THE GENESEE FARifER. 



61 



inverse ratio to the distances between the rods, that is 

 the miier they are opened, the smaller will be the 

 tho circles marked, and viga versa. A little practice 

 will enulile any one to nse it with ninch sUill. Where 

 it is only wanted for a short time, three strips of wood 

 can he used of the same length as the width of the 

 ror.d or walk, and fastened together by a screw and a 

 small strip nailed acrose them to hold them iu their 

 places. 



EUST AND CRACKING OF THE PEAB. 



No satisfactory cause has been assigned at any of 

 tlie meetings where the subject has been discussed for 

 the rust and cracking which ii)jures some varieties of 

 the pear and apjjle, and particularly the Firgalieu 

 ar fVhite Doyenne, among the former, and the Au- 

 iy,mn Slraivberry, among the latter. 



Nor in the published proceedings of Pomological 

 Societies, has any defmite cause been stated to which 

 tliis defect may ije attributed. 



M. J. Berkley, one of the ablest continental 

 ■liters, on these abstruse branches of Natural Phi- 

 losophy, presents the following particulars, which we 

 presume refers to the malady in question. 



"Species of mould of the family of Helminthospo- 

 ii.um, or Cladiosporium, become dreadful pests on the 

 leaves of pears and apples especially of the former. 



The Cladiosporium dendrilicum, (of Walrotb,) 

 arises uniformly beneath the true cuticle, under which 

 its mycelium, (or spawn,) radiates in every direction. 

 It exhausts the strength of the leaves and often kills 

 the young twigs, while on the fruit it forms unsightly 

 black patches rendering it unsaleable, and sometimes 

 inducing, or else accompanied by extensive cracking. 

 \V'heii once it has attacked a tree, it is very apt to 

 CBturn in succeeding years. 



A new progeny raised from the seed of diseased 

 Sidividuals, will exhibit the parental malady." 



The same writer recommends as the only probable 

 femedy he knows, the collecting and burning of the 

 infected leaves and shoots, and the application to the 

 buds and remaining portions of a mixture of sulphur, 

 lime and gum tragacanth, the latter to make the mix- 

 ture permanently adhesive, the former to act on the 

 deposited spores, (seeds.) 



No other remedy is known when the malady has 

 Been established. We presume this is the rust and 

 cracking so much complained of as infesting our Fir- 

 galieu pear, by eastern cultivators. Those who have 

 abandoned the cultivation of the Vergalieri or White 

 Doyenne, working their trees of that variety with 

 others not so subject to the disease; only partially 

 remedy the evil, as the sorts substituted will doubtless 

 become infested if the foregoing statements are cor- 

 rect. The true policy would be to destroy the whole 

 tree, or so to wash it as to destroy all trace of the 

 qryptogamic pest. As the rust and cracking is more 

 prevalent in some localities than others, some predis- 

 posing cause must encourage the propagation of ♦his 

 mould, which is either to be sought in the atmospheric 

 peculiarities of the locality, or in the nature of the 

 soil. It is said the more the soil of a district becoHies 

 cultivated, or worn out, the more the Virgalieu, St. 

 Jljichael or ff'hite Doyenne, will rust and crack. 



" Unfortunately for our fruit growers and farmers at- 

 tention to practical science is not a characteristic of 

 oar country. We have only a few energetic botanists 

 A^li^ose labors are not appreciated as they should be. 



The State Agricultural Society luvs conferred a great 

 benefit on the farming comniuiiity by liie circuhition 

 of Dr. Fitch's essay on insects; what associittiun will 

 call to the aid of the farmer and gardener some able 

 cryptogamic botanist and physiologist ? S. 



A New Api'i.r Tree Worm. — Our Orchards 

 were, in the year 18.^2, visited by a new depridatOB, 

 similar in form to the corniiion apple tree worm^ 

 [Clisio -am-pa Jlmerictnui,) bat diftering from it iu 

 their general habits. When touched it instantly pre- 

 sents itself in the form of the letter U. 'J'heir pres* 

 ence is indicated by the c^bsence of leaves on a single 

 branch, and by a more close inspection, it will be 

 ibund to contain a small clump of yellowish wormsj 

 and often accompanied by a single worm, an inch awl 

 a-half in length. This happens the last days of July, 

 or the first in August, and if then destroyed little in- 

 jury is sustained. "About the first of September, they 

 collect in a web, on the body of the tree, and soon 

 disappear, 'i'hey are a'so found on the walnut tree. 



The writer has not been able to note further 

 changes during its last appearance. 



A small white catterpillar, with small black spots 

 on its sides made its appearance in great numbers 

 during the last season, to the detriment of the young 

 corn, and in the summer to the injury of some of our 

 orchards. An Old Subsckiber, Harpersville^ 

 Broome Co., JV. Y., January, 1857. 



TAR ON FRUIT TREES. 



Some of your correspondents talk of putting tar 

 on fruit trees to keep otf the mice. It will kill the 

 former, I know by experiment, if put on the bark, 

 and left on. But I sliould think by being put on old 

 canvass, or rag of any kind, and that put around the 

 tree so as to be taken of in the Spring it would be as 

 easy^as any method to prevent the ravages of the 

 vermin. ('hilian Ford. 



Morristown, St. Law. Co., N. Y. 



THE BIG TSEE OF CALIFORNIA. 



The following descripticn of the Big Tree of Calh- 

 fornia, is from the Rural Annval and Horticultural 

 Directory. It will be read with interest : 



The " Big Trke," as the giant of evergreens has 

 been familiarly styled by its Yankee countrymen, baa 

 insured for America the reputation of producing, in 

 a circumscribed district of its "gold region,'" the 

 marvel of aboriculture. It is now many years since 

 uncertain reports of the existence of evergreen trees 

 of an extraordinary size reached European botanists, 

 by means of collectors and travelers in Mexico and 

 Central America. Much discussion arose as to the 

 identity of trees of which only drawings or imperfect 

 specimens had been received. A few years ago, a 

 collector, Mr. Lobb, sent home to the firm by which 

 he was employed, authentic specimens and seeds of a 

 tree which has since proved to be not only hitherto 

 unknown to botanists and arboriculturists, but, as 

 has since been determined, strictly local in its habitat, 

 and confined to the San Antonio valley, where the 

 original trees were discovered. And it is with pride 

 and satisfaction we state that, uraided by any graat 

 from Congress or Government, but by individual eru 

 terprise, thousands of this new and wonderful tree 

 are now to be fouud iu our own vicinity, raised from 



