so 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



Oct. 3, ISaS. 



M I S € 1^ ■-=— — 



^=-— ^~Tr>)C less than one third part of its value. 

 Tha inquiiy was received from a respected scien- 

 tific conesporulent, and tlie answer belnw was 

 from a gentleman, who has often benefitted the 

 public, and obliored us by his communications, and 

 the results of his researches in Entomology. 



f To the Editor of thf New Englmd Farmer.) ■" 



The worm found in plums and other stone- 

 fruits is the larva of a weevil, and apparently the 

 same as that described by Piof Peck, in the Ms. 

 Agr. Journal, for Jan. 1819. Prof Peck, calls 

 his insect Rynchsncs cerast, and says that he ob- 

 tained it from excrescences on the limbs of the 

 cherry trees, and that it proved to be the same 

 which was known to occasion the fall nf peaches 

 apricots and plums. From the latter fruit I ob- 

 tained the perfect insect, difl'ering in no respect 

 from that described by Prof. Peck. It is about 

 the size of the pea-bug, varieffated with brown 

 and white, the thighs with two teeth beneath, and 

 the wing-shells covered with 10 or ]"2 tM!)ercles, 

 4 of which, in the middle, are n<ili-he'i, Mack, and 

 larger than the rest, 2 of them friifpirufinsly so. 

 I am informed that the Gerninn entomologist 

 Herbst has described this iiispfi by the specific 

 name of J^Tenuphar ; but haviim- no copy of his 

 works, I cannot vouch for the correctness of the 

 information, nor detail any remarks which he 

 may have given respecting it. A paper by Mr 

 Tilton on this insect was first published by Dr 

 Mease in his Domestic Encycloiiedia, from which 

 it has been repeatedly republished in the various 

 horticultural treatises of this counti\y. 



Melsheinier in his catalogue observes that the 

 larva lives under the bark of the peach tree, and 

 we have Prof Peck's authority for the fact that it 

 is the cause of the excrescences on the cherrv 



ment is 0|)cned. Not having made any myself, it ' they were of a rich and melting quality, and con- 

 must be left to others to devise and point out a sidered by our horticultural friends to be the St. 



remedy against the injuries of this depredation. — Michaels, or very similar to them Editor. 



The following, which has already been suggested 

 appears to me most likely to be successful. 



1. To extirpate the rtiseased nodes or excres- 

 censes in June, and burn them, as directed by 

 Prof. Peck ; and 



2. To collect all fallen stone-fruit, and give it 

 to hogs : — 



To which may be added that the fl-uit should 

 not be suffered to remain long on the groun " 



FOB THE NEW ENGLAND FARMKR. 



HOUSE CHESNUTS — Q«en/. 



3Ir. Fesse.nden, — If you ure in possession of 

 the art of cultivating that beautilul tree with which 

 your city abounds, (the horse cliesnut) I shall es- 

 teem it a great favor to be informed of it — as I 

 have repeatedly planted the chesnut but never had 



that it should be boiled or steamed in order, ef- ^^c pleasure to see any of them grow. I have 

 fectually, to destroy the contained larvse ; and ''^*'^' ^■='"°"* ""y^- ""^ different soils, but with no 

 that the above processes should be universally a- success. I have taken a great deal of pams m a 

 dopted in order to exterminate this destructive in- ""'"her of instances, to procure the nuts and plant 

 , SCRUTATOR them, as I esteem thein more than any other orn- 



amental tree. Yours, respectivelj', 



L.JENKINS. 



Milton, Oct. 1, 1828. 



FOR THE NEW EXCLAND FARMER. 



Canandaigua, Sept. 25, 1828. 



I 



NEW FRUIT HEATHrOT PEAR. ' {C?" It is often the case that seeds lose the pow- 



Messrs ff'inship^ of Brig-hfov. <"• of vegetating in consequence of being kept out 



Ge.nti.emen— Confcrmablv tn vonr request, I of ^^^ ground too long after they become ripe— 

 send you a specimen nf the Hf^fhcot Pear ; as particularly tree seeds. A friend assures us thai 

 vou expressed ». wish in th= earlv part of the •>" ''^^ succeeded in raising the horse chesnut, 

 summer of bavins some of them s-nt to the New : "ud that his method waste plant the seeds in 

 England Farmer office, for exhibition,where Her- 1 mauure, or rich compost in autumn. Nature gen- 

 ticulturists cnuhl liave an opportunitv of judging "^I'^'Hy so"'^ 'he seeds of trees in autumn ; and, if 



for themselves 



This fine and handsome fruit is the produce of 

 a native tree, in the garden of the Hon. Christo- 

 pher Gore. The tree is now twelve years old ; 

 and first bore fruit in the year 1824, since which 

 it has luiiformly borne a good crop, the present 

 season to excess 



art would more frequently imitate nature in her 

 processes, they would be attended with fewer 

 failures. — Editor. 



Mr Fessenden — Observing a notice in your 



last paj)er, of a large calf raised by Mr Little, 



It resembles in ajipearanee and of Castine, I would observe that a neighbor of 



mine has one of the Durham Short Horn breed, 

 but 6 weeks old, which measures 4 feet 9 inches 

 in length, and 4 feet girth. It is thought the size 



richness of flavor the St. Michaels, though much 



larger ; of a beautiful yellow or straw colour, ting- 

 tree ; it probably is also the same tliat defoniis ! ^(^ with red on that side facing the sun, intermix- 

 the limbs of the plum-tree. i^*^ whh clusters of small black spots. The fruit i of the calf might easily have been enlarged, as it 



According to several memoranda the perfect in- I '^^ h'S^'lv flavored, and justly claims its place discovers a great propensity to fatten 

 .sect is found during most of the spring and sum- 1 '"""""^* the frst pears in the country, viz. the Yours, &c. 



mer months, but it first appears in May, when it ' Seckle, Bnrlhtt. S,r. I have named this pear after 

 commences puncturing the small fruit with its jiro- I ^^^ ^"0^1 old gardener, who raised it from seed, 

 boscis, and deposits, iu the puncture thus made, 

 an egg, which in process nf time becomes a mag- 



Since this tree came into bearing it has not suf- 

 fered by the diseases incident to many pears. — 

 got or worm, that causes the premature fall of the The fruit this year is smaller than it has been 

 fruit. The worm then easily escapes into the 

 earth, becomes a pupa, and returns to the surface P™duafed. 

 in its perfect state in about three weeks. Now 



heretufine, owing to the immense quantity it has 

 iirod. Sir, I am yours, &c. 



DORCHESTER. 



LOCUST WOOD. 



Mr Fesse.vde:* — With this you will receive sev- 

 eral pieces of Locusts, as samples, marked as fol- 

 lows : 



A — Is a small piece of the sill of a building ,e- 

 rectcd about 120 years ago, by Col. M'lutosh, on 

 the Mount Hope Farm in tliis town, and was at 



R. TOOHEY. 



this metamorphosis may take place at various j (E?' The above mentioned pears have been re- 1 first used as an Episcopal Church. A few years 

 times during the last of summer or beginning of ceiv^''' at ''i'' office of the New England Farmer, ' since this building was taken down, and the sills 

 autumn, when the perfect insect, findins no voung ' tlnough the hands of the Messrs. Winsuits, and , and other timbers of locust in the like good state 

 fruit, is compelled to oviposit or lay its offgs in the pronounced by good judges to be of a very superi- of preservation, were re-framed into another build- 

 small branches. The larva; live in the l.r»..nl. ! or quality. — Editor. 

 dm-in 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAKD FARMi 



larvfe tive in me urancii i 

 winter, and are not perfected till near the . 

 last of the ensuing June. Should, however, the i 

 fall of the fruit occur late in autumn the develop. | 

 ment of the perfect insect is retarded till tlie next i 

 sprmg, whence arises the brood which oviposits 

 ui fruit. 



It is a singular circumstance, and one which 

 hitherto has not been sufficiently explained, in the 

 history of this insect, that some broods should at- 

 tack the hmbs, and others the fruit. In this is 



rnanifest the wisdom of the Author of nature in j am sure, more than twenty-five years ago. 

 providing for a continuation of the species in va 

 rioiis continaencies. By this wonderful conjpen 

 sating contrivance in its economy, rliis little emit; 

 is secure of an appropriate nidus for its fiituri 



progeny in sterile regions and nnfruitful seasons 



FINE FRUIT. 



Mr. Fesse.nden, — The cause in which ymi are 

 enlisted, is my inducement and apology for send- 

 ing the accompanying box containing a dozen of 

 pears, produced by an engrafted sucker, from the 

 roots of a tree said to have been introduced by 

 Phillippee UEnglois, about one hundred and sev- 

 enty vears since ; the original tree disappeared 



If 

 YOU consider the subject worthy inquiry, I shall be 

 ready to answer ail in my ]io\ver. 



Your obedient servant, ]]. II. 



Sulcm. Sept. 2-5, 1S2S. 



Such, in brief, are the habits of this insect ; and ff?' The writer of the above will accept our 

 these being known, the way for successful cxperi- thanks for the pears which arrived in good order; 



B — No. 1 — Is a small sample from the butt of a 

 yellow locust tree cut two months since, and from 

 its concentric circles would appear to be thirty or 

 forty years old. 



No. 2 — Is another piece from the same tree of 

 No. 1, taken twenty feet from the ground. No. 3 

 are blocks and chips from the same tree. 



C — Is a block of White or Grey Locust, takcr» 

 from a tree cut the past winter and sold for posts. 

 This piece was taken about 20 feet from the butt 

 of the tree which was liollow a consider.', ble dis- 

 tance up. You will perceive that its heart is in 

 a state of decay. One more characteristic of the 

 white locust '!Ylii"!i I cughi to hpve mentioned is 

 that the white locust is a very sonr and sapp>i 

 wood, and thou^jh cut young and showing no signs 

 of decay from that cause, it soon passes ir.to that 

 slate. Yours, LEMUEL W. BRIGGS. 



