342 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 6. 



feeds upon the fruit, and causes it prematurely to 

 fall to (lie ground; when the worm passes immedi- 

 ately into the. earth, and continues (as is supposed) 

 in the pupa state during winter, and the next sea- 

 son comes out in the perfect state to propagate its 

 species by again puncturing the fruit. Now if, 

 when the fruit (alls, it be destroyed immediately, 

 before the worm escapes, (he. fruit of the succeed- 

 ing year will be saved. This may be easily af- 

 fected by suffering a number of swine to feed 

 among the trees to devour all that fall. But where 

 swine cannot be admitted, the best way is to jar 

 down the insects during the time of la3'ing their 

 eggs, by a stroke of the hand or of a mallet, when 

 they may be caught in white sheets of cloth spread 

 under the tree to receive them, and destroyed. 

 Where this operation has been performed two or 

 three times a day, it has soon cleared the tree of 

 them. 



The plum tree is liable to a disease sometimes 

 called canker; which is an excrescence upon the 

 branches, at first green, and afterwards becoming 

 Mack; the diseased branch soon dies and the whole 

 tree gradually perishes. It is prevented by cutting 

 off all the affected branches as soon as the disease 

 appears, and burning them. By seasonable care, 

 it may thus be prevented from doing further mis- 

 chief with little trouble. 



A large number of plum trees in this state suf- 

 fered greatly from some unknown cause, in the 

 early part of the autumn of 1833. The leaves 

 fell prematurely, in consequence of which the 

 fruit was not perfected, and the trees themselves 

 received a check from which many of them did 

 not recover. A large number have since died; 

 many however, perhaps the greater part, are now 

 recovering, and some have resumed their former 

 thriftiness. 



Peach. 



The peach is particularly subjcctto the attacks of 

 of an insect called the Peach worm, mid to a dis- 

 ease known by the name of the Yellows. 



1. The Peach worm is produced from the eggs 

 of a lepidopterous fly (j-Egeria perscice) which 

 depositcs its eggs during summer in the bark of 

 the tree near the roots. The worms which these 

 produce, penetrate the bark to the external surface 

 of the wood, and commence the work of destruc- 

 tion sometime devouring the inner bark entirely 

 round the tree, and speedily causing its death. It 

 is rare however, except in very small trees, that 

 death is produced, as the worm seldom eats com- 

 pletely round; in which case the injury only retards 

 its growth. Its presence is readily detected by 

 the gum filled withexcrementitious matter, which 

 oozes from the tree, near the surface of the ground. 

 The best remedy is to remove the earth from 

 round the foot of the tree, together with a small 

 portion of the injured bark, when the worm will 

 be exposed and may be readily destroyed. All 

 the holes should be traced to their end, in order to 

 to see that the tree is cleared of them, cutting the 

 bark as little as possible so as not to injure the tree 

 unnecessarily. 



2. 7Vie Yellows. This disease is by far the 

 most formidable evil which the peach has to en- 

 counter. It is entirely peculiar to the peach and 

 nectarine. Its cause is unknown. It is first in- 

 dicated by the fruit ripening three or four weeks 

 earlier than usual, generally with red specks and 



blotches upon it. This commonly takes place on 

 a part of the tree only. The following season, a 

 number of very small wiery shoots grow from 

 the larger branches, the leaves become yellow, the 

 whole tree assumes a sickly appearance, and 

 eventually perishes. What renders this disease 

 the more to be dreaded is its contagious nature. If 

 not checked it commonly spreads through the 

 orchard. The infection is supposed to be com- 

 municated at the. time of flowering by the pollen 

 or farina which is carried from tree to tree; the 

 fruit thus receives the malady, which is quickly 

 carried by the circulation of the sap through the 

 branches and trunk-. The disease is also always 

 communicated where a bud from an infected ace 

 is inserted on a healthy one; and even by pruning 

 a healthy tree with a knife which has been pre- 

 viously used on a diseased one. After it has once 

 attacked a tree, there is no remedy; it must inev- 

 itably perish. Wherever therefore a tree is seen 

 ripening its fruit prematurely, especially if that 

 fruit be marked with red blotches unusual in 

 it, it. is to be looked upon as a lost tree — no- 

 thing can save it; and nothing can save adja- 

 cent ones from becoming infected but by destroy- 

 ing it before it blooms again. No peach tree 

 should be planted on the same spot until several 

 years of intermediate cultivation; perhaps it will 

 be best in most cases to plant fruit trees of some 

 other species, which are not attacked by this dis- 

 ease, in places where such peach trees have stood. 



Nectarine. 



This fruit tree is subject to the same diseases as 

 ■It, of which indeed it is considered as but 

 a variety; and the same remedies apply to both. 

 Its fruit is also subject to the attacks of the cur- 

 culio, for an account of which, see the article on 

 the j -.htm. 



Apricot. 



The principal enemies of this fruit, are 1. 77;e 

 worm or JEgeria, which has been described in the 

 account of the peach; and 2. The care alio, de- 

 scribed in the account of the plum. 



Cherry. 



In western New York, the cherry has but few 

 diseases or enemies, and those of little importance. 

 Some varieties are attacked by an insect which 

 causes large excrescences on the branches. When- 

 ever these appear, they should be immediately cut 

 off and committed to the fire. Perhaps the great- 

 est enemy is the Cedar bird.* The only known 

 way of repelling them is to thin their ranks by 

 means of powder and shot, when they become 

 suspicious and fearful, and less voracious in their 

 depredations. Small trees of choice varieties may 

 be protected from the birds by covering them with 

 a large coarse net, made of bass matting or other 

 material. 



* This is a small bird about the size of the blue bird, 

 of a light brown color, readily distinguished by its 

 crest: and is by its voracity very destructive to ripe 

 cherries. 



