portance and it has occupied about three hundred distinguished writers, including Aristotle, &c.

Swammerdam gives to insects an equal if not superior dignity to the large animals. He says, "while we dissect with care the latter, we are filled with wonder at the elegant disposition of their parts, and to what a height is our astonishment raised when we discover all these parts arranged in the least insect in the same regular manner. Notwithstanding the smallness of ants, nothing hinders us from preferring them to the largest animals, if we consider either their unwearied diligence, their wonderful powers, or their inimitable propensity to labor. Their amazing love to their young is still more unparalleled among the largest animals-they not only carry them to places where they can get food, but if by accident they are killed and cut to pieces, the parents will carry the pieces away in their arms. Who can show such examples among the larger animals, which are dignified with the title of perfect!

Barbut thought that the antennæ of insects were their organs of hearing-however this may be doubted by entomologists, it is evident that they enjoy the faculty of smelling, although the seat of the organ is not agreed upon. The celebrated Latreille believes that it is in the antennæ. Most insects have two eyes, the gyrinus has 4, scorpion 6, spider 8, and scolopendra three. Insects have no eyebrows, the external tunic resembles water crystals. Lieuwenhoek fonnd 800 such glasses in the eyes of a common fly; Pugett found in that of a butterfly 18,323 such lenses. Their organs of breathing, called spiracula, are curiously situated on each side of each segment of the abdomen. There are no hermaphrodites among them. There is a very great singularity in the mode of propagation of the Aphis. Α female when once impregnated continues to have young ones as long as to the fifth or sixth generation, and then is impregnated again; the male insects, like hawks, are smaller than the females. The Coccus and the Oniscus no sooner bring forth their young than these children fall upon their mothers and eat them up. The Spher kills the caterpillar of a moth, buries it in the earth, and there deposits her eggs in it.

The Larva at length becomes a Pupa, so called because the perfect insect is found wrapped up like an infant in swaddling clothes. This state was formerly called chrysalis and aurelia, because in some of the Pupa it had gilding on it, which is the meaning of both chrysalis and aurelia. Swammerdam made out distinctly the whole perfect insect so wrapped up as not to be sensible to common observation. The larva are very voracious, and are generally larger than the perfect insect. The third and last state is termed Imago,-image. The creature is now perfect; is now capable of propagating its species.

Mr. Pike remarked that the rose bugs show so great a preference for wild grape vines over our cultivated sorts, that where the wild vines are placed among the civilized ones, the rose bugs attach themselves to the wild ones altogether. The cherry tree is a favorite of this bug which is generated in it, and not in holes in the earth as Dr. Underhill has supposed. My object in introducing the wild vines on my plan was to form an arbour of them; not in regard for its fruit.

Judge Van Wyck.-My Isabella grape vines have been sometimes infested with the rose bug. I tried to smoke them with sulphur but it seemed to have no effect on them, I also tried other disagreeable smokes in vain. The rose bug goes into the germ of the grape blossom and ruins the fruit. I finally resorted to broad tin pans and brushed off quarts of the bugs into them. Agassis recommended this course or something like it, to be pursued in whole districts at once against insects generally, and by the certain death of some to diminish their numbers.

Mr. Pike. I tried to kill insects by pouring strong brine about the roots of fruit trees. I killed some of the trees by it.

Judge Van Wyck.-Common Salt is useful when applied in moderate quantities; it is very good for the growth of grapes and some other plants.

Mr. Pike. The hardy scaly shells of many of the bugs prevents their being destroyed by strong applications.

Judge Van Wyck.-Those vines which had been somewhat thinned of fruit by the bugs, produced in consequence of that much finer fruit.

Mr. Pike. I like for a dressing for grapes a compound of twenty parts of charcoal, pulverized, to one part of common salt; charcoal seemed to protect fruit trees from insects.

Judge Van Wyck-I agree with Dr. Underhill that the rose bugs come out of holes in the earth; naturalists mention many insects which do so. Our 14 or 17 years locusts are well known to do so, and I have seen them in the very act of coming out.

Mr. Pike. Spread pulverised glass about the roots of trees and the bugs can neither get in or out. I gather my knowledge by constant observation on my own farm.

Same subjects, seeds and planting, insects and the grape vine, to be continued.

The Club adjourned to the next regular meeting on the 7th of May.
H. MEIGS, Sec'y.

SILK WORM FED ON OSAGE ORANGE.

New-York, April 30th, 1850.

HON. HENRY MEIGS-Dear Sir.-During the great rage for the Morus Multicaulis and silk worms, I purchased a quantity of the eggs of that worm. They came out when spring lettuce was in perfection, so I fed them on it for about two weeks, or till they were sufficiently large, and strong to eat coarse food. I then divided them into two equal parcels—one of which I fed on Morus Multicaulis leaves, the other on the young and delicate leaves of the Osage Orange, Maclura Aurantiaca, renewing regularly the supply twice a day with each parcel. I soon discovered the latter grew much faster, and were by far more healthy than the former, although each were in the same room, had the same light and air, and as much food as necessary.

1

When the time arrived for them to spin, I made white paper bags, of conical shape, put them in, and secured them against the wall. Much to my surprise and gratification, I found, when I took them down, all, without a single exception, that had eaten of the Osage Orange leaf had spun perfectly white cocoons, the silk of which was as strong, if not stronger than the other half, which had spun yellow.

I do not recollect ever having seen a statement of worms spinning perfectly white silk, and believe no one has tried the leaf of the osage orange as food for them.

I remain, &c.,

GEO. S. RIGGS.
of Baltimore.

Farmers' Club, May 21st, 1850.

Hon. ROBERT SWIFT LIVINGSTON in the chair. HENRY MEIGS, Sec'y.

Mr. Meigs read the following papers, prepared by him, to illustrate the relative importance of Agricultural wealth and the precious metals:

Gold from South America in old times.-The Spanish writers of authority concur in the statements, official and of estimate, as to the amount of gold and silver obtained by Spain from America, from the year of discovery, 1492, down to the year 1780, i. e. two hundred and eighty-eight years. By the official account, that which paid duty to the King was five thousand six hundred and sixty millions of dollars; and that there must be added to this vast sum at least as much more, introduced without knowledge of the King, or rather unofficially, or in the whole, about twelve thousand millions of dollars.

If we should receive from California three millions of dollars a week, or more than four hundred thousand dollars a day, for eighty years, i. e. from this time to the year 1930, we shall then have received the same amount which Spain did. We have free hands to get the gold; Spain destroyed thirty millions of men by the labour in the

mines.

By a report to the British Parliament in 1845, it appears that the value of the Agriculture alone of that little spot, in one year, was three thousand millions of dollars; and taking out four winter months, then we have in eight months, from that God blessed national work, Agriculture, as much value as Spain derived in 72 years from the gold and silver, and the destruction of some seven millions of men.

About the year 1500 a new era commenced, that which bore the art of printing, the discovery of America, and of many portions of the Old World also, and re-discovery of those magnificent arts of antiquity, most of which we cannot equal, and seldom succeed even in copying. Spain is believed to have been almost mortally wounded by those streams of gold; it is yet doubtful if she ever recovers from it. But those nations who got all this gold from her, have been steadily advancing in wealth, population and power; so that poor Spain seems to have suffered all the punishment, while her neighbors have benefitted by it.

INSECTS.

H. Meigs.- At the last meeting of the club, I spoke of the three stages of insect life, from the larvae to imago. Of the latter which is the perfect creature and capable of reproducing its race, I propose to say a few words. In the first place, let us consider the dress in which the creature is seen as an imago. Great numbers of the Coleoptera, (shelly covered wings) appear on close examination, and the more highly magnified by microscope power, the more gorgeous does their armour appear. All the splendour which can be furnished by coats of burnished steel, copper, brass, gold or ivory or ebony or cobalt or ultramarine blue, or that glorious changable colour of green and gold, appear on this colepter race. As to the butterfly, all acknowledge the royal splendor of its robes; but those who have not seen it in high magnified condition, do not know how surpassingly glorious it is, when compared with man, or any robe he ever wore.

Even the poor blue bottle fly, presents a dress of burnished cobalt of inimitable beauty. There is little doubt that all the precious minerals are elaborated to provide these insect knights with their imperial armour; nor is it to be denied, that diamond is used in the equipment of many of them.