LEASING. 



growth ; so that, by the time the foliage was 

 renewed in August, it had obtained its usual size. 

 This was the case too with the crab, and some of 

 the orchard fruits, presenting the unusual sight of 

 fruit growing alone on the boughs without leaves ; 

 so that in fact the offices of inspiration, transpira- 

 tion, and all their consequences, usually accom- 

 plished by the leaves of plants, must have been 

 suspended, or performed by other organs, as no 

 deficiency of vegetative powers was apparent. 



But insects alone were not the cause of all the 

 denudation and unsightly appearance which our 

 orchards and other trees so remarkably presented 

 this year ; for the destruction of the foliage was 

 accomplished in part by some malignant influences, 

 not well understood. Like the Egyptian king, we 

 are accustomed to attribute all our evils of this 

 nature to the " blasting of the east wind ;" yet 

 we find all aspects and places obnoxious to it : one 

 situation may be exempted for a period of many 

 years from such visitations, when others suffer ; on 

 a sudden, a partial or a local stream of hot, cold, 

 salt, or what we denominate a pestilential wind, 

 sweeps along, and it is destroyed. 



Surrounded by and situate in the midst of an 

 agricultural district, we are eager and persevering 

 " leasers" here ; and it becomes in a certain de- 

 gree profitable to our poor, though they cannot 

 hope, like the dutiful Ruth, to gather their three 



