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About Willamette farmer. (Salem, Or.) 1869-1887 | View Entire Issue (June 7, 1873)
, I ! ll i ' ,i ftimtiftc. OOmOTIlCO INSBOTS. Koh to Collect, Pmenr, aud Trans port Them. J laving frequently, In years past, Invited our correspondents In various parts of the world to collect and send to us Insects, wo now proposo to give them brief but plain instructions in regard to tho simplest modes of col lecting iiiifl transporting, in every and garden vegetables, and those of l some of the beetles are equally n iii-nii iici i vc, wiiiiu nogs in various species are the posts of our fields. '1 hero are aNo cannibal beetles and bugs as well a, v.irioiis parasitic In sects which aid In checking tho in-1 crease of certain species, and the' habits of all thoo must bo known ifj wo are to work undorstnndingly and lu harmony with natural laws, audi inorony assist our menus in ucslroy fng our enemies. 'I'hi! farmer and gardener should be particuluily interested in the sci ence of Kntnuiology, Inasmuch as they are constantly brought Into cloe eoiilai't with tho-o very beings of whleli we know - little, but should desire lo Know mote. Knto niology, as a science, Is certainly at tracting more attention in this coun try, at tlic pro-cut time, than ever before; but It would advance far moro rapidly If every man, woman, and child would only do what the. could, however trilling that might be, Instead of leaving the entire work ton few, who are so ovoi taxed that their labors iniit neccsirily be very Incomplete. It should niit he cnu-Idered as la bor or an Ilk-nine task by any one to collect a fiw In-ects and forward them to a scleutille institution, or to an individual w ho may be spending his time and money In endeavoring lo enrich science and beuelll man kind. There are i-cnrcs of men who have traveled the world over, but never experienced tho pleasure or received the honor of contributing as much us one grain of sand to (lie welfare of mankind or the advance of science. The very butteiilles, mothi, or oilier IiimtIs which con stantly crowed (heir path would have been mine highly appreciated by some cutomologlM than the iuil precious mluer.il. I'ioitccr In our new States and Territories, and trav eler In foieign countries, should not be negligent, but should observe the habits of local species of Insects, and forward specimen to us whenever convenient. Cm. i 1 1 iini. Arriii ". To el led insect rapidly in Mimmcr, a net of Mime Mud i ipiito indispensable. In l'ig. I, two I'm ids of nets me shown; is made of common mils lln, or cambric, and about a foot lu diameter, and is indies long, and is used for sweeping busho1, weeds, or 1'K.nti. I. dragging over the grass, where bun. dineiis of Insects mnv bo taken with n net. which would not otherwise be round, 'rheother net.., s ninili. of ueiiiug or nun gaue; a common mosquito netting w ill answer, aud it 1 used for taking butterllles, moths, ami other Insects on the wing. These nets can be purchased lu our large cities, but oiu that will answer every puiHse for the amateiircaii bo made of any strong wire bent to form a hoop, and the two ends driven Into the end of a stick four to siv feet long, that will answer for a handle. conn ry ana locality l.uro are insects material that will hold them (Irmly f " ' '.n'gTro kked either in which Interest tho cntomologls ,andt tho bottom and not prevent the JaliKt o? Jm1m7 roll in sof Nu persons who linvo no knowledge or poisonous fumes reaching the Insects , VioP onrtSilSe wl h each a small hesubjecnnnydomuchtowanrahl- j , killed. If this cannot bo "If ' ,' S,! or , i , IhS .. X ing Investigation. If they will collect tlnel, uso ether, chloroform, gum J 'H ' hV' Vlb K.rX ink fiMfeft S'J" HIE!!"!'! "X. willed S bo obHtKdVhcn to " "" ' " "mtY "m, "'.'ft" u V ' i'r'T' wottcul, hut a pencil mark will re- Tlmlnrvio of butterlllesand moths ifffho rv fe IM iir,.v .,... .... ...- ui.niiw .,r,.ii.u i .;'?.... V". ...... ' J.V. . ".i . ..i i slant .v iiiiiiicr.ed III spirits. If it is i .T ll"'ll UMI l V. V uiiiiiiiii millll t III III1L 111 II II'IV 'Ml III II lllllk.ll III! Will jT " . . noticed that the fnmt side Is straight, n, ' V L 'V.ii,.. ,T. u, W" ,,,.lM,'l, 'VV1 ". tlotm,H wist f t' handle, anil the taper being entirely from the' V, ... ,?.i V. ' l '" V" ,lu t,.1,,',il,0 lVhy bi-curo tho buttrlly in a jh) kick to the front. This form Is far! "? '' r' "Ml "' " V'1 hy .'"i1"' . rUi."" wlu'ro U i"'ot dlstlguro itself lu tuo llrst or .sweep net it will bo belter lor this kind of a net than to f " "T "... " v,lV ,,wl "J" have It a regular cone, Inasmuch a ' "" T., ," V ' "r. 1 "f arethiowii loiwaid Into the point, ':"l Inuirl.ibly arrived lu good pressing so tlrmly as to kill or be and held there iiiore securely than, or,!lii.r ,..,, .v n . ... ',lK "" ")! of ether or chlo-, they would be If the smallest part1 ,, V" il ?ii i l(illll.,t.,,u't,,Hl '!f f""" l'"!! 1h "lll!od with a camel's was exactly in the center. !.. .,?.,?.,.. .1...1? u,ko V" '"dr penc 1. A small vial of chloro-' .. I"-'"' "'I'l'io plank one or to Indie form can bo carried In tho vest pock- Kn.i.iMi IHJtw and 1Ii:i.ti.i.-; square, niul of the proper length; ct, to bo usetl for this purpose when All ho harder kinilof lusec s, such Into this two n hole lengthways of ever required. A slight crushing of us Hectics iawtmi) and lugs, the gmln, and Just largo enough to tho thomx, however, will usually bo (iraiitj)trnt), which have firm wing- adnj t tho vial to 1 used, as shown sutllciont to kill anv butterfly and cases may ho preserved for almost In llg. a. The. Insects aro sent In the wo prefer this method to wotting e any length of time in spirits, such alcohol or spirits, and tho vlalshould body even -with the mast "ohi e s alcohol or whisky. Some liottlos I be corked tight; also the s,ice in tho , liquid. If tho butterflies aro to ho u imn mvi ittmiitir iiimiir nm iiik.i.ito "."--, i " .. ... nm iiiiiiiiii-i. nun uiiii nit: iiiuiiiu mill mm mirror with wide mouths should ho nrovld- I'd. mill these it'irllv illloil u'ltli milr. Its. Illtd which fliit lirw.llf.u mwl lillirj may ho put as soon as caught. Vials wrapped and directed. This is the holding two or three ounces will umi- safest way of sending minute speci ally bo most convenient to carrv in mens, ns well as large ones, by mail, the pocket or collecting bag. Knto- although tho weight of tho alcohol Is mologlsts uso glass tubes similar to gieater than that of the sawdust, tho one shown in Fig. 2, as these and the postago more In proportion, may he emptied more readily than vnunrnrvn siivtvrN-s It often vliil. .nvi.fliiii. iflll. T. M.I., .,.,.nr ..'". "..""." .: v -:." corK, paper, couon, or any similar . Km. blotting paper to aborb any liquid elected by tho in-ects, and prevent ' their discoloration. The tube shown i lu Klg. lecting 2 is ono wo have used for col- our ordinary beetles, allho' not largo enough for all spech in vuia. lemur, ctiiiun. nr nnv Hiiiumr ...m ' "... i if w I PV Km. 3. " , couiiiiioii, especially n sent a long i distance, is to send them in alcohol! I III cor fa llll ii ine.vare lo in sent liv exnn I similar mode of transportation, the bottle should be enclosed lu lino hay, grass, (!r other soft material. mid then enclosed In a strong box. ThN, of course, Is only necessary w lien a largo nmuoor isent. and a "K ", ; ' ml wl.u'ro u Mn,,u ,,1",,H1l,lii .'i "'""Vl11 ,ar,t., 'u ' T lAu'yr,,i,i,,y !.H' M,,,t hy ll,nH i ii..:. i ... .. ' Select a few .strong tin boxes, hold- ing a gill or more, according to tho number of insects to be sent away; get some tine saw dust; now take the beetles out of tho spirits aud put a layer in the bottom of tho Ikix; then till up all interMlces between with with sawdust: then nut In mom boo. ' "V "' ,nl " ihiiiut cs, and so on In alter nate layers nil- til tin box Is tilled. The bov should be full, to prevent any moving nUiut and moaning oi us content. The whole shoul il lu riilli.il In .. ii. j. I !...! inn the the bottom, r, is a little cotton situ-' tho little tiger beetles (Cfciiitlttax) rated with ben'.lne; a thin piece of freiiuent sandy roads and bairen cork Is put lu to hold the cotton in Held. The ground beetles (('((ra ils place and prevent small .species tiltltw) aro usually found under tlat from crawling Into it and becoming stones, on hill sides, and especially entangled in the liber. Any other near brooks aud rivers, while others form of vial can be Used instead, but aie more abundant under old logs, or the beetles .should not be allowed to between the looe hark and wood; In leniain any longer than is actually fact, there is no place, from the bald ucw'ss.iry in the dry bottle, but rock on the mountain, to the lowe-t .should be emptied into the Juts or depths of the most gloomy cavern, larger bottles of alcohol orothersplr- that is not the abode of some insect., its, and kept there until required for Our rivers aud stagnant ponds also mounting or transporting to oiiu funiMi numerous species, from other locality. whence they may be taken with How to lii- wi sJink Mrr "L'ts or by hand. Asa rule, the more ti..:s a.m. HiW-Tlu. hum eertalul;11,'1'1-;'1.!1'0 lwUvt!io moro rare; way of preserving: specimens in ,md I ' 'V'1 d; for " (T, liv ,1a"tl foKa' . n.i'. . ."..' . . ""' hli' In iivnnsiwl sltii'illiiiw np tlui ii packing large Ih1 les and ars. ee 1 r""? " "'! nit they are corked tight and tho)" "' Ln7l i. ,jqn.i i " V,ct,,0iw IK tied lu; or, what is better, , " V . , ,., "" " ',, ""Kl ', ar.f stoned with eoiiiieror ini.s- 'i,, ! ". overlook the small ones; but tho a good strong Vord. will answer: ";Ml$X"; ss nr I WILLAMETTE FABMEB, r with n! en It from ease should he flllcd cither fnrl.- nr tililf nf wood to keen t'nlllllir nllf. Tllll IKH'kllL'O Is tllOU "ecussnry w iiuuiuui wiu ;i'w - is to number mens, retaining ono or more of each ideslrablo to nln the specimens re I tained, always thrust the pin through I tho right wing case, near tho Insldo ledge, and nt a point where It will ia-s between the second and third pair of legs, ns shown In Fig. I, , leaving enough of the pin above to I take hold of conveniently; usually , about three-eighths of an inch Usui-1 llcient. Smaller species may be i gummed upon little lance-shaped pallets, or pasteboard. ' In mounting most other kinds of Insects, tho pin should be thrust 1 through the middle of tho thorax. ! Wur.iti: to Fink 1)i:i:ti.!'.s ash' Hi'fis. In summer, beetles and bugs 1 aro very abundant upon weeds aud ' I plants, and this Is tho seasun to uso' I the sweep or drag net. Hundreds of small but Interesting species lurk tin der the leaves of plants, or feed upon their tlowors, and tho net is the most rapid and siiro means of bringing them from their hidlng-plncc. I.ar- ger species may bo found sunning thenielves upon the bark of trees. iiiirw tr iiiuin riiii nirni iiiiumi iimiiim Y?:. i r;,i " " V. ""i "".I-' . )':.!..i: ' . . , f, ,"." , v, v n " !,st lk ,0 ,m wt1 owii. The destructive Insects to vegetation aro among tho smallest; therefore, col-1 lectors should not neglect to take the I small as well as large. lU'Trr.Hri.ir-s. Huttorllios, or what are usually termed Diurmil (day-tlylng) l.cwtojitcrit, are readily distinguished from moths by their knobbed antenna-, although in some species this characteristic is not verv coilsiiletlotls. Their lioillns nm sin. ill lu proportion to tho size of their wings, which aro usually held erect when in repose. It requires far more care to collect liuttertlles and pre- servo them in a perfect condition than beetles or bugs, as their bodies are covered with very minuto scale's which urn torn nir i.v id., .it,.i, ..,.. pressure. In capturing them, tho net should nlwuvs be used, anil tho moment one passes within throw the bottom of t he liac over tin. I, ...... i. .. il.kviisitu ....I... ..r .i... i .. '. in us struggles to escape; then grasp it by the under side of tho thorax, '!(!. I. . I .1.'..) .... ...V ....kV. 'U.l.V. ... IIIU ..IVIL put immediately into a cabinet, they may 1k pinned as caught; but when ed for sonio time before mounting, they should bo carefully taken out of tho net and placed in papers, as ulinitMi In Klf. fi. Any smooth writing papers - swer the purpose, and, before going ....f n ,. fi...i. ii iiiiantitv should be """" " ?. ... ...III .. cut up Into pieces n llttlo longer than broad, and varying In size from two to four or flvo inches, and then fold ed ns shown in Fig. 0, fornilng. when finished, a triangular-shaped bag, Fig. 0. into which tho butterfly is dropped head downward. Tho antcniue (), or feelers, should bo folded back be tween tho wings, or at least close to tho front edge, in order to securo them against being broken after they liavo become dry and brittle. If a record is kept of captures, tho date, locality, or number of speci mens, may bo written on the outsido of tho envelope, always using a soft lead pencil for this purpose. These llttlo paper bags containing speci mens of butterflies may bo laid away lu light boxes, or sent to any part of tiio world by mall or through other channels of transit. It Is natter to have the envelopes a little too largo than too small, because it is quite Important that tho wings should re main Hat, and their edges not folded or broken. Moths. Collecting moths is main ly night work, although many spe cies can bo captured during tho day time or early in tho morning or eve ning. The larger kinds should al ways be taken with a net, and the same care exercised In handling as with butterllles. Having largo and heavy bodies, they are not readily killed, and a slight pinching of tho . "..-.. lori,x. r cven.tnrusting a pin through them, will not nnswer. Chloroform or other, if nnnlled to the surface, will only stupefy for a few moments, and a moro summary method is reouired for dispatching our large Sphinges or Hawk moths (Klg. ii); but smaller kinds, as shown in Klg. 7, are moro delicate, aud killed almost Instantaneously bv Fio. 7. placing lu a box or under an invent ed glass, containing a drop of any of tho various substances wo liavo named. To kill tho larger species while In tho net, wo liavo found no lietter way than to ininctiiro tho body or thorax with a sharpened quill or sliver of wood, and then dip it into moistened cyanldo ofnottwsium, nnd again thrust the poisoned Implement Into tho wound. It requires verv llttlo of this poison to produco almost instant death. Chloroform, other, or benzlno, may be used instead, or the moth may bo pinned in n tight Ikix and killed with tho fumes of sul phur, tobacco, creosote, or other nox ious and poisonous substances. When tho moths aro killed, their wings and antennio should bo folded In the same manner tw described for butterllles, nnd then placed lu tho paper bags. Very small moths, such as aro caught about the lamp at at night, may bo laid carofully be tween layers of soft paper, their wings remaining in a natural posl- Mnli HMwi itnits ii. ..I yil. ........ I.. . .... tlou. ....vj vwu..u ...... iiirj.suiiiis ui I I L j . 1 ! Imccts ni.iy uImi bo collected mt allowed tolliiNi tholrtnn .fori nt"on n boxes, when; t lit, perfect insect 0r Imago can readily be captured. Inhkcm or ()tiii:u Ounrits Kile.", ii, (irasihoDiit'M. r'viiT ets Moos, Dr.igon-Ilios mwl ..r." ( , ,. t , , k). ."', ,, v: wiw,,1b )1ItUw nlrl u" !i,,B ' ;.....i i ... i. . "K.'ul. tic- iii.i nuraiiK mimes nire.UiV iln , si.ii'mi . umi irn Ii.. .... .. , y "? taike, packed in sun vials Vim! very little line sawdust, ",,,1 Vi whole moistened with a fuw ,irn'L !of ether. Kvery collector 1m, i iiri'V' n ft.w sm.i I ..III - ....,,,"l,l wooden match boxes in his tm.i.vri1 ,. . -w. 11 til' I'lllltii-... for the pu iirpoo of keenlnii-Biuw.i...- '' linens llf n. oi uisecis oeiongmg to UHrernnf . . . . t...i n 'r"-"iieii dors, separate, as well ns i ..". , tne nece sslty of nuttlnir ' " ' of ono kind of tho tenders. ,? nlifnltit.... too many of one species, because on. tomologlsts not only derive much lii;u,uiu ii urn uisu mining rare In. sects among their friends, but It u highly important that every cabinet both public and private, should be as complete una contain as ninny species as possible. The heads of families should not overlook the fitt null. uii ini-ii viiuuruil WHO Clia0 tho butterflies, play klto with the btimblo bee, or harness the luzv beetle to n stick, may do eomothlnL' towards aiding science and placing scientific men under obligations to tliom for favors. It is far better to tench children how to bo useful assistants to learned men In vari ous parts of tho world, than to remain in ignorance of their names or abode. Tho farther away from the centers of civili zation n family may reside, the more interesting will their surroundings bo to the naturalist, and tho more valuable tho specimens collected. To (lie Header. Having In the foregoing remarks endeavored to point out some of the most simple methods of collecting, preserving, mid transporting insects, 1 would bo pleased to receivo anv specimens which you may send tb me. My llrst tiiolco would bo Hec tics, ns 1 make this order n specially, but liuttertlles and other insects would also be acceptable, with what ever notes upon their habits vou mnv choose to send. Whenever specimens aro sent bv mail. I will return tho amount n.iill In postage, ifdesired; and shall aUo hold myself in readiness to return an equivalent in kind or otherwise lor rare specimens rrom any part of the world. Letters and nackaires nnv bo nil. dressed to my ollleo in New York City; but I would prefer to liavo tho Insects sent direct to my country residence ntltiilgcwood, UergonCo., Now Jersey. Axdrkw S. Fl'M.lIIl, Arli'iillunil Kdllurof WttUj Sun, cor. Sanma ii nn rriMMori Mieui", .Mnv ion.; ainoAMO- liiilu 1'iMtur urMiHirn v i tiit rut .vi w I'wtr. IlitAiN Woitnv. Many of us pray to bo delivered from sudden death, and do wo worry ourselves into It? If wo do, can we help it? To most of us it is not given to choose our lives, to avoid the rough places, to gently shoulder to ono side disagreeable facts. Wo must climb over tiio rocks though they hurt us sore, and tho dllllculties, however they mavaiinoy us must bo met with brain fret and wear until they are conquered, or we have passed them. They aro as real, living, annoying as any tangible ache or pain dould bo; as bruising and irritating as tho peas in tho shoes of tho pilgrims of old. Nervous health Is ono thing, and moral health and purely physical health Is qtilto an other and different thing. Calm ami steady mental work is conducive to long life ; but nervous emotion, men tal work that is a constant urging, mid, at tho sumo time, is an unhang ing, of the oven tenor of tho mind, eats away the brain faster than anv mental labor, no matter how hard, that is systematic. As men do not really die of heart disease as often as Is supposed, but of apoplexy, or con gestion of the lungs, so they do net dlo of bruin work, but bruin worry. Scott dlod of it, Southey, Swift, Ilonico Greely, and probably Tliack. cray. London Timet. together. Is either should tlio,o who are collectingspecimens to bo sent n a distant part of tlio world or our own country, be tearful of Fjo. (5. ii.