voi>. XIX. BIO. at. 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER, 



179 



riNETIiEE BORER, &c. 

 We t;il%o tlie subjoined extracts fioin n letter 

 received iVoni our iiiucli esteemed friend, Dr. S. 

 Blandiii^-, of Columbia, S. C. The letter was not 

 intended for the public eye, riiid if we have com- 

 mitted any ofl'ence in extractirifj from it for our 

 columns, we would offer in e.xtenuation, that it is 

 a practice with us to publish every thinif that conies 

 into our hands which lias a tendency to benefit the 

 agricultural community, or in other words, to pro- 

 mote the good of "the ^'reatest number." .1. B. 



Columbia, S. C, Nov. 20. 1840. 

 Mil J. B KCK. — '-' * * — I have noticed in the 

 N. E. Farmer several notices of the Borer and the 

 methods of saving the fruit trees from their destruc- 

 tive influence, and it occurred to me that a few 

 words would be interesting, on the destruction to 

 our pine timber by the Bastrichus that attacks the 

 pine forests in June and July, so as to destroy of- 

 ten acres before its ravages are checked. It is 

 often invited to the attack by the limbs beinn- bro- 

 ken ofTor a trre falling down by wind or the axe 

 in June, and from that the insect extends its work 

 to the adjoining trees. On my way from Newber- 

 ry C. H. to Columbia, 4.5 miles, I counted over 100 

 places where from 5 trees to twenty acres had been 

 destroyed by them this year. They deposite the 

 egg in the bark and the worm feeds upon the ten- 

 der ring of the new growth, and so thoroughly do 

 they consume it that the whole bark may be pealed 

 off. No other wood but the pine is touched by 

 them. The insects are so numerous that wood- 

 peckers are collected in great numbers to feed on 

 them. Whether they stop their ravages I know 

 not; but probably the wood becomes too hard to 

 favor their farther progress. They have been 

 more destructive this year than I have ever known 

 them. 



Ochra a valuable Vegflabh. 

 I have collected a considerable quantity of Ochra 

 seed to send you. I think you have not introduced 

 it into your markets yet as a vegetable. It is one 

 of the finest vegetables for summer use in the 

 world. It is boiled ai^d eaten with drawn butter, 

 or cut fine and boiled in soups, which with the to- 

 mato makes the king of soups. We use si« much 

 of these vegetables that it makes the soup thick. 

 Try it and taste for yourself, and if you do not say 

 the half had not been told you, I 'reckon' I'll not 

 'guess' again. The pod is gathered for UT<e be- 

 fore it gets fibrous. This vegetable if once intro- 

 duced among you would never be laid aside. It 

 comes into use nearly as soon as the tomato, and 

 is in full growth at frost. I had a stalk this year 

 ten feet high with five branches. It should be 

 planted 2 or .i feet apart, according to the soil, and 

 it will branch and bear much better. It may be 

 sliced up and dried when young and used in soups 

 in the winter. I have some of the pods to put up for 

 you on the stalk, that you may see how they grow. 

 If it is not convenient for yon to raise them, put 

 them into the hands of some of your friends and 

 get them into use. It is a most healthy vegetable, 

 and very productive. 



Spirit of huprovemtnl manifest. 

 There is a great spirit of improvement wak- 

 ing up in this State, and many persons are seizing 

 hold of such things as come out new to th(?m, with 

 a desire to understand their causes. I wrote a 

 note to the ' youthorn Planter,' saying that a young 

 planter had over cropped himself and had to turn 



out one half of his corn to the grass after the first 

 ploughing, and the other half he had ploughed 

 three times deep and thoroughly, and at that time 

 (1st July) he was astonished to find his neglected 

 field much better than that he had nursed so well. 

 It excited inquiry, and I was called on to give the 

 rationale, which I did in a way to keep up in(|uiry 

 rather than explain fully what I did not understand. 

 1 used 'the belter part of valor,' and got off with 

 high compliments tu the sagacity of inquiring cor- 

 respondents, and leaving the impression that I have 

 a world of wisdom locked up in my own bosom. 

 Tliere is a vast deal of fine stook of every kind 

 coming into the southern States — cattle, sheep, 

 hogs, dogs, geese, turkeys and hens, and the vari- 

 ous kinds of grains and other vegetables and fruits, 

 so you will see that great improvements must ne- 

 cessarily be the result. 



Remarkable Instance of the Energies of the Mind 

 overcoming the inf unities of the Body. 

 I wish you to notice the report of the Monticello 

 Fruit Committee. Wm. Summer, chairman, has 

 been in such bad health, from an afTection of the 

 spine and scrofula, that he has never been to school. 

 He gets about on crutches. He has been instruct- 

 ed by his brothers at home, and is now a fine schol- 

 ar and one of the most intellectual e.xperimenting 

 horticulturists and fruitists we have. He is doing 

 a great deal in improving stock and fowls, geese, 

 turkeys, &c., and will be a light to the agriculture 

 of the State. He is establishing an extensive nur- 

 sery for the sale of all kinds of fruit and ornamen- 

 tal trees. It is a noble instance of the energies 

 of mind overcoming the most distressing bodily in- 

 firmities. «#*»»» 

 Yours, &c., 



S. BLANDING. 



For the New England Farmer. 



CANKER WORM TROUGHS. 



Will the editor of the N. E. Farmer be so kind 

 as to permit ine to reply to the communication of 

 J. W. Proctor, dated Aug. 1st, 1840. It was my 

 intention to have replied to his communication soon 

 after it was published, but having been so constant- 

 ly occupied in making the necessary arrangements 

 to supply as many of the community that were suf- 

 fering from the depredations of the canker worm 

 as possible, I have been prevented from obtaining 

 the necessary information so as to make an earlier 

 reply. Having recently called upon J. W. Proc- 

 tor, Esq. to make some inquiries about the lead 

 troughs used by him in J8:5-'J and 1834, I was so un- 

 fortunate as not to find him at home. As he re- 

 marked in his communication that ' the same kind 

 of troughs were used by Wm. Sutton, Esq.j I pro- 

 ceeded to call upon him and he very kindly show- 

 ed me one of the troughs alluded to by J- W. 

 Proctor ; it was a briad shallow trough made of a 

 piece of sheet lead about four inches wide, which 

 is about tfie same width that I use to make the 

 trough and roof. It had scarcely the slightest re- 

 semblance to my deep leaden troughs with roofs. 

 His using such troughs as the one shown me by Mr 

 Sutton, does not affect the validity of my patent 

 for the circular lead troughs in the least degree. 

 Upon reading J. W. P.'s communication again, I 

 find his language is very guarded, but whether in- 

 tentionally or not, 1 shall not undertake to deter- 

 mine. He says that "similar troughs" were used 

 in J8;i."i and 1634, but says nothing about their hav- 



ing any roof. Ho further says, " I have no desire 

 to interfere with any man's jjatent rights;" if he is 

 honest in his desires, I hope in future he will in- 

 form himself better wh.Tt the claims of an inventor 

 are befi)re ho docs any thing that has a tendency 

 to call in question their validity. 



The public or individuals who use a new inven- 

 tion, most generally derive a great benefit there- 

 from, while the inventor is seldom much benefited 

 and most generally suffers much loss by the expen- 

 ses incurred in introducing his invention to the 

 public. 



I wish also to state for the information of the 

 writer who signs "Subscribers," under date of Oct. 

 1st, 1840, th.it if seaweed is used to pack the space 

 between the trough and the tree, there will be no 

 danger of worms or insects injuring the bark under 

 the seaweed. During the past season the troughs 

 upon a large number of trees have been taken off 

 to make them larger, where seaweed was used for 

 packing, and the bark was found to be perfect 

 where the packing had remained three years with- 

 out being changed. I have been accustomed to 

 observe seaweed fiir the most of my life in all the 

 various situations in which it is used for farming 

 purposes, and I do not remember ever finding a 

 mouse nest or the nest of any kind of worm or in- 

 sect in it under any circumstances; and those who 

 cannot readily obtain seaweed should apply a few 

 coats of whitewash, and if the lime is not c'fteclual 

 of itself, a little salt or copperas, or some other 

 poisonous substance that will not injure the tree, 

 will, I have no doubt, prove an effectual preventive, 

 if hay, straw or corn husks are used for packing. 

 Cotton waste, tow nor any other substance that 

 will absorb the oil and hold it in contact with the 

 bark of the tree, should never be used, as the oil ifi 

 liable to kill the bark and of course the tree. 

 Thy friend, truly, 



J. DENNIS, Jr. 



Portsmouth, R. I., Uth mo , 23d, 1840. 



For ihe New England Farmer. 



To THF. Editor: — I notice in thy valuable pa- 

 per of 10th mo. 7tli, an article signed 'Subscribers,' 

 complaining that " worms and other bad insects 

 bedded themselves in the cotton between the lead 

 and the tree." I wish simply to state for the in- 

 formation of all interested, that I have repaired a 

 large number of troughs where seaweed was used 

 for packing — that is, I took them off and made 

 them larger and put them on again ; and in no case 

 had any damage happened to the tree, although 

 the packing had remained three years without be- 

 ing removed, and the bark under it was as perfect 

 and healthy as on other parts of the tree. Hence 

 I conclude that when any have suffered damage, it 

 is in consequence of their not using the right kind 

 of packing. Thy friend, 



SAMUEL DENNIS. 



Portsmouth, R. I., Uth mo., SOth, 1840. 



Manngevient of Orchards Before the ground 



freezes in autumn, dig the earth five or six inches 

 deep round the fruit trees, and the distance of 

 eight or ten inches from each ; remove it to a suit- 

 able place and burn it with dry brush, or whatever 

 combustible is convenient, to destroy the germ of 

 the canker worm and other hurtful insects. Alix 

 this burnt earth with lime or ashes, and a double 

 crop may be (^expected next season. — jYaslwille 

 JlgrictUturisl. 



