EDITOE'3 TABLE. 



back. I find it only on the trunk and larger limbs of apple trees when the first warm weather 

 commences, and it does not, so far as I have observed, remain longer than three or four weeks- 

 It is gregarious, several hundred of them being herded close togetlicr, immoveable, apparently 

 sucking the sap ; but if disturbed, or frightened, they scatter instantly, some falling to the ground, 

 others running with more speed than one would expect from their awkward appearance. I have 

 not traced any direct injury to them, but as they are always full of sap, I presume they must 

 weaken the tree. I kill them by taking a piece of cloth and covering the whole herd suddenly 

 and crushing them. Can you give me name and particulars regarding them? 



I read with much interest the article of your amusing and quaint correspondent, "Pisistratus." 

 He is an amateur after my own heart — one of that class of men who dignify the mercantile 

 profession, and having made money make good use of it, and make themselves and others hajipy 

 by experimenting and ornamenting in a style which wo less fortunate mortals can rarely afford. 

 But he is a good example of the difficulty of writing clearly and understandingly on agricultural 

 and horticultural topics. He complains of books "not imparting the whole knowledge required," 

 and immediately falls into the same error — if error it can be called, when it is general with every 

 one who is master of an art, when he attempts to teach it to those who know nothing of it. He 

 forgets that what is perfectly familiar to him is " Dutch " to the others. And thus as regards his 

 rhubarb — I should like to try his plan if I knew how. Can you induce him to favor us with a 

 detailed account ? When are the roots taken up ? What are they planted in in the barrel^n 

 earth, or only in fresh manure ? Does he water them ? Is the manure put mto the barrel from 

 the plant to the top, or only over the barrel, leaving a vacancy between the plant and manure ? 

 Was manure used in the house ? — or, if not, what was used to force ? Will he be so good as to 

 explain, step by step ? R — Grosse Isle, Mich. 



The Cdrculio.— I trust your correspondent, James Matthews, Esq., will pardon me for applying 

 the heading of his article in the February number of this volume to my own use, when he finds 

 that which I write will help to confirm his opinion as to the utility of digging about the trees as 

 a preventive of the depredations of the curculio. Every fact relating to the curculio must be 

 interesting to those who cultivate fruit trees. 



It is a fact, that I never raised any cherries, plums, apricots, or nectarines from two hundred 

 trees, embracing many varieties of the fruits named, since the trees were planted seven years ago, 

 until last summer ; and then only on a very limited scale, the fruit having been all destroyed by 

 our common enemy. 



The words any and all need a very slight qualification — my instinctive love for truth will not 

 let them pass without it. 



I had raised a cherry, a plum, a nectarine, and, I believe, an apricot ; but, as Samivbl Teller 

 would have said, it was only an " agriwashon." Last season three trees partially escaped the 

 ravages of the Turk — two of Prince's Imperial Gage plum bore each about one quart of perfect 

 fruit, and one tree of the Lombard plum bore a peck of fruit, but some villainous boys stole it 

 the day before I intended to gather it myself. 



Having no faith in luck (as I never yet met with it), I attributed this trifling success to the 

 kind of individual escapes you mention in your marginal note to the article by Mr. Matthews. 

 Those three trees were manured and dug around some considerable time after the curculio had 

 commenced operations — in the latter part of June ; they had been neglected in the hurry of work 

 earlier in the season : no other trees were dug around at the same time. As I did not expect any 

 fruit, I did not look for it; my attention was called to those trees some time afterwards. A reason 

 lor the fruit hanging on those trees, and only on those, never occurred to me till I read the 

 excellent article on the curculio by the above named correspondent. If this is a remedy, nothing 

 can be cheaper. I hope it will be tried extensively this coming season. If it fails, no loss can 

 occur by its application. 



