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NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



apple tree is subject to few diseases, when under 

 proper care and cultivation. In fact, but few 

 kinds of trees will continue to live and bear fruit 

 when suffering from long and continued neglect so 

 well as the apple tree. The canker is a disease, 

 says Forsyth, incident to trees, which occasions 

 the bark to grow rough and scabby, and turns the 

 wood affected to a rusty brown color. The ap- 

 pearance of this disease, we have more particular- 

 ly observed upon the pear, than upon the apple 

 tree. To the neglect of pruning at a suitable 

 season, and in a proper manner, may be ascribed 

 the most usual form of canker, which frequently 

 commences from the badly amputated limb. Our 

 method has been in arresting this disease, to cut 

 out all the dead or discolored bark, and apply to 

 the wound a thick paint made from red or yellow 

 ochre, with a brush. We prefer this paint for 

 reasons, which we shall give in our remarks upon 

 pruning, to Mr. Downing's composition of alcohol 

 and gum shellac, or that used by Mr. Forsyth 

 The last named gentleman, in his time, made a 

 composition, which was used by him in curing 

 diseases, defects and injuries in all kinds of fruit 

 and forest trees. This was compounded with great 

 care, labor and inconvenience, and was supposed 

 to possess great efficacy, as a medicament, when 

 applied to a diseased tree. But this notion was 

 exploded, if we remember right, by an English 

 cultivator, Mr. Knight, some years ago. 



Since the cultivation of the apple for the manu 

 facture of cider has in a good measure ceased to 

 be an object with the farmer, his attention has 

 been given to the culture of superior kinds of fruit 

 for the market. These cultivators having more or 

 less of those old cider apple trees on their farms, 

 the question is frequently asked by them, what 

 can I do to renovate these trees, and make them 

 produce good fruit? Will grafting them answer 

 a good purpose, and will scions do well in these 

 old limbs 1 In answer we would say, as a general 

 rule, it is labor lost to graft these old tops. As 

 the whole subject of the restoration of old fruit 

 trees, whether decayed or not, together with that 

 of pruning, is one of considerable importance, and 

 will necessarily exceed my limits in this communi- 

 cation, I shall defer its further consideration to a 

 future article. s. p. f. 



Danvcrs, Feb. 19th, 1852. 



destroy them. A lye made of a pound of potash 

 to two gallons of water, and applied with a swab, 

 is sometimes used — or a lye made of common wood 

 ashes, not very strong, may be applied in the 

 spring, before the leaves start. — Maine Farmer. 



LICE ON APPLE TREES. 



A friend from Pittston has sent to our office a 

 branch of an apple tree all encrusted over with 

 , little greenish scales that look like minute mus- 

 cle shells. 



They are not uncommon to young apple trees 

 but are a serious trouble, and very injurious to 

 their growth. They are formed by a little fly, 

 which lays an egg or two on the branch and then 

 covers them over by this scale which protects 

 t hem from the weather. Here they lie until 

 hatched by the warmth of spring, when the worm 

 perforates them and creeps out. If examined by 

 a glass of moderately magnifying power, they can 

 be clearly seen. 



A good method to prevent and destroy these is 

 to make a lather of whale oil soap, or if that can- 

 not be obtained, common soft soap of the kitchen 

 will do. Take it in the hand and rub it on. It is 

 said a wash of quassia wood steeped in water, will 



SEVENTH AGRICULTURAL MEETING. 



At the State House, Feb. 24, 1852. 



Subject for discussion — Grasses and Grain Crops. 

 Hon. Isaac Davis, of Worcester, presided at the 

 meeting on Tuesday evening last. On taking the 

 chair, after alluding to the dignity and honorable 

 character of the occupation of the farmer, he said 

 that the subjects for discussion — Grasses and Grain 

 Crops — were very important, — the one furnishing 

 daily food for animals and the other giving bread- 

 stuffs to the world. He who looks into these sub- 

 jects and fully understands them, understands the 

 great scientific part of agriculture. He is a learned 

 man in agriculture. Such the speaker did not 

 profess to be. But he would throw out a few in- 

 timations which might perhaps draw out from oth- 

 ers more valuable information upon the subject. 

 He said that grains, which with us are divided in- 

 to a few classes, are generally cultivated with a bet- 

 ter understanding than the grasses. The grains 

 are not cultivated so well here as in the old coun- 

 tries, mainly for the reason that our lands are 

 much cheaper. There, the farmer after prepar- 

 ing his ground for the seed goes over it with a 

 roller cutting it into grooves. The seed is then 

 cast in and the plants come up in rows and are 

 weeded with as much care as we weed our onion 

 beds. We sow our seed broadcast and the wheat 

 and tares grow together, the latter absorbing no 

 small portion of the nutriment of the soil. This 

 will be the case until our land becomes more 

 densely populated and more costly. To grasses 

 we have given less attention than to grains. It 

 is not necessary that the farmer should under- 

 stand the great variety of grasses as the botanist 

 does, and be able to classify them, but he should 

 know those which contain the most nutriment for 

 his animals, and their combinations, so that in 

 laying down his lands, he may so intermix them as 

 that a new kind of grass will come up every month. 

 In the old country it is the practice to sow from 

 four to ten kinds of seed, according to the length 

 of time which the farmer wishes to feed from his 

 land. This is the reason why more feed can be 

 obtained from a certain number of acres there 

 than here. Our pasturage here is not so good as 

 there, because we do not go into an analysis to see 

 what kinds of grasses will best combine to furnish 

 the most nutriment. And why we do not do so, 

 is owing in a great measure to the fact that our 

 land is so plenty and so cheap. He believed the 

 time to be at hand when our system in this re- 

 spect will change, and that time will be when the 

 proprietor of the soil and not the tenant is the 

 cultivator. 



