OF FRUIT TREES, 



the curculio is regarded by all the fowls as an 

 equally delicious morsel. Therefore it is, that the 

 smooth stone fruits, particularly, succeed much 

 better in lanes and yards, where the poultry run 

 without restraint, than in gardens and other enclo- 

 sures, where the fowls are excluded. 



" Even horned cattle, and all sorts of stock, 

 may be made to contribute to the preservation of 

 our valuable fruits. By running among the trees, 

 they not only trample to death multitudes of these 

 insects, but by hardening the ground, as in lanes, it 

 becomes very unfit to receive or admit such tender 

 maggots as crawl from the fallen fruits. Besides, 

 the curculio is very timid, and when frightened by 

 the cattle rubbing against the tree, or otherwise, 

 their manner is to roll themselves up in a little 

 ball, and fall to the ground, where they may be 

 trampled and devoured by the stock, poultry, &c. 

 Colonel T. Forest, of Germantown, having a fine 

 plum tree near his pump, tied a rope from the tree 

 to his pump handle, so that the tree was gently 

 agitated every time there was occasion to pump 

 water. The consequence was, that the fruit on 

 this tree was preserved in the greatest perfec* 

 tion." 



GATHERING, AND PRESERVING APPLES. 



The fruit orchard having attained to that pro- 

 ductive state, in which the proprietor is about to 

 remunerate himself for his labour and attention, it 

 is still requisite to exercise due judgment and dis- 

 cretion in the grateful employment of collecting his 

 crop. The injudicious method commonly prac- 

 tised in gathering apples is more destructive in its 

 consequences than is generally understood. The 

 first requisite is, to ascertain precisely when the 

 fruit is fully ripe, as it is said, that the longer win- 

 ter apples are suffered to remain on the trees, prcv 

 15 



