NOTES ON THE DISEASES OF FRUIT TREES IN THE WEST. 



trim a pear tree, or disturb the blue grass sward around it, as it would be to trim a bo3"s 

 nose, hair and ears off, and lay him out naked to roast, in a hot summer's sun, thinking 

 thereby to make him grow faster, or into better shape. To say nothing of our horticul- 

 turists, our most ordinary observers now know better here, though in many cases their 

 knowledge cost them more than it is worth, for their trees are all gone. 



Quinces and Plums. — Quinces have been affected also, by a similar blight, not so fa- 

 tal as to the pear, but more so than on the apple, which soon recovered of their own ac- 

 cord, and bore their fruit as usual. 



For two years I have put sulphur in a few of my plum trees, and have got some fruit 

 from those trees alone. I think as sulphur is usually put into the trees, it can be of no 

 po-ssible use. A hole is bored, a little sulphur thrown in, perhaps half filling the hole, 

 and stopped with a loose plug. Of course the air soon dries up the pores about the hole, 

 and no part of the sulphur is absorbed and carried up with the sap. I have tried this 

 mode several times without the least success. For two years past, suspecting what might 

 be the cause of failure, I have proceeded more cautiously, and all T can say is, on those 

 trees I had some fruit, on others none at all. I first bored a smooth half-inch hole, with 

 a sharp center-bit, almost through the sap wood. I then took fine sulphur, in a half-inch 

 gouge, and with a round stick crowded the hole as full of this substance as it could be 

 pressed, up to the point I wished my plug to reach. I then fitted the plug with entire ac- 

 curacy, so as not to split the bark, while it still pressed hard upon the sulphur, and ex- 

 cluded all air from the hole. I then sealed the outside fast with grafting wax, so as to 

 exclude air from without. Of course, if the sulphur is pushed into the heart-wood, or if the 

 air come into the hole it can do little or no good, as it cannot be absorbed. 



I suspect also, that after the sulphur is pretty well absorbed, so as to leave the hole in 

 part vacant, the effect must cease, and as I did not repeat the process, it may be that was 

 the reason why many of my plums were at last stung by the curculio. Still, here again 

 I consider nothing proved, only let us " keep trying." But as this process would natu- 

 rally be ordinarily performed, it is evident it must utterly fail, even if good in itself. Let 

 it be performed on both sides of the tree with great care, and repeated once in two weeks, 

 or so — or once a week — and then it would be f;iirly tested. Let us also try with care, 

 some more soluble minerals, or salt of iron, copperas, &c. — finely pulverised — and care- 

 fully inserted. Probably none of these would reach the fruit without injuring the tree. 

 But that is not certain until it is tried ; for even a noxious exhalation from the bark and 

 leaves, might repel the intruder. 



Grapes. — Oh grapes, grapes! ! "We go from bad to worse. All the grapes raised in Illi- 

 nois last season, would not make nectar enough to fill Hebe's smallest cup. All remedies 

 and theories, have utterly failed. The grapes set well as usual, but in July, even before 

 the extreme heat came on, they began to rot. I visited nearly every grapevine in this 

 place, to try to ascertain the facts in the case, and I found but one solitary vine which even 

 tolerably retained its fruit. This was one about five or six 3'ears old, planted on the top 

 of the lime scorise thrown out from the mortar bed while building a large brick house. 

 Its bed was supposed to be from one to two feet thick, of lime and brickbats, covered with a 

 few inches of soil by the natural process of grading about the house. The grapes on this 

 vine ripened well with no extra care, and it was the only case in town, or in the county, 

 so far as I know. I tried, myself, all sorts of experiments. I obtained cedar posts 22 

 feet long, from St. Louis, and elevated some. I sent to New-York and got a barrel of 

 of Paris for others; lime for others, ashes and bones for others. Some I cover 

 inches deep with saw-dust; some I covered with a coping, and kept them as d 



