The Mill-beetles, or Cock-roaches, are likewise a plague of North America, and are settled in many of its provinces. The learned Dr. Colden was of opinion that these insects were properly natives of the West Indies, and that those that were found in North America were brought over from those islands. To confirm his opinion, he said, that it was yet daily seen how the ships coming with goods from the West Indies to North America brought mill-beetles with them in great numbers. But from the observations which I have made in this country, I have reason to believe that these insects have been on the continent of North America since time immemorial. Yet notwithstanding this I do not deny their being brought over from the West Indies. They are in almost every house in the city of New York; and those are undoubtedly come over with ships. But how can that [[14]]be said of those mill-beetles, which are found in the midst of the woods and desarts?
The English likewise call the Mill-beetles, Cock-roaches, and the Dutch give them the name of Kackerlack. The Swedes in this country call them Brodoetare, or Bread-eaters, on account of the damage they do to the bread, which I am going to describe. Dr. Linnæus calls them Blatta Orientalis. Many of the Swedes call them likewise Kackerlack. They are not only observed in the houses, but in the summer they appear often in the woods, and run about the trees, which are cut down. On bringing in all sorts of old rotten blocks of wood for fewel, in February, I discovered several cock-roaches settled in them; they were at first quite torpid, or as it were dead; but after lying in the room for a while, they recovered, became very lively, and began to run about. I afterwards found very often, that when old rotten wood was brought home in winter, and cut in pieces for fewel, the cock-roaches were got into it in numbers, and lay in it in a torpid state. In the same winter, a fellow cut down a great dry tree, and was about to split it. I then observed in a crack, some fathoms above the ground, [[15]]several cock-roaches together with the common ants. They were, it seems, crept up a great way, in order to find a secure place of abode against winter. On travelling in the middle of October 1749, through the uninhabited country between the English and French colonies, and making a fire at night near a thick half rotten tree, on the shore of lake Champlain, numbers of cock-roaches came out of the wood, being wakened by the smoke and the fire, which had driven them out of their holes. The Frenchmen, who were then in my company, did not know them, and could not give them any name. In Canada the French did not remember seeing any in the houses. In Pensylvania, I am told, they run in immense numbers about the sheaves of corn, during the harvest. At other times they live commonly in the houses in the English settlements, and lie in the crevices, especially in the cracks of those beams which support the ceiling, and are nearest to the chimney.
They do a deal of damage by eating the soft parts of the bread. If they have once made a hole into a loaf, they will in a little time eat all the soft part in it, so that on cutting the loaf, nothing but the crust is left. I am told they likewise eat other [[16]]victuals. Sometimes they bite people’s noses or feet, whilst they are asleep. An old Swede, called Sven Laock, a grandson of the Rev. Mr. Laockenius, one of the first Swedish clergymen that came to Pensylvania, told me, that he had in his younger years been once very much frightened on account of a cock-roach, which crept into his ear whilst he was asleep. He waked suddenly, jumped out of bed, and felt that the insect, probably out of fear, was endeavouring with all its strength to get deeper. These attempts of the cock-roach were so painful to him, that he imagined his head was bursting, and he was almost senseless; however he hastened to the well, and bringing up a bucket full of water, threw some into his ear. As soon as the cock-roach found itself in danger of being drowned, it endeavoured to save itself, and pushed backwards out of the ear, with its hind feet, and thus happily delivered the poor man from his fears.
The Wood-lice are disagreeable insects, which in a manner are worse than the preceding; but as I have already described them in a peculiar memoir, which is printed among the memoirs of the Royal [[17]]Academy of Sciences for the year 1754, I refer my readers to that account.
December the 11th. This morning I made a little excursion to Penn’s Neck, and further over the Delaware to Wilmington. The country round Penn’s Neck has the same qualities as that about other places in this part of New Jersey. For the ground consists chiefly of sand, with a thin stratum of black soil. It is not very hilly, but chiefly flat, and in most places covered with open woods of such trees as have annual leaves, especially oak. Now and then you see a single farm, and a little corn field round it. Between them are here and there little marshes or swamps, and sometimes a brook with water, which has a very slow motion.
The woods of these parts consist of all sorts of trees, but chiefly of oak and hiccory. These woods have certainly never been cut down, and have always grown without hindrance. It might therefore be expected that there are trees of an uncommon great age to be found in them; but it happens otherwise, and there are very few trees three hundred years old. Most of them are only two hundred years old; and this convinced me that trees have the same quality as animals, and die after [[18]]they are arrived at a certain age. Thus we find great woods here, but when the trees in them have stood an hundred and fifty or an hundred and eighty years, they are either rotting within, or losing their crown, or their wood becomes quite soft, or their roots are no longer able to draw in sufficient nourishment, or they die from some other cause. Therefore when storms blow, which sometimes happens here, the trees are broke off either just above the root, or in the middle, or at the summit. Several trees are likewise torn out with their roots by the power of the winds. The storms thus cause great devastations in these forests. Every where you see trees thrown down by the winds, after they are too much weakened by one or the other of the above mentioned causes to be able to resist their fury. Fire likewise breaks out often in the woods, and burns the trees half way from the root, so that a violent gust of wind easily throws them down.
On travelling through these woods, I purposely tried to find out, by the position of the trees which were fallen down, which winds are the strongest hereabouts. But I could not conclude any thing with certainty, for the trees fell on all sides, and lay towards all the points of the compass. [[19]]I therefore judged, that any wind which blows from that side where the roots of the tree are weakest and shortest, and where it can make the least resistance, must root it up and throw it down. In this manner the old trees die away continually, and are succeeded by a young generation. Those which are thrown down lay on the ground and putrify, sooner or later, and by that means encrease the black soil, into which the leaves are likewise finally changed, which drop abundantly in autumn, are blown about by the winds for some time, but are heaped up, and lie on both sides of the trees, which are fallen down. It requires several years before a tree is intirely reduced to dust. When the winds tear up a tree with the roots, a quantity of loose soil commonly comes out with and sticks to them for some time, but at last it drops off, and forms a little hillock, which is afterwards augmented by the leaves, which commonly gather about the roots. Thus several inequalities are formed in the woods, such as little holes land hills; and by this means the upper soil must likewise be heaped up in such places.
Some trees are more inclined to putrify than others. The tupelo-tree (Nyssa), the [[20]]tulip-tree (Liriodendron), and the sweet gum-tree (Liquidambar), became rotten in a short time. The hiccory did not take much time, and the black oak fell sooner to pieces than the white oak; but this was owing to circumstances. If the bark remained on the wood, it was for the greatest part rotten, and entirely eaten by worms within, in the space of six, eight, or ten years, so that nothing was to be found but a reddish brown dust. But if the bark was taken off, they would often lie twenty years before they were entirely rotten. The suddenness of a tree’s growth, the bigness of its pores, and the frequent changes of heat and wet in summer, cause it to rot sooner. To this it must be added, that all sorts of insects make holes into the stems of the fallen trees, and by that means the moisture and the air get into the tree, which must of course forward putrefaction. Most of the trees here have deciduous or annual leaves. Many of them begin to rot whilst they are yet standing and blooming. This forms the hollow trees, in which many animals make their nests and places of refuge.
The breadth of the Delaware directly opposite Wilmington is reckoned an English mile and a half; yet to look at it, it did [[21]]not seem to be so great. The depth of the river, in the middle, is said to be from four to six fathoms here.
December the 12th. The Joiners say, that among the trees of this country they chiefly use the black walnut-trees, the wild cherry-trees, and the curled maple. Of the black walnut-trees (Juglans nigra) there is yet a sufficient quantity. However careless people take pains enough to destroy them, and some peasants even use them as fewel. The wood of the wild cherry-trees (Prunus Virginiana) is very good, and looks exceedingly well; it has a yellow colour, and the older the furniture is, which is made of it, the better it looks. But it is already difficult to get at it, for they cut it every where, and plant it no where. The curled maple (Acer rubrum) is a species of the common red maple, but likewise very difficult to be got. You may cut down many trees without finding the wood which you want. The wood of the sweet gum-tree (Liquidambar) is merely employed in joiner’s work, such as tables, and other furniture. But it must not be brought near the fire, because it warps. The firs and the white cedars (Cupressus thyoides) are likewise made use of by the joiners for different sorts of work. [[22]]