Tub Ci'RCDLio. — By Nicholas Longwortb, Cincinnati, Ohio : — 



Cl.NCINNATI, Nov. 5, 185G. 



Editor of IIoRTicrLTCRiST : In your paper of this month, Mr. Gardener writes tliat lie saved 

 his plums from the ravages of the Curculio, by piling small stones to the height of eighteen 

 inches round the trees. I will vouch that a pavement of brick or stone to the extent of the 

 branches, would secure the fruit as long as the trees bear fruit. In twenty-seven years, I 

 liave lost no plums by the Curculio round my house. I have a brick pavement to the ex- 

 tent of all the limbs. In my garden adjoining, I have not had a tree to perfect a single fruit, 

 except two years. I leave a circle of about three feet diameter round each tree, to let in 

 water, and cover the earth with small stones or coarse gravel. The Curculio is a winged 

 insect, and flies from garden to garden. The reason why they do not deposit eggs in plums 

 where there are pavements, is this : Providence gives them sense not to deposit their eggs 

 in plums where the insects, when the plums fall to the ground, cannot crawl into the ground, 

 and get warm winter quarters. I have seen frequent statements, where a part of a plum- 

 tree extended over water, no plums were stung ; whilst those over the ground were all de- 

 stroyed. The Curculio is a winged insect ; yet we see frequent cases where persons say they 

 saved a crop by hanging a scythe on the tree, tying some soft wax round the body of the 

 tree, to prevent the Curculio from crawling up the trees, and others, by shaking the tree 

 twice per day, and killing the insects as they fall from the tree. If the insects had two 

 particular hours to perform the work, I should have full faith in it ; but, till convinced of 

 this, I should as soon believe in spiritual rappings. 



Peabodt's New Seedling Strawberry. — A colored portrait of Mr. Peabody's Strawberry 

 has been sent us, and may be seen at the publication office. Certainly this is the largest 

 yet, and all accounts agree as to its size and beauty, &c., rivalling in flavor Burr's New Pine. 

 It is a cross of the Ross Phoenix with a wild strawberry of Alabama, hermaphrodite in 

 character, a hardy, vigorous grower ; a single plant sometimes cannot be covered by a half- 

 bushel measure. 



Mr. Peabody proposes to get one thousand subscriptions, at five dollars per dozen plants. 

 As soon as this number is made ui), he will notify each subscriber (having first sent him a 

 colored plate), when the money may be mailed, and the j)lants, in moss and oiled silk, will 

 be sent safely by post ; packages of a dozen will go through the mail as safely as a letter. 

 Address Charles A. Peabody, Columbus, Georgia. 



Fruit in Jelly. — Put in a basin half a pint of calfs foot jelly, and when it has become 

 stiff, lay in a bunch of grapes, with the stalks upwards, or fruit of any kind ; over this put 

 a few vine leaves, and fill up the bowl with warm jelly ; let it stand till next day, and then 

 set the bowl in water up to the brim for a moment, then turn out carefully. It is a very 

 elegant looking dish. 



The Vine Disease is now said to be rapidly disappearing in Tuscany, and even in Portugal 

 the worst is thought to be over ; but so terrible have been its ravages, that for two years 

 past the cultivation of the vineyards has been abandoned, the laborer has had no employ- 

 ment, the proprietor no produce, and the vines are nearly ruined. Among other contriv- 

 ances which have been resorted to in order to save something from the vineyards, it is 

 understood that the vine growers have been pressing such grapes as they had, and then 

 adding enormous quantities of poor brandy to the juice, in order to prevent the putrid fer- 

 mentation to which it is now so liable. This brandy spirit, or cherupiga, containing proba- 

 per cent, of spirit, is the basis of much of the port wine that is received in England 

 America, and is known to be extremely unwholesome. 



