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NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



every day destroy millions of those noxious insects; 

 and are, in return, proscribed by those who ought 

 to have been their protectors. Let us examine 

 better into the operations of nature, and many of 

 our mistaken opinions and groundless prejudices 

 will be abandoned, for more just, enlarged, and 

 humane modes of thinking. The bark louse is oc- 

 casionally troublesome in our orchards. The first 

 notice we recollect to have seen of this insect, was 

 from Enoch Perley, of Bridgeton, Maine, written 

 in 1794. He says, these lice are natural in the 

 uncultivated forest, on what is called moose-wood 

 and other bushes. The American tent caterpillar, 

 or lackey, has infested the apple tree from its ear- 

 liest history in this country. It is a native insect, 

 and is found in our forests, on the wild cherry tree. 

 Our ancestors cultivated the apple mostly for cider, 

 and neglected to destroy this insect. It was not 

 until the year 1817, that the destruction of these 

 vermin became easy by the invention and intro- 

 duction of a brush, by that distinguished cultiva- 

 tor of the soil, in Essex county, Col. Timothy Pick- 

 ering. 



In consequence of a severe winter, a few years 

 since, these insects were mostly destroyed. From 

 the 4th volume of the Massachusetts Agricultural 

 Repository, published in 1819, we learn that the 

 attention of cultivators was first called to notice 

 the ravages of the apple tree borer at this time. 

 The subject was mentioned to Professor Peck, and 

 several gentlemen, who had never heard of this 

 destroyer of the apple tree . This insect had caused 

 the decay and destruction of many apple trees be- 

 fore discovered, and was at last detected by no- 

 ticing the holes bored by them at their roots, up- 

 on cutting down the trees. Doctor Harris says 

 that our native thorns, and aronias, are the natu- 

 ral food of the borer. He says, killing it by a wire 

 thrust into the holes it has made, is one of the 

 oldest, safest, and most successful methods. 



The curculio or plum weevil, commenced its rav- 

 ages in our orchards and gardens about the com- 

 mencement of the present century. It appears that 

 Doct. James Tilton, of Wilmington, Delaware, in 

 a communication to Doctor Mease, editor of the 

 Domestic Encyclopedia , first gave an account of 

 this insect, sometime previous to the year 1809. 

 This insect at this time was erroneously supposed 

 in its retreat below the surface of the earth, to be 

 injurious by eating the roots of fruit trees. The 

 plum weevil attacks the apple, pear, plum, apricot 

 and cherry. It is probably a native insect, as it 

 differs from the copper colored plum weevil of Eu- 

 rope, described in Kollar's Treatise, page 238. 

 There are many ways laid down in the books for 

 destroying this great pest. But as a general rule, 

 all contrivances to drive away insects from our 

 trees, instead of destroying them, should be avoid- 

 ed. All such attempts in the case of the curculio, 

 by paving the/ ground under the trees or white- 

 washing them, is useless, when we consider the 

 plum weevil has wings, and when disturbed on the 

 plum tree, can fly to the apple, pear, cherry, nec- 

 tarine and apricot. Beside, it is a satisfaction, 

 to know and fael as you hold him between your 

 thumb and finger, that he is about to die, and do 

 no more mischief, and that you have not been 

 guilty of the mean act of driving him over the 

 Fence into the garden of your neighbor to annoy 

 ad vox him. This insect appears to be now rap- 

 . iv on the increase. The apple worm is not found 



a native of our forest, but was introduced from 

 Europe. The injury sustained by the apple from 

 this insect, was supposed at one time to have been 

 committed by the plum weevil, and these two in- 

 sects were confounded together. Doct. Thacher, 

 who wrote an excellent Treatise on Fruit Trees, 

 in the year 1821, when describing insects injurious 

 to the apple tree and its fruit, makes no mention 

 of the apple worm. 



No good account of this insect appears to have 

 been written or published much before the year 

 1820. "When introduced from 'Europe, it first ap- 

 peared on the sea-board, and is now more numer- 

 ous in New England than in the middle States. 

 In years past, the wind-fall apples were mostly 

 ground for cider, and consequently the worms were 

 destroyed, the cider drinkers receiving the benefit 

 of them. At the present day, although we are 

 nearly rid of cider drinkers, the apple worm is 

 greatly on the increase. The past season they at- 

 tacked my cranberry bed, and mostly destroyed 

 the fruit. The remedies, laid down in the fruit 

 books, for these vermin, if followed with persever- 

 ance, will lesson their numbers, if they do not 

 wholly destroy them. S. P. Fowler. 



Danvers, Jan. 8th, 1852. 



I'l'O BE CONTINUED.] 



TO PRESERVE PEACH TREES. 



The following is, probably, the best method of 

 preserving peach and apricot trees from the de- 

 structive effects of excessive frost. When the 

 ground is thoroughly frozen in the early part of 

 winter, cover the ground under the trees, as far 

 as the roots extend, with muck, (i. e. wet straw, 

 or any other litter that is a bad conductor of heat,) 

 to the depth of from four to six or eight inches, 

 and let it remain until the ground has become 

 fully settled. The muck should be wet, so as not 

 to be a harbor for mice in the spring. The ration- 

 ale of this mode is this : — The winter or January 

 thaw frequently causes the buds of the peach and 

 apricot, and some other early-growing trees, to 

 start to such a degree, that the excessive cold of 

 the latter part of the winter destroys the germ of 

 the fruit-bud, but not so as to prevent its blossom- 

 ing. In such cases, if the bud be examined before 

 it blossoms, the centre will be found black and 

 lifeless. By covering the ground as above, the 

 frost is retained in the ground under the tree, 

 about its roots, so that growth does not commence 

 in the winter. — Dollar Newspaper. 



THE BEST BREED OF SWINE FOR THE 

 FARMER. 



I am perfectly satisfied from long experience, 

 and have publicly advocated it for upwards of ten 

 years, that the best and most profitable swine for 

 the farmer, is that breed which will nearly ma- 

 ture at eight to twelve months did, and thenweigh, 

 well fatted and dressed, from 250 to 350 pounds. 

 A pig that has to be wintered and kept till sixteen 

 to nineteen months old, before fully fatted, rarely 

 pays for itself at the ordinary price of pork ; and 

 the average weight of these, in the United States, 

 even at a year and a half old, I do not believe ex- 

 ceeds 300 pounds. 



Now, what the farmers want is a large breed 

 with fine points and great growth. Such a breed 



