Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1862-10-02
SOMETHING ABOUT INSECTS.

DOuG Adult lNOGCIS.
The Natural History Society of Illinois has
Just held its annual meeting at Bloomington.
A number of valuable papers were read, and
important topics were discussed. The contro-
versy upon the transformation OF wheat into
chess resulted, as the discussion always does,
in the conclusion that as matter of theory, it
was impossible for the thing to hapren, but
that as o matter Of fact and observation it did
take place.
A lecture of Doctor Walsh upon the "Habits
ofInsects' was the feature of the meeting. The
Doctor commenced by saying that Sidney Smith
speaks on one occasion Of an "insect with eleven
legs, nondescrpt with eleven wings, a cater.
pillar with dozen eyes in bis belly" and those
whose business it is to know that every insect
has Just six legs-iour or two, or no wings at
all-and, when they have any, their eyes inva-
riably affixed to their heads. 1t serves as an H.
lustraion Of the total popular ignorance in re-
gard to bugs" The natural history of the
higher animals is known, in its rudiments, even
to children, while that of the lower animals,
such as insects, is a sealed book to almost every
equally full ofinteres', and swarms of species
are always present while the number of man.
mails, birds or reptiles, is exceedingly limited in
every locality.
ILLUSTRATIONS OF GENERAL IGNORANCE.
A moderate knowledge of insects oils the
wheels of daily life History records authen-
ticated SHOWERS of blood" bringing fright and
dread. They came from the red coating of a
butterily-"the painted lady"-several allied
species of which are found in Illinois, and may
at any time give rise to similar phenomena.
Another butterhy-the mourning clock, so
called from its being black with a cream colored
border-wls introduced into this country from
: Europe with some Lombardy poplars. In New
England the people somehow thought its larva
was poisonous and groves Of poplars around
dwellings, were destroyed in consequence ofthe
mistaken notion. A woolly or plant louise
ravaged the apple orchards of localities in Eng
land. A similar looking louise appeared on the
poplars, and it was thought that the orchards
destroyed came from popars, and so all the
popars were cut down. The two moths were
of different species and the proceeding was an
outrage, doing immense injury, working no
good The female of some moths has no wings
and has to crawl up the trees. Tarred band
ages properly applied to the trunks prevent
harm from these. but this proceeding as against
the canker worms is only humbug, and yet
thousands of dollars have been spent in placing
the most approved leaden troughs filed with
oil, &c., to guard against the latter.
THE Immoral POWER" OF INSECTS.
The power Of insects to torment and destroy
is incalculable. When the Egyptians were
plagued, lions and tigers were not seen, but
flies, lice and locusts. The great American
plague appearing annually, is the plague of in
sects. America is known as "the land of in
sects!" The annual destruction of wheat in
New York by one insect-the wheat midge-is
calculated at Sl5,000,000. For every dollars
worth of wheat the New York farmer haryests
this nudge takes dollars worth, being one
half of the crop. This nudge comes from Eng
land but there it is recorded that in the worst
year OF the ravagns it only destroyed one-twen-
tieth of the crop. And yet, while Europe in
vests regularly an constantly vast sums for a
knowledge Of the means of protection against
insects, America, suffering more, is niggard
in this regard, mainly because it does not know
and appreciate the value of such knowledge,
and the valuable results flowing therefrom.
DOCTOR FITCH AND THE cIIINcH BUG.
AS the lines of temperature did not conform
to the locations of insects, the Investigations
made by other states did the people in Illinois
but little benefit. OF the chnch bug, so COM
mon here, DIR. Fitch, il his twenty-five years
study, had met with only three in the state of
New York, and DR.. Harris only found one in
the state of Massachusetts.
"Vhafo the Use?" Every one who lives in
or visits the country, knows that not one farmer
in ten ever cultivates single plant merely for
the sake of its flowers.
A very few farmers wives or daughters will
plant few seeds in the spring; but no care or
attention is given TO the plants, and, of course,
they drag out a wretched existence. Generally,
the farmers flower garden contains few flaun-
ting sun-howers, grown because their seeds are
so good for their fowls, or some institutions be-
cause the fruit is good for picking. If you find
farmer or farmers wife or daughter, who has
raised and tended plants for the sake of the flow
ers only, you find "rara avis" indeed.
Now why is this SOP One all-sufficent rea-