The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-09-07
THE COTTON WORM-THE ELDER
PREVENTIVE.

We have received from subscriber in Beaufort
an article from the Massachusetts Plonghman re-
lating to tho use of the elder as preventive OF
the attacks of insects, which we publish below.
Tho communication vas forwarded to Gov bull
LocH, of Massachusetts by the widow or the late
Consul-General to Egypt The writer thinks 1t
might be used successfully against the Amy
NIT would be cheap experiment to try on
the caterpillar which is now doing so much damage
on our Sea Islands
eThe elder is a most wonderful preventive
against all kinds of insects and worms that lnlest
the vegetable kingdom and at times utterly oeS-
troy tie labor OF man." .
and think the agriculturists will owe much 70
this accident, and to the observatlons ana exDerl-
ments of the inquiring. mind that discovered 'he
intrinsic value and qualities OF the samDucus.
''1his preventive is to be USED III the loiio"ihs
manner:
1st. For fruit and other trees strong solution
is to be made by putting quantity OF the eider
leaves into large tub filled with water, ana wnen
the water becomes strongly lmpreghatee Will ina
hand engine to sprinkle we'll every part OF the tree
with the solution, which must be twice week.
For fruit trees it would be better to sprinkle them
before the blossoms APPEAR tho9gn tnere is ;a ~
great risk of injuring either the blossoms or 1rut
If the sambucus tree was planted among the Iruit
and other trees, it would have the same effect, so
that it's branches might entwine themselves among
those of the fruit tree, or tying NUMBER OF lts
branches among those of the fruit and other trees,
the caterpillar and all other insects would disap-
Iear. ..1 hrt ,or
ticularly the wheat, which is often attacked with
the yellows or mildew, occasloned Dy shan !eti
low hy with blue wings, about the size OF q gnat,
which blows into an ear Of corn and produces
small worm almost invisible to the naked eye, but
when seen with microscope, it appears TO 3e
largo yellow magpot the color of amber; this ty ID
yerv prolific, laying as many as elght OF tSn ee8s
at time: they are the greatest enemy 10 tne corn
crop The method of using the elder IN snis IN ~,
stance is for two men to supply themselves Win
several bushes of the elder, and to go on each
side of the ridges, and to move the bushes from
end to end, and so on back again, drawing tneIn
we'll over the of corn before they are 100 Iar
advanced. | think it would be preferable to apply
the elder before the corn is formed, and whenever
these flies or any other insects are discovered to
have made their appearance, and they Will I'M
mediately evacuate.
potatoes, etc., are frequently destroyed when
Young by beng bitten by some kline OF insect,
either flies or feas, and which may be prevented
by having an elder bush spread 30 as to cover
about the breadth of ridge, and drawn once or
twice over the beds, forward and backward After
this operation these insects disappear.
4th. The cock chatter, or oak web, may thus be
expelled by whipping and passing the elder bush
over the parts they have assaulted, as they seldom
leave any green thing untouched, but hold In ab-
horrenco the elder tree, and will not approach it,
5b The army worm which is SO de dssrustss aTussS to
used as is herein directed for the wheat crops and
this great and formidable army, which brings ter,
ror to. the planter, would very soon be compelled
to surrender. The dwarf elder (Ebulus), should
think with the army worm would be preferable, as
it is much more powerful in its odor. When they
cornmenca their march onward it would be advs-
able to lay branches OF the ebuus on their road OF
hsy seem to defy yn evsFyh1g tn Wg II 70 thSs sas
how they would manage to avoid the
elder, which think will destroy them. This Is
suggestion OF my own. AS this preventive, the
elder, has beer thoroughly tested, and met with
the most wonderful success In all the other cases
herein cited AMI as accident has been the means,
through investigation, of doing so much for the
benefit of man, am fully persuaded that the agr-
cutu1sts Of our country would do we'll to give this
thorough trlaL
FRANCES A. MCCAULEY,
Widow of the late D. S. McCauey, United States
nsul-General Of Egypt.