202 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



[Jan. 20 



ground. Experimont proves, that points not only 

 receive, hut suffer electricity to pass oft' much 

 more readily th;in a body with a blimled end, or 

 a knob. Such bein? the case then, the elevated 

 points, (supposing llic clouds lo be always posi- 

 tively electrified) will receive the lluid faster 

 than it can pass off into the earth. Have not 

 evils arisen from this very circumstance ? The 

 points attracting and receiving the electricity 

 faster than it is conducted oft", thus charge the 

 rod with a greater quantity than it can contain ; 

 the attraction continues to draw the electrical 

 matter together, till finally an ex[)losion is pro- 

 duced, which might have been prevented, pro- 

 vided the lower end of the r^d had been point- 

 ed. 



But furthermore, experiments made by Dr. 

 Franklin and others, prove that the clouds are 

 often negatively, and the earth positively elec- 

 Iriijed And Franklin observed that the light- 

 ning as often struck from the earth to the clouds, 

 as from the clouds to the earth. In such cases, 

 we wish to conduct the fluid /com (/if earth tothel 

 clouds. The same reasoning then that goes to! 

 prove (he utility of elevated points, will also 

 prove the utility of having the rod terminate in 

 the same manner at the lower end. Dosides, 

 if points will suffer the fluid to pass off much 

 more readily, would not a rod of half the usual 

 diameter, when pointed at both end-^, be as ef 

 feclual as a larger one, [lointed only at one end? 



PHILO PHILOSOPHISE. 



FOR THE NEW ENGI.A^■D 1AR3IER. 



' TO MAKE CO.MJION INK. 

 ?j ounces of powdered Galls, 

 1 ounce of Copperas, 

 1 ounce of rasped Logwood, 

 1 ounce of Gum Arabic. 

 To be put into 1 quart of soft water, and suf- 

 fered to remain 8 or 10 days, and to be shaken 

 before use. 



The above is by Dr Lewis, an English Chem- 

 ist of eminence, and has been recommended by 

 scientific men in this country. 



TO TMF. FDITOR OF THE NEW ENGLAND FiiRMER. 



COB MEAL. 

 Miissaclnisclls, Jan. 16, 1826. 



Mr Fessen'den, — 1 observed in your paper of 

 Friilay last a cnmmunjcation addressed lo the 

 Editor of the .American Farmer, by Mr Barton, 

 giving an account of his ex]ieriments to ascer 

 tain the value of cob-meal in I'attening cattle, Sic 

 Jiis results differ so much from the experience 

 of my neighliors and myself on this subject, that 

 1 am induced to slate to you my own observa 

 lions on its efl'ects. I have used cob-meal dur- 

 ing this and the last winter for my horses and in 

 fattening my oxen and hogs. Mr B. observes 

 that his cattle were never cloyed with it; my 

 o»vn have been so much so, as in many instan- 

 ces to refuse to eat it for several days together 

 and 1 am inclined to think, they are as likely to 

 be cloyed with it, as winter oats and corn meal. 



1 fattened 1 hogs killed in Dec. last, which 

 together weighed more than 1600 lbs., and were 

 uncommonly line pork. They were fed entire- 

 ly with cobmeal excejiling for ,: or 3 weeks. 



PLUM AND MORELLO CHERRY. 

 To the Editor of the Jlmerican Farmer. 



1 find in your |)aper of April 1. page 13, a 

 communication of James \Vi)rlli,'on the diseases 

 of various fruit trees, in which the excrescen- 

 ces that have proved destructive to the |>lum 

 and morcllo cherry trees, nre supposed to be 

 caused by " a mere exudation of sap in the ten- 

 der branches, occasioned by a bark-bound state 

 of the trunk," and that the insects found within 

 these, are "a consequence, and nut the cause, of 

 the disease." The remedy he recommends, is, 

 " to score the bark in a per|)cndicular direction 

 along the trunk." The high standing of Mr. 

 Worth as a horticulturist and farmer, acquired 

 by many and judicious publications on these sub- 

 jects, and which have evinced scientilic research, 

 acute observation and practical knowL^dge, 

 renders it somewhat hazardous to attempt to 

 controvert his opinions : but as I think he has 

 mistaken both the cause and the cure of the e- 

 vil, I beg leave to state some tacts which have 

 Come under my personal observation, as the 

 ground of my scepticism, and 1 am sure Mr. 

 Worth will be the first lo pardon me, if the re- 

 marks I am about to make shall tend lo elicit 

 truth. 



In 1811, 1 resided in the village of Kingston, 

 when this disease of the plum and cherry threat- 

 ened their extinction in the neighbourhood. 1 

 was advised lo place a sod of earth, grass un- 

 der, at the first separalion of the branches from 

 the trunk. 1 followed the direction; and, the 

 trees being small, the turf collapsed about Ihe 

 trunk. The trees on which this application was 

 made, remained healthy, or were but partially 

 afl'ecled ; while others not attended to, and live- 

 sixths of all in the village, were diseased and 

 destroyed. 



In 1818, 1 brought from Kingston, and plant- 

 ed in my field (my garden not being then prepar- 1 scored cherry trees to render them more thrifty ; 

 cd) twenty or thirty plum trees, of lwotohve,a„d the exii^criment came near being fatal to 

 In June and July luUowjng, escres- j ,hem. The circular bark, on being scored, rap 



In the spring of 1825, 1 had nearly a like num- 

 ber of plum trees from the same garden, which 

 I also put into nursery. The tumor appe.ired 

 on twenty or thirty; and 1 adopted llje precau- 

 tion of amputating and burning, under a sanguine 

 belief that I thereby effeclnally stopped ihe e- 

 vil. 



Tiie above are the only instances of the ap- 

 pearance of this malady aniong my plums while 

 i have resided in .Mb.;ny, aliliough 1 have more 

 than one iumdred trees in my garden, and two 

 thousand in nursery. I do not know of any dis- 

 eased trees nearer lo me than the garden Irom 

 nhiti 1 obtained my stocks. 



The preceding facts led me lo make the fol- 

 loniiig conclusions : — 



1. That an insect is Ihe cause, and not the 

 ctnsequence of the tumor. 



2. That this insect is not furnished with wings 

 l» enable it lo fly ; and that an inverted sod 

 placed upon the lower bifurcation of the tree, 

 will prevent its crawling up to make a iodge- 

 uenl in the •' tender branches." 



3. Thai its migrations are slow, and are 

 principally effected by the transportation of trees 

 il which the ova are deposited. And 



4. That by a prompt use of the knife, in the 

 sarly stage of the disease, and careful attention 

 .0 burn all the diseased wood, the evil can be 

 limited, if not wholly overcome. 



Belore I attempt to fortify myself by the o]iin- 

 ioiis of otliers, I have a further remark to make 

 upon ]\Ir. Worth's hypothesis. The effect of a 

 tree being bark-bound, I should think, would be, 

 to contract the sap vassels, and to diminish the 

 supply of ."ap which the root sends through ihe 

 trunk to the branches. Mow then can we con- 

 <;eive such a plelhora to exist in the latter, as to 

 c«»se a sjjiinlaneons extravasation, or exudation, 

 of sapl The eflect of scoring the exterior bark, 

 which is the remedy prescribed, would be, by 

 removing the striclure to enlarge Ihe vascular 

 vessels, and cause a greater flow of sap to liie 

 extremities, and thereby to increase, rather than 

 diminish, the cause of ihe disorder. Man, by 

 his vices and his follies, has mulliiilied the dis- 

 eases of tiiL' human family, and may have in- 

 creased those of the brute creation. Bui the 

 laws >vlilcli govern diseases in the vegetable 

 kingdom are not vei-y liable to change ; and I 

 cannot call to mind any ncxc disease which has 

 devastated this, which cannot be traced to the a- 

 gency of some species of the animal kingdom. 

 The disease of the plum and cherry, now under 

 consideration, is of but recent origin. I have 



feet high. 



1 „ ,1 ,., I . . 1 I I ^ - J - 31 iiieiii. A lie en Liji.ii [Jill i\. oil o(.-in" 31-011:0,1,111- 



wle, they were kep upon oats and corn mea.cences appeared upon several branches. .\s i ij|y contracted, and drew with it The longiludi- 



hut liev llli not ea t be ;if PI- II r 1 :i lu lor rf. L I ..-I .,» <1.„„„ .„ ,1;., I .1 _ l:_,l,- .,«■_., 1 ' y. '. . .. = 



but Ihey did not eat the latter with a better rel- ' fast as these were disrovpreil !be limbs iffprlftl ri 1 ■ 1 .1 1 i- 1 1 .■ ii 



•',.,. ,. , ... , , ,'"'"■'-""-''=, "t^'^'- "'^'-uv'^i^eii, ,iu. iimos anecifo u_.,| |,Ty.pr vvbich the knife had partially pene 



l^hnol tatlen taster upon 11 than upon cob-meal; were cut off and buinl. The trees were again | ,ra,ej 1 .1 



by which it would [transplanted the subsequent autumn into ihe 



and that not scalded or boiloi 

 hiive been greatly improved; this agrees whol- 

 ly will) the experience of my neighbors. 



With respect to my horses, I give them no 

 other provender than cob mtal mixed with 

 straw and salt hay cut fine,— and this keeps 

 them in very good order. 



On the whole I have a favourable opinion of 

 cob meal for the above purposes. It has been 

 recommended by some as excellent for pud- 

 <lings, but cob- puddings must be too meagre a 

 rtiet for J '{J. 



garden, and have not since shown a particle of 

 the disease. 



In the spring of 1821 I procured 100 small 

 plum trees, principally sprouts, from a garden 

 two miles distant, in which the disease was 

 making great liavock, though those 1 selected 

 were ap|)arenlly free from it. They were put 

 in nursery. In Ihe, summer following, 1 cut 

 down, or pulled up. nearly lil'ty, upon which tu- 

 mors had began lo appear, and wa-; particularly 

 careful to burn every piece of the diseased 



uid it \vas only by a prompt application 

 of cow-dung ami bandages, that the evil was pre- 

 vented. 1 dislike scoring trees for any purpose. 

 It seems too much like scoring the skin of a 

 poor hide-bound animal, lo make him thrive.— 

 A good scouring, and a jilenty of food, will 

 help the bark-bound tree, as well as the hide- 

 bound animal. .\ wash of Icy or soapsuds, will 

 give ample expansion to Ihe bark of a tree. 



The late I'rofessor Peck, of Cambridge,^ 

 wrote a [taper on Ihe subject, in 1810. It was 

 published in the Massachusetts Agricultural Re- 

 pository of lliat year, accompanied with draiv- 



wood. Not one of the remaining Uces was af-lj„gs of the jiisecl of natural size, and magnilied. 

 iecled during the last summer. 



