NEW 



JitfR« 



Published by John B. Russell, at M. 52 JVorth Market Street, (at the Agricultural Harehouse) Thomas^gTfessenden, Editor. 



VOL. YII. 



COMMUNICATIONS. 



B OSTON, FRIDAY , MAY 22, 1829. 



No. 44. 



FOR THE NEW ENGT.iiND FARMER. 



INSECTS ON VINES. 



rVeslon, nth jMay,\S^Q. j From tlie torpid state in which wc find sai'l 

 Mr J. B. Russell— III coiiiphancc witli your; hugs in the morning, / doubt much whether it would 

 request, to state the substance of our conversation, i answer any purpose to light a blaze of an if kind, ia 

 last Saturday, on the cuhivation of squashes and the night, near the planted spot, loith an expectation 

 otiier plants exposed to the devastation of bugs, ! that the bugs ivould be attracted by, and jlii into it. 

 an.l llie best method to prevent it, I will say brief- ] The chill of the night renders them stitiVand de- 

 ly, that It IS a matter of great difficulty to protect ; prives them almost eiitirelv of the power of mo- 

 such plants against said insects, especially in hot i tion. The nocturnal insects, whose appointed 

 dry seasons. And the more so yet, if the planta- [ time of activity, is the night, are attracted by the 

 tion IS maile successively from season to season light ; accordingly, we find, in summer evenings, 

 upon the same s|)ot. I expect that they deposit the various species of moth, the lar^e brown beetle, 

 iheir seed in the soil, and that it is the cause why and-smaller black ones, attracted^ by the li-ht of 

 much fewer insects are seen the first year, that a candles, and fly into it. These rest, and are tor- 

 spot of groniid is appropriated to that culture, and pid, in the day time. We never find butterfiies 

 that they multiply alterwards, from year to year, nor any otiier kind of insects, which are active in 

 until It becomes almost impossible to save the the dav, to make their appearance in the evening 

 plants liom destruction. It is owing also to the in our dwelhmrs and about our lights, 

 same cause J expect, that we meet with much The piaster^ I have used for the dressing of 

 less trouble Irom the bugs, by raising squashes in ' squashes an I melons, is that kind preferred by the 

 a held in the remote part of the farm, than any farmers of Pennsylvania, being streaked with red, 

 wliere near to gardens, or to pieces of old culti- and I have prepared it according to the method of 

 vate.l grounds. Ihe choice then of a field, new- Europe, by getting it calcined and then ground, 

 ly broken from the sward, is a very desirable ' which I have been assured, renders its powers 

 measure of prevention. Another, I have found much more active. I have used it with success 

 by experience, IS to place the squash bed in a fiekl , for corn and potatoes, but shall not enter on the 

 ot potatoes, or have it surrounded by several rows subject at present. In the mean wliile, as it may 

 ot Ihcm, inasmuch that the small black and yel-: be pleasant to some members of the Horticultural 

 low striped bug feeds occasionally on the leaves | Society, to try what a degree of efficacy it may 

 ot the potatoes, and by that arrangement boM- I have for the object of our inquiry, which i^ the 

 provided with a choice of food, the mischief ho- protection of vines, I shall do myself the ijleas- 

 comes divided between the two plants, and pro- , ure to send you, soon, a few sn all packets of the 

 tection is much easier bestowed on the squashes. ! same, for their acceptance, and remain sincerely 

 Pumpkins planted in a potato field, sticking the | your friend and servant, J. M. GOURGAS 



seeds in the hills, and led to their own chance, I i Mr J. B. Russell 



[the bugs are under the torpid influence of the ; It was formerly recommended to wear the skin 

 1 night's chill, and destroy them with the fingers, i of a hyena round the neck to prevent the hydro- 

 ! But when a plantation is extensive, it is a consid- ( phobia, or to eat the hver of a mad doy 

 I era'ile undertaking, and in such a case the use of | edy against the poison of its bite, 

 the plaster is valuable. j It appears that the writer of the article referred 



to has c.iloptcd the method recommended by some 



as a rem- 



have seldom known to be materially injured. Mil- 1 

 linet frames may answer a good purpose, but it j 

 would be expensive for a large cuhivation, besides j 

 tbey dejirive the plants of some portion of air, and ] 

 heat, and cannot protect beyond certain narrow j 

 limits, which the vines will soon outrun 

 I ha 



Member of the Council of the Mass. Hort. Soc. 



apiarians of elevating his hives by supports under 

 the corners to prevent the depredations of the 

 bee moth. But in this instance as in many oth- 

 ers the method has proved ineffectual. A treatise 

 recently published by Messrs Marsh & Capen, on 

 the management of bees, and the prevention of 

 the ravages of the bee moth, will be found to 

 contain the requisite information on the subject. 

 There is one fact observable in the economy of 

 bees, which to my mind is inexplicable. In the 

 cold weather in the month of March, before a tree 

 or shrub was in bloom, or any signs of vegetation 

 was manifested, these industrious insects were 

 seen returning to their hives, with their legs load- 

 ed with balls of a substance resembling the pollen 

 which they procure from flowers and blossoms in 

 their season. If any curious observer can ac- 

 count for the manner in which this substance is 

 manufactured, the information would be very ac- 

 ceptable. MEDICUS. 

 Plymouth, May 11, 1829. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



FOR THE ICEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



BEES 



Mr Fessenden — I observed in the Centinel of 



,,™ ,,.: . „, „ •.-.,. I the 6th inst. an article taken from the American 



comnenTd «s l/TT '"■"'^: "'""•^'''^'t^ f"- i Daily Advertiser, headed Salt your Bees, which 



se t u h as s,.i2 ?f '' ""^ '" ;'"''" , '"" 1 "'"''"''' "'^ '="'-'-"-V- The writer of th; article 

 sects, sucn as spirit ot turpentine iilaced in rinm ,i„ i ■ , , • ■ 



shells nrnnn.r tL =n„ I '"= '""'^^ 1"'"=^'^ '" Clam , describes minutely his interview with '• a itoW/.w 

 sneiis among tne squash and melon vmp*! • «iwli /^ 71 u , , . . ^ 



nffain •.« pl-,^„= „1 .. I • < ■ , ' , ' <^'^""n«> hy whose advice he [iiit a teaspoonful of 



again, as clams placed in number round the 1) ants <-r,n ,,.,,i.,,„ 1 /■ u- u i- •' . '' 



in the expectation that the effluvia of their e" J n"L 1 r\ " ""'' "' ,'' V''^'""''' 



would drive the insects awav, hut thi was d? n f H """"'^"" "[/'" ^^°'™^' T^' f'*^'" " ''"" 

 , ,. o".>Y, ijui inis Hd» all in of this quantity was blown awav bv the wnrl 



22 u'lef^ Z" rr' ■ 7;'"" "Tp; ' "-'"' ''""' ^^"-viUistandiJlg this diLIter how^C nioT Ld 

 oTer</"el af/j /,fr l,^'™"''' ^'-'^'•f^""* worms were found under the hives the next morn 

 over me plants, whilst the dew was on, in such man 



ner that the leaves, the stalks, and the heart shal 



ing than had been seen the whole season before. 



all be covered with a substantial coat of th 



" I attribute this," says the credulous writer, " to 



and to lav if aUn ..n .K» 1 ■ • u ■ ■"' ^f""^'' the effects of the salt I put under the hives ves- 

 ana to lay it also on the soil, six inches round ' ■ '^ 



pro- . worthy German." It would in my opinion be inncl 



butts of the plants; this will gi^e an;:i^e"ctu? '^'^^ ^''^'^^ ""' "'« --ecommendation of my friend the 



tection, provided the plaster dressing should be re-! more rational to ascribe thi 

 newed whenever, and as often as rain nr win,t 1 . .isLriue ini 



will reurlpr it „AP^f„l IT , .'."^ "'" "' """f" I Worms to the stings of the bees, and 

 Will reiiaer it needtul. Under this system I have 



had squash beds prosper greatly, and I liave an 

 impression that the plaster assisted, not merely as 

 a protection against the insects, but also as a ma- 

 nure or stimulant. When a plantation consists 

 only of a few hills, there is no way so sure as the 

 old one, to visit them as soon as day hght, whilst 



slaughter of the 

 if the writer 

 and his German friend still have faith in the ex- 

 traordinary efficacy of their antidote let them have 

 recourse to the ordeal by burying some of the 

 worms in a bed of salt for several hours, to decide 

 the question of life or death, and the result will 

 probably cure their credulity. 



" No nrgument like maUer of fad is." 



SWEET POTATOES. 



Mr Editor — Finding that the people of your 

 region are somewhat awake to the subject of cul- 

 tivating th< Carolina, or sweet potato, I have con- 

 cluded that it would be jirofitable for them to re- 

 ceive correct infurniation relative to the culture of 

 this valuable root, and it will afford me no small 

 pleasure to coniniiiiiicate it, if you will have the 

 goodness to give it a place in your invaluable pa- 

 per. 



METHOD OK UAISI.NG SWEET POTATOES IK A 

 NORTHERN CLIMATE. 



As early in the spring as the season will admit, 

 make a hot bed, which must be covered five or 

 si.'w inch's with good rich sod. Lay your potatoes 

 side by side, and cover ihcm IJ inches deep with 

 earth. If you cover your bed with glass, your 

 plants will come fi>rvvaid sooner. But a bed with- 

 out glass will answer every jiurpose, and be suf- 

 ficiently early. When your plants are four or five 

 inches high they will be fit for setting out, which 

 should he done in the following manner. After 

 making your ground perfectly mellow, furrow and 

 cross it four feet each way. At the crossing of 

 the furrow place a shovel full of fresh manure 

 from the horse stable. Level your manure and 

 cover it six or seven inches with earth, leaving it 

 flat on the top, 8 or 10 inches. It would be well 

 to have your hills made a few days previous to 

 planting, so as to be in readiness to embrace the 

 first favorable season for setting your plants. 



Now take your potatoes out of the bed, and on 

 examining them you will find a sprout coining 

 from the eye, and a little above, several coming 

 from the first, all vtith small roots. Three of these 

 plants are sufficient for a hill. I have planted 

 twenty-nine hills from a single potato, which pro- 

 duced a good yield in the fall season. After cut- 



