The  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
I  1)3 
The  Grain  Crops,  Exports  and  Prices 
WE  have  been  told  so  repeatedly  that  the  low 
comparative  prices  of  farm  crops,  particu¬ 
larly  grain,  are  due  to  'the  fact  that  we  have  no  for¬ 
eign  market  for  our  surplus,  that  I  presume  most 
farmers  are  beginning  to  believe  this.  However, 
some  of  your  readers  may  be  interested  in  the  chart 
in  the  inclosed  “Monthly  Review,”  issued  by  the 
Federal  Reserve  Bank,  showing  very  clearly  that  the 
year  1922  exceeded  in  cereal  exports  (including 
flour)  any  previous  years  since  1900,  and  that  while 
the  present  year  is  showing  a  decline  from  this  high 
peak,  it  is  well  above  the  average  since  1915,  and 
higher  than  at  any  point  between  1900  and  1914. 
It  may  also  be  interesting  to  note  that  under 
“Crop  Conditions,”  the  Department  of  Agriculture’s 
latest  estimates  (after  the  wheat  has  left  the  farm¬ 
ers’  hands)  show  a  decrease  over  the  1922  crop  of 
41,000,000  bushels,  instead  of  the  widely  heralded 
surplus  crop  which  so  depressed  grain  prices  at 
thrashing  time.  Is  there  no  cure  for  the  annual  ad¬ 
vance  notice  to  farmers  that  the  country’s  crops  will 
be  so  large  that  their  particular  crop  is  worthless 
until  after  it  has  been  put  in  storage,  while  the  later 
estimates  and  final  outcome  show  that  they  were 
misinformed? 
We  are  not  raising  grain  for  sale,  but  retail  our 
milk  products,  so  my  suggestions  are  not  to  be  in 
any  way  counted  “sour  grapes.”  The  lower  grain 
prices  go,  the  better  advantage  we  have  in  our  par¬ 
ticular  activities,  but  it  is  distressing  nevertheless 
to  see  the  same  results  occur  year  after  year.  The 
only  help  I  see  is  to  store  our  products  co-operatively 
under  the  new  Federal  loan  provisions  on  warehouse 
receipts,  until  the  dealers  who  have  a  legitimate 
right  to  buy  and  handle  our  products  are  ready  to 
pay  what  they  are  worth,  without  necessarily  in¬ 
creasing  the  prices  the  consumer  now  pays.  t.  b.  b. 
New  Jersey. 
Following  is  the  note  and  diagram  of  cereal  ex¬ 
ports,  from  the  Federal  Reserve  Bank  of  New  York 
monthly  review  (August)  : 
The  diagram  below  illustrates  the  volume  of  do¬ 
mestic  exports  of  principal  cereals  from  the  United 
States  since  1900,  by  government  fiscal  years  ended 
June  30.  Average  annual  exports  of  such  cereals 
in  the  years  1915-1922  were  approximately  70  per 
cent  larger  than  the  pre-war  volume.  Although  such 
exports  decreased  100,000,000  bushels  in  1923,  they 
•were  still  65  per  cent  above  the  pre-war  average. 
Cereal  exports  in  the  year  ended  June  30,  1923,  were 
8  per  cent  of  the  crop  harvested  in  1922,  which  com¬ 
pares  with  10  per  cent  in  1922,  9  per  cent  in  1921, 
and  an  average  of  7.7  per  cent  for  the  years  1915- 
1920: 
Here  is  the  note  on  crop  condition's  referred  to : 
The  composite  condition  of  all  crops  on  July  1  was 
3.6  per  cent  below  the  10-year  average  condition  at 
this  season,  and  the  indicated  production  was  3  per 
cent  lower  than  last  year’s  final  crop,  according  to 
reports  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture.  The  pros¬ 
pective  cotton  crop  is  estimated  at  15  per  cent  larger 
than  in  1922,  due  mainly  to  an  increase  in  acreage. 
MILLIONS 
OF  KUSMELS 
Domestic  Exports  of  Cereals  from  the  United  States  in  Years 
Ended  June  30.  Cereals  Included  arc  Barley,  Corn,  Rye,  Oats, 
Wheat,  and  Wheat  Flour 
Principal  estimated  decreases  in  output  are  in  hay, 
wheat,  and  potatoes.  The  foil  wing  table  compares 
the  July  forecasts  of  yields  this  year  with  the  final 
estimates  for  the  1922  and  1921  crops,  and  with  a 
five-year  average: 
(In  millions) 
1916-1920 
1923  (July 
Crop  and  Unit 
Average 
1921 
1922 
forecast) 
Corn,  bu . 
2,831 
3,069 
2,891 
2,877 
Wheat,  bu . . 
799 
815 
862 
821 
Oats,  bu . 
1,413 
1,078 
1,201 
1,284 
Cotton,  bales . 
12 
8 
10 
11 
Hay,  short  ton.... 
85 
82 
113 
99 
Tobacco,  lbs . 
1,378 
1,070 
1,325 
1,425 
Potatoes,  bu . 
462 
460 
561 
476 
Apples,  bu . . 
m, 
99 
201 
189 
Camouflage  Among  Insects 
This  year  on  potatoes  and  string  beans  I  have  a  pest 
of  blister  beetles,  commonly  called  “old-fashioned  po¬ 
tato  bugs.”  There  are  two  kinds;  one  ash  gray,  about 
the  color  of  the  soil,  and  the  other  black  and  white 
striped.  These  beetles  are  easily  scared,  usually  drop¬ 
ping  to  the  ground  when  disturbed.  I  notice  that  the 
ash  gray  ones,  which  look  so  much  like  the  earth,  usu¬ 
ally  lie  still  where  they  drop,  while  the  conspicuously 
striped  ones  scurry  to  get  under  cover.  Is  this  a  case 
of  conscious  protective  coloration,  jr  do  entomologists 
no  longer  accept  that  theory?  W.  H. 
New  Jersey. 
YESTERDAY  it  was  my  pleasure  to  take  a  leis¬ 
urely  stroll  along  a  well-worn  path  through  the 
field  leading  to  what  will  probably  be  a  new  State 
park.  The  cicadas  were  singing  among  the  pines, 
the  grasshoppers  were  clacking  in  the  air  on  poised 
wings,  the  meadow-brown  butterflies  were  flitting 
over  the  fields  and  the  crickets  were  trilling  their 
Mr.  E.  Edick,  of  Ohio,  sends  us  this  picture  of  him¬ 
self  and  his  six-year-old  grandson  playing  a  violin  duet. 
The  young  man  plays  several  pieces  with  his  mother  in 
this  way. 
songs  from  their  hiding  places  among  the  grass.  The 
air  was  vibrant  with  the  hum  of  insect  life,  for  now 
in  August  is  the  height  of  the  activities  of  these  tiny 
but  multitudinous  animals.  The  'Carolina  locust,  one 
of  our  common  grasshoppers,  was  my  most  frequent 
companion  along  the  path.  It  would  fly  high  in  the 
air  with  a  clacking  noise  and  alight  directly  some 
distance  in  front  of  me  on  the  path.  When  in 
flight  the  large  dark  outspread  hind  wings,  each 
bordered  by  a  wide  yellow  band,  made  of  this  grass¬ 
hopper  a  most  conspicuous  object ;  but  when  it  alight¬ 
ed  on  the  bare  soil  and  the  brownish-gray,  dusky- 
spotted  fore  wings  were  closed  over  the  folded  hind 
wings,  the  body  blended  so  nicely  with  the  earth  that 
I  could  not  see  where  the  insect  was  resting  until 
after  a  careful,  often  prolonged  search,  no  matter 
how  intently  my  eye  tried  to  follow  the  grasshopper 
in  its  alighting.  This  is  unquestionably  a  case  of 
protective  coloration  among  insects,  and  is  so  deli¬ 
cately  constituted  in  this  grasshopper  that  the  color 
of  the  fore  wings  varies  with  the  soil  on  which  tho 
Carolina  locust  lives,  a  provision  that  must  often 
afford  it  an  escape  from  the  sharp  eyes  of  its  ene¬ 
mies. 
The  green  leaf-like  wings  of  the  katydids  that  live 
in  trees,  the  dark  mottled  fore  wings  of  certain 
Catocala  moths  that  habitually  alight  on  tree  trunks, 
and  many  other  examples  which  might  be  mentioned 
are  all  instances  of  natural  camouflage  among  in¬ 
sects.  The  ideas  of  camouflage  as  practiced  in  the 
late  Wbrld  War  have  long  been  in  use  in  nature. 
To  realize  this  one  has  only  to  recall  the  failure  to 
see  the  rabbit  that  lay  quietly  just  before  one’s 
eyes  among  the  dry,  gray  grass  stems  of  a  neg¬ 
lected  field,  or  the  partridge  (ruffed  grouse)  that 
took  flight  at  one’s  very  feet  from  among  the  dry 
leaves  with  which  she  blended  so  perfectly,  or  the 
fox  with  his  red  back  stretched  against  a  moss-cov¬ 
ered  log  and  his  gray  belly  shading  into  the  dry 
leaves  beneath  until  the  sly  animal  had  whisked 
away  and  over  the  hill  out  of  sight. 
Unquestionably  the  gray  blister  beetle  of  which 
W.  IT.  speaks  affords  a  fine  example  of  camouflage 
among  insects.  I  should,  however,  change  the  word 
“conscious”  to  instinctive,  for  I  can  hardly  bring 
myself  to  believe  that  insects  think,  although  they 
seem  to  come  perilously  near  to  it  at  times.  I  do 
not  suppose  the  gray  beetle  lay  quietly  down  on 
the  soil  with  conscious  deliberation  that  this  was  the 
thing  to  do,  but  rather  because  past  generations  of 
its  ancestors  had  lain  in  this  way,  until  to  lie  upon 
the  gray  earth  had  become  an  instinctive  habit  un¬ 
accompanied  by  thought  or  consciousness  concerning 
the  act.  The  striped  blister-beetle,  more  conspicu¬ 
ously  marked,  instinctively  hustled  away  from  the 
gray  earth,  against  which  it  stood  out  in  bold  relief, 
to  a  situation  in  which  its  body  blended  more  har¬ 
moniously  with  its  surroundings. 
GLENN  W.  HEKBICK. 
When  to  Cut  Brush 
EVERY  year  at  this  time  there  are  many  ques¬ 
tions  about  cutting  brush  or  trees  so  as  to  make 
a  thorough  job  of  cleaning  them  out.  Many  farmers 
seem  to  believe  that  cutting  such  brush  in  the  full 
of  the  moon  of  August  will  be  sure  to  clean  it  out. 
Personally,  we  do  not  believe  the  moon  has  anything 
to  do  with  it,  but  there  is  good  ground  for  the  belief 
that  brush  cut  in  late  August  will  usually  be  killed 
out.  The  reason  for  this  is  about  as  follows :  The 
trees  and  shrubs  make  their  full  growth  during  the 
Summer.  Along  toward  the  end  of  the  season  they 
have  made  a  heavy  growth  above  ground,  and  the 
roots  have  been  just  about  exhausted  as  a  result  of 
this  growth.  Nature  then  stops  growth  in  order  to 
provide  for  the  future  life  of  the  plant.  Left  to 
itself  under  favorable  conditions  the  plant  will  stop 
growing  above  ground  in  late  August  and  proceed 
to  store  up  extra  nourishment  in  the  roots.  This  is 
needed  to  carry  the  plant  safely  through  the  Winter, 
and  give  it  the  strength  to  start  up  once  more  in  the 
Spring.  If  then  the  plant  is  cut  off  at  the  ground 
during  August  we  attack  it  at  its  weakest  point. 
Nature  proceeds  to  send  up  a  new  growth,  or  at  least 
to  start  one  in  place  of  the  top  that  has  been  cut 
away.  The  root  is  in  no  condition  to  make  this 
growth,  and  as  a  result  Winter  finds  it  unprepared 
to  stand  the  cold  season  and  provide  a  new  growth 
in  Spring.  It  is  the  same  principle  as  waiting  until 
a  man  is  thoroughly  exhausted,  with  an  empty  stom¬ 
ach,  and  then  attacking  him  as  hard  as  you  can. 
He  is  not  prepared  for  the  attack,  whereas  if  he 
had  a  chance  to  rest  and  eat  a  good  meal  he  would 
be  ready  for  you.  Generally,  when  shrubs  or  trees 
are  cut  during  August  in  this  way  they  start  a  new 
feeble  growth,  but  are  unable  to  get  through  the 
Winter  successfully.  Thus,  this  late  cutting  is  one 
of  the  best  means  of  killing  out  brush. 
Making  Bordeaux  Mixture 
WE  frequently  have  calls  for  a  process  for  mak¬ 
ing  Bordeaux  mixture  on  a  small  scale.  It 
is  desired  for  garden  culture  where  plant  diseases 
give  trouble.  The  following,  taken  from  a  Michigan 
College  bulletin,  tells  the  story  briefly : 
Bordeaux  mixture  is  made  when  a  2  per  cent  copper 
sulphate  (Milestone)  solution  is  mixed  with  a  2  per  cent 
lime  solution.  In  ordinary  practice,  4  lbs.  of  bluestone 
is  dissolved  in  25  gallons  of  water.  Four  pounds  of 
Fiik  m«ih  sewn 
and  tunnel  to  strain 
irdeaux 
Use  (his  ftiiMur;  at  once  m  spro'  er-^' 
The  making  of  Bordeaux  mixture  in  small  quantities  for  use 
in  spraying  seed  beds,  etc.,  is  shown  in  this  diagram. 
stone  lime  or  6  lbs.  hydrated  lime  is  similarly  dissolved 
in  25  gallons  'of  water.  If  stone  lime  is  used,  it  is  first 
slaked  in  a  little  water.  To  make  Bordeaux,  equal 
parts  of  the  weak  bluestone  solution  and  the  weak  lime 
solution  are  mixed  and  then  stirred  vigorously.  If  the 
lime  is  good,  the  quantity  suggested  is  sufficient. 
Bordeaux  mixture  should  be  applied  as  soon  as  it  is 
prepared.  If  it  cannot  be  used  immediately,  it  can  be 
kept  for  future  use  by  adding  sugar  to  the  mixture  at 
the  rate  of  %  lb.  for  each  50  gallons.  The  plain  copper 
sulphate  solution  and  the  plain  lime  solution  will  keep 
indefinitely.  The  barrels,  however,  should  be  covered 
to  prevent  evaporation. 
Some  little  time  ago  it  was  stated  that  gas  for  light, 
power  and  heat  could  be  produced  by  distilling  straw. 
Someone  seems  to  have  gained  the  impression  that  any 
farmer  can  do  this,  and  that  a  straw  stack  will  heat  and 
light  the  house  and  run  the  car.  The  truth  is  that 
while  such  distillation  is  possible,  it  is  not  practical ; 
one  of  the  things  such  as  St.  Paul  called  lawful  but  not 
expedient. 
