Vol. VII.— Nn, 45. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



355 



spring, without the least appearance of club- 

 bing. 



Remarks bi/ the Editor of the A*. E. Farmer. — 

 Charcoal is not only uscliil as an antidote against 

 insects, hut is a valuable manure. Dr Deaiie stateil 

 that he had long observed where coal kilns have 

 been bumf, the ground has discovered a remarka- 

 ble fertility for many years after ; and more es- 

 ))ecially when it has been a cold and wet soil. — 

 The dust of the coals and that of the burnt turf 

 have conspired to produce this effect. Hence I 

 have concltnlcd the small coals, or the dust from 

 coal kilns, spread over sour meadow lands woulil 

 Miswer the end of a good manure. Being extreme- 

 ly porous, the pieces of coal imbibe much of the 

 superlluous water, as well as increase the heat on 

 the surface, as all black substances do. And when 

 the weather becomes dry, they discharge the 

 moisture, partly into the soil, when it grows dry 

 enough to attract it, and partly into the air by the 

 action of the sun upon it. 



It is stated in the last Philadelphia edition of 

 Willich's Domestic Encyclopedia, vol. i. page 655, 

 that " a friend of Dr Mease informed him, that 

 some years since, nearly all the cucumber and 

 melon vines in New Jersey were destroyed by a 

 fly or hug. One day he had occasion to ride past 

 a miserable hut in the woods, and perceiving a 

 very flourishing ])atch of cucumbers, he was in- 

 duced to dismount and examuie it. On approach- 

 ing the spot he found it had formerly been a 

 charcoal heap. He took the hint, and by strew- 

 ing powdered charcoal round about the vines, 

 when they first come up preserves his cucumbers 

 effectually." 



DECAY OP TREES. 



An opinion has been advanceil, that the gcu- 

 era! decay of the Lombardy poplar in this coun- 

 try was owing to the circumstance of its being 

 cultivated from cuttings, and not from the seed ; 

 the principle being assumed, that a tree, so raised, 

 will not long survive the natural life of the parent 

 stock. The same principle is a|)])lied to grafted 

 trees. To this theory, and of course to the con- 

 sequence derived from it, we, on another occasion, 

 expressed our dissent. We have seen no reason 

 to alter our 0])iiiion. Still, as it is a controverted 

 point, and one which may, ere long, be of impor- 

 tance to cultivators of fruit, and of oruumental 

 trees, we should like to turn the attention of the 

 public to the subject, in order to draw forth su.ch 

 facts as may have fallen within the observation of 

 any one, having a bearing upon it. 



The Lombardy poplar was introduced into the 

 Middle States, many years before it was in this 

 vicinity, and we very well recollect, as much as 

 fifteen or twenty years since, while they were jet 

 in full vigor and luxuriance here, of hearing a 

 man from New Jersey give an account of their 

 decay in some |)Trts of that State, which exactly 

 corresponded with the ajjpearance which the trees 

 now present in this vicinity. If the ])rinciple as- 

 sumed be correct, should not the decay have been 

 simultaneous, or nearly so ? Another fact which 

 may have some bearing upon the subject, is, that 

 the IJalm of Gilead, which belongs to the siune 

 genus with the ))oplar, is very generally decaying 

 in the same manner that that tree does. The na- 

 tive poplar, also, in many places, presents a simi- 

 lar appearance. 



It has been said, wo think by the Editor of the 



Massachusetts Journal, that no instance can be 

 found, where the poplar has grown from cuttings, 

 for several years past. Is it true that attempts 

 have been made to cidtivate it in that way, which 

 have failed ? Or, has the tree fallen inlo such 

 disrepute that no attempt has been made to pro- 

 pagate it ? If any of our readers can furnisli us 

 with any facts to this point, they will he gladly 

 received and laid before the public. We have a 

 number of cuttings, from a very old and decayed 

 tree, which now look healthy and vigorous. How 

 long they will continue so, remains to be ascer- 

 tained. — Mass. Spy. 



From the Taunton Advocate. 



CATERPILLARS. 

 . Brother Jo.xatha.n — Your attention will soon 

 he put in requisition to destroy the caterpillar — that 

 most destructive enemy to the well doing and 

 beauty of an orchard. A few more warm days 

 will bring them forth in numbers sufficient to des- 

 troy the foliage, and consequently a greater part 

 of the fruit. But fortunately, there is hardly a 

 grievance without its remedy — which is in watch- 

 ing your trees daily, for a short time, and when 

 you see the caterpillar nests forming, to twist them 

 oft" with the famous Pickering brush, made fast to 

 a long pole. This brush was invented a few years 

 since, by tlie Hon. T. Pickering, of Salem, and the 

 construction is very simple and effectual in the 

 oljject designed. Now I am thinking, and I will 

 ventm'c to write it, that if your sons, and your 

 neighbors' sons, will furnish thetnselves each with 

 a long pole and one of those brushes, on Electioji 

 day, and do their utmost to destroy these destroy- 

 ers, they will he doing a good dead — altogether 

 hctter than to nuirder the thousands of little in- 

 nocejit birds, that is in contemplation on that day. 

 If the towns in the State would take the matter 

 in hand, tin-n out en masst, for two hours on three 

 successive days, and follow this practice fur thrcs 

 years, there would not he a caterpillar in the 

 State. A thing so desirable is not likely to take 

 place, therefore individuals must do their best to 

 protect their own orchards, and leave the general 

 destruction to some future generations to accom- 

 plish. 



The history of the caterpillar is very well known 

 — and from that knowledge I have no hesitancy 

 in averring that the annihilation of that insect is 

 made easy. But it must be done in the month 

 of May — their nests, together with the contents, 

 must be taken off the trees and rubbed under foot. 

 If they are suffered to remain undisturbed till 

 June, it will be out of the power of man to effect 

 much towards their destruction — for they begin 

 at that time to leave their nests and scatter upon 

 the trees, having nearly acquired a full growth. 



It is not only necessary to examine every ap- 

 ple tree on your farm; but also every other tree 

 that seems to be the favorite of these vermin — the 

 wiltl cherry tree stands first in their estimation, 

 after the apple tree. VERITxVS. 



Tauntan, May 14, 1S29. 



pounds of hemp or flax in an hour." This ma- 

 chine has been tried in New York, Vermont, Ohio, 

 &c., and according to the certifitrates published 

 in the newspapers, is everywhere approved. The 

 hemp or flax is broken by the niacliine, and if un- 

 rotted, the fibre is then immersed in water a kv; 

 days, dried, and again run through the machine, 

 which makes it fit for use. 



The Hon. Samuel Lathrop, of West Spring- 

 field, in a communication in the N. E. Farmer, 

 says, the hemp raised in his neighborhood, when 

 xcdl dressed, commands in market the highest price 

 of the best Russian hemp — from $10 to $12,50 

 per hundred. He lets out his land upon shares, 

 and in one instance, received more than 45 dollars 

 an acie clear profit. The price of other agricul- 

 tural products is so low, that he thinks it deserves 

 the consideration of farmers in different parts of 

 the country, whether their interest does not re- 

 quire them to turn a part of their land, and to ap- 

 ply a portion of their labor, to the cultivation of 

 hemp. The hem]) in West Springfield has hith- 

 erto been water rotted, and dressed by the brake 

 and swingling board. — Hamp. Gaz. 



HEMP MACHINE. 



nines & Bain's machine " is so constructed as 

 to operate 112 times on every inch of the stem ; 

 and when running at full speed, rising of 200,000 

 flutes operate on hemp, or flax per minute, in 

 sufficient force to crack and dislodge the stem, 

 and at the same time, preserve the coat or fibre 

 unimpaired. When well tended it will break 300 



A dentist in New York lias invented an instru- 

 ment which he calls the " patent lever tooth ex- 

 tractor." It is said to draw teeth with very little 

 pain. Those whose teeth give painful evidence of 

 ■a necessity of " I'cform," — we mean, of being 

 " turned out," will bail with gratitude the discov- 

 ery of any means of ])erforming the disagreeable 

 o[)cration, with niore than customary delicacy ; for 

 no one sees, without a pang, these faithful ser- 

 vants dismissed from office — even though their 

 place should be immediately sujiplied by that 

 friend of such new appointments, Rlr Plantou. — 

 The fact is, we know, when they are dismissed, 

 that they have been so long in that particular ser- 

 vice, they are fit for no other ; and apprehensions 

 are entertained, not without cause, that those 

 ^^■Ilich succeed them, may rather take their place 

 than discharge their duties. Troubles frequently 

 arise, we are aware, by painful experience, from 

 old incumbents ; but gratitude for services done, 

 and a fear of hurting our own feelings by eject- 

 ing them, often induce the sternest of us to retain 

 ihem in their situation, against the opinions of our 

 constitutional ad\isers. Nay, we even support 

 their reliets when their services have ceased — 

 though we are aware that such lenity must be of- 

 fensive to those who approach their pailicular de- 

 [lartment. — U. S. Gazette. 



Prince''s Botanic Garden, at Flushing, L. I. — 

 There are few persons who have not heard of 

 this establishment, and perhaps few who know its 

 extent. It covers mere than forty aci'cs and con- 

 tains about ten thousand sjiecies and varieties of 

 trees and plants. The green house contains from 

 twenty to thirty thousand plants in pots. In the 

 collection of fruit trees there are 2S7 varieties of 

 apples, 390 of pears, 98 of cherries, 183 of plums, 

 33 of ajiricots, 197 of peaches, 407 of grapes, 10 

 of (piincos, 57 of gooseberries, &c. There are 

 601 varieties of roses, vvbieli occupy an acre of 

 ground. The whole establishment requires the 

 constant attention of about 40 gardeners. — Salem 

 Observer. 



Essence of Pennyroyal, recommended at the 

 south as a preveinive, will cause nmsquitoes to 

 kcej) at a respectfid distance. This herb is callett 

 flea-bane in some places. 



