114 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



YApril, 



Sand Pear and our common garden pear. 

 G. M.] 



-Ed. 



The Cabbage AYorm. — We see by the fol- 

 lowing note from P. M. K., Brookston, White 

 County, Indiana, that the cabbage worm has 

 at length reached that far west. The only com- 

 fort we can give our correspondent is, that in a 

 year or so an enemy may follow, the butter-fly 

 and the caterpillars will not then be as numer- 

 ous : 



" Last year the cabbage crop in garden and 



field was destroyed by a dark colored insect 

 about one-fourth of an inch long. It made its 

 appearance and attack upon the cabbage some 

 time in October, and soon after they commen- 

 ced heading, and continued to eat to the center 

 until it was destroyed. It is the impression of 

 some that a small worm first appeared upon the 

 outer leaves of the Cabbage. Presuming you 

 are familiar with this insect and the remedy for 

 its destruction, or to render it harmless to the 

 cabbage crop, I shall esteem it a favor if yo« 

 will inform me." 



Forestry. 



COMMUNICA TIONS. 



LARGE TREES OF CONNECTICUT. 



BY DR. GORDOX W. RUSSELL, HARTFORD. 



In the September number of the Gardener's 

 Monthly, Mr. Gregory speaks of the old elm 

 tree in Wethersfield, as one of great size. Though 

 often noticed for its great size and spreading 

 branches, its immense hugeness was not real- 

 ized until I stood near and under it, and took 

 careful measurements on December 27th. 



It stands in front of the house of James T. 

 Smith, on Broad Street, on the eastern part of 

 the level plain which comprises this part of 

 Wethersfield. The soil of all this tract is of 

 light loam, very rich and fertile, and celebrated 

 for producing well known garden seeds and 

 onions. The tradition is that it was planted by 

 John Smith, the great uncle of James T., one 

 hundred and fifteen years ago, who one day 

 when riding on horseback, pulled up the young 

 tree, then about as large as a whip stock, and 

 when he arrived home set it out where it now 

 stands. As the family have lived on the same 

 spot for many generations, and the tree bears 

 marks of past age, the tradition concerning it is 

 probably true. It is sound in the trunk, and 

 generally in the branches, though manj^ small 

 and some large ones have been broken by 

 winds and storms of snow and ice. It was 

 struck by lightning two years since which some- 

 what demoralized it, and probably it will never 

 again show more signs of life and vigor than it 



does now\ Mr. Manning is correct when he 



says : " that few ever live much over one hun- 



, dred years without showing some signs of 



decay." Except for some extraordinary storm 



; or accident this one may live for thirty or forty 



I years longer. 



! The circumference of the trunk thirty-nine 

 I inches from the ground, the line resting on the 

 \ ridges, is twenty-two feet five inches. Follow- 

 i ing the depressions in the trunk at the same 

 ! height, it is twenty-six feet three inches. This 

 j circumference was taken in the waist at its nar- 

 j rowest parts ; from this point downwards, the 

 i ridges, like great buttresses extend outAvards in 

 \ the roots for so long a distance, that the circum- 

 ference wiiere they enter the ground measures 

 fifty-five feet six inches. The under side of the 

 lowest branch commences to swell out at a 

 I height of four feet and a-half, so that the trunk 

 I is unusually short and thick; there are five large 

 I branches, the lowest just mentioned, and the 

 highest starting from the trunk at about ten feet 

 from the ground; this is the largest, and is 

 called the south branch in the dimensions given 

 below. Circumference of south branch, sixteen 

 feet eight inches; east, eleven feet six inches; 

 ] north, eleven feet; north-west, ten feet three 

 I inches ; west, eight feet seven inches. 

 ' These dimensions were not taken at the im- 

 mediate departure of the branch from the trunk, 

 but at a distance above, which fairly represented 

 the true measurement. The diameter of the 

 spread of the branches from north to south is 

 one hundred and fift}' feet; from east to westj 



