Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-08-29
A Useful Plant-bug-the COchineal.

While the Cocci, or plant bugs, are
in our country deservedly detested O.
nuisance, destroying the beauty Of
many of our garden plants by their
blighting presence; while, in 1843, the
Coccus of the orange trees proved 20
destructive in the Azores that the
Island of Fayal, which annually ex-
ported $4,000 chests of fruit, lost it,
entire produce from this cause alone,
two tropical members of the family, q
it to make up for the misdeeds of their
relations, furnish us-the one with q
most splendid of all scarlet dyes, and
the other with gum.lack, q substance
OF scarcely inferior value.
The gardener spares no trouble to
protect his hot and greenhouse plants
from the invasion of the Coccus hesper-
idum; but the Mexican haciendero pur.
posely lays out his Nopal plantations
that they may be preyed upon by the
Coccms cacii, and reioices when he sees
the leaves of his prickly pear thickly
strewn with this valuable parasite.
The female, who, from her form and
habits, might not unaptly be called the
tortoise of the insect world, is much
larger than the winged male, and of q
dark brown color, with two light spots
on the back, covered with white pow
der. She uses her little legs only
during her first youth, but soon she
sucks herself fast, and henceforward
remains immovably attached to the spot
she has chosen, while her mate con-
tinues to lead wandering life. While
thus fixed like an oyster, she swells or
grows to such a size that she looks
more like q seed or berry than an in
sect; and her legs, antenn@ and pro-
boscis, concealed by the expanding
body, can scarcely be distinguished BY
the naked eye.
Great care is taken to kill the insects
before the young escape from the eggs,
as they have then the greatest weight,
and are most impregnated with color
ing matter. They are detached by q
blunt knife or dipped in boiling water
to kill them, and then dried in the sun,
when they have the appearance Of
small, dry, shriveled berries, of deep
brown purple or mulberry color, with
white matter between the wrinkles.
The collecting takes place three times
year in the plantations. where the
insect, improved by human care, il
nearly twice as large as the wild COG
Gus, which in Mexico is gathered six
times in the same period.
Although the collecting of the cochi-
neal is exceedingly tedious-about TO-
900 insects going to single pound
yet, considering the high price of the
article, its rearing would be very lucrs-
tive, if both the insect and the plant il
feeds upon were not liable to the rava-
ges ct many diseases, and the attacks
of numerous enemies.
The conquest of Mexico by CorteE
first made the Spaniards acquaint-
ed with cochineal. They soon learned
to value it as one OF the most i'm
portant products of their new en-
pire ; and in order to secure its monop.
oly, prohibited, under pain of death,
he expectation of the insect, and of the
equally indigenous Nopal, or Cactus
In the year 1877, how.
sver, Thierry de Meronville, French
man, made an effort to deprive them Of
the exclusive possession of the treasure
they guarded with such jealous care.
Under a thousand dangers, and by
means of lavish bribery, he succeeded
in transporting some of the plants, {
along with their costly parasite, to the
French colony of San Domingo but,
unfortunately, his perseverance did not
cad to any favorable results, and moro
han century elapsed after this first
nefectual attempt before the rearing
If cochineal extended beyond its origi-
nal limits.
In the year 1897, NJ. Berthelot, d.
rector of the botanical garden at Oro-
ava, introduced it into the Canary
where it thrives admirably
upon the Opuntia feus indica so that
in 1888 the expectation amounted to
Il, 900 pounds, and has since then been
increasing. Cochineal i
now reared near Valencia, Cadix and
Malaga, and in Algeria ; in various
States of Columbia in Brazil; East
Indies and Java and though Mckee
still continues to furnish it in the great
sst abundance. yet in point of quality
it is distanced by its youthful rival
Teneriffe.
In the year 1856 more than 800, 200
pounds Of cochineal were imported into
France. of which the Canary Islands
alone furnished nearly one-half-a
proof, among others, how much the
wealth of q country may be increased
BY the introduction of new article Of
commerce. Chimney Corner.
FELINE AFFEcr1oN.-A lover of ami