THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



359 



I caned away and broug:ht back, in return, some 

 good manure mixed wild earlii, and placed ii 

 around the trees. In this way I got rid of a vasi 

 number of the worms by removini; iliem wiiii ihe 

 din, besides increasing the growth and IruitCulnees 

 ol ihe trees. I then covered the compost over 

 with spent baric or tan, which I have Ibumi bene- 

 ficial by preventing tlie growth ol'grass, and keep- 

 ing the earth loose, and by the property it pos- 

 sesses oCretainmg Irost, the eartli around the trees 

 is kept I'rozen, causing the irrubs to remain siill 

 during the moderate weaiher in February, March, 

 and beginning of April, thereby avoidmg the 

 necessiiy of tarring during this period. In the 

 autumn and spring Ibilowing liie trees were tarred, 

 and alter the grubs were done running, tliey were 

 scraped, and a wash composed of hme, soap 

 suds, clay, and cow-dung applied wi;ha whitewash 

 brush 10 ihe trunk and branches. The trees 

 were carefully pruned about the middle of May, 

 by removing all the dead and diseased limbs, 

 which, in consequence of repeated injury (hey 

 had sustained by the worms, had become quite 

 numerous. 



There is nothing, perhaps, that will so soon 

 <:ause decay in an apple tree as this insect. You 

 will first notice tl e injury by observing the ex- 

 tremities of the branches, which will be dead, and 

 unless they are removed in pruning, the disease 

 will extend along fo the trunk, and cause the deefih 

 of the tree. Trees deprived of their loliage by the 

 worm, generally put Ibrih again the same season, 

 but this extra labor of furnishing new leaves is 

 very exhausting to the viizor of the tree, and hence 

 it becomes necessary to prune close, and apply ma- 

 nure, and in some bad cases of injury, the more 

 stimulating the better. 



When manure cannot be obtained, digging 

 around the tree will answer a good purpose by 

 crushing the chrysalis, exposing it to the aciion of 

 the sun and air, or to be devoured by birds, and the 

 earth being loosened, will impart vigor to the tree. 

 The question may be asked by some of your read- 

 ers, when is the best time to dig around the tree? 

 In reply, I would answer, I consider the first of 

 July the best season, although it may be done at 

 any time, from that period to the fall of the leaves 

 in autumn. The reasons for my preferring the 

 first of July are these. The worms having passed 

 into the chrysalis state, the shells are soft and len- 

 der, and are more easily crushed by digains, and 

 the tree will the sooner recover from its injury by 

 receiving an immediate benefit from your assistance, 

 but if delayed until auiumn it will derive little bene- 

 fit from your labors the present year. I have suc- 

 ceeded by the process above described, in com- 

 pletely restoring trees to the higlieel stale of health 

 and vijror, covering them with an abundance of 

 fi-uit and (oliage, and with bur very little appear- 

 ance, of the canker worm. Yours, with respect 

 and esteem, . S. P. Fowler. 



[Having previously sitrnified our intention to 

 copy the above article, Mr. Fowler, after requesting 

 us to make a few corrections, adds—] 



The method to be used to renovate and restore 

 to health and vigor apple trees that have received in- 

 jury from the canker loorm.— When trees have 

 been suffered to be eaten ior several years, as is i 



sometimes done by some persons, under the mis- 

 taken notion that it is best to let ihem alone and 

 cat Ihemselfcs out, as ihey term it, it (i-equenily bo- 

 con)es a sutiject of inquiry, what is best lodo with 

 them to restore them I I will relate to you ilio 

 method a neiirhbor of mine piirsueil in regard to 

 his trees, by my suggestion. He hail sull'ered the 

 canker worm to injure ihem most severely ; many 

 ol the limbs were dead — others partially so ; suck- 

 ers were growing up li-om the middle ol the tree ; 

 the lin)bs and trunks covered vviih moss, and with 

 the appearance of canker — exhibiting decay and 

 disease. Four different modes to pursue toward 

 the trees presented themselves to our mimls. 

 'I'he first was to cut Ihem down and set out new 

 ones ; but this was given up, when we considered 

 that it was a well established fact, that new 

 orchards do badly on the site of o'd ones. The 

 second was, to head thorn down, afier the manner 

 laid down by Forsyth and other vvrilers, to restore 

 oW and decayed trees ; but this mode was aban- 

 doned, for reasons which will hereafier appear. 

 The third was, to tritn out the suckers and cut off 

 the dead limbs, shorten those half dead by cutting 

 them down to the live wood, pruningclose, plough- 

 ing or digging amongst the roots ; how we should 

 have succeeded in pursuinij this method, I do not 

 know ; it has been practised by Capt. Benj. Porter 

 this spring upon his trees, which you will remem- 

 ber the canker worms and netrlect have caused to 

 be in a bad condition. We shall see the results 

 in a lew years, if we live. Had I owned that 

 large orchard, I would have given considera- 

 ble lor the opportunity which he had of entirely 

 changing his trees, by grafting the suckers upon 

 his old, and many of them poor varieties of ap- 

 ples, and substituting the new and better kinds 

 of Iruit. 



Our principal objection to this method was the 

 difficulty of again imparling vigor in old and 

 diseased tops, full of moss and canker, and likewise 

 perceiving the tendency of the aap to flow into the 

 suckers instead of the old limbs ; and should these 

 suckers be removed every year, or indeed twice a 

 year, as we have sometimes done, siill there is a 

 tendency in the tree to throw out new suckers, 

 plainly indicating thereby that it is btriving to ob- 

 tain a new top, which in lime it would acquire 

 without assistance, (although much better with it,) 

 by the growth of the suckers and the old limbs dy- 

 ing down to the trunk. Our fourth method, which 

 we practised with success, and recommended to 

 others, is as Ibllows. First, to cut out all dead 

 limbs close to the trunk, and when large, apply 

 paint, with a brush,, to the wounds. Red or yel- 

 low ochre is best ; by the way we consider this 

 the best application for wounds caused by remov- 

 ing large limbs, or by accidents, that can be made. 

 I applied Forsyth's composition to the ends of 

 limbs removed in pruning a few years since, and 

 I (ound some of them rottf n, caused by its retain- 

 ing moisture, as I supposed. Cut off all partially 

 dead limbs down to the live wood. Trim out the 

 suckers' leaving a sufficient number of the most 

 vigorous to form a good head to the trees, and 

 apply the wash ; dig around the trees and apply 

 manure, if you have it. When the suckers have 

 acquired a sufficient size, graft them, and as they 

 grow and occasion maj' require, cut the old limbs 

 out close to the grafts at the fork, prune the grafts 

 and give them a proper direction, so as to form a 



