DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



573 



Knight, although the rationale was not explained. 

 That admirable experimentalist found that when 

 melons were forced too fast, they bore nothinf^ but 

 male flowers ; and that cucumbers, if grown very 

 slowly, produced nothing but females. That is to 

 say, the excessive growth which he obtained, gave 

 the complicated females no time to organise ; but 

 was enough for the preparation of the males, whose 

 structure is more simple. On the other hand, where 

 growth was preternaturally slow, the period of 

 gestation was so long that all the parts of the flow- 

 er which, under a higher and quicker stinudus, 

 would have become males, fashioned themselves 

 into the complicated condition of females." 



In a succeeding number of the same journal. Dr. 

 LiNDLEY says, in referring to the foregoing re- 

 marks — ■' we only pointed out one cause of this de- 

 fect in the organ. Others might be named ; among 

 which is frost :" to which we will add, exhaustion 

 in an old bed, and peculiarities of soil. 



A neighbor of ours had a stock of Hovey's seed- 

 ling from us, three or four years ago. When they 

 came into fruit with him they bore well, and the 

 flowers were perfect. Last spring he came to us 

 for a fresh supply, as his bed had nearly all become 

 pistillate — while ours remained perfect. His soil is 

 a gravelly loam, ours a strong loamy clay. 



We have sent plants of Hovey's seedling-, with 



Eerfect blossoms upon them, to the Massachusetts 

 [orticultural Society this season for their examina- 

 tion. — Ed.] 



The Curculio. — Now is the season when this 

 greatest of foes to the plum tree, makes its appear- 

 ance, and our readers will no doubt put in practice 

 various modes for its destruction. The following 

 new suggestion, which we extract from the Ohio 

 Ctdtivator , is worthy of attention: 



" A new remedij, and one that to our mind affords 

 promise of more utility than any other within our 

 knowledge, was made known to us recently, by our 

 friend. Gen. J. T. Worthington, who informed us 

 that it had been practiced witli much success, by 

 one or more fruit growers at Chillicotlie. Take a 

 number (one for each tree) of tubs, or boxes, that 

 will hold an inch or two of water in the bottom; 

 whitewash the inside, and place them under the 

 trees — if elevated on abarrcl,or by other means, so as 

 to bring it near the lower branches, all the better; 

 then pour in water so as to cover the bottom an inch 

 or more in depth, and in the dusk of the evening 

 when the Curculios begin to appear, set a lighted 

 candle or lamp in the middle of the tub or box, let- 

 ting it remain for two or three hours or longer, each 

 evening, during the period the insects are flying, 

 which is found to be but for a very few days. 



The light and reflection from the whitewashed 

 sides, attract the insects into the tub, and falling 

 into tlie water, they are unable to crawl out. Htin- 

 dreds have been caught in tiiis waj', in a. single tub, 

 in one night, during the time of their thickest fligiit. 

 The remedy would probably be more eflectual. if 

 the trees were to be shook or suddenly jarred, oc- 

 casionally, during the evening when the insects are 

 most numerous. 



We hope that a number of our fruit growing rea- 

 ders will try this method the present season, and let 



us know the result. The trouble and expense are 

 very trifling compared with the value of a crop of 

 fine plums, and the satisfaction of thinning oflthese 

 hateful marauders." 



A correspondent in New Jersey, formerly much 

 troubled with this insect, took our advice, and 

 threw up the soil under his plum trees, in trenches 

 and ridges, late last autumn. This was done for 

 the purpose of destroying the insects, in their win- 

 ter quarters, by freezing them. He writes us, late- 

 ly, that it has apparently been quite successful, as 

 he has seen few, or none of the insects as yet, though 

 they have punctured all the fruit in the garden of a 

 neighbor, about a quarter of a mile distant. 



A New Native Pear. — Dear Sir: "The Onon- 

 daga Pear," described by General Leavenworth, 

 in the Horticulturist, is well worthy of the high 

 character given to the same by him, and is attracting 

 considerable attention in this vicinity. 



There is also another Pear, which I esteem among 

 the best, called the " Richard's Pear." It is a local 

 Pear, being confined I believe, entirely to this coun- 

 ty. The original tree is growing in the garden for- 

 merly owned by Jedediah Richards, in Eibridge, 

 Onondaga Co., N. Y. Mr. Richards in 1818, sent 

 several scions in a letter, to Grove Lawrence, 

 Esq., at Camillus, from which several fine bearing 

 trees have been produced. Gen. J.A.S. R. Law- 

 rence, has also several trees of the same variety, 

 on his place in Camillus. In my opinion, it is a 

 richer Pear than the " Onondaga," but it is not quite 

 aslarge. The Onondaga inclines a little to acid, but 

 perhaps this may be corrected in a measure, by cul- 

 tivation. 



Richard's Beurre. — Size, large; shape, obo- 

 vate; colour, 3'ellow, with a red cheek, qualities, 

 sweet, very juicy, melting and butterv; ripens in 

 Sept. I will send you specimens of the fruit next 

 fall, and scions next spring, should you desire. 

 Whether this is a seedling or not, I cannot state, 

 Mr. Richards having removed some years since, 

 to Ohio. . I have called this Pear, the ponuilogical 

 world being willing, Richards' I3eurre. — Yours, 

 truly, D. C. Le Rot, Cor. Secretary of Onondaga 

 Hort. Society. Syracuse, May 7, 1847. 



The Osage Orange. — Messrs. Ely & Camp- 

 bell, of Cincirmati, have done the country a ser- 

 vice by procuring from the banks of the Red River, 

 a large quantity of the seed of this beautiful and hith- 

 erto rather scarce tree. They have placed it for sale 

 with the principal seedsmen in our cities, (J. M. 

 Thorburn & Co., New-York ; Wm. Thorburn, Al- 

 bany ; Dair & Co., Cincinnati, etc.) and we hope 

 that, at least in all districts south of us, an exten- 

 sive trial will be made of it for hedges. It will 

 scarcely succeed well much to the northward of us, 

 except in situations where the peach will ripen well 

 and regularly in the open air, and where the ther- 

 mometer does not sink in winter more than 3'^ or 

 40 below zero. For the middle and southern por- 

 tions of the Union scarcely anything can be superior 

 to the Osage Orange as a hedge plant. 



The seeds may even yet bo planted with success, 

 after soaking them 12 hours in warm water. Ample 



