Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 February 1875 — Aphides. [ARTICLE]

Aphides.

The Aphides, or plant-lice, are among the most wonderful of insects. They are found upon almost all parts of plants, even upon the roots, and many plants harbor a sort peculiar only to itself. They are very prolific, the naturalist Reaumur proving that one individual in five generations can become the progenitor of 6,000,000,000 of descendants. Sometimes the young and tender ends of plants are covered in an incredibly short time with these insects, so as to be literally coated with them. The wingless individuals consist only of females with their young, while the winged males appear usually in the autumn, but some times in the’ spring. The eggs are laid near the leaf-bud of the plant upon which they live, the parent insects dying soon after. As soon as these large families are launched into the world they arc abundantly able to provide for themselves. They at once plunge their long beaks into the tender leaves and branches upon which they crowd, and here they remain through their lives, leading a gluttonous existence. Their bodies are short, oval and soft, and are provided with two short tubes, resembling horns, situated on the hinder extremity of the body, from which is constantly exuding minute drops of a fluid as sweet as honey. Many a flower-lover has seen this sticky, honey-like fluid upon her house plants when infested with these insects. A good smoking witu tobacco will subdue them, after which the plant should be well washed and cleaned. I have examined these insects through a good microscope. Their heads are small, with beaks long, eyes globular, antenme long and tapering, legs long and slender. The motions and attitudes of these little creatures are sometimes very funny. I have seen them, upon being disturbed, hanging suspended by their long beaks, kicking and sprawling in the most comical fashion. As they take in great quantities of sap they would soon become gorged, were it not for these little tubes or safety valves, from which exudes the superabundant fluid. This fluid may sometimes be seen upon the leaves solidified into a solid whitish sugar. Aphides are thus a source of attraction to ants and other insects who visit them for the sake of this honey. We are often made aware of the presence of aphides on plants growing in the garden by seeing the ants ascending and descending the stalks and branches; and by close observation will see this sweet fluid exuded by the aphides is the cause of their visits. The aphides are sometimes called the ants’ milch cows, and some ants treat them as domestic cattle, herding them, and if danger approach take them in their jaws to a place of safety, and the lice don’t seem at all annoyed by them. Some plant-lice live in the ground and are called subterranean aphides. Many persons have noticed among their pet astors a few* that seemed dving without any visible cause; upon pulling them up hundreds of little lice will be "found clustered together on the roots. There are many varieties, those infesting some plants differing from those upon others. — Mrs. M. J. G., in Indiana Farmer. The fact is well known that when two neighboring buildings are illuminated with gas derived from the same source it frequently happens that the extinction of the lights in one building causes the pressure of gas in the other to become greatly increased, and sometimes to result in accident. As an alarm to give warfaing of this over-pressure a French inventor proposes a bi-sulpliate of mercury battery, in which the liquid is communicated with the gas by means of a siphon, so that the pressure of the gas, in varying, raises or lowers its level. If its . pressure is above a certain fixed limit the liquid is raised so as to cotoe in contact with the metallic portion of the battery, establishing a current which sounds an electric alarm. The inventor of-this device also sugges’s that a simple /tnerthod of determining leaks in gas pipes building is to force some strongly-odorous smoke into the supply-pipe. The fumes of incense, for example, escaping in any room, would be readily distinguished from gas. The official numbei of French electors registered bn tb£ latest lists is 9,549 640 for the whole country, or a falling off on the previous lists of 241,959 electors.