Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1856-10-10
Agrirultural.
Destroying Pernioious In
scots.

II. Glover, the Distinguished emo
moIoqlst connected with the Agricul-
tural Department of the Patent OF
fee. has lately furnished the Nation
al Agricultural Society with a most
interesting essay on destructive in
sects and birds and he enloins our
farmers TO study their habits. tie
says;
IA close study Of the habits and
transformations Of any one OF the
pernicious insects (ball worm, wheat
nudge, caterpillar, &c.) 10y the prac-
teal and intelligent farmer, would
prove not only source OF great
pleasure, as leading tn n keener sense
Of the beauties and wonderful works
Of nature, as exemplhcd in the sin.
gular transformations insects under
go, before they assume the perfect
fly state, but also source of great
profit, as by experimenting upon
them in all the stages Of their ex-
existence, he might perchance dis
cover some practical method by
which their extermlnaunn could be
effected. Indeed, il is absolutely ne
cessary that a farmer should be able
10 recognise the insects that destroy
his crops, in all their various and
wonderful transformations, beioie a.
ny cffeciual remedy can he applied (;
as 10 one stage Of their life they may
be suffered To live and cnlpy them
selves. nay, even sometimes be pro-
tecied, whilst in another slngc we
prosecute and destroy them by every
means in our power For example,
the beautiful butterfly Of the papitic
dsterids. Any humane and kind
hearted farmer IMMERSED in entomol-
ogy, who should see his children
chasing and killing The beautiful
black and yellow spotted butterfly
that was was fitting joyously over
his vegetable garden, in the spring or
early summer, apparently leading
life Of mere harmless pleasure, would,
no doubt, reprove them for wantonly
destroying such pretty, harmless
insect; and yet, if the truth was
known, this pretty and much 10 be
pltied insect is the parent Of all those
nauseous smelling green and black
spotted worms that later in the sea-
son destroy his parsley, celery, pars-
nips and carrots. Yet bv merely
crushing the parent fly at one blow
early in the season, before il has de-
posted its eggs, he would be spared
the yexation of either seeing his
plants devoured and seed destroyed,
or having the disagreeable task of
picking of, one by one, some hun
dreds of caIerpillars later IN the sea-
sou. This fact will be more appn-
rent when | stale how lncred lbl, fast
some insects multiply, especially ~
the warmer climate OF The South, |
where there is little frost 10 destroy
vegetable life, and there are several
generations ~ one season. DIR. John |
Gambre, of Tallahassee, Fla, assist
ed by myself, dlssecled female ball
worm moth or miller IAN insect which
in the caterpillar slate is most de-
siructivc to cotion) aud we discov-
cred mess Of eggs, which when
counted amounted az the leas, cal !
culalIon to five hundred, dnly hatch /
ed, for the first generation, say one
half males, the rest females the
second generation, If undlsiurbed, /
would amount to 1875 900, aud the
third be almost lncalculable.
Now, these mother flies are no,
very numerous early in the season,
owing to the birds devourng them,
the rigor of winter, and various 9th
er accidental causes, aud If practical
means were found to destroy Them
as early in the spring as possible, the
immense rava9es OF The second aud
third generations might be prevent
ed. II. one female (1ce,icus) case
or hangworm, NO destructive TO the
shade trees, | counted nearly eight
hundred eggs, although the specl-
men was but small. Now were all
these cases taken from every infect
ed tree in the winter, when they eau
most easily be seen, owing to the tall
of the leaf, and then immediately
burned, the trees would be COMPARE
lively free the next season and by
following this plan for one or two
years more, the work growing grad
ually less and less, the insect might
finally be ex,erminaled, Inasmuch a.
The female never leaves her case, but
forms her nest Of eggs inside aud
yet these nOxlous pests are suffered
year by year TO increase, when so lat
tie trouble would destroy them. oh,
er insects, again, have other habits
which, il fully known, would like,
wise lead TO their destruction