DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



195 



plained or proposed a substitute. In England, 

 where the whole island is li<i;hted with ^as, ^rtts 

 liquor can be obtained readily, I suppose. Ji Sub- 

 scriber. New- Bedford, Sept. I, 1847. 



P. S. It would appear to me that the manure 

 made from a barrow of weeds and a peck of salt, 

 would destroy vesetation entirely by the etfeet of 

 such a quantity of salt — Would it not ? What 

 would be the value of the manure obtained in this 

 way, compared with the cost of salt at 25 cts. per 

 bushel, and a gallon of gas liquor? Perhaps you 

 can suggest some cheaper substitute, or way of ob- 

 taining the same result. 



[We think, on examining the article in the work 

 referred to, that it is the English editor's, and not 

 Mr. Landreth's direction ; but owing to the plan 

 adopted by the publishers of the American edition, 

 it is impossible to tell who is the author of many ar- 

 ticles, or parts of articles, contained in it. 



Ammoniacal liquor can oidy be had at the gas 

 works, in the large cities where ffas is manufactur- 

 ed. It is a powerful manure, and requires to be di- 

 luted with five or six times its own bulk of water, 

 before using it on grass or other growing crops. It 

 may be transported to any distance in barrels. 



A peck of salt and a gallon of this liquor (the 

 latter diluted,) would be sufficient (or four barrow- 

 fuls of weeds, which would then, after decomposi- 

 tion, make a strong manure. If our correspondent 

 will mix his weeds and salt with barnyard manure, 

 and water the heap with urine instead of the gas- 

 liquor, as recommended by Prof. Lindley in our 

 August number, he will find it a process far more 

 economical, and the result equally satisfactory. Ed.] 



Early Joe Apple. — This is certainly a capital 

 summer apple. We saw it repeatedly last season, 

 and we again received specimens the first week in 

 September from Messrs. Elwanger & B.arry, Ro- 

 chester, in fine order ; the fruit beautiful in appear- 

 ance, and the flavor that of the most delicate des- 

 sert apple. Messrs. E. & B. remarked, in a note 

 accompanying them and some other varieties, 

 " these specimens of Early Joe were picked from 

 an old tree so loaded that you could hardly see a 

 branch or leaf." 



The flesh of this variety is peculiarly marked 

 with reddish stains ; the form rather flat, beauti- 

 fully striped with purplish-red on a pale ground. It 

 is yet apparently little known out of Western New- 

 York, hut it must soon find its way into general 

 cultivation. 



A New Remedy for the Curculio. — Sir: I 

 made one of those accidental discoveries this sea- 

 son, which often prove more valuable than the re- 

 sults of a carefully conducted series of experi- 

 ments. 



This is no less than a preventive to the attacks 

 of that most unconquerable enemy to all smooth 

 stone fruit — the Curculio. 



I have long been so troubled with this insect, that 

 I have considered the plum tree of little value to 

 me. 



This season, wishing to stimulate a couple of 

 old plum trees, which stood among others ui my 



fruit garden, I directed my gardener to place round 

 each tree a couple of barrowfuls of fresh horse 

 manure from the stable. This was accordingly 

 laid on the surface of the ground, and as work was 

 rather pressing at the time, it was suflered, though 

 ratiier strong in ammonia, to lie thus for a fort- 

 night. I think it was put about the trees just as 

 the fruit began to swell, and before it became as 

 large as peas. The result is, that these two trees 

 are bearing a good crop of fruit, while every other 

 plum tree in my garden has, as usual, been stung, 

 and dropped all its fruit. There were no punc- 

 tures, or scarcely any, to be found on the fruits of 

 these two trees. 



I understand from this, that the pungent fumes 

 of the fresh stable manure, are so offensive to the 

 curculio, that it avoids the trees under which it is 

 placed. If thi-, on repetition, proves to be the 

 case, we have, I think, a weapon against the depre- 

 dator ; for though the efl'ect of the application is 

 not the most agreeable one in a neat fruit or kit- 

 chen garden, yet no one would hesitate to resort 

 to it, annually, if the curculio can be driven away 

 by such means. Yours. A Subscriber. Phila- 

 delphia, Aug. 10, 1847. 



[This is interesting, and we have some corrobo- 

 rative evidence. This season bemg one when in- 

 sects of all kinds are unusually abundant, we have 

 ourselves suffered somewhat from the attacks of the 

 curculio, though not to such an extent as to prevent 

 our having a moderate crop of plums, apricots, 

 etc. But we observed some time ago, with some 

 surprise, that upon a couple of large nectarine 

 trees, growing directly against a fence which shuts 

 in our stable yard, not a single fruit was punctured 

 by the curculio, though other nectarine trees, sixty 

 or eighty feet distant, did not escape. We attri- 

 buted it at the time to the fumes from the litter 

 thrown daily into the yard. Since our correspon- 

 dent's experience, which is more direct, would ap- 

 pear to confirm the opinion, it will, as he suggests, 

 be well to make a more extensive trial of the effect 

 of a direct application next season. — Ed.] 



Coloured Edition of Fruits. — The coloured 

 edition of your work on Fruits, so anxiously looked 

 for, is slow in making its appearance. When docs 

 it come out ? Please answer in the Horticulturist, 

 for the benefit of others as well as myself. Res- 

 pectfully yours. C. S. Wilson. Utica, N. Y. Sept. 

 11, 1847. 



[The delay is caused by our desire to have the 

 plates executed as perfectly as possible. With 

 this view we sent them to Paris to be coloured 

 there. On receiving them, we found that although 

 in the main beautifully executed, yet a few varie- 

 ties were so indifferently coloured, that we could 

 not consent to mar the work by inserting them. 

 These were, therefore, obliged to be sent again to 

 be retouched. Hence the great delay ; but we hope 

 to be able to announce the issue of the work com- 

 plete in a few weeks more. — Ed.] 



Bees. — Will some of your correspondents, who 

 have had experience in the matter, give me some 

 practical information on the following subjects: — 



