218 



NEW ENGLAND 



FAKMEK, 



.Tan. 30, 1S99. 



them. In nothing more than in this do we find 

 the old adage true " a sticli in time saves nine." 



Another troublesome visitor is the snail-like 

 worm called the " Slug." These are confined 

 principally to Pear, Clierry, and Plum trees ; — 

 pursuing their siiig-g-ts/i course over the leaves, and 

 feasting ujion their beautiful green, they soon 

 transform the delightful object into one most un- 

 sightly. I once had a pear tree entirely stripped 

 by them of its leaves in a few weeks, and these 

 being rejilaced the same season by new leaves, 

 the tree was of course much injured, and all hopes 

 of fruit the season following destroyed. I Itnow 

 of no better application than common wood ashes 

 sifted over the tree in the morning, and when no nir 

 is stirring, which will etfectually destroy the slug. 

 This should be attended to as soon as they first 

 appear, which is geneially about the first of July, 

 for if suflered to remain a few weeks until they 

 come to their full growth, it is said by Professor 

 Peck that they descend into the earth, and again 

 ascend in the form of a small black fly, to deposit 

 Bi new generation in the jilace occupied by the 

 former. By attaching a coarse sieve to a pole 

 and raising it over the tree, the ashes may be 

 scattered upon the leaves in a little time and with 

 little labor. 



The Peach tree does not appear to be subject 

 to the destruction of insects so much as other 

 fruit trees, but yet it is a very tender and delicate 

 tree, and subject to diseases and premature de- 

 cay. A disorder has lately made its appearance 

 among them in this neighborhood, which is ex- 

 ceedingly threatening, and which I have not seen 

 mentioned by any writer on horticulture that I 

 have read, except incidentally in the Farmer. — 

 The disease called the " Yellows," which is said 

 to have been so fatal to the peach tree in New 

 York, in some respects resembles this, as appears 

 by the description given of it in page 207 of 

 " Thacher's American Orchardist ;" but still it is 

 evident it is a very diflerent disease, and no doubt 

 is produced by a very difterent cause. I will en- 

 deavor to describe this disorder as far as it has 

 come under my observation for two or tiiree years 

 past, — not, however, so nnich with the expecfa- 

 tion of imparting instruction to others, as of induc- 

 ing those who have attended more closely to the 

 subject to communicate such information as will 

 point out the best method of treatment in order 

 to save tins most valuable fruit from the destruc- 

 tion which threatens it. 



The tree has the appearance of health and vig- 

 or until the buds have opened and the leaf is form- 

 ed, and in some instances until it has attained its 

 full size, when there appears, first on tlie leaves 

 nearest the groimd, and progressing Upw.irds, 

 blotches or blisters, which increase until the leaves 

 are curled or drawn into a jiucker ; they also be- 

 come pale and crispy, and finally fall off, and their 

 place is supplied by a new set of leaves, and the 

 tree puts on a new and fresh appearance. This, 

 however, destroys all the young fruit on the tree, 

 as far as the disease extends, and not only so, but 

 it is evident, such an extra effort must in a few 

 years exhaust the tree. It has been supposed by 

 some that it is caused by the worm which some- 

 times enters the root, and we are told of a Lady 

 who discovered that " hot water" applied to the 

 roots, caused the tree to revive and put forth with 

 new vigor, but I af)prehend the same result would 

 have been seen witliout the help of the boiling 

 water, Others have ascribed it to a [wisonous 



insect which attacks the tender leaves ; — this 

 seems to me a more rational idea, although I have 

 never discovered any ajipearance of insects, by 

 the most miimte observation. Others have con- 

 jectured that it might be ascribed to the wet 

 weather of the two last seasons. Again it has 

 been said it is general decay, in consequence of 

 continual grafting from old stocks, until the trees 

 have " run out," and lliat the only remedy is a re- 

 newal of trees from the seed. This looked very 

 plausible, and I do n't know but I should have 

 been a convert to the doctrine, had I not plain ev- 

 idence to the contrary, for I have a number of 

 trees which I raised from the stone, one or two of 

 which was changed by budding with another kind. 

 All these, together with a number obtained from 

 difterent nurseries, exhibit alike the same symp- 

 toms of decay, and although, early in the spring, 

 there was every appearance of an abundance of 

 fruit, none came to maturity excejjting at the ex- 

 treme parts of some of the branches to which the 

 disorder did not reach, — and here was produced 

 and njatured, perfect, fair, and. sound fruit, which 

 I think woidd not have been the case, if the difli- 

 cultv was caused by worms in the root, — but I 

 make these suggestions rather by way of inquiry, 

 and hope to see something more conclusive and 

 satisfactory from soine abler pen. 



I have no doubt of the utility of ashes put at 

 the roots of trees, it may destroy vermin, — cer- 

 tainly it will be a good manure, and I intend to 

 make trial of it the ensuing spring. 



Yours respectfully, D. F. 



Ckarlesloun), Jan. 21. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



LEHIGH COAL. 



Mr Ff.ssenden — Having used Lehigh coal in 

 my Library, for several years, and finding that 

 there was a considerable quantity accumulated, 

 which was too fine to burn, I have some of it 

 mixed up, with barely sufticient clay, previously 

 made into mortar, to connect the dust and small 

 ])ieces together, and the mass was formed into 

 balls, about the size of a twelve jiound shot, which 

 were then thoroughly dried. After a fire was 

 kindled with charcoal, and covered with a few 

 pieces of Lehigh of the usual size to burn freely, 

 the grate was filled with the balls ; — They burned 

 as well as pure lumps of the coal, and produced 

 an intense heat, and an excellent fire, which con- 

 tinued to burn for more than thirteen hours, with- 

 out being replenislied. 



As the dust and small pieces of coal are usual- 

 ly sifted out and thrown away, where large quan- 

 tities are used in the various manufactories, it may 

 be well for the proprietors to repeat this experi- 

 ment, to satisfy themselves, whether it is an object 

 thus to save the refuse coal. 



The clay should be first made into thin mortar, 

 in a large box or bin, and the small pieces of coal 

 and dust thrown in, and the whole mass well mix- 

 ed, taking care that no more clay is used than 

 merely to hold the pieces of coal together, when 

 the balls are dry. With an iron or a wooden 

 spoon, that will hold a mass equal to the size of a 

 twelve pound shot, or smaller, or larger, as may 

 be deemed best, the lumps may bo taken out and 

 placed on boards to dry, — the form of tha lumps 

 being of no consequence. H. 



The cultivation of beet-root for sugar is in- 

 creasing in France. 



ICE HOUSES AND REFPJGERATORS. " 



(Continued from page 212.J 

 The foregoing principles and laws of heat being 

 understood, will enable us to detect the defects rf" 

 ce houses in conmion use. In the most improv- 

 ed kinds I have seen, the ice is enclosed in a case 

 of jilank, or logs, within the pit ; an interstice 

 being left, between the sides of the case and the 

 pit ; which is commonly filled with straw ; the ice 

 posing on a loose floor of jjlank or logs, raised 

 a little above the bottom of the pit. Let us now 

 sup[)ose the case just filled with ice, defended 

 from winds and sunshine, but no straw, or other 

 nonconductor, either at the sides, or on the top ; 

 how will it be aflected as tlie weather becomes 

 ur.rm .' The particles of air reposing on the up- 

 per surface of the ice, will soon acquire the same 

 tt-mperature, and those above them which are 

 warmer, not being capable of parting with any 

 portion of their heat to them, the first will <piietly 

 remain ii] their places, in consequence of tlieir 

 greater specific gravity ; and of course, very little 

 of the ice will be melted at its np[)er sm'face. At 

 the sides it will be differently affected : heat will 

 he comnumicated from the earth to the ])urticlcs 

 of air in contact with the side of the pit, and be- 

 ing thereby rendered specifically lighter, they will 

 of coiu"se begin to move slowly upwards ; their 

 places below will be filled by those which have 

 not yet become rarefied ; and those settling down 

 from the sides of the ice, will leave a vacancy to- 

 wards the top. This will occasion the ascending 

 particles to inchne towards that vacancy, and 

 tinally to pass over ; then parting with their ac- 

 quired heat to the ice, become again condensed, 

 and in their turn descend. Thus a regular cur- 

 rent will be established, up the sides of the pit, 

 and down the sides of the ice ; and by this trans- 

 portation of heat, a considerable portion of the 

 ice will be melted. But as heat is much easier 

 propagated upwards than in any other direction, 

 it follows, that a far greater quantity will be com- 

 municated to the under surface of the ice, than to 

 the sides, even if the stratimi of air between it 

 and the bottom of the pit were to remain dry. — 

 But it has been premised, that heat increases the 

 cai)acity of air for irioisture, and that moisture in- 

 ^rea.ses its |)ov;cr of transjjorting heat at least four 

 fold. The dripping from the icu will soon afford 

 moisture in abundance ; the particles of air at the 

 bottom will alwnys receive heat from the earth, 

 and becoming at the same instant saturated with 

 moisture, they will ascend with ra])idity from 

 every part of the bottom, communicate their con- 

 tents to the ice, and descend with the same ve- 

 locity to obtain a fresh supply. So that the quan- 

 tity of ice melted at the sides, will bear but a 

 sinall proportion to the loss it will sustain at its 

 under sm"fac.e. 



From what has been said, it will easily be per- 

 ceived, that this mode of insulating ice, with at, 

 mospheric air, is much to be preferred to filKng 

 the pit entirely with ice as first mentioned ; be- 

 cause it cannot be sup]iosed that air, which is only 

 capable of conducting heat by means of the inter- 

 nal motion of its particles, even in the state most 

 favorable for the purpose, can convey it from a 

 warm, to a colder body, with the same facility 

 that it would be conveyed were the two bodies in 

 actual contact. But experience has proved, that 

 the conducting power of air may be much lessen- 

 ed by filling it with such nonconducting substan- 

 ces as will embarrass the particles in their pag- 



