S86 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



scjason I sowed three times — the last time left the 

 seed without covering — and the following week prov- 

 ing rainy, a portion came up. That sowed before 

 was but just covered; it appears that it needs, or will 

 bear no covering at all. When some were three 

 inches high, I prepared my trench, and after it had 

 stood through a heavy rain, set my plants. They 

 have rooted well. I keep them shaded through the 

 keat of the day, and water in dry weather at evening. 

 I doubt getting much of a crop, it is now so late. 



Lima Beaxs — Promise an abundant crop. I find 

 ^«'e in planting pays — care in placing the eye down, 

 aud covering with mellow earth. A few planted 

 when the ground was rather wet, could not lift the 

 erust— breaking in the effort. Fifty hills planted over 

 a small shovelful of fine manure, have already formed 

 pods and sent out vines ten or twelve feet long. I 

 tied the poles on two rows together tent-wise, and 

 I find they s^and the wind much better, as well as 

 looking more symmetrical. 



Table Esculents. — I have now from my garden. 

 Beans, (China Red-eye,) Beets, Carrots, Cucumbers, 

 Potatoes, Radishes, and Lettuce. Have had Peas 

 and Pie Plant, and shall soon have Green Corn, Li- 

 mas, and Summer Squashes. I fine it already begins 

 to repay my labor; in a year or two I shall have 

 much greater varietj', with a little extra attention. 



Pleasure. — Real pleasure, aside from profit, I find 

 in my garden. Let every man, woman, and child, 

 have so:Tiething of one, if it is no more than a few 

 foet of earth, or even a box or a broken pitcher full 

 of it. My first plant grew in a broken bowl, and I 

 found a great deal of enjoyment in watching its 

 growth and blossoming: and if I had not outgrown 

 rhymes, might copy the partial biography written at 

 Ihii time for your pages. But I will not thus tres- 

 pass. A CoDNTKY Invalid. 



Maple Hill, JV. T. 



THE CURCTJLIO. 



This little insect is the greatest pest the horticul- 

 turist has to encounter. For his terror or destruc- 

 tion, the ingenuity of man is well nigh exhausted. 

 He who can discover a perfect and forcible remedy 

 aguinst his bold and predatory inroads, will be de- 

 set'ving a monument. Though I have the weakness 

 myself of desiring some such memento, I do not ex- 

 pect to acquire one on these hard conditions. I will 

 therefore state, not how I have baflled the little Turk, 

 l.>«t how I ha vent. 



In the first place, I will allude to the two most 

 popular checks, viz., paving and shaking. Paving 

 ijfider the plum tree I think of but little benefit in a 

 garden where there are other fruit trees; for the cur- 

 aulio may burrow in the ground, from the fallea fruit, 

 under most all of them, and in the summer come out 

 an^l take possession of the whole garden. Besides 

 ©ue of my neighbors has tried it to no purpose. As 

 to shaking or suddenly tapping the trees, and catch- 

 ing the enemy in the sheets, that is too much trouble, 

 even if it were effectual; but, in my opinion, it is not 

 sffectual — saying nothing of the fruit jarred off in 

 tte operation. 



The last spring I had four trees set full of plums, 

 and I determined to use my best endeavors to save 

 them. Hearing that alaked lime was good thrown 

 on in the blossom, I tried this, though without the 

 least faith in it, and was not happily disappointed. 



Before my plums were as large as peas, the enemy 

 was at work. I next dissolved some assafa>tida in a 

 bucket of water, and ordering the tin-worker to make 

 me a syringe about 18 inches long by one and a half 

 in diameter, perforated like a watering pot at one end, 

 I threw the offensive liquid into the trees, with the 

 hope that it would leave a slight sediment on the 

 fruit not agreeable to the curculio. But what water 

 does not readily run off will hang in a drop under- 

 neath the plum, and here it evaporates and leaves 

 the sediment, if any where; yet what is it worth on 

 so small a portion of the surface as this ? I thought 

 nothing. Besides, I had to take considerable of it 

 on myself, which was not very agreeable, while I sus- 

 pected it would hardly be effectual, even if it coated 

 the whole plum. I, however, gave my trees a few doses, 

 though the enemy still continued to work. I now 

 thought I would determine to remedy the evil after 

 it was done, by attempting to destroy the egg in the 

 fruit. For this purpose I threw salt water into the 

 trees. But lo ! while it would immediately hang on 

 the lower part of the plum, it killed the leaves of the 

 trees, and made them very unsightly, and thus retard- 

 ed the growth of both tree and fruit. I next threw 

 on lime and ashes while the trees were wet; but it is 

 a very difficult matter to hit and cover the fruit, and 

 I have not much faith in the operation. 



Now I cannot say if any of these attempts at rem- 

 edies did any good ; but I can say that all of half of 

 the plums were punctured, and afterwards fell, and 

 the rot has taken about a quarter more, which 

 leaves me one quarter of the fruit to ripen ! 



The curculio dislikes a wet tree, therefore syring- 

 ing the tree with water every evening may be bene- 

 ficial. I think if there is a remedy for the ravages 

 of this insect, it will be'found in some pungent evap- 

 oration, which will perpetually envelope the whole 

 tree. Another season I shall try guano thrown 

 under the tree, and placed wet in a crotch, and wait 

 the result with more fear than hope. 



D. W. LOTHROP. 



JK Medford, Mass., Aug.. 1857. 



NOTES ON STRAWBEEEIES, 



Messrs. Editors : — The largest and most splendid 

 of all American strawberries is the Scarlet Magnate 

 — a pistillate and highly productive. It will produce 

 double the quantity that Peabody's or any other 

 starainate can do. The best early varieties for mar- 

 ket are the Eclipse, Jenny Lind, and Triumph ; the 

 highest flavored and most delicious family strawberries 

 are the Le Baron, Ladies' Pine, and Perfumed Scar^ 

 let ; and the standard market varieties for the medium 

 to late crop are Malvina, resembling Hovey, but po- 

 sessing great advantages over it, the Scarlate Mag^ 

 nate named above. Imperial Scarlet, Diadem, Impe- 

 rial Crimson, Hovey, Crimson Cone, Primate and 

 Wilson's Albany, the two last being staminates. 

 Burr's New Pine is surpassed in productiveness by 

 the Superlative, and is infinitely surpassed in flavor 

 by all the three delicious varieties I have referred to 

 above. 



No man possessing full information is now so silly 

 as to cultivate the Large Early Scarlet as a main 

 crop, and we therefore see but few in the markets of 

 Philadelphia, New York, Boston or Cincinnati.— 

 The Boston Pine, Cushiug, I^righton Pine, Triomphe 

 de Gaud, TroUope's Victoria, and La Eeine, are too 



