Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1856-02-20
A Chapter on Insects.

paper read BY MIR. Townsend Glover before the
| late meeting Of the United States Agricultural
Society:
! Old stone walls and the usual zgzag rail fences
serve as harbors of refuge 10 multtudes of the
insect race during the winter, where, between the
Iinterstices of the stones and under tho rotting.
bark or rotted wood, they spend the winter shell
tered from the cold and icy blast.
In the large spaces also necessarily left between
these zigzag fence rails and the ploughed part
many hiob weeds and brambles spring up. which
likewise serve as places Of conceament and shelter
for insects and yermn, besides rendering the rest
of the field very weedy from the seeds which are
necessarily disseminated from this source. Old
rotted stumps should also be removed or burnt, as
myriads of insects find snug winter quarters in the
creyices aud bark, from whence they issue forth
in spring to Law the eggs which produce the mil
| lion of caterplars and grubs that inundate the
fields and devour the autumnal crops. All insects,
however, are not preludical witness some OF the
lady-bu whose whole lary2 life is devoted to
devourng and cxtirpating the plant loase. ich :
neumon flies deposit eggs in caterpllars; these
eggs hatch into grubs, which devour the interior
of the caterpllars themselves ,and thus eventually
destroy thousands Many others might mention,
| if had time, and your patience were not already
somewhat severely taxed. However, must men,
iion some insects very valuable in the way OIL
commerce. The cochineal, a species OF coccus,
used to produce splendid scarlet dye comes dried
in the shape OF little grains, and, in 1851, 2245I
cwts. were imported. The canlharis, or blister
| fly, and many others might serve as examples.
| Insects also act very important part In the
economy of nature, serving as they do for ood ior
millions of birds and fish. The Bible says ''all
flesh is grass" and true it is, for take the plant
louise, OF aphis, whose bloated body appears to be
merely an animated green bladder of the Juices OF
the plant upon which il exists this is eaten by
the lady bug, which, in lis turn, becomes the
food of some bird or fish, whose flesh serves to
nourish that great omniverous animal, ,man- Were
there no insects what would become of all the in
hsectiverous brds and still more OF the fresh water
fish? An old hen confined in coop with her
chickens loose around her will clear large space
of insects in short time yet tender spring
chicken is considered dainty, although a. week
previously it may have been riotng on fare OF
crickets and caterpillars. In many tobacco parta-
tons flocks ofturkeys are turned into the held to
eat off the tobacco worms yet what is better than
good roasted turkey2 Nay, in several places,
if we are to believe travellers. men eat insects.
A palm tree grub, well roasted, is considered
great delicacy in some countries in others, grass
hoppers, or rather locusts, are preferred; hut as
this subject is not very pleasant to our tastes j
will pursue it no further. Insects also act as
scavengers in removing decayed animal sub
stances others, again, rotten wood and decaylng
vegetable matter in short, this theme might be
pursued forever, were we to investigate all the
uses which are made Of insects in the economy OF
nature.
Here, however, let me change the subject, to
put in special plea for insecverous birds, which
appear to have been sent to keep the ''balance OF
power" in insect life. which insects would other
wise multiply to such degree as to be perfectly
unbearable and render the agriculturlsps toll en-
trey useless. A farmer keeps watch dog to
guard his premises and cats to kill rats and mice
in his granary and barns; yet he suffers any
''unfeathered biped" to tear down his fence rails
in order to get chance shot at any robin, wren,
or blue bird which may be unfortunate enough to
be on his premises; and yet these very birds do
him more good than either dog or cat, working
diligently from morn..to dark, killing and destroy
ing insects injurious to his crops, which, If not
thus thnned out, would eventually multiply to
such an extent as to leave him scarcely any crop
whatsoever Birds are accused of eating cherries
and other fruits. True but the poor birds merely
take tythe of the fruit to pay for the tree, which
probably have been Killed in its infancy. TO
exemplily the utility of birds will give one or
two instances that have occurred under my own
observation. Some years ago took fancy TO
keep bees: accordingly hives were procured and
books read upon the subject. One day king bird
or bee martin was observed TO be very busy about
the hives, apparently snapped up,every Struggling
bee he could find. Indignant at such breach Of
hospitality, as his nest was on the premises,
lhastened to the house to procure gun 10 shoot
the n,arauder. When returned | perceived
grayish bird on the bushy top of tree, and,
thinking il was the robber | fired, and down
dropped pnor innocent little PhGbe bird Hoping
to find some consolation to my conscience Tor hav-
ing committed this most foul murder, ! inwardly
accused the poor little Phoebe of having also killed
the bees and, having determined to ascertain the
fact by dissectng the bird, it was opened. when,
much to my regret and astonishment, it was found
to be full Of the striped cucumber bugs, and not
one single bee. Here had killed the very bird
which had been working for me the whole season,
and perfectly innocent of the crime fur which u
was sacrificed. After this circumstance deter
mined never to let gun be fired on the premises,
excepting on special occasions; and at present the
place is perfectly crowded during The spring,
summer, ,and autumn with the feathered songsters,
which build their nests even in my very porch
and bring up their young perfectly fearless of
mankind and although cherries, and strawberries,
&c. do suffer, yet the insects are not quarter as
numerous and troublesome as they were formerly.
| In the Southern States | have seen the bee
martin chase and capture boll.worm moth not
ten spaces from where stood, and the mocking
bird feeding its nearly grown on the same insect
Even the ugly toad works for the farmer and
gardener, as his food consists of insects more or
| less Injurious. The beautiful and lively green
and grey lizards of the Southera States, which
are seen running on the fence rail or amidst the
green foliage of trees, shrubs, and bushes, and
/ from which they can scarcely be distinguished
except when in motion, are ever on the watch for
insect prey and know of one curious case in
which even the mice in a greenhouse were OF
service. for they had rooted up the earth round
several potted neach trees in order to devour the
cbrvsals of the peach tree borer. As fear have
already trespassed too much upon your time and
good nature will now, in conclusion, merely
Observe that if the practical farmer will only note
down precisely the transformation OF insects, their
first anpearance and habits and make them known
| to the public through the medium of some good
agricultural work, he will be doing more good to
pTesep, and future agriculture than he imagines.
"a II 10 from nraclcal men we want facts, and not
theories which NAV be better studied in the paror
than in the field. The regular scientific entomo
loo,st studies insects merely as insects belonging
10 such an ORDER family, or genus, and as insects
alone The Antenns Tarsi Papl, &C. mast all De
subjected to the closet microscopic investigation.
Rn' as the farmer or agricultural entomologst
mt Sevote his lime to all this exceptin winter, he
would he much msre usefully employed in study
;ng heir habits and transformations out Of doors in
the field orchard, or garden. and last. though not
iesst in finding out the proper remedies against
,ha;r r.v,ges He can preserve many insects in
sniris of Vine and if he wishes the scientific name
p o,n sond them to any regular scientific entomo-
| l.. Il l.