VOL.LX.
INDIANAPOLIS, JULY 1, 1905.
NO. 26
THE EldHT-SPOTTED FORESTER.
(Alypla Octomacul«t«.)
(Copyrighted,     1005, br the   Nature   Story    Bjn-
dloate.)
Ttse   Insect   legion*,   prauk'd   with   gaudiest   toues,
I'earl,  gold  aud  pur}sle,   awanu'd  lto  eilatence.
Minute   and  uiervelloua   creation  these.
—Montgomery.
In June, tlie leaves of the woodbine,
-ind often those of the grape, are found
to be infested by dark worms, who are
so numerous as to become a veritable
nuisance. They     practically   defoliate
the vines, causing them to appear ragged
and unsightly.
The caterpillar who is responsible for
tin's damage grows to be an inch and a
half in length. Its body is white banded
with tine black lino*-, aud there is an
orange line marked by black conical spots,
upon each segment.
The ineect when disturbed, spits out u
drop ot dark liquid, lowers its head, and
hunches the middle portion* of its body,
thus assuming a most threatening attitude; but it is all a bluff, for the caterpillar ean neither bite, sting, nor poison
llie person who wishes to examine or ex-
termiate it. I have frequently disturbed a larva so that I might see it get
ready for a battle that is never fought.
No doifljt this menacing attitude does protect the insect from some of its enemies,
although I have noticed that tho much
maligned English sparrow feeds eagerly
upon the larvae.
Odd as it may seem to sueh as did uot
s-tudy, about birds, beetles, and butter-
flics, when we went to school, this horrid, repulsive worm of the woodbine has
the most dainty and exquisite of parents.
Small moths they nre, measuring not
more than an inch and a quarter from
tip to tip of their fore wings. Both
hind aud fore wings are like soft black
velvet and each one bears two yellow
blotches which give to the moths the
name Eight-spotted Foresters.
During Jlay they were probably very
numerous about porches where woodbine
grows. If you did not see them your
vine is likely to escape molestation from
the caterpillars; but if you did, a little
cure each morning will soon rid you of the
pests, and it is much easier to klil the
"worms" than* the gay little moth mothers.
They are day-flying moths and seem so
friendly, it is hud to realize that they
ean and will injure your possessions, providing those possessions are such as to
suit the tastes of their future children.
But later in the summer, you will have
an opportunity to see for yourself what
occurs for the Eight-spotted Foresters are
double brooded, and the adults appear
on the wing in May and August, while
their caterpillars are in evidence a few
weeks later.
One afternoon in May, as I sat on an
old side porch well covered by woodbine,
I suddenly realize that there were any
number of these Eight-spotted Forrester
moths nbout the place. Many were
just out from their chrysalides, still
damp, and with wings undeveloped, and
caught so high that the orange "knee
breeches" made a brave showing.
When a moth is ready to lay her tiny
eggs, she selects the tip of a twig, and
i.ot a leaf, for the retention of each. Here
is an opportunity to theoriz.; and say that
it is proof of maternal instinct, and that
the mother realizes that the young brownish larvae will be less noticeable on the
twig than on the surface of a leaf; but
as the very small caterpillars, when disturbed, use the same terrorizing attitude
for protection as do the older   members
of the family, who are much more conspicuous against the greou, why is this
seeming precaution necessary?
The fall brood of Eight-spotted Foresters pass the winter in thee hrysalis state,
ami on September the third of last year,
I was so fortunate as to see one of the
family prepare its winter quarters. Close
to the old porch were some bits of well
rotted wood, and on one, a larva was
busily   at  work. It  excavated   a   hole
with its mouth and did not rmove its
head, iu order to dispose of the saw-dust
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Must Have Protein Foods.
1st Premium.—The pig from weaning
time should be led food that will produce
bone and muscle, and not be fed fund
that will fallen him from the time he is
eight weeks old.
The best way to handle pigs is to have
a good pasture for them to run in. I
prefer clover early and rape laler, with
freo   access   to   shade   and   water   at   all
Moths nnd Caterpillars of   the Eight-Spotted Foresters.
which every few seconds, it blew out and
always at the same place. - The little
carpenter had disappeared in about three
lours, and be must cither have turned
about in his burrow, or come out from it
and backed in again, for later I found
him gnawing aid smoothing the edges of
the doorway, and spinning silken threads
from side to side, into which the wee
shaving were so cunningly woven that the
opening was perfectly closed, and I should
not have discovered it had I not known of
its existence.
-\ftcr this experience I captured a number of caterpillars and placed them with
fi.od leaves and rotted wood in a vivarium (breeding cage), and here each and
every one buried itself, as did the one described, but I think I must have kept
the wood in too dry a place, for in the
spring no moths appeared.
Had I left the wood for the woodbine
pests to appropriate in their own sweet
way, they no doubt would have prospered. ar;d at the proper time, emerged from
their chrysalis state with tucked-up wings
and orange "knee breeches,'' as gay and
friendlfC a little brood as the other one
which surprised me in the old porch on
that May afternoon-
Ellen Robertson-Miller.
Fearing that rain would spoil tlieir
wheat some farmers in Bartholomew
county spent last Sunday in the harvest
field.
limes, then you can watch them grow
during the hot months with pleasure.
When you are ready to finish off put them
in a small cool enclosure that is not filthy,
and feed all the corn, skim milk and
shorts, with refused apples, peaches, etc.,
they can eat up clean. I do not approve
of keeping corn, etc., before the hogs at
all times. I do not think they eat with
as good an appetite as they do when they
are fed only what they can eat. Charcoal should be kopt by them at all times,
tf you have no good pasture for the hogs
(o run ou and arc obliged to keep them in
a close pen all the time, feed them all
the sweet skim milk they can cat with
plenty of apples and green weeds, and a
dinner of slop made of shorts. This
makes a large framed hog one that can
be crowded when ready to finish off for
market.
If hogs are fed corn and not much
bone and muscle food, they will get fat
when mere pigs but will not be as large
hogs when six months old as tlie ones fed
as. above described. I have killed hogs
that were kept in- a close >M?n from the
lime they were eight weeks old that
veighod from 200 to 2">0 pounds apiece at
G months old and have seen a neighbor
who always fed an abundance of corn,
kill his liog-i at the same age and if they
weighed 200 pounds he thought they were
doing fino. Hogs that are fattened on
bran slop have not firm meat and do not
bring the top price in market.
A  Itaider.
Handling the Pigs for Market.
2d Premium.—At this time of the year
the pigs are of different sizes aud ages.
.Some may have been lorn in March or
April while others are less than two weeks
old. We have about twenty-five wliich
were born almut the first of April. When
they wen* not more than ten days old
they were taught to eat ground feed
which we scattered on the cement floor
for them. When they got older we arranged it so they had acres to a pen
which the sows could not reach, and
thero fed them chop. We kept this up
until they were weaned.
We do not shut up the pigs but shut
up the tows unless we cannot avoid it.
The pigs are now mostly fed ground feed
composed of oals, rye and corn, two parts
of each oais and rye, aud one part corn.
This is mixed with creamery milk and fed
throe times a  day.
They should be given salt and ashes
frequently or bettor yet place it where it
• an be gotten whenever wished by the
pigs. (Jive them plenty of clean water.
These are of the l>ost preventives I know
of hog cholera.
The pigs aro fed in this method until
they weigh about one hundred and twenty-
j live pounds, then the feed of slop is reduced and they are fed more corn. We
feed thom soaked eorn and find that it
produces botter results than when the
<orn is not soaked. Thoy are allowed
to run iu a clover pasture, which promotes tl.eir growth very rapidly.
The pigs must also be given a good
diy shelter, for nothing is more injurious
to them than to be forced to lay out in
bed  weather. A  good  shed  should  be
built for them. In hot summer days
they will enjoy laying about iu the shade.
This method of feeding is intended for an
average farmer raising about twenty to
forty spring pigs, but the feeder who
raises a hundred or more would not appreciate this method, as the skim milk
Mould have to l>e dispensed with, it being
one of the essential elements for growing
pigs. s\lso the large feeder cannot take
as much care of his pigs ordinarily as
one who has only a small bunch. This
article is intended for feeding summer
pigs only, and I liave a much different
manner of feeding fall and winter pigs.
Lagrange Co. F. It.
Good Care Is tbe Key to Success and
Profit.
3d Premium.—Wc should have three
varieties of grasses for pasture, the little
red clover, oats and rape for summer
pasture. This should be fenced in two
holds or lots according to the number of
pigs one has. Whether we have a large
lield or lots before turning out the pigs.
They don't do well unless they should be
changed every week in tliese pastures.
Then next is the slop. Skimmilk, oats
and whoat or rye ground and mixed make
a very valuablo slop and then shelled corn
and oats, cither cooked or soaked. Their
teeth  are  vory  tender. AVhen ou pas
ture in summer months I would prefer
feeding thom grain only twice a day, but
Moping three times. Then good sheds
and well ventilated and next good supply
of pure water for them through the hot
months. When put on heavy feed to
finish thom up ready for the market it is
a good idea to give a small amount of
charcoal, salt ami oil meal to keep a good
f.ppotile. The spring pigs should feed
out ready for the market by last half of
October or first half of November.    Now
Continued on page nine.