THE STRAWBERRY CONTROVERSY. 



273 



on In a circle, about twelve inches from the 

 tree. [We presume, meaning that the circle 

 of salt did not come nearer the trunk than 

 twelve inches. — Ed.] It being salt that 

 was the residuum of a pork barrel, I cau- 

 tioned him not to put on the brine. He did, 

 however, put about a gallon around one 

 tree, and it killed it. The others blossomed 

 well, and the fruit remained on the trees 

 until fully ripe. In the spring I cut off all 

 the fungi or warts, but put nothing on. The 

 wounds healed up nicely, and from that 

 time, I have been in the habit of putting on 

 salt annually ; and the only trouble now is, 

 that my trees bear too much fruit, so as to 

 destroy its fine quality, unless a portion is 

 thinned out. 



In 1S40, I set out some trees, quite cover- 

 ed with the fungus or warts. I treated 

 them in the same manner as just described, 

 cutting the trees deeply wherever any dis- 

 ease was found, and the next year the 

 wounds were all healed, and no excrescences 

 have since appeared. 



Last winter I omitted the application of 

 salt. I have no fungus, but the fruit was 

 more diseased than usual. The ensuing 

 winter I shall therefore apply it again, as I 

 am fully convinced that it is, if properly and 



judiciously used, a sure preventive of both 

 the fungus and the curculio. I have exa- 

 mined the fungus, and in most instances, 

 found a small grub or larva. Whether the 

 disease was produced by the insect, or the 

 insect resulted from the disease, (the warts 

 in a young and tender state, affording the 

 best place to deposit its eggs,) I will not un- 

 dertake to say ; but if salt will enable us to 

 preven the disease, I think it is certainly a 

 great boon to fruit-growers. Most fruit- 

 growers like myself will probably be content 

 to prevent disease, even if they are unable 

 to look into all the secrets of nature, and 

 understand its origin. 



I have raised from seed several kinds of 

 plums, one of which appears to me supe- 

 rior to any variety that I have ever eaten. 

 It is about the size of the Lombard, a free 

 stone, of a lilac color, melting, saccharine. 

 The stone itself is about the size of that of 

 the Bigarreau cherry stone ; the tree with 

 me is not subject to any disease, and bears 

 admirably every year. It is very luxuriant, 

 growing some years from six to eight feet. 

 I consider it a great acquisition to any col- 

 lection of plums, 



S. A. Shttrtleff, m. d. 



Spring Grove, Brooklint, near Boston, Oct. 31, 1846. 



THE STRATVBERRY CONTROVERSY. 



BY HENRY WARD BEECHER, INDIANAPOLIS, Ia. 



[The following very able article we reprint 

 from a late number of the Western Farmer 

 and Gardener, at the request of several of 

 our subscribers. 



Mr. HovEY, whose course in relation to 

 this subject is so ably handled by this wri- 

 ter, is the editor of a gardening magazine, 

 published for some time in Boston. In that 



periodical, he attacks, from time to time, 

 35 



the opinions of those who differ from him, 

 with an arrogance and presumption, which 

 would scarcely be pardonable in writers of 

 the world-wide reputation of Lindley or 

 Loudon. 



In the editor of a magazine, having the 

 circulation of a few hundreds only, and who 

 is only known to the public generally as the 

 originator of a large strawberry,such a course 



