The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1877-02-01
FIELD AND HOME.

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pests appear, and il they are not vigor-
ously assailed they will do an immense
amount of damage in very brief period
of time.
The pines are especially liable to the
and so rapidly do they work that few
days will suffice to denude large tree of
its foliage. One of the most common of
these saw flies is the lophyres abbott
Leach-and it seems to prefer the large
and coarse-leaved kinds, such as the
Austrian and pitch pines, to the white
and other more delicate species.
The flies are about half an inch long,
the male a jet black, and the female
honey yellow with pale yellow legs.
They appear in June and deposit their
eggs upon the leaves of the trees which
are to furnish the Larvae with food. The
grubs, when fully grown, are nearly an
inch long and of dirty yellow color, Or
namented with numerous black marks
along the sides. They are quite social
in their habits, crowding together upon
the branches and fairly covering the
leaves while feeding. When once they
attack branch they do not leave it un-
til every leaf is devOured, and then they
pass on to the next.
Our chronological authorities state
that there is but single brood of this
insect in a season. If this is true, then
it is one of the longestlived of our leaf
eating pests, for we have had them with
us from June until late in November. 1t
is one of the few larvae which seem to be
Indifferent to either heat or cold.
We have already had some pretty hard
frosts up to this date, November IA, and
yet neighbor has just brought us some
of these grubs taken from his pine trees.
For several years past we have noticed
that these saw fly Larvae remained upon
the trees till very late in the fall, and
that it required hard freeze to make
them leave off feeding and descend to
the earth, where they spin their cocoons
among the old leaves aud other vegeta-
BILE matter.
The cocoons are about three-eighthso of
an inch long and one eighth Of an inch
in diameter, and when first completed
are of pure, silky, white color, but soon
become bronze, or brownish, by exposure.
We have seen cocoons that were spun by
worms which were kept for a few days
in box. They were of a snow-white
color, and did not show any indication
of changing to the color of those which
we have frequently gathered from under
evergreen trees.
These grubs. when found upon the
trees, can be readily destroyed by appli-
cations of whale-oil, soap, tobacco water
or by busting with caustic lime when
the trees are wet with dew or rain. II
their destruction is neglected one season
they are pretty certain to become very
numerous and troublesome the next.
GRAssHOPPERs' CONFERENCE.-THE
grasshoppers, of course, held their vari
Gus conventions earlier in the season
and have long since adjourned for the
winter, but the Governors of several OIL
the Western States have, of late, met in
council to consider this subject of grass
hopper depredations, and to devise ways
and means of preventing them in the flu.
ture. A full report of the proceedings
of the convention has not, as yet, come
to hand; but, from the associated press
, dispatches, we learn that committee o.
three was appointed to collect and issue
in pamphlet form all the more practical
means based on experience for the de
, struction of grasshOppers. The following
resolutions were adopted: That it will
, be wise and polite for the Legislature.
of the States and Territories most deeply
interested to enact law offering &
{ bounty per bushel for the collection ant
destruction of eggs and unfedged in
sects; that the several Legislatures au
thorize local taxation for the proposed
systemized efforts in the way of ditching
burning, ETC.; also to suggest the repea
of the game laws or a modification O
them 80 as to prevent the destruction O
, the birds that feed on insects; the pre-
, vention of prairie fires until a suitable
time for the destruction of young grass
hoppers by firing the grass; encourage
ment of tree culture for the harboring o
) birds; recommending that as far as pos
| sible a survey be made for each Stat
. during the coming winter TO ascertain
; those portions in each county in which
: eggs are most thickly laid; further, tina
t they deem it the duty of the nationa
| government to make some effort to de
4 stroy or counteract the great pest an,
} thus prevent its injuries; recOmmen,
: the attachment of special commissions
( to one of the government surveys zen
L duHudtly w tu0 WcSt, dlu tuht IWcuty
: five thousand dollars be appropriated 70
: the purpose of paying the expenses of tn
: commission. The President of the Cor
) vention was requested to draw up an
3 present to the President of the Unite
4 States letter setting forth the urgen
! necessity of the action of the genera
4 government in behalf of the sections ra,
e aged.
: The Governors of Minnesota, Illinois
t Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Colo
d RADIO, Wyoming, Dakota, and Idaho wer
!, requested to transmit to the respectiv
:, delegations record of the proceeding
e of the convention and request them /
II urge on Congress speedy action in th
o matter. 1t is ascertained that the gras
hoppers have not done the amount {
damage imagined, and that they can b
encountered and exterminated wit
much less labor and difficulty than her,
I tofore supposed. BY united and concer
= trated efforts at the proper time no fear
n need be entertained as to serious result
( the coming spring.
. Home Hints.
/ MoLAssEs CAKE.-One cup of molasse