Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1869-03-19

gall, however, is as q rule confined TO a
Distinct species Of plant though some
plants are attacked by very large mum
her of different kinds; on the various
kinds Of oaks on this continent, for in
stance, Baron Osten Sacken enumerates
the discovery of about sixty speeies' OF
calls. and Mr. Walsh has considerably in
creased the number. The great majority
of gals are produced by insects Of the
came family and order as that mentioned
above. Some are made by saw.flles, some
by small moths, some by plant-lioe, and
Others by gallgnats, which are TWO.
winged mosquito like insects, and 0t
which the wheat JOINTLY is not an uula-
miliar instance. In most cases, the female
insect punotures the plant, and deposits in
the cavity one or more eggs, together
with a drop of poison; this produces
swelling of the infected part, inside Of
which the egg matches out, and the larva
feeds on the vegetable tissues till 1t is
ready to come out as a perfect fly. In the
case of the plant-lice, the mother insect,
as well as her children, inhahits the gall,
and brings up an enormously numerous
family in the circumscribed area of often
times less than that of a pea, far outdoing
in this way the exploits, celebrated In
nursery and rhyme, of the old woman
who lived in shoe"
The so called oak-apple is q familiar In
stance Of an ordinary gall. or some
what similar character are the apples OF
Sodom, or Dead Sea fruit often mention
ed bv ancient IA well as modern travellers,
and described as beautiful tn the eye, but
as filing the mouth with bitter ashes II
tasted. Until recent times they were
considered very mysterious objects, but
modern entomologists have discovered
that they are actually oak gals, two
inches long and an inch and a half in di-
ameter, of beautiful rich glossy pur'
plish red, exteriorly, aud filled with an in
tensely bitter, porous, aud easily pulver
lied substance, surrounding the insect
(Cgnigs inSpnd Wested) which has given
birth to them. The presence OF live IN
sect inside gall that had no visible inlet
or outlet, was great puzzle to the PM,
losophers of olden times. Some ascribed
their origin to spontaneous generation,
and derived marvellous representations
of future events from the appearance OF
the included insect. Others gravely ar
| gued that they were produced from the
eggs of insects laid in the earth, but drawn
up by the roots Of trees along with the
sap, with which they were carried to all
parts, finally stopping in the leaves or
| twigs, and there Matching out or producing
gals An ingenious solution certainly
but derived entirely from the imagina-
ton.
No insect, not even the bee, the cochi
neal, or the Spanish fly has been OF SC
much value to mankind as one of these
gall. flies, that, namely, which produces the
| gall-nut of commerce, one of the chief in
| gradients in the manufacture OF INK
How infinitely" to quote the words o.
Kirby and Spence, "are we indebted tC
this little creature which at once enables
US to converse with our absent friends anc
connections, be their absence from us evei
so great, and supplies the means by which
TO use the poets language, we can
Give to airy nothing
A local habitatlon and name
Enabling the poet. the philosopher thu
| politician, the moralist and the divine tt
embody their thoughts for the amuse
ment, instruction, direction and refurma
ton of mankind" These gals are founC
ON the leaves of species of oak that i
yerv common in Asia Minor. They ar
about the size of school boys marble
very hard and round, and rather rougl
externally. Each one is the home an(
food of siugle insect. The most valu
able are those that contain the worm, ant
which are called the blue, green, or blacl
gals. When the worm has completed ii
| Transformation and emerged as fly, the!
are called white gals, and are not ncarl!
so valuable.
The great majority of gals, though sub
iects of interest, may be considered in
furious to vegetation, and when foun'
upon valuable plants, such as the grape
should be cut off and destroyed Cdndd
|