VOL,. 3SIV. jro. 8. 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER 



59 



Krom ihe New Havoii Heralil. 



THE CANKER W O R M S . 

 We (lid not notice tlio in<|iiiry of the Boston 

 Courier, mldressed to us on tiic subject of the can- 

 ker worm and gfrub, until yesterday, when we ri'- 

 ferred it to a friend conversant with the facts, who 

 has handed us the following communication. Our 

 own observation enables us to say that the remedy 

 practised here has been partially successful, and 

 will no doubt be productive of beneficial results. 

 The process is still pursued for the preservation of 

 our trees, with the substitution of sea weed instead 

 of hay or straw, to fill up the interstice between 

 the trough and the tree. The oil has no contact 

 with the tree, and of course can produce no injury. 

 We think it much more eft'ectual than the course 

 which we observed last summer on the Boston 

 Mall. 



Messrs Editors — Havinjj paid some attention to 

 the leaden troughs which have been placed around 

 the elms of our city, I will endeavor, in a few words, 

 to answer the inquiries of the Boston Courier re- 

 specting them. 



Here, I believe, there is but one opinion on the 

 subject. We are all, so far as I know, satisfied 

 from an experience of one y.'ar, that they answer 

 as completely as any thing can, the object to be 

 arrived at. We know that thousands and tens of 

 thousands of grubs were destroyed by them; and 

 have a right to infer that not a single grub could 

 have passed them alive, had every precaution been 

 taken which might have been. 



As long as the troughs are kept filled with oil, 

 it is not possible for one grub to get over the:Ti, ex- 

 cept by one of the following modes : slicks falling 

 from the trees arc liable to lodc;e on the troughs, 

 and if they are large enough, may by their weight 

 bear down the upper lid so as almost, if not entire- 

 ly, to bring it in contact with the lower ; or bits of 

 paper, rags, &c. flying in the air, may get lodged 

 in a similar manner; or if the straw or sea weed 

 which is placed between the troughs and trees 

 should be long enough, it may, and frequently does, 

 fall over the troughs; or snow and ice may accu- 

 mulate and remain on the north side of the trees 

 after the grubs begin to ascend ; or, finally, mis- 

 chievous boys may, and often do, batter the troughs 

 with stones, clubs, &c. In either of these cases a 

 hedge is formed, which the grubs may avail them- 

 selves of. The oil may also be driven out by a 

 high wind, or displaced by water getting into the 

 troughs. By a little care and attention all these 

 difficulties may be overcome. Hay was used last 

 season as the filling between the troughs and trees, 

 but it is now believed that sea weed i.5 better; at 

 any rate it has been generally used this season. 



The oil in the troughs can in no way injure the 

 trees, for it no where comes in contact with them. 

 — S. 



ICT^We are glad to hear so good an account of 

 tlie experiment, and we are in possession of no 

 fact to weaken the force of the argument in its fa- 

 vor, so far as its success in prevenlino; the ascent of 

 the grub is roncerned. But we are not quite cer- 

 tain, notwithstanding the positive assurance of both 

 the editor of the Herald and his correspondent, that 

 the oil can in no way injure the tree, "for it no 

 where conies in contact with them." It is not a 

 very easy matter to prevent such a contact, and S. 

 has himself stated that the oil maybe driven out 

 of the trouglis by a high wind, or be displaced by 



rain. In either case, it would be difficult we pre- 

 sume, to prevent its coming in contact with the 

 tree. But as we have no disposition noi'j to make 

 an argument, we simply state the result of our own 

 experience, and let the fact go for what it is worth. 

 In October last we employed the agent of Mr 

 Dennis (the patentee of the le.iden trough,) to place 

 troughs on twelve trees — six npple and six plum — 

 all vigorous and healthy and from four to six inches 

 in diameter. Each trough was fastened to the tree 

 by six nails, and the interstice between the tree 

 and the trough filled with cotton. Great care was 

 taken to replenish the oil in the troughs, whenever 

 it was driven out by high wind or displaced by 

 rain. Both these contingencies happened frequent- 

 ly, and of course the cotton became in the course 

 of a short time completely saturated with oil, and 

 consequently the oil not only came in contact with 

 the bark of the tree, but found its way between 

 the bark and the wood by means of the nails which 

 secured the troughs. About the first of May, the 

 bark just above and below the troughs was observ- 

 ed to be in a state of decay. One trough after 

 another was removed, and the bark found so rot- 

 ten that it eould easily be removed with the finger. 

 Several gentlemen have examined them, and ainono- 

 them Mr Dennis, the patentee. Mr Dennis thinks 

 it was the cotton and not the oil, which has done 

 the mischief, but all the rest are of a different opin- 

 ion. Whether tiie trees will ever recover from 

 this injury is yet uncertain ; some of them we 

 think will not. The wounds have been kept plas- 

 tered over with clay, and in some instances the 

 dead and rotten bark has been displaced by that 

 which is young and healthy. One of the apple 

 trees is now loaded with fruit, but nearly destitute 

 of foliage. — Boston Courier. 



From the AHany Cultivator. 



THE PLACE TO DIG A WELL. 



Messrs Gaylord &c Tucker — I saw in your paper 

 an inquiry fiir tlie best mode of finding water, or 

 rather a place to dig a well. I have had some in- 

 formation on the subject, but do not profess to be 

 a very experienced hand at the business. The 

 way I manage is, to choose a clear day, when there 

 are no clouds to interfere with the eye ; about one 

 or two o'clock, I go out to the place I wish to look 

 Cot water; I turn my back toward the sun, and 

 look toward the sky, to examine the vapors that 

 arise from the ground into the air, and if there is a 

 vein of water near in that direction, there will ap- 

 pear a vapor to rise quick to a certain height, and 

 then it wi.I move off on a level, in the same way 

 that the smoke will rise from a chimney over a 

 very hot fire of coals, where there is no smoke, and 

 will rise as high above the surface as the water is 

 below the top of the earth. The facts are, that 

 water must have vent, and the deeper in the earth 

 the water lies, the harder the pressure and the high- 

 er it will rise. Now, as I have stated I am not a 

 professed water witch, I would wish to hear from 

 those of more experience, as there are many who 

 do profe>s to know, and say tliat they can trace a 

 vein of water not larger than a rye straw, that lies 

 60 ft. under ground, and tell t'le quality of the wa- 

 ter. As to qualities of water, all I know is, that salt 

 water gives a stronger cloud than fresh, and lime 

 water gives a whiter cloud than pure soft water. 

 Any i.iformation that can be given on the subject 

 will be thankfully received. 



W. STOWELL. 



fVashinglon's Opinion oj" Agriculture. — The fol- 

 lowing is an extract of a letter from General Wash- 

 ington to Sir Arthur Young, who was fond of agri- 

 cultural pursuits : — 



" The more I am acquainted with agricultural 

 affairs, the better I am pleased with them ; inso- 

 much that I can nowhere find so great satisfaction 

 as in those innocent and useful pursuits. In in- 

 dulging these facts, I am led to reflect how much 

 more delightful to an undebauched mind is the 

 task of making improvements on the earth, than all 

 the vain glory which can be acquired from ravag- 

 ing it, by the most uninterrupted career of con- 

 quests. The design of this observation is only to 

 shoiv how much, as a member of human society, I 

 feel myself obliged to your labors to render respec- 

 table and advantageous an employment which is 

 more congenial to the natural dispositions of man- 

 kind than any other." 



Horn Distemper — Spirits of turpentine rubbed 

 in around the base or the horns, when the disease 

 is in ils incipient stages, will usually arrest its pro- 

 gress and effect a cure. If it has so far advanced 

 as essentially to lower the temperature ofthehorna 

 or horn, (for sometimes only one is attacked,) bor- 

 i.ng with a large nail gimlet on the under side of 

 the horn, three or four inches from the head, will 

 be necessary. If the horn is found very hollow at 

 this place, another opening still nearer the head 

 may be necessary. The horns must be kept open, 

 that the matter may freely escape ; and they should 

 be'thoroughly syringed or washed out, twice or 

 three times a day. Salt and water or soap snds ia 

 good for this. Allowing the matter in the horn to 

 escape, relieves the distress of the animal, checks 

 the inflammation about the head, and unless delay- 

 ed too lonf, eflfecta a cure, — Jltb. Cult. 



Cure for fVounds — King of Oils This invalu- 

 able remedy for wounds in cattle or horses, particu- 

 larly the latter, has lately been brought before the 

 public by Silas Gaylord, of Skaneatles, and we have 

 known some very surprising cures performed by it, 

 in the case of severe wounds in horses. The fol- 

 lowing are the directions given for preparing the 

 medicine : 



1 ounce of green copperas, 



2 ' of white vitriol, 

 2 ' of common salt, 

 2 ' of linieod oil, 



8 ' of West India molasses. 

 Boil over a slow fire fifteen minutes, in a pint of 

 urine ; when almost cold, add one ounce of oil of 

 vitriol and four ounces of spirits of turpentine. Ap- 

 ply it to the wound with a quill or feather, and the 

 cure will be speedily effected. — lb. 



Making Bread. — A late French journal states 

 that an important series of experiments is now go- 

 ing on in the city of Paris, by order of the govern- 

 ment, and under the direction of a committee of 

 bakers, to test the value of a new discovery in bread 

 making, that promises the most important results. 

 In Ihe new mode of preparation the flour that for- 

 merly made 100 lbs. of bread, now yields from 120 

 to 12.1 lbs. The discovery consists iii an improved 

 mode of fermenting it, by which a greater quanti- 

 ty of water combines with the gluten, and the nu- 

 tritious qualities are more fully developed. A loaf 

 of the n iw bread is found to be equally nutritive 

 with the old, and decidedly improved in flavor. — lb. 



