52 



DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



Horticulturist, the account of the Onondaga pear, 

 I wrote to Gen. Leavenworth, of Syracuse, N. 

 Y., and requested him to send me a few of the 

 grafts. This lie had the kindness to do ; trans 

 mitting them by mail. As they were received in 

 such fine condition, I here state the mode in which 

 they were put up. The cut ends were dipped in 

 melted sealing wax, then each graft was rolled up in 

 a narrow strip of oiled silk ; the projecting ends 

 of the silk being folded over the ends of the enclo- 

 sed grafts, were neatly tied with a soft thread. 

 Being thus prepared, the several grafts were pla- 

 ced between two bats of cotton, and enclosed in a 

 common envelope, and sealed. The package was 

 nearly a month in coming to hand ; arriving here 

 early in March, 1S47; but on opening it, I found 

 the grafts to be in admirable condition; the buds 

 and bark perfectly plump and fresh. They were 

 inserted in tolerably large stocks ; have grown ra- 

 pidly, spreading into fine heads; and I confidently 

 expect next season, to " eat of the fruit thereof. " 



Gen. Leavenworth, a short time after sending 

 me those grafts, forwarded me several cuttings of 

 the Richard's pear. They were not, however, 

 hermetically sealed, nor put up in oiled silk. They 

 were no longer on the way than the others ; but when 

 received they were shrivelled, in fact dead, or nearly 

 so; and although inserted immediately, they all 

 failed. 



From these facts, I infer that grafts, put up as 

 were those of the Onondaga, may be successfully 

 transmitted, by mail, many thousands of miles, at 

 the right season; reaching their destination in one 

 or two months ; and that grafts sent, as were 

 those of the Richards, will perish in half the time, 

 and in going half the distance. The reasons are 

 obvious. Yours, &c, Jas. A. Maxwell, Monte 

 Juan, l\lear Grand Rapids, Miss., June 1. 1849. 



Diseased Fruit Trees. — As one of the ob- 

 jects of the Horticulturist is, as I understand it to 

 be, to disseminate information on any subject con- 

 nected with horticulture, I propose to inquire of 

 the editor, or of its numerous readers, the cause of 

 an affection, that I have observed in my nursery 

 among my apple trees. Having been engaged for 

 a few years in the nursery business, I have, at 

 times, observed that some of my young trees in 

 the spring, that appeared healthy and vigorous, 

 would just partially open their buds from the top 

 to some distance down, and then remain so with- 

 out expanding a leaf; and in the course of the 

 summer, die down as far as affected. Below that, 

 the shoots would put out numerously, and grow 

 quite well. I had not paid any attention to them, 

 more than merely to notice the fact, until this 

 morning, when finding more of them affected than 

 heretofore, I was indueed to examine them a lit- 

 tle; and on raising the bark under the buds, the 

 young wood appeared discoloured with many 

 small dark spots, as if some insect had perforated 

 the bark to deposit its egg, or for some other pur- 

 pose, and had poisoned the sap. There appeared 



but little mark on the outside of the bark; but in- 

 side, the dark spots were numerous, — some of 

 them near the eye of the bud, but many of them 

 rather in a row between the buds. Not having a 

 microscope, I could not examine them as minutely 

 as I wished. I had a bearing apple tree in my 

 orchard, of the Rambo variety, that died a few 

 years ago, I now suspect, from the same cause; 

 it showed a little green at the points of the buds, 

 as if partially opened, but did not expand a single 

 leaf, but remained for some time in that situation, 

 and finally died in the latter part of summer. 

 Some of the outer limbs of an adjoining tree of the 

 same variety was affected at the same time, and 

 died the same way. These were cut off as far as 

 affected the following winter, and the dead tree 

 cut down; since which time, I have seen no more 

 of it in my orchard. I have had all the affected 

 parts of the trees in my nursery cut out, intending 

 to commit them to the flames; supposing that if 

 it is the work of an insect, depositing its eggs on 

 the tree, that will be the readiest way 'o get rid 

 of them. At any rate, it can do no harm. 



The cold weather here, this spring, has gene- 

 rally destroyed the peaches, plums and cherries, 

 except in some elevated situations, where there is 

 a light crop. In some places on the highest parts 

 of our country, the peaches are very seldom in- 

 jured by frost in the spring, while in lower situa- 

 tions they often are. Thy friend and well wisher, 

 Yardley Taylor. Loudon county, Va.,6th month, 

 12th, 1849. 



Graft Budding. — I would like to show " A 

 Cynic in Miss." (see April No.) my pear trees, 

 the terminal graft-buds of which now measuring 

 each some thirty-eight (38) inches in circumfer- 

 ence (" really quite old,") and double worked 

 with half a dozen of the choicest varieties. I 

 could point him to their recorded history, (and that 

 of many other varieties of fruit trees then in bear- 

 ing from that process) in the " Southern Sports- 

 man,'' New Orleans, May 15, 1843, edited by 

 Thorpe &Brenham, article, " Budding and Graft- 

 ing ;" and without diffidence too, as he presumes on 

 his horticultural lore, and information as early as 

 " 1844 or 1S45." The Rev. Mr. L. is most inti- 

 mate with my particular friends, whom he has vi- 

 sited annually for a few years past ; in 1843, here- 

 sided at Vicksburg. With esteem, yours, Ruri- 

 cola. Port Gibson, Miss. June 14, 1849. 



To destroy Moles. — The May number of the 

 Horticulturist has an article complaining of the 

 injury caused by the mole to the Osage orange, &c. 

 The following remedy has been found effectual for 

 their destruction in the garden, and I presume 

 would succeed elsewhere. 



Mix a dough pill, either of flnur or meal, with 

 a strong seasoning of arsenic, and with a pointed 

 stick open the track, (recent runs are the best 

 ones, as most likely to be traveled) and drop in a 

 pill once in a foot or two, taking care to close the 



