Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1865-06-14

4
the vines. The bugs fall down into the b..
Sin. But when the water cools some, which
4 quickly does, they are not scalded, and
Do not readily drown. The change ofthe ~.
ter frequently requires time and trouble,
and hence, instead Of boiling water, take
cold, and pour into it enough turpentine to
cover il about sixth Of an inch in depth
The moment . bug touches Il instant death
10 certain. When the basin il - full - the
water will allow, scatter the destroyed bugs
over the vines from which they have been
collected. The sight Of these dead ones,
and the offensive scent Of the turpentine,
will soon clear the patches Of the numerous
living ones that will still be left.
These remarks apply to the yellow striped
bug, which 10 most numerous, and collects
together in large swarms accompanies. But
the large striped black variety does not col
lect in such large numbers, and hence, ID
less easily destroyed. 1t continues to live
longer than the yellow one. More patient
care 10 therefore necessary to overcome it
We have never tried sowing salt upon the
vines, o. recommended in the following let
tor for the destruction Of the chinch bug:
rns cnINcn BUG.
The following letter 10 from an experience
ed farmer to the Agricultural Commission
err:
PLArrsvILLs, GRANT Co.,
Wis, March I'd, 1866. (
Sn:--I addressed a communication to
you, accompanied with some specimens Of
chinch bugs, nearly year since, asking in
formation from you as to the means Of pre-
venting their ravages, rs, in company with
20 many Of my neighbors, suffered very
severely last summer. l wish TO report
what think is . successful experiment
against their ravages. In their Larvae state
they are very active, striking in the ground
during the rain and when fire or smoke is
passing over them, and re-appearing after
wards. l have been long satisfied that
nothing here known would kill them with
out destroying the crop and the productive
character of the soil. then supposed that
- they lived on the cap of the plant, they
might be reached through it. had ten.
acre piece of splendid wheat last summer
which watched carefully on the first an.
pearance Of the grub. sowed on one acre
three bushels Of quicklime It affected them
no more than so much flour would have
done. On the same day, 14th Of June, l
/ eOWCu Ouc UUSuCI VI Sutt vi Ouc OCIe, anu IN
thirty hours afterwards they had all left that
piece, moving southeast into piece of oats
and northeast into the corn. That one acre
Of wheat was all l got from the ten, and
from it l threshed seventeen bushels.
feel pretty we'll satisfied now that had !
sown II or II bushels of rock salt to the
acre by the lst Of June, or from ten days
to two weeks sooner than did, should
have saved my whole crop. They had been
working in the ground probably two Or
three days before l saw them. They de-
stroyed the corn last year pretty generally
after the small grain, and the same remedy
applied to it will, think, produce the same
results.
The destruction Of our crops is most &C.
rious in the Northwest; It 10 beyond belief
the numbers of this bug in the fly state
was darkened with them We are dread
ing their return next season.
Yours, respectfully,
GEORGE r. LAUGHroN.
j. NEwToN, ESQ.,, Commissioner.
the cur.woRx
In cool, wet seasons especially, the dep
relations Of the 'cut-worm are often serious
to the corn crop particularly. As the pres
ent season promises to be such an one, we
here re- publish remedy tried by the Com
missioner of Agriculture, when on his farm
near Philadelphia.
The cut.w0rms were destroying his corn,
and an examination disclosed that there
were enough Of them to render it useless to
re plant. Gathering several worms, he put
them separately in small vessels and sprink-
led various things over them, none Of which
disturbed them but salt, and this proved in
stantly fatal. Fearful Of injuring the corn
if much Of it was applied around the plant,
he took bushel of finely ground salt and
mixed it with four bushels Of plaster. They
were thoroughly mixed, by sitting them
through . common sieve, and then applied
around and over each hill Of corn by the
hand. The corn was then Just shooting
above the ground, but the leaf had not IN
folded. A row was left without this appli
was that not . hill was touched by the
worms except this row, and it was entirely
destroyed.
The efficacy Of salt in these remedies is
not in 30 filling the sap Of the plants that it
il fatal to the insects living upon it, as Mr..
laughter supposes. So great a change in
the condition Of the sap would be fatal to
plant in oil probability. But it is the effect
Of the salt on the skin Of the insects and
worms, and to the distaste they would have
for any melted portions Of it on the outside
Of the plants they lived on. The mixing Of
tho salt with plaster was for the purpose Of
diffusing it more completely, and as the
plaster attracts and retains moisture, it
would longer preserve the salt than any 9th
or substance. But where it cannot bo had,
others, ~ finely pulverized charcoal. could
be used in its stead.
THE UNITED STATES CHRISTIAN COMMIs
sroN.-Thc third annual report Of the U. s.