Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-10-19
rrespondence of THE EVENING STAR.

Correspondence of THE EVENING STAR
FALLS CHURCH, VA. October 10.
In Fowler's grove, in proximity to the Falls
Church depot, six tents. The camp fire
burns brightly every evening before one of
them when il does not rain this remarkably
rainy autumn. These tents are occupied by a
party of u. ). Geographical engineers, the chief
OF which is Mr.. John ID. Hoffman, assisted by
Mr.. j. Howell and j. Ahern. Their field of
work lies between 3S.45 and 2.39 degrees of
latitude and 76.45 and 81. Is of longitude The
maps which these engineers make for the Int
rior department show the courses of the Pohick.
Accotink and Potomac rivers through the terri
tory they are surveying, and indicate the eleva-
lions, the plateaus and woodlands. Nosuch to
biographical survey of this territory has ever
been made. 1t Precedes as needful matter
Prot MCGEE. In this party of Typographical
surveyors are eight or nine persons. They have
been engaged some four months and will still
be engaged about two months more, or until
mild weather ends and 'winter closes the
scene"
late the damage done by the seventeen year
Cicddde. Without being at all definite which
y Mouia oe lmpossloie,it mas been very great;
The effect OF their inciSions, sometimes several
inches long, and perforations of the small limbs
of certain trees 1.-THE opening of the bark and
oxidation of gum, and the breaking down of
the limbs) was not Immediately apparent, but
has been a gradual thing, the breaking down of
The boughs has been going on all summer. The
peach trees has been astOnishingly abundant
tthe lanced limbs showing ridges of gum sew
eral inches long and as thick the fore digit of
mans hand. and then so many limbs are thus
on a tree. and must prove, il seems TO me, TO be
very hurtful to the trees. The most OF the evil
work of these insects on the fruit trees was done
mainly on the young peach trees, not over
three years old. Old trees are not hurt. They
were partial also To the young Sassafras. Pity
they had not killed them root and branch. The
fruit tree nurseries must be much damaged un-
less saved as our Mr.. ID. y. MunsOn saved his
Beat a
while they were abundant, with paddles
knocking of the locusts. He cut back 10000
peach trees.
y There have been evidences of blight on pear
trees in the region round about here, / have
heard remarked occasionally, but never before
this season have i observed 1T. This season it
has been In some places very injurious. Grow
ers have been tor many years narrowing the
causes and prescribing a preventive or cure for
it. The latest is. do not plough and cultivate
the orchard This, all the rest have been,
must be relegated to the long catalogue of cure
failures in the past relating To this fruit.
know of orchards that for years have stood In
grass and weeds, and yet the blight this season
The cabbage butterflies this fall have done
perfect work, produced a progeny that have
utterly spoiled the late crop. For two years,
i think, the growers stopped setting cabbage
plants The bStterfiies almost all disappeared.
Last year some growers set again and the but
terfiies were too few TO materially affect the
cabbage This season the growers, in full force,
set The result is the crop is utterly destroyed,
just what might have been expected. Many
growers during the early part OF the sea-
son tor late crop puts men into the fields
10 pick the worms out of the leaves but
ii could be done only for a few weeks. So soon
as the head gets to be of some size the worms
crawl down between the leaves to the lower
part of the head, where they cannot be reached
without injury to the head. and eat upwards
towards the center. If nets generally had been
used To catch the butterflies something real
might have been done to save the crop. Every
butterfly caught and killed, doubtless. would
prevent the existence OF sundry worms /
think my obtervatiOn justifies me in stating
that the butterflies We're never more plentiful
than this season. and that the worms never
eocooned so plentifully in the heads as this
season. Growers do not feed the stumps and
headless plants and spoiled heads as they
should, and therefore waste much good stock
feed, and in doing so furnish a cOcOonery for
the worms. The fields should be cleaned every
season and the refuse fed, destroying to a great
extent the butterfly prospect tor the spring
When the few butterflies appear in the last of
April, in May and June, which are the progeni-
tors OF the swarm that appear in August and
september, If nets were generally used To catch
and Kill them the late crop might be a success
The candidates for the legislature are making
still hunt in our county. ID. VI. Chichester is
the democratic nominee and Judge Sangster
runs independent. think the republicans will
vote for him. l.. a A