The Portland daily press., 1869-08-02

THE HAY CROP IN DANGER


This is an interesting question. Children
who 60 "strawberrying" are divided in respect
to it into two or three distinct parties, the ma
iority being inclined to attribute to the frogs
the heinous offence Of spelling for their dainty
palates many luscious bunch Of the, most
desirable Of all berries. The common notion
is that of the children, but the subject Is little
thought of as one Of great importance to the
agriculturist. The trihing Inconvenience we
have mentioned and the additional one Of
getting damp feet for which the dew is not re-
sponsible are the only considerations that ordi-
narily call attention to the matter at all. The
following communication published in the
Country Gentleman win TO most people open
q new field of inquiry. The letter is from
one Patrick Cram and is dated Windsor, Vt:
About year since called your attention
to the froth on the grass, inquiring what 10
was, and what it would do to us. 1 was an
swered by Mr.. Levi Bartlett and others, and
from yours the subject passed into other pa
pers. Mr.. Bartlett said its name was frog
hopper, and that it would not be very for
he will find out by the light crop of hay that
will be made this year, when IL was in full
force last year. The beautiful fields Of timo-
thy and red-top have failed d'entirely-hardly a
head to be found on an acre, where two years
since we could cradle off the heads for seed as
readily as If it were wheat; but now we can
not do it, and we ask all our brother farmers
who can, to save more seed than they want
themselves, for in Vermont ct least 1t must be
imported fo- next year. .al-i 5,s4
"a wish that it could be ascertained how ex-
10 md hru lo,x
before it leaves. Thfs is the fourth year since
it first made its appearance with US in very
large numbers, and last year was the first that
we perceived that it did US much injury; our
last hay croy we thought fell off Ia bulk ten
tons, and in feeding quality perhaps fifteen
tons. The third week in June Irode through
several farms in our county; at Norwich, OPP
posite Hanover, N. H., in conversation with a
farmer on this subject, he said It had been SIX
years since he could save any grass seed-Prl-
or to tina. he always saved some to sell; az .ho
time l was Gnere the grass was comp,Tshey sThst
covered with the froth at the Dotto9i nav iss
looks as il it were formidable and nxe9 IN
stttntion. II so. grass is no longer king here.
In nv Rartlett,s communication OF July i,
,,a e,,otss from Harris Insects statement OF
the oriain of these insects-that their eggs
are laid In autumn and hatched the following
summer. In this / think that Mr.. Harris was
mistaken. Let me give you my theory of this
insect and his origin; the little maggot in the
froth is the infant bug; the froth is his house,
in which he lives while he passes through his
infantile stage; you will then find him at tne
roots Of the grass, a matured ugly black pug,
about three-eights of an inch long anu IN
countless numbers; they are SO spry tnat !. Y
difficult to capture one OF them aiive. In tnls
stage they spend short ms hottom N sr nnt tSsv Un
make the Second change, which Is to the
chrysalis state Here they spend the VIM
| ter as best they can, dormant Of course, un-
| iii the next summer has brought forward the
] grass. Then from the old last years chrysa-