'^n 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



as recommended, it will be well to stir the earth im- 

 mediately about their roots, and hoe earth up to 

 their stems a little, still preserving a gutter to hold 

 water. Pick off any decayed or broken leaves, if 

 there be any, and give a thorough soaking of clear 

 manure water or soap-suds twice or three times a 

 week, in hot, dry weather; give at least half a pailful 

 to each plant. For the celery, stir the soil with the 

 hoe a little in the trench, and apply the water a few 

 inches from the plants, to avoid washing the earth 

 into the hearts of them, which would be liable to rot 

 them out. Give a thorough soaking, so that the wa- 

 ter will penetrate to the extremities of their roots. 

 It will help them a great deal, if a little Peruvian 

 guano be mixed in the soil in the trench, before the 

 application of the water. 



Earthing up tue Celery. — About the last week 

 of the month, it will be time to earth up a few of 

 the best plants for early use in September; but for 

 tlie main crop, the last week in August will be early 

 enough to begin. Before earthing, clear away the 

 soil a little around the collar of each plant, if neces- 

 sary, and pick off all the broken and cracked leaves 

 and suckers, if there be any, leaving nothing but 

 straight, strong and upright leaves. Now give a 

 thorough soaking of water ; then take a number 

 of pieces of string — as many as you have plants in a 

 row — about eighten inches long, and take each plant 

 separately, collect its leaves together ard hold them 

 tightly in the left hand, keeping its heart well pro- 

 tected by the outer green leaves, and with the right 

 hand tie a piece of string around it, with a slip-knot, 

 that will easily untie. Tie as many plants in tliis way 

 as may be wanted for early use. 'j'hen, with a spade, 

 earth them up about four inches, leaving the earth 

 falling a little from the plants, to prevent the appli- 

 cations of water from washing it into the hearts. 

 Repeat this operation every two weeks for the early 

 crop, and every three for the late. 



Keep the ground between the crops frequently 

 stirred with the hoe, and all clear of weeds. Keep 

 the edges of the beds neatly trimmed, and the walks 

 scrupulously cleao. Nothing tends so much to the 

 good appearance of a place, as neat walks and a 

 smooth lawn. Josiah Salter. 



SULPHUR TO KILL ROSE BUGS. 



Messes. Editors: — In looking over the June num- 

 ber of the Genesee Fanner, I noticed an article 

 headed " Sulphur to Kill Rose Buga" Your corres- 

 pondent says: 



" When visiting in and aiound Richmond, Ind., last 

 autumn, I was delighted with the abundance of splen- 

 did roses that ever met niy viev/, and which seemed 

 tlieu to be in their glory. I inquired qf several if the 

 bug had not visited them. Tlie reply invariably was, 

 'Oh yes, but we destroyed them with sulphui".' The 

 plan for so doing was to put sulphur (the hard) on a 

 plate under the bush, and set on tire, and then cover 

 something over tlie bush while the fumes lasted. I 

 remarked that sulphurous inhalations must ag:ree with 

 the bush, for thej' appeared extremely healthy, a few 

 of the under leaves only dropping off." 



Now, gentlemen, with much deference to your cor- 

 respondent, I feel constrained, from knowing the ill 

 effects of the fumes of burning sulphur upon the 

 tender foliage of plants, to make one or two re- 

 marks. Ist. When sulphur is burned, sulphuric acid 

 gas is produced, which, if it eomes in contact with 



the foliage of plants, is as surely destructive as im- 

 mersing them in boiling water. I have seen it tried 

 many times. 2d. I would advise amateurs to use 

 burning sulphur very cautiovsly among their pets; 

 and if they wish to try a few experiments, to try 

 them on the smallest possible scale. 



If I am not taking up too much of your valuable 

 space, I will instance one or two cases in my humble 

 experience. In the year 1846 I had a very splendid 

 gooseberry tree, of the Warrington variety, four feet 

 high and four feet in diameter, and perfectly sym- 

 metrical in all its parts. It was a picture of useful- 

 ness and beauty, for it was laden with luscious fruit, 

 which we desired to preserve as late in the fall as we 

 could. But they were so attacked by the birds and 

 wasps that it was evident we should soon have no 

 gooseberries left, unless something was done to pro- 

 tect them. We therefore covered the tree with thin 

 canvas, but the wasps found their way in at the bot- 

 tom, by hundreds, and it was evident that something 

 else must be done. I thought this time I would give 

 them a settler. I loosened the canvas at the bottom, 

 and placed a tea-saucer with some burning brimstone 

 in it directly under the opening, so that the fumes 

 would go up into the tree. The wasps came tumbling 

 down by scores, and we laughed and danced over our 

 fallen victims. But, alas ! the next morning we 

 laughed on the " other side of the mouth," for the 

 leaves came tumbling down by te7is of scores. The 

 fruit, what was left of it, hung on longer than the 

 leaves; but the tree was ruined for the season, and 

 it did not feel very well the next, for it looked as 

 though it had the fever and ague all the time. 



Again, in 18.52, 1 had the care of a vinery of exotic 

 grapes, which had been somewhat neglected the year 

 before, and consequently the vines had on them a few 

 more fritters, thrips and red spiders than I liked to see. 

 Not 'having any fumigalor, I took some thick, soft 

 blue paper, and saturated it in strong saltpetre wa- 

 ter. When the paper was dry, I divided half a pound 

 of cut tobacco into three parts, and rolled it up in 

 the paper; I then laid them at equal distances from 

 each other on the floor, and set them on fire. They 

 burned very well, smoking without flaring, and filled 

 the house with smoke, and had the desired effect so 

 far as the killing of the insects. But at the end, near 

 the door, we had a nectarine tree growing, which har- 

 bored the red spiders; and knowing it to be very 

 difficult to drive them away with tobacco alone, I 

 ventured to put on the roll of burning tobacco near- 

 est the tree about a table-spoonful of the flowers of 

 sulphur, and stood with my face over it all the time, 

 ready to jerk it off the instant I could detect the 

 smell of burning sulphur. I did not smell it, and al- 

 lowed it to burn out, but the fumes of the tobacco 

 nearly made me vomit. On oper^ing the door the 

 next morning, to my great consternation, the house 

 smelled as though a great pile of green leaves was 

 just beginning to ferment. I looked up, and beheld 

 all the leaves on the upper part of two of the vines 

 as literally dead as though they had been dipped in 

 boiling water, and was very sorry to be obliged to 

 cut off eight or ten splendid bunches of Hamburgh 

 grapes, about half grown, to save the vines. I have 

 been very cautious in regard to burning sulphur 

 among plants ever since. 



Where there are insects on rose trees out of doors, 

 I would advise you to syringe your plants all over and 

 under, and on each side of the leaves, with clear tobacco 



