PEAR-BLIGHT ON THE MISSISSIPPI. 



369 



mosphere within the plant to suit its eco- 

 nomy ; as, also, the leafless trunk in winter 

 retains its specific warmth within it, as 

 any one may try, by putting a thermometer 

 into the sugar maple sap, when, after 

 boring, it runs out. While the air without 

 is at the freezing point, the sap will show 

 6 and 8° higher temperature than the air, 

 even on a cloudy day, when the sun can 

 have had no effect on the trunk. And does 

 not the growing foliage of plants feel cool, 

 while exposed to the hottest sun? Or is 

 there ever a tree cut down, in the hardest 

 cold of winter, whose sap or wood is frozen 

 hard ? But no sooner is it laid low, and 

 deprived thereby of life, when it freezes as 

 hard as bone. [What does our correspond- 

 ent think of hardy trees, which do freeze ? 

 Ed.] Frost-blight of pear, apple and peach 

 trees, I have experienced here but once in 

 eight years ; and that was caused, in No- 

 vember, by the extremest winter cold, when 

 the foliage had scarcely fallen, — conse- 

 quently, the sap yet in active motion ; and 

 then we lost but a few small trees, which 

 were chilled to the heart. All those that 

 were the size of a wrist and over recovered, 

 though the bark of many peeled off the suc- 

 ceeding summer ; it becam.e renovated. 

 But it was, after all, not as much pear as 

 apple frost-blight ; for these suffered the 

 most. The idea, then, of a sound pear 

 tree, or its branches, covered with fresh, 

 green foliage, withering, and dying sud- 

 denly of a sun-stroke, is a theory which 

 can hardly be seriously entertained by any- 

 body. This sun-blight was, most proba- 

 bly, nothing more or less than the above 

 described insect-blight, which, as we have 

 seen, affects apple, quince, and even all 

 cultivated thorns alike. 



Who next, then, will name and describe 

 this insect and its economy, with a view to 



its destruction? He — whoever he be — 

 Vol. III. 24 



will deserve the thanks of a whole nation ! 

 From the diminutiveness of the bug, I 

 could not discover whether it is winged or 

 not. Certain it is, that 1 never saw it fly, 

 but crawl up and down the branches. At 

 any rate, it might be partially destroyed by 

 planting pear trees in a stock yard, where 

 the larva, if my suggestion is correct, would 

 be killed after falling on the ground. To 

 invite farther inquiry on this subject, and 

 to contribute my mite towards it, are the 

 motives for sending you this article.* 



By-the-bye, I am surprised, that among 

 the select fruits of your late convention, the 

 Geniton apple [Rawle's Jennet,] is not enu- 

 merated. Here, in the western states, you 

 might seek in vain for its equal in all good 

 qualities. It is an early, sure, and abun- 

 dant bearer, and the fruit in good eating 

 and keeping from Christmas to July fol- 

 lowing; and what a choice fruit it is! — so 

 vinous, so juicy and brittle, with a most 

 pleasant flavor. In fact, I have never yet 

 seen an apple, in Europe or America, which 

 I valued so highly, considering all its good 

 qualities together. Does it not thrive with 

 you ? Perhaps your summers are not hot 

 enough to perfect it, as it is the latest fruit 

 I know of. While some fruits and plants 

 have the property to adapt themselves to 

 most any situations, there are others which 

 are extremely sensible of change. My best 

 European winter apples are summer fruit 

 here, and comparatively worthless. So are 

 many of your best New-England apples. 

 The middle portions of the great west pro- 

 duce the finer apples, peaches, and native 

 grapes well. The Catawba produces here 

 a good wine, which favorably compares 

 with the second rate French wines. It is 

 quite probable that in 50 years, the state of 

 Missouri may raise table wine enough for 



* If our correspondent will send us specimens of the in- 

 sect by mail, we %vill endeavor to ascertain whether he \i 

 correct about its causing the bljffht. Ed. 



