Vol. VII.— No. 37. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



291 



The swarm, from which this collection of bees 

 was taken, starved to death ; came late in the 

 season, and the unfavorableness of the weather, 

 which was unusually wet, did not enable them to 

 make a sufficient supply of food, for their own 

 preservation. 



JVo. 2 Contains a Queen bee, a Working bee, 

 and a Drone, or Male bee, not in a good state of 

 preservation, on account of their moulding last 

 summer, and again drying. 



JVo. 3 Contains three Drones, or male bees, 

 three working bees, and a full sized apple tree 

 borer, all in a good state of preservation. The 

 borer was taken the moment of eating through the 

 bark of the apple tree, after three years annoy- 

 ance to it. 



jVo. 4 Contains a number of Queen bee cells, 

 detached from the old comb, not in a good state 

 of preservation, as they also moulded last sum- 

 mer. 



JVo. 5 Contains a number of the Bee Millers, 

 not in a very good state of preservation, moulding 

 in the sunnncr likewise. 



JVo. 6 Contains some earth with a number of 

 excrescences or warts of the plum tree. In these 

 warts are the maggots which produce the bug [ 

 called " Curculio" that destroys the plum fruit, and 

 the branches ; one of the grubs in this collection 

 has made its appearance, the glass having been 

 put in a sunny place ; and after remaining a day 

 in sight, has secreted itself in the dirt, there to 

 turn to a chrysalis state. The grub^esemliled 

 somewhat the female or wingless canker wcrni 

 grub, but in size, less. I presume more are in ihe 

 warts, and in a few days, the bug curculio will be 

 produced from the chrysalis.f 



JYo. 7 Contains five moth worms, such as des- 

 troy the comb in the hive. I have taken out tvo 

 quarts of such this season from one hive. Wiat 

 few bees were left, were drove in the corner and 

 there perished. 



I intended to have sent some pear tree liorers, 

 (if I may so call them) but they have eaten through 

 a gooil cork that confined them in a bottle, and 

 consequently made their escape. Last Septem- 

 ber I took from two pear trees, the above borers, 

 from under the bark of the body of the tree ; the 

 trees had been very thrifty and healthy, but were 

 then reduced to one branch each, the others hav- 

 ing been sawed off on account of their being stung 

 and dying. These borers are found in round 

 spots, in size, from half a cent to a dollar ; by 

 white washing the tree, the stain comes througli, 

 and they are easily found. I should think I des- 

 troyed fifty, besides eight or ten I preserved in a 

 bottle. They are a little longer than a barley 

 corn, but not quite so large round ; full of little 

 bristles, which extend fro[u the body, and a black 

 head. When I extracted these from the tree, 1 

 observed three or four on the outside, lowering 

 themselves down by their web, and presume they 

 were going into the ground, (for I can now find 

 none in tlie trees,) there to change to a chrysalis 

 state, and next sununer appear in a bug shape {as 



the plum curculio) and stinging and poisoning 

 again the branches with their eggs. When the 

 branches are stiuig the bark turns rcil, cms atul 

 looks something like liver — a red water runs from 

 it. Tile sooner it is cut off and burnt the better, 

 as we are then sure none will escape. When the 

 body of the tree is diseased, the sooner also, that 

 is dug u[), and served in the same manner the bet- 

 ter. It ap])ears to me the only way to destroy 

 this insect, is to destroy their eggs in the tree. — 

 My reluctance to dig up my trees, before they 

 were so much affected, has proved much to my 

 cisadvantage.f 



If the above observations, will assist to put a 

 stop to these great depredators of our pear trees,it 

 will be a great satisfaction to the writer of this ar- 

 ticle. S. D. 



Dorchester, March 30, 1829. 



t Tlif- warts should bp cie.sliovfid before this time, in June 

 and July would he best. Be careful to go far cnou2;l) below ilie 

 excrescences, not lo leave a black spot in the sap wood. It 

 would be still better lo jar the tree a little, and then the punc- 

 tured phuiis would fall ; then lake the fallen ones and hum 

 Ihem. If you have near neis^lihors recommend the same to 

 them. The maggot leaves the fallen plums in less than twealy- 

 four hours, and goes into the ground, and there changes to the 

 chrysalis slate. Some varieties of plum trees the cnrcjiio 

 avoids; I presume the gum does not suit them ; fruit is llieir 

 first choice, as plums, apricots, fcc. liy following these rules 

 ^•ou can keep them under, if not exterminate them. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Mr Editor — We have no inclination to engage 

 b a newspaper controversy ; but in our own de- 

 fence we beg to make one or two remarks on the 

 communication of Mr J. W. P. in your last Farm- 

 tr. The remarks on the Report of the E.Ag.Soc'y, 

 vere written neither at the suggestion, nor with 

 tie privity of the tenant of the Indian Hill Farm ; 

 nir with any intentional disrespect to the Com- 

 mittee ; but from a sense of wrong, which Mr P.'s 

 defence has not lessened. Nor is this feeling con- 

 fined to oil I selves. 



We know but little of the proceedings at the 

 Essex Cattle Show. We are ready to believe that 

 the Committee designed on that occasion to act 

 with judgment and impartiality ; and it is difficult 

 in such a thankless office to avoid complaint, or 

 ever to satisfy a disappointed competitor. In the 

 decision, upon farms, Mr G. having entered his 

 farm -for premium was justly liable to censure in 

 not complying with the conditions prescribed and 

 furnishing an exact account of the labor and pro- 

 duce. The Committee were bound to notice the 

 farm and state the facts in the case, which had 

 come to their knowledge, whether they made for 

 or against the competitor. But beyond this we 

 hold they had no right to suggest anything against 

 this individual's private character, by insinuating 

 that such a fondness for dogs and horses on his 

 part as must lead to a foolish and wasteful expen- 

 diture ; an inference in respect to him, though it 

 might be unintentional on the part of the Commit- 

 tee, which would be likely to be made on every 

 one, who read the report. 



In common with the Committee we should be 

 hapiiy to see the result with respect to this farm 

 for the year ; and we still believe that the produce, 

 in proportion to the labor employed and the facil- 

 ities oflered, has not been surpassed by any farm 

 in the county. In this, however, we may be mis- 

 taken ; and we rely much on the judgment of 

 those, who have had more favorable opportunities 

 of observation than we pretend to. But then in 

 comparing the expense with the produce, certain- 

 ly it would not be fair to charge to the current 

 year all that has been expended for stock, utensils, 

 and permanent improvements. Tiiese make a 

 part of the capital stock of a farm. On the side of 

 expense is to be placed, not the cost of these arti- 

 cles, but the interest of their cost, with a proper 



allowance for loss, or injury, or deterioration.— 

 Nor is the full cost of the manure purchased to 

 be placed to the expense of the /)rcsc7!( year, since 

 Its benefits will be felt for some time to come. On 

 tlie other hand, the tenant is lo be credited not 

 merely with the amount of produce raised, but 

 likewise with the permanent improvements, such 

 as walls built, hedges formed, trees planted, thresh- 

 ing ii:ill erected, &c. &c. together with some al- 

 lowance for tlie better condition of the estate. — 

 We should be glad to see this account fairly stated, 

 and we believe that the result would be creditable 

 to the tenant. This, however, is matter of judg- 

 ment merely, in which we have no disposition to 

 set U|) our own opinion in opposition to the judg- 

 ment of the Committee. 



We cannot but hope that the exact statements 

 of the different claimants for premiums, as to pro- 

 duce and management of their farms, will.be forth- 

 coming. The public will be benefited by such 

 stateitients ; the more particular the better. 



Our remarks on the general character of re- 

 ports, and the attempts at wit in them, had no ref- 

 erence to this case, but to the reports of a neigh- 

 boring county, on swine, &c., which were indeed 

 very amusing, but we think out of place. We as- 

 sure you, Mr Editor, that in regard to the Essex 

 report, we are indeed not guilty even of suspect- 

 ing that there was any wit in it. Like other wise 

 men, upon review, we firmly adhere to our opin- 

 ions, and beg leave with all due " mildness and 

 courtesy" to subscribe ourselves. 



Respectfully yours, 



March 20, 1829. ESSEX. 



J Pear trees which are very thrifty and have smooth branches, 

 are the choice of the bug. The first tree that was attacked in my 

 garden, was near a manure heap. I have not seen a pasture, 

 or slow growing pear tree atlacked yet. 



SITUATIONS FOR BOYS. 



Mr Editor — It frequently happens, in my in- 

 tercourse with the poor, as a minister at large in 

 this city, that parents apply to me for jilaces for 

 their children, and especially for their boys, for 

 whom they are not able to provide food and 

 clothing at home. And as I should be particular- 

 ly glati to send these children into the country, I 

 will beg the favor of you, either by publishing this 

 note in your paper, or in any other way which you 

 may think to be better, to give notice that, if a 

 farmer or a mechanic in the country, is disposed 

 to take a boy from the city, to be brought up 

 either in his shop, or on a farm, I shall be ready 

 to give him any assistance which is in my power 

 in obtaining one, who may at once meet his own 

 wishes ; and by taking whom into his family, he 

 may perform an important act of christian charity. 

 Respectfully, 



JOSEPH TUCKERMAN. 



March 18, 1829. 



CASTOR OIL. 

 Dr D. A. Reese, of Monticelio, Geo. made about 

 600 bottles of Castor Oil last year, notwithstand- 

 ing the dry season. The best Castor Oil now 

 used is made in this country. Several years since 

 this medicine was a very nauseous one ; it not un- 

 fiequently caused the throats of luitients to smart, 

 by reason of its rancidity. It is now sold desti- 

 tute of every unpleasant smell, and as transparent 

 as water. Old associations still cause many per- 

 sons to shudder at its name : yet we hear of some 

 who regard the flavor of it as similar to that of 

 walnuts, and one in particular declares that he 

 could relish it on bread. — Bast. Pat. 



Apples grown on dwarf trees, are brought to. 

 the fruit market of Paris in December. 



