1877.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



271 



Tarieties, it would have sounded more plausible; 

 yet even then I should have doubted, and I can 

 make you doubt. Figs come out all over the 

 tree in clusters, without previous flowers. There 

 are always three crops upon a tree at once. The 

 ripening fruit, the blossoming figs, and the newly 

 appearing buds. In a good season, with proper 

 care, all these crops may be ripened, and as the 

 first one begins to drop, a fourth appears, which 

 keeps on the trees (without any aid of flies), 

 while they are packed away for Winter, and 

 ripen the next Sijring. When a fig is half 

 grown it is in bloom, then if you pull open the 

 hard, green case, the beautiful, rose-colored in- 

 terior will rival any flower in the garden. This 

 is the only time when the flies — which infest the 

 Smyrna fig crop to such a degree as to fill the 

 hold of every home-returning Smyrnaite with 

 their larvae crawling from the drums — can fruc- 

 tify the figs. Now the worm within the ripened 

 fruit must have become a chrysalis, which has 

 worked its way clean through the skin, for a fly 

 would have no power to do this. Then the fly 

 emerges from the chrysalis, flies to a blossoming 

 fig; but how is she going to enter it? The blos- 

 som is so firmly encased in tough, leathery en- 

 velopes, as to defy the entrance of any insect 

 whatever. The fly must pierce the skin and lay 

 her egg in the outer green envelope. Now, how 

 can the larva which will hatch from this egg, 

 laid by a fly which emerged from a chr^'salis 

 formed in another fig, have any effect upon the 

 blossom within this one, when he finally reaches 

 it? A Professor of Natural History once told his 

 class that the pea was formed by the weevil, and 

 that if, when the peas were planted, the farmers 

 saw a goodly number of weevils running in the 

 furrows, they rejoiced, for they knew the crop 

 would set. He could not explain how the 

 weevils underground, could have any effect upon 

 the fruit in the blossom which was yet to come. 

 Nor can I. Still, peas form where there are no 

 weevils, and figs where there are no flies. 



GAS LIME. 



BY J. O. RANSOM, HA MMONTON, N. J. 



Gas lime has been extensively used in this 

 place, and generally good results have been ob- 

 tained by spreading 25 to 50 bushels per acre 

 broad-cast on the surface in Fall or Winter, that 

 the atmosphere may modify its acrid character, 

 and ploughing it under in the Spring for corn, or 

 in the Fall for wheat and rye. It is especially use- 



ful in subduing the wild grass and bushes on new 

 land, and aids materially in preparing the coarse 

 vegetable fibre in the ground for a good crop, if 

 used as above. It will often destroy a crop if 

 spread once in its raw state. 



It is also useful in renovating old orchards in 

 grass by ploughing it under. On old land to be 

 seeded with grass, indicating the want of lime, 

 it is generally believed here that shell or stone 

 lime is safest and best, but on raw, wild soil, gas 

 lime is best and cheapest for this locality, where 

 it has been used. No benefit has been discovered 

 from the use of any kind of lime on small fruit 

 crops. 



OIL FOR FRUIT TREES. 



BY CHARLES FREMD, RYE, N. Y. 



In the early part of March I painted, with lin- 

 seed oil about a dozen of apple, cherry and other 

 trees. Some were vigorous and healthy, others 

 were not. One of the apple trees was covered 

 with the. white scale. The trees were from one 

 and a half to two inches in diameter, but it 

 killed three out of six, all of them with a tender 

 bark, such as the Sweet Bough, &.c. On these the 

 oil penetrated the bark clean through, also at 

 fresh cuts from pruning, it dyed and blackened 

 both bark and wood. In one instance it encir- 

 cled the whole tree. Trees with a thicker bark, 

 like a Greening, are doing well. I killed one 

 cherry tree out of three, and I nearly killed a 

 Magnolia Soulangeana with it. 



I have certainly no reason to complain of the 

 trees which survived the treatment, but the loss 

 is far greater than the benefit. 



A neighbor of mine told me, a few days ago, 

 that he greased some apple trees with lard oil 

 over fifteen years ago, and killed and injured 

 many very fine trees. Ever since he uses a solu- 

 tion of potash. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



A Grapery and Sanatorium. — Some time since 

 our esteemed correspondent, Mr. W. T. Hard- 

 ing, gave a plan whereby chickens and grapes 

 might be managed together. We do not know 

 why the idea may not be extended. It is not 

 likely that railroad depots with glass roofs can 

 be turned to a grape growing experience, to the 

 disgust of thousands of passengers, to whom the 

 fruit would be out of reach ! But surely there 

 are occasions that might be made available to 



