316 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



turist Bet his nectarine trees leaning over the fish 

 pond, and not a curculio disturbed them. In re- 

 gard to pavements, we have had several accounts 

 of their efficacy. A friend of ours had his plums 

 to ripen perfectly over a pavement, while others, 

 without this proteciion, ihouiih otherwise iiivora- 

 bly situated, were entirely destroyed. 



Only a lew trees, however, can be guarded in 

 this way. For the fruit garden, we want some- 

 thing more comprehensive, and have already re- 

 ferred to the services ot swine and poultry. They 

 devour much of iheioormy fruit, and the young 

 curculios along with it; but some of these in- 

 sects probably escape, besides all such as leave 

 the fruit before it (alls.* How long ihey live is 

 not known ; but if we may judge from their differ- 

 ence in size, it may be many years ; and to this 

 company the new brood is annually added. Un- 

 less the swine and poultry, therefore, can induce 

 them to migrate, the fruit must sufiier greatly from 

 their ravages, and such has been our experience. 



Finding many of our trees nearly unproductive, 

 we determined in the early part of last summer 

 to call these depredators to account. According- 

 ly we followed the same plan that we recom- 

 mended some years ago in the New York Farm- 

 er : — spread sheets under the trees, and jarred the 

 branches violently. The little marauders, taken 

 by surprise, fell down by dozens ; and the con- 

 trast of colors, enabled us to detect them at a 

 glance. We chose the cool of the morning for 

 this purpose, when they were slightly benumbed ; 

 and persevered till we had destroyed nearly 1700. 

 In consequence, all the trees that we visited bore 

 fruit in abundance; and to prove that our labor 

 wao rewarded, a tree that was overlooked bore 

 three apricots, while another of less size bore a 

 half a bushel. 



During its migrations, the curculio doubtless 

 uses its wings ; and near its native spot it may 

 occasionally fly into the tree ; but from several 

 circumstances, we conclude that it generally as- 

 cends by crawling. With this belief, circular tin 

 troughs have been fastened round the trees ; and 

 being filled, and kept filled with water, have been 

 found useful — lor this insect is no navigator. 

 These appendages however, should be applied 

 very early in the spring, before it gets up the trees. 

 Afterwards they are not likely to be of any benefit 

 whatever. 



When the earlier accounts of the curculio were 

 published, it was believed to be identical with 

 the worms that infest the apple, pear, and quince; 

 but Noyes Darling of New Haven, more than ten 

 years ago, discovered that they were very dis- 

 tinct ; and we repeated his experiment with the 

 same result. It is a dark gray mdler that attacks 

 the apple and the pear, and probably the quince. 

 It was also thought that the curculio continued its 

 ravages until autumn ; but the same sagacious 

 horticulturist found that its work was finished be- 

 fore midsummer. 



The mark which it leaves on the fruit that it 

 punctures, is in (brm of a crescent ; and we 

 have never seen that mark except on stone 

 fruit. 



The down of the peach, generally protects it 



* Last summer, we observed several cases of tfiis 

 kind where the larvae had escaped through small holes 

 in the sides of plums and apricots. 



against the curculio ; but the nectarine, which is 

 only a smooth skin variety of peculiar flavor, often 

 suffers even more than the plum or the apricot. 



The peach worm (jEgeria exitiosa) attacks the 

 tree at the root, where the hark is soft from the 

 moisture of the ground, or the shading of grass ; 

 but it avoids the hard scaly part, so that old trees 

 are often undisturbed for years. On the reverse, 

 young trees are much injured by it, and some- 

 times destroyed, especially where two or more 

 are at work at the same time. If they encircle 

 the tree, there is no hope of its recovery, but this 

 is rarely accomplished by one worm. 



Though it feeds on the pulpy part of the bark, 

 it seems careful not to disturb the cuticle, so that 

 were it not (or the gum and filth mixed together 

 on the outside, it would be difficult to find the 

 depredator. The fresh filth, however, sufficiently 

 indicates its presence. By entering a knife at that 

 point, and slitting the cuticle longitudinally, the 

 establishment is soon broken up, for it is seldom 

 (our inches in length ; and then we discover a 

 white grub three quarters of an inch long, which 

 is readily extracted. When it is removed, the 

 tree speedily recovers. 



Some persons remove the soil to the depth of 

 two or three inches, and apply hot water, hot 

 soap suds, or warm brine, at any lime in autumn 

 or spring when the ground is unfrozen ; and if 

 the gum be also removed, so that the fluid can 

 enter the hole, the worm is sure to perish. 



Various methods have been employed to pre- 

 vent the attacks of this insect. In the spring, 

 earth has been piled round the tree afoot high, 

 covering up all the bark that was tender. With 

 the same object in view, canvass or ropes made 

 of hay or straw, have been wound about the 

 stem, and then coated with whitewash. Straw 

 in an upright position has also been applied. Tan 

 in small boxes has answered the same purpose ; 

 and its properties are also repulsive. Lime and 

 ashes have the same effect. Common salt, either 

 alone or mixed with nitre, has been found effica- 

 cious, besides promoting the growth and produc- 

 tiveness of the tree. Half a pound has been 

 scattered round it at a lime. Soot, employed in 

 the same way, is highly recommended. A small 

 red cedar, planted in the same hole with a peach 

 tree, has protected it by its ofl^ensive odor. Char- 

 coal in small pieces, heaped up, is supposed to 

 smother the worm by choke damp, and sulphur 

 to poison it with its fumes. Doubtless all are 

 useful, but the appendages should be removed 

 when the warm season is over. 



Sometimes a worse evil than the worm, how- 

 ever, overtakes the peach tree. This malady was 

 named, by the late Judge Peters of Pennsylvania, 

 "<Ae yellows ;" but the leaves are not always yel- 

 low, as the name would imply. A more certain in- 

 dication is the premature ripening of ihe fruit, with '" 

 purple discolorations of the pulp, and deficient 

 flavor. As the disease advances bundles of slen- \ 

 der twigs protrude from the larger branches, and 

 increase till the vital energy is exhausted. 



This case is perhaps the only instance of a con- 

 tagious disease among vegetables, communicated 

 by contact of the roots, or the application of pol- 

 len. That such are the facts, indeed, has not 

 been directly proved, but the circumstantial evi- 

 dence is strong and pointed. Young, healthy : 



