32 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



have been the droppings of the fowls, and a coating of ashes 

 once i-n two or three years. The trees have gro\vn thriftily, 

 and after they were three years of age they have borne 

 bountifully. This black-knot, which I think has increased 

 on account of the excessive moisture we have had for two 

 or three years, has not decreased the crop as yet, but this 

 fall there is a great deal more of it than I have ever seen 

 before. I do not know what the outcome will be ; but if I 

 should go over some of my trees and cut oft' all the knots, 

 there would be very little left. I think I have about forty- 

 five hundred plum trees now, and perhaps only a hundred 

 or two are afiected badly, so that I do not fear anything 

 serious for a year or two. I am setting new trees every 

 year, and I shall not be discouraged until they all go. I 

 think in setting plum trees or any fruit trees great care 

 should be exercised in selecting the trees. Last year I set 

 about two thousand plums and pears ; and, as I could not 

 get satisftictory prices in this section, I went personally to 

 the nurseries in Geneva and Rochester and other parts of 

 New York where they are grown as a business, and made 

 my own selections ; and I found it saved me a great deal of 

 money, and I got trees of a quality that it was impossible 

 to get of the ao-ents. I learned from these dealers that 

 many of the trees that are purchased and sold at high prices 

 to the general dealer are only second or third quality. You 

 can go there and buy the very best quality of trees, true to 

 name, for twenty-five per cent less than you must pay to 

 agents for poor stock. 



Question. What about the curculio? 



Mr. Hawkins. I have no trouble from them. A small 

 proportion of the fruit gets stung by the curculio, but the 

 fowls run among the trees and destroy all the increase. 



Question. How many fowls does it take to destroy the 

 insects on an acre ? 



Mr. Hawkins. I should say that five hundred fowls to 

 the acre would keep down any increase of the curculio ; and 

 if the trees arc set outside of the hen yard, and care is taken 

 to gather all the fruit that drops from the stings of the cur- 

 culio and it is fed to the fowls and hogs, the grub in the 

 fruit will be destroyed, and there will be no trouble. At 



