.  It  is  possible  to  poison  cutworms 
that  work  below  the  soil  by  using  a 
poison  bait  made  of  shorts  10  lbs..  Paris 
green  three  ounces,  «molasses  one  pint, 
and  just  enough  water  to  make  a  stiff 
dough.  The  Paris  green  should  be  mixed 
thoroughly  with  the  shorts  while  dry,  and 
then  the  molasses  and  water  added.  This 
bait  should  be  stirred  into  the  soil  about 
the  plants,  and  may  prove  effective.  I 
know  of  no  other  treatment  except  plow¬ 
ing  and  harrowing  that  can  be  used  for 
these  cutworms. 
EVENTS  OF  THE  WEEK 
DOMESTIC. — By  swooping  down  and 
circling  over  a  five-story  tenement  at 
Prospect  avenue  and  Fox  street,  The 
Bronx,  New  York,  an  aviator,  June  10. 
called  the  attention  of  hundreds  of  peo¬ 
ple  to  the  fact  that  the  building  was  on 
fire,  and  within  a  few  moments  alarms 
were  being  telephoned  in  to  the  Fire 
Department  from  all  sides.  The  fire 
endangered  the  lives  of  two  women  and 
caused  damage  estimated  at  $100,000.  It 
stareted  on  the  top  floor  from  the  explo¬ 
sion  of  a  still,  according  to  the  police. 
Jacob  M.  Schiff.  who 'posed  as  a  war 
veteran  and  obtained  a  position  as  a 
disburser  of  relief  money,  whereby  he 
was  able  to  fleece  the  disabled  veterans 
of  the  'State  of  $10,000,  was  given  from 
six  months  to  three  years  in  the  peni¬ 
tentiary  by  Judge  Otto  A.  Rosalsky  in 
General  Sessions,  New  York,  June  7. 
Schiff  admitted  in  court  that  he  had 
never  been  in  the  army.  He  had  pur¬ 
chased  a  lieutenant’s  uniform  and  a  lot 
of  medals,  he  said.  He  forged  discharge 
papers,  joined  a  number  of  veterans’  or¬ 
ganizations.  and  became  so  popular  that 
he  was  a  candidate  for  the  Assembly  last 
year  in  the  First  Assembly  District,  but 
was  defeated.  lie  was  then  given  the 
job  of  disbursing  money  to  veterans  by 
the  State  Veterans’  Relief  Commission. 
His  method,  it  was  learned,  was. to  com¬ 
pel  veterans  to  sign  a  blank  for  the 
amount  they  were  supposed  to  receive, 
and  then  deduct  a'  portion  for  himself. 
Mrs.  I.oretta  Thompson  of  2117  East 
Fourteenth  street.  Brooklyn.  N.  Y.. 
whose  automobile  killed  11-year-old  Dom¬ 
inick  Leo,  was  sentenced  to  prison  for 
one  to  three  years  by  Justice  Faber  in 
the  Kings  Supreme  Court  June  11.  She 
is  said  to  be  the  first  woman  in  this 
State  to  go  to  prison  for  reckless  motor 
car  driving. 
The  lofty  arched,  glass  covered  train 
shed  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad’s 
Broad  Street  '  Station,  once  proudly 
known  as  the  “Portal  of  Philadelphia.” 
was  destroyed  by  fire  June  11.  The 
main  station  building,  housing  the.  ad¬ 
ministration  offices,  the  waiting  rooms 
and  ticket  booths,  escaped  from  the 
flames  virtually  unscathed.  The  total 
loss  is  approximately  $2,000,000.  That 
amount  includes  between  800  and  1.000 
trunks  which  were  damaged  by  fire.  The 
actual  building  damage  was  fixed  at  $1,- 
000.000.  In  addition  three  locomotives, 
eight  steel  coaches  and  three  electric 
cars  were  damaged. 
Damage,  estimated  at  $500,000  was 
caused,  June  11,  by  a  fire  which  de¬ 
stroyed  Max  Blumenberg's  lumber  yard 
at  202-208  Siegel  street,  in  the  Williams¬ 
burg  section  of  Brooklyn,  N.  \.,  and  a 
six-storv  brick  factory  building  at  1.10- 
200  Siegel  street.  Five  alarms — the 
largest  number  given — were  turned  in 
and  they  were  supplemented  by  special 
calls  which  brought  five  additional  en¬ 
gine  companies  from  the  Flatbusli  section, 
a  fuel  wagon  and  a  search  light.  No 
one  was  injured.  The  fire  was  in  the 
heart  of  Williamsburg’s  tenement  house 
district.  . 
Seven  dead,  many  missing,  thousands 
homeless  and  property  loss  exceeding  $o.- 
000,000  was  the  known  toll  June  11  of 
floods  which  have  sent  virtually  every 
stream  in  Kansas  and  Northern  Okla¬ 
homa  to  the  highest  stage  in  years.  The 
Kansas  River  and  tributaries  were  re¬ 
ported  falling,  thus  removing  the  imme¬ 
diate  danger  in  Northern  Kansas.  In 
Southern  Kansas,  however,  the  valleys 
of  the  Verdigris.  Neosho,  Walnut  and 
other  streams  were  inundated.  Arkan¬ 
sas  City  and  Winfield,  in  South  Central 
Kansas,  the  cities  hardest  hit,  June  11, 
were  under  patrol  of  American  Legion 
and  National  Guardsmen.  The  Cham¬ 
ber  of  Commerce  at  Arkansas  City  ap¬ 
pealed  for  $500,000  to  aid  the  flood  suf¬ 
ferers.  The  Chamber  estimated  the 
damage  at  Arkansas  City  at  more  than 
$3,000,000.  At  Winfield  the  damage  was 
estimated  between  one  and  one  and  a 
half  millions.  The  Tonkawa  and  Bur¬ 
bank  oil  fields  in  Oklahoma  were  com¬ 
pletely  cut  off  from  the  outside.  Damage 
to  property,  crops  and  live  stock  in  Kay 
County,  Okla.,  is  estimated  at  $2,000,000. 
Serious  forest  fire  conditions  existed 
June  11,  throughout  the  northern  part  of 
Aroostook  County  and  the  New  Bruns¬ 
wick  border  country,  in  Maine.  Fires  are 
spreading  through  the  woods,  dry  as 
tinder  after  a  prolonged  drought. 
Dry  forces  gained  the  edge  on  wet 
members  in  the  day’s  fight  over  prohibi¬ 
tion  in  the  Illinois  Assembly  when  the 
Senate  June  12,  defeated,  32  to  13,  the 
bill  of  Senator  Marks.  Republican,  Chi¬ 
cago.  to  repeal  the  State  prohibition  and 
search  and  seizure  acts.  Earlier  in  the 
day  the  House  voted  78  to  70,  to  take 
off  the  table  and  place  on  the  calendar 
the  O’Grady  bill  repealing  the  same  acts, 
subject  to  popular  referendum.  This 
action,  dry  members  said,  did  not  pledge 
the  House  to  pass  the  repealer. 
“The  shortest  route  to  the  grave”  is 
the  way  William  Mischlieh,  Justice  of 
the  Peace  of  Egg  Harbor  City,  N.  J.,  des¬ 
ignated  June  12.  the  White  Horse  Pike 
after  members  of  Troop  A,  State  police, 
had  testified  to  numerous  serious  acci¬ 
dents  on  that  highway  op  Sunday,  June 
10.  According  to  the  State  troopers 
there  were  53  accidents  and  six  fatalities 
on  that  narrow  strip  of  concrete  running 
from  the  Delaware  to  the  sea,  a  dis¬ 
tance  of  60  miles,  within  24  hours. 
WASHINGTON.  —  A  complete  plan 
for  nationalization  of  Pennsylvania  an¬ 
thracite  mines,  with  operation  under  a 
control  equally  representing  the  miners, 
mine  managers,  and  the  public,  has  been 
laid  before  the  United  States  Coal  Com¬ 
mission  by  the  miners’  union.  With  it 
was  submitted  some  criticism  of  the 
commission’s  present  cost-finding  meth¬ 
ods  and  a  request  for  public  hearing  or 
the  miners’  proposal.  An  alternative 
plan  for  a  general  reduction  of  capital 
investment  and  capital  charges  in  the  in¬ 
dustry  also  was  submitted. 
The  United  States  Supreme  Court, 
June  11,  decided  that  the  Legislature  of 
West  Virginia  has  no  right  to  enact  a 
law  which  in  effect  would  curtail  or  cut 
off  the  supply  of  natural  gas  carried  by 
pipe  lines  from  that  State  into  adjoining 
States,  where  it  is  much  used  for  fuel 
and  lighting.  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio 
joined  in  a  test  case  challenging  the  va¬ 
lidity  of  the  'West  Virginia  law  on  the 
ground  that  it  directly  interferes  with  in¬ 
terstate  commerce  and  violates  the  com¬ 
merce  clause  of  the  Constitution.  Fur¬ 
thermore  it  was  contended  that  enforce¬ 
ment  of  the  act  would  imperil  the  health 
and  comfort  of  thousands  in  those  States 
who  use  natural  gas  in  their  homes  and 
it  would  halt  many  industries  in  which 
thousands  are  employed  and  millions  of 
dollars  invested. 
The  teeth  were  drawn  out  of  the  Kan¬ 
sas  Court  of  Industrial  Relations  June 
11,  by  the  United  States  Supreme  Court, 
which  ruled  that  the  act  creating  the 
Kansas  tribunal  so  far  as  it  permits  fix¬ 
ing  of  wages  of  workers  of  the  plaintiff, 
a  packing  firm,  is  in  conflict  with  the 
Fourteenth  Amendment  of  the  Constitu¬ 
tion  and  deprives  the  company  of  its 
property  and  freedom  of  contract  with¬ 
out  due  process  of  law.  While  the  court 
did  not  pass  on  the  constitutionality  of 
the  act  as  a  whole,  the  opinion  in  effect 
so  restricts  its  operations  as  almost  to 
nullify  it. 
Further  evidence  of  the  Government’s 
intention  to  adhere  strictly  to  the  Su¬ 
preme  Court’s  construction  of  the  pro¬ 
hibition  law  with  respect  to  liquor 
aboard  ships  in  American  waters  was 
given  June  12  in  a  ruling  by  the  Public 
Health  Service,  forbidding  the  use  by 
crews  of  medicinal  liquor  for  dietary 
purposes. 
FARM  AND  GARDEN. — The"  Michi¬ 
gan  State  Grange  is  backing  a  move¬ 
ment  for  a  State-owned  fertilizer  plant 
to  be  operated  by  prison  labor. 
Caterpillars  delayed  a  train  near  Al¬ 
bany,  Ore.,  June  6,  one  hour  and  25 
minutes.  The  caterpillar  army  was 
more  than  an  inch  deep  on  the  railway 
tracks  and  the  trainmen  were  unable 
to  run  through  their  line.  The  insects 
are  reported  to  be  devastating  the  coast 
mountain  region  between  Eddyville  and 
Blodgett,  on  the  Albany-Newport  road. 
One  man  is  reported  to  have  been  driven 
from  his  home  near  Eddyville  by  the  in¬ 
sects.  The  railroad  company  is  spray¬ 
ing  with  crude  oil. 
M.  D.  Dunn,  Chicago,  was  re-elected 
president  of  the  American  Jersey  Cattle 
Club  at  its  convention  at  Chicago,  June 
6.  George  W.  Sisson  of  Potsdam,  N.  Y., 
was  re-elected  vice  president,  and  George 
T.  Chaffee,  Rutland,  Vt.,  treasurer. 
Hog  prices  dropped  to  the  lowest  level 
since  1915  at  Kansas  City,  June  7.  The 
decrease  was  attributed  to  heavy  re¬ 
ceipts.  Traders  were  offering  up  to  $6.60. 
Western  wool  markets  were  slow  and 
inactive  with  slight  price  changes  dur¬ 
ing  the  week  ended  June  2,  according  to 
reports  received  by  the  Department  of 
Agriculture  from  its  field  representatives. 
The  problem  of  sugar  profiteering  and 
speculation  is  being  taken  up  in  two 
phases.  There  is-  being  canvassed  the 
possibility  of  some  reciprocal  treaty  ar¬ 
rangement  between  the  United  States 
and  Cuba  by  which  the  differential  on 
Cuban  sugar  will  be  lowered.  Cuba  is 
clamoring  for  some  such  agreement,  but 
no  move  has  yet  been  made  by  the  State 
Department.  The  other  phase  refers  to 
the  possibility  of  eliminating  the  Cuban 
problem  from  the  supply  equation 
through  the  raising  of  enough  beet  and 
cane  in  the  United  States  and  its  insular 
possessions  to  meet  the  nation’s  con¬ 
sumption.  Secretary  of  Agriculture  Wal¬ 
lace  takes  the  view  that  the  United  States 
has  enough  beet  and  cane  land  to  supply 
the  home  requirements  although  at  pres¬ 
ent  more  than  half  the  sugar  consumed 
comes  from  Cuba.  The -inquiry  of  Sec¬ 
retary  Wallace  was  prompted  by  the 
evidence  that  Cuban  sugar  caused  the 
recent  runaway  market  and  the  belief 
that  the  Cuban  supply  is  the  main  ele¬ 
ment  in  a  speculative  situation  in  the 
sugar  market. 
It  is  asserted  that  more  than  300.000 
acres  of  farm  land  will  remain  idle  in 
Pennsylvania  this  Summer  largely  as  a 
result  of  the  shortage  of  farm  hands.  In 
55  of  the  67  counties  there  are  more 
than  0.000  vacant  farms  and  301.200 
acres  idle.  The  common  labor  shortage 
is  general  throughout  the  State,  while 
many  industries  also  are  affected. 
Coming  Farmers’  Meetings 
June  21 — Dairymen’s  League,  annual 
meeting.  Utica,  N.  Y. 
June  29-22 — Long  Island  Potato  Grow¬ 
ers’  tour,  starting  from  Riverhead. 
June  27-29 — Farmers’  Field  Day.  New 
York  State  College  of  Agriculture,  Itha¬ 
ca.  N.  Y. 
July  30- Aug.  3 — Farmers’  Week,  Con¬ 
necticut  Agricultural  College,  Storrs, 
Conn. 
Oct.  6-13— National  Dairy  Show  and 
World’s  Dairy  Congress,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 
Nov.  27-Dec.  1 — Poultry  Show,  Wash¬ 
ington.  D.  C.  Secretary,  D.  Lincoln 
Orr,  Orr’s  Mills,  N,  Y. 
Dec.  13-15  —  North  Bergen  County 
Poultry  Association,  fifth  annual  show. 
Westwood,  N.  J. 
Jan.  23-27,  1924 — Poultry  Show,  Madi¬ 
son  Square  Garden,  New  York  City, 
Secretary,  D.  Lincoln  Orr.  Orr’s  Mills. 
N.  Y. 
Difficulties  are  things  that  show  what 
men  are. — Epictetus. 
Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  Market,  Railroad  Yards 
