DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



in question, that its yellow leaves and sickly 

 habit, were the result of the attacks of the 

 peach-worm — since he says nothing of the small 

 wiry shoots and diminutive leaves that are the 

 infallible symptoms of the yellows. The latter 

 disease pervades the whole sap of the tree, and 

 after many experiments, we believe it to be in- 

 curable. The best thing to be done is to dig up 

 the tree infected with it, and burn it, root and 

 branch. Ed ] 



Insect on the common daily, or China Rose. 

 This rose, a favorite with me, because indepen- 

 dently of its beauty, it is easily cultivated, has 

 been a source of disappointment for several 

 successive seasons during the first flowering time 

 of the summer. An insect resembling the 

 bumble bee, (humble bee,) has been the depre- 

 dator. It is, however, not half so large as the 

 insect named, and of a dark color. Itsattacks 

 commence as soon as the buds begin to show 

 the red leaf, and more vigorously as they are 

 near unfolding. They eat around the edges 

 of the petals, and scoop out the forward or half 

 blown roses, in the form of a bowl. They have 

 been killed by slapping the hands quickly to- 

 gether over a bud, before they are aware, thus 

 catching two and three at a time ; a continual 

 succession, immediately, however, has supplied 

 the place of those destroyed, and after a time 

 they also become shy, (" biding their time") 

 from the efforts made to kill them. In one sea- 

 son, those destroyed amounted to over three 

 hundred. 



" The rose is sweetest when 'tis budding new," 

 says Sir Walter Scott, and so thought these 

 vagrant bees ; for not a full blown rose , nor even 

 half expanded bud, could be had while the first 

 blooming season lasted, after which time tlie 

 bees found some other employment, or their 

 race was run for the summer ; for they Arould 

 return no more until the summer of the suc- 

 ceeding year. 



I was told the insect was called the Carpen- 

 ter-bee, and misled by the name, hoped to find 

 its haunts in the wood of some old building or 

 hollow tree, but being disappointed in tracing 

 them home, the roses were given up in despair. 

 Last summer, however, tlie retreat of the bee 

 was discovered in the claying or plastering of 

 an out-door oven. The bees were found play- 

 ing about numerous small holes they had bored 



in the sides of the oven, to and from which 

 they had free ingress and egress; and even, in 

 order as it may be presumed, to afford every 

 facility for the infirm and delicate visiting the 

 inner chambers of the habitation without expo- 

 sure, they had many table-like galleries raised 

 on the surface of the oven, communicating with 

 the holes leading to the interior chambers, and 

 with each other, after the manner of a laby- 

 rinth; — ^these were about the thickness of a fin- 

 ger, and made of finely wrought clay. No time 

 was lost in destroying this populous city. It is 

 only to be regretted that nimibers of the inha- 

 bitants escaped, and, perhaps, that some for- 

 bearance was not exercised toward them for a 

 time, in order that the internal arrangement of 

 their dwellings, the larva3, &c., might have been 

 laid open for inspection, and curious investiga- 

 tion into their habits. "What is the name of 

 this insect? It seems decidedly of the mason- 

 ic fraternity. 



N. B. These bees attacked no other roses, 

 although there is considerable variety in the 

 garden, Yours. J. C. W. Washington Co., 

 Maryland, Jan. 10, 1851. 



Raising Early Peas. — The course pre- 

 scribed by your correspondent in the March 

 number, for starting peas early, is certainly a 

 good one, and worthy of the adoption of every 

 lover of so rich and healthful a vegetable. We 

 have tried another plan to efifect the same re- 

 sidts, which, although it may be no better, we 

 have no hesitancy in commending to at least a 

 trial. In the first place we dig a trench where we 

 design to plant our peas, to a depth of, say six 

 inches. This we fill two-thirds full of recent 

 horse manure, and make it as compact as j^ossi- 

 ble, which will leave a space of three or four 

 inches between it and the surface. Over the 

 manure, put an inch and a half of the garden 

 earth, and sow the peas. We then take two 

 straight-edged boards and nail them together in 

 the form of a V. This is laid, inverted, over 

 the peas, when it is cold enough to freeze the 

 ground, and taken ofi" in mild pleasant weather. 

 They may be protected in this way until they 

 are high enough to bush, and enjoy all the ad- 

 vantages of rain and sunshine where they are 

 to grow. If the stoma is heavy, they may also 

 be protected from it, by rej^lacing their cover- 

 ing. 



