DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



385 



of the common Prrnny — tlic grafts bein<j placed un- 

 der glass fill tlii'v li:ive united. The latter is tlie 

 most rn]iirl nifxl'' known. 



(b) Tiic Lamarqiie Rose will rarely produce fine 

 flowers wliile the plant is youn;; — but as it gets 

 older, and the flower buds e. uie on spurs or side- 

 shoots of (Id wood, they are uniformly tine and 

 bloom well. Hence the plant should he trained 

 hiffh and the long shoots protected in winter. 



(c) So far as our observation extends, this insect 

 is only troublesome in districts where light, sandy 

 soil abounds. In such soil they find winter waters 

 so genial, that they multiply to an incredible extent. 

 In loamy or heavier soils, they are seldom trouble- 

 some. It is certainly one of the most difficult in- 

 sects to destroy. And when it abounds greatly, 

 perhaps the only effectual way of destroying it, is 

 to watch closely at the time of their exit from the 

 soil — about the 1st of June — pour boiling water 

 over the soil at the roots of the trees and rose bushes 

 where they rise. 



{(1) No better hardy native grapes than the Isa- 

 bella and Catawba have yet been originated. It is 

 the desideratum of the day — and many are enga- 

 ged in endeavoring to produce new varieties of 

 merit. 



(£) There is no better Raspberry yet known than 

 the t7-ue Red Antwerp — the Faslolff is as large 

 and very handsome, but not quite so firm in texture. 

 Knevelt's Giant is quite hardy — large and fine. 

 The large White and Red Uutch are yet on the 

 whole, the best currants — thoiigli May's Victoria 

 really bears larger clusters of berries. The true 

 Red and White Dutch are nearly twice the size of 

 the common red and white currants of country gar- 

 dens. We have grown them side by side in the 

 same soil. 



Peartree Blight. — Mr. Ernst, in his article 

 on pear blight in the last number, says " the idea 

 is mostly abandoned that any form of blight is caus- 

 ed by insects," and that in lieu of that idea the fro- 

 zen-sap theory is adojited, which to a limited ex- 

 lent explains the evil, and also intimates that his 

 theory of the summer-sun's rays scalding the sap, is 

 the other cause of what he calls the fire blight." 



With his opinion " that insects do not cause any 

 form of blight," I beg leave to difler, and in sup- 

 port of ray views illustrate by cases — which, if not 

 satisfactory to him, may prove interesting and eli- 

 cit opinions from others. 



Case 1st. — A Bergamot d'Esperin pear tree, 

 one year from the bud, on quince roots, imported 

 into Boston for me by a friend, from the interior of 

 P'rance, and planted out late in the spring of 1847, 

 not the least indications of frost being seen after- 

 wards, appeared in perfectly healthy condition, 

 and grew from the leading bud of the stem. After 

 the new wood had attained to a growth of seven 

 or eight inches, the extremity of the stem with its 

 leaves suddenly turned black. After two inches 

 had become afiected, I amputated at a point one 

 inch below the discoloration. The remainder of 

 the stem contmued fresh and green for several 

 days, when the disease reappeared. I repeated 

 the amputation as before, and again the disease 

 showed itself, when I concluded to abandon it to 

 Vol. II. 49 



nature ; the stem died down to an inch or two 

 above the bud's insertion, where a complete line of 

 demarkation formed, and with the dead wood on, a 

 dormant bud bursted, and a new stem of six inches 

 grew before autumn. 



Case 2nd. — A CJmar d'^remburgh, two years 

 from the bud, on quince roots, imported from Mr. 

 Rivers, arrived and was set out quite late, not the 

 slightest appearance of frost being seen afterwards; 

 came out in full leaf, foliage indicating perfect 

 health. No new wood appeared until about the 

 middle of July, when a vigorous and healthy shoot 

 grew from the leadinu' stem. After it luid grown 

 to a length of six inches the extremity turned black 

 as in the first case, and in less than a week the 

 whole tree was killed. This tree was of pj-ramidal 

 form, well branched, about four feet high, and pro- 

 tected from the sun by large trees and bushes. 



Case 3d. — A Colviar d'^remburgh, grafted on 

 my own grounds on pear stock, in 1S46 ; taken 

 from the nursery bed and set out as a standard tho 

 same autumn. This tree was about four iVet iiigh, 

 stout, healtliv and well branched, but made no new 

 growth until after the middle of July, when the 

 leading bud started. After it had made a growth 

 of about five inches, I noticed the same peculiar ap- 

 peai-ance of discoloration of leaf and wood first 

 commencing, when I immediately amputated the 

 whole of the new growth, which saved the tree, for 

 soon after a dormant bud adjoining the base of the 

 amputated limb, burst forth and made a shoot of 

 three inches before autumn. 



Case 4th. — A Bartlet. on pear roots, six years 

 from the bud. bearing fruit and in perfect health, 

 sent out new wood from its whole top. After the 

 new shoots had attained their growth and were 

 mostly over six inches long, I noticed the same 

 symptoms of disease appearing in the extremities, 

 as in the other cases, and amputated the whole 

 length of the new wood, as the disease showed it- 

 self. This invariably put a stop to it. This tree 

 was not attacked until early in September, about 

 which time we had several cold mornings, the 

 mercury going as low as 38". On one of these 

 mornings, quite early, and before the sun had 

 warmed the air, I noticed a limb, the extremi- 

 ty of which appeared affected, and ainputated it, 

 when I discovered its whole end and about one- 

 fourth of un inch of its length covered with a scaly 

 looking insect, in shape resembling sowbugs, but 

 of a brown color and quite small. They ajipeared 

 to be chilled by the cold air, for the moment they 

 were brougiit to the full rays of the sun tliev skip- 

 ped offlike fleas. The wood from whicii they were 

 taken was ju^t bcgiiming to .show symptoms of 

 the disease, and when cut in two emitted its pecul- 

 iarly nauseous aroma. The trunk of this tree 

 shows no symptom of the other form of blight, 

 and appears now in perfect health. In several 

 other of my standard trees, limbs were afleoted 

 and treated similarly, all of which appear now in 

 health. As the Bartlet was tiie last tree adi^cted, 

 and the limb on which I <liscovered tlic vermin tiie 

 last one amj)utated, I had no opportunity of contin- 

 uing my observations. 



The above cases, with numerous others which 

 came under my observation last summer, sufficient- 



