The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1876-07-06
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.


FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
POISONING ToBACCo-WoRM MOTHS
Throughout the Middle and Southern
States the tobacco crop is more or less
injured every year by an insect known
as the tobacco worm. Another and
closely allied species, commonly known
as the potato worm, frequently attacks
the tobacco plant in the more Northern
States and extends to some distance
South, the two being frequently found
in the same field near what may be
termed the dividing line between the
natural domain of either.
These caterpillars-or worms, as they
are more generally called-are the pro-
duct of "eggs" laid by moths belonging
to what entOmologists term the SpbiRT
family. The first, or true tobacco worm,
is the larva of the Carolina Sphinx
(Sphinr Carolina), and the second, or
potato worm, that of the Five-Spotted
Sphinx (S-quinquemaculata).
These moths are of large size, the
wings spreading three to five inches, and
are of dull, grayish color, the body
marked with patches or spots of yellow.
The moths can do vegetation no direct
harm, as they do not possess mandibles
for eating solid food, but are provided
with long, flexible tube for sucking
liquids, especially thes&eet seeretions
of flowers.
With this knowledge of their habits,
we are able to destroy them whenever
the number becomes so great as to re-
quire it. But few men will take the
trouble to kill off the moths, thereby saw
ing themselves the much more laboriOus
task of hand-gathering the worms.
Both the Sphinxes named frequent the
flowers of the common StramOnium
(Datura stramoniun,), also known as the
jamestown Weed, Thorn Apple, ETC.,
for the purpose of obtaining food from
its flowers. This coarse weed is probably
well known to all of our readers by some
one of the above names.
Now, every farmer and planter who
desires to protect his tobacco, potatoes
or tomatoes from the ravages of the
large, ugly, green worms so frequently
found upon those plants in summer can
do so by following our directions. Sow
in spring small number of the Datura
seed in different places about the field to
be occupied with the crops named, and
then, when the plants come into bloom,
proceed to charge the flowers with the
following liquid poison:
Dissolve an ounce of cobalt Ito be had
at any drug store) in about pint of
,,ofor oId;po apourb ir,,,, 70 ynoba fba
mixture sweet. Now take a small bottle
and fill it with the liquid, and to aid in
distributing il put a goose-quill through
the cork and you are ready for work. Go
round among the Datura plants and drop
little of the liquid into each open
flower. This should be done about sun
down, as the moths come at this time or
a little later to feed, and every one suck
ing up a drop of this poisoned liquid
will be killed.
To some this may seem to be slow
and impracticable way to rid locality
of those pests, but when the fact that
each female moth lays several hundred
eggs is taken into account, the pracatic-
bility of fighting this pest by poisoning
becomes apparent. A boy can charge
the flowers as well as man, and it will
take but a few minutes every evening
while the moths are about to prepare for
them their final feast.
We are assured by those who have
tried this process of poisoning flowers, as
moth traps, that it works well, especially
if all the planters in neighborhood will
act together in the matter.
Cows FOR THE FARM.-The Prairie
Farmer thus sums up the matter of what
sort of cows to have on the farm: The
rpaticular breed best suited for general
farm purposes may bea matter ofopinion;
but whatever breed may be selected,
there is still material distinction to be
observed between the form of COW to be
used for the dairy, and one intended for
fatting. While the latter should possess
as nearly as possible all the points of the
best oxen, the milch COW should, on the
contrary, be thin and hollow in the neck,
narrow in the breast and point of shoul-
der, and altogether light in the fore
quarters, with little dew-lap, and neither
full-feshed along chine, nor showing in
any part much indication of disposition
to put on fat. The hide should be thin,
the hair fine, and the tail small. But
especially the udder should be full
and round, yet thin to the touch, and
should be of equal size and substance
throughout. If it shows more behind
than it does before, it is deemed sign
of the milk falling off soon after calving,
and if it feels coarse and lumpy the bag
will be found not to contain a large
quantity the teats should stand square
at equal distances, and should neither
be very large nor very thick toward the
udder, but nearly equal, yet ending in
point.
Is HEAvEs IN HORSES CONTAGIOUS :?
=" A Subscriber" writes to the Rural
New Yorker, asking the above question,
and says that he has four-year-old colt,
which has been stabbed the past winter
with two other horses having the heaves,
and now the colt, also, has this disease,
and he can not account for it in any
other way than that "heaves are catch
ing"
Our own opinion is, that heaves is not
a contagious disease, but there is some
thing in the food, stable, or care of the
animals named, which has produced the
disease in all these animals. Musty
cloves, or other hay, with close, unven-
tilated, or open, cold stables, and similar
poor food and uncoDgenial circumstances,
are believed by many to produce heaves
in horses. Of course this is based upon
the supposition that heaves is distinct
from what is termed "broken wind" or
"pearing." We should be pleased to
hear from some horsemen upon this
subject.
Household Helps
To MAKE HoNEY-WINE OR MEAD
To a gallon of water, put two pounds of
honey and one pound of sugar; boil for
an hour, put in the whites of four eggs to
clarity, and skim it quite clear while
boiling; then put it into clean tub, and
let it stand for week, putting in toast
with honey to make it work then put in
a cask, adding the peels Of three or four
lemons, let it stand for month, and
then if it is not sufficiently fine put in
more honey, and let it stand longer.
COLD SLAw.-Cut up the cabbage very
fine with sharp knife, and sprinkle over