1859. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



223 



Por the New England Farmer. 

 BLIGHT IN THE PEAR. 



Mr. Brown : — Having been in the habit for 

 years of examining the various accounts that 

 have come to us, particularly from the South and 

 West, Avhere blight in the pear is more common 

 than with us, we have been struck with the re- 

 semblance their seems to be between what they 

 call frozen sap and scald, or sun blight ; thus 

 cne writing from Mobile, describing its first ap- 

 pearance and effect upon his trees, corresponds 

 entirely with a similar article from Illinois, from 

 one who denominates his as frozen sap blight. 

 We can hardly suppose that frozen sap blight 

 could occur in the climate of Mobile. 



We believe that there are two forms of blight, 

 one form being caused by a severe scald, often 

 produced by the practice of denuding the trees, 

 when young, of their side, or latteral shoots, 

 thereby exposing their naked trunks to the sun, 

 for there are few trees in a young state that can 

 endure the scorching rays of our August sun 

 when thus denuded ; there is a constant effort in 

 young trees to throw out these side branches 

 near the ground. The enlargement of the trunk 

 of a young tree with its laterals uninjured, will 

 be much larger in a given time, than upon one 

 with these shoots removed. This we believe to 

 be one of the causes, at least, of one form of 

 blight. The other form, or what is called frozen 

 sap blight takes place ordinarly upon trees that 

 are forced in strong and highly manured soil 

 when young, and by cutting off the tap root, 

 thereby causing the tree to make long succulent 

 shoots, the growth extending to so late a period 

 as to be overtaken by the winter, before the sap 

 is sufficiently elaborated, and the wood matured 

 to stand a severe freezing. Rich soil with ma- 

 nure or excess of moisture undoubtedly increases 

 the evil. The tap root, although not forming a 

 part of every plant, when it does so, is an essen- 

 tial part of that plant, and the injury to any one 

 part of a plant,, occasions a change in the natural 

 developments of the other parts. In allusion to 

 this cutting and high manuring, it has been said 

 that "nature, to be perfect in any of her works, 

 should not be forced ; we may be impatient, not 

 her. In her elaborate and harmonious labors, 

 time must be given for all things ; and all we 

 have to do, is to understand what she intends." 



1 would like to ask, if any one ever knew of 

 our natural button pear trees to be affected by 

 either of the above forms of blight. J. M. I. 



Salem, March, 1859. 



GROTOK FARMERS' CLUB. 

 No town in our community gets up a better 

 "Town Show," introduces more good articles to 

 public inspection, or does its work in a more spir- 

 ited manner, than the town of Groton ; and there 

 are few towns where a farmers' club exists, where 

 the people seem to take so little interest in its 

 affairs and "let it alone so severely." How these 

 two things are to be reconciled, we do not know. 

 The meeting on the evening of March 14th, at 

 •which we were present, was thinly attended, al- 

 though the hall where it was held was in the cen- 



tre of a populous village. The travelling was 

 exceedingly bad, it is true, but in such a locality, 

 the hall should have been crowded. 



It is encouraging, however, to find farmers' 

 clubs holding stated meetings, and their great 

 work progressing, though it be sometimes with 

 only little zeal. Groton, with her excellent land 

 and intelligent population, ought to lead the way, 

 and we found some among them convinced of 

 this fact. There are many examples of good 

 husbandry in the town. Gov. Bol'TWELL has 

 given one in the construction of his barn, and 

 the accuracy with which he keeps his farm ac- 

 counts, — being able at all times to show profit 

 and loss in his operations. His well-arranged 

 barn was filled with a fine stock of cattle. There 

 are others excelling in different departments of 

 husbandry, but whose places we had no oppor- 

 tunity to see. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 THE CATERPILLAR. 



The tent caterpillar, ( Clisiocampa Americana,) 

 has become famous for its ravages ; so great are 

 they that it is necessary to adopt every means in 

 our power to check its progress, and to do this 

 we must know the insect under all its forms. 



In the winter there may be seen on apple trees, 

 (as well as on many others,) at the ends of the 

 limbs, a band of eggs, covered with a brittle, 

 shiny, water-proof varnish, extending around the 

 limb, and about one-half or three-fourths of an 

 inch long ; in this there are from three to four 

 hundred cylindrical eggs, standing on end. When 

 the leaves begin to burs-t forth, these eggs hatch, 

 and from them proceed the small caterpillars 

 which destroy those young and tender leaves. 

 They make for themselves a white, silvery tent, 

 in which they live when at rest, and from which 

 they go forth for food ; as they go they spin from 

 their mouths a fine white thread, which guides 

 them back to their home, and as they increase in 

 size, still go over the same tract, until all the 

 leaves are eaten. In their repeated journeys, 

 the limbs get coated above with silk, which when 

 observed, can often guide to a nest which would 

 otherwise escape notice. 



As the caterpillars grow larger, they increase 

 their tent by adding layer upon layer of silk at a 

 little distance apart, and so large do they some- 

 times make them when undisturbed, that they 

 will measure six by nine inches. 



The full-grown caterpillar measures about two 

 inches in length, the head is black ; the body is 

 striped longitudinally with white, yellow and 

 black, and in the yellow are many fine black 

 ones ; it is sparingly covered with short hair, most 

 abundant on the sides. They leave the trees in 

 the first part of June, and seek a place sheltered 

 from storms, in which they spin their cocoons, 

 which are of a oval shape, of a yellowish white 

 color, caused by a powder that fills up the crevi- 

 ces between the threads of silk. From the chry- 

 salis, in July, come forth the perfect insects ; in 

 this state they are moths of a reddish brown color, 

 with two oblique white stripes on each forf wing. 



