1859. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



31: 



mildew on my vines when they are trained under 

 a projecting cornice of my barns, so that they 

 get no rain or drip. I have on a western expo 

 sure the most perfect Catawba and Isabellas 

 when thus protected ; while part of the same 

 vines which are not so protected, but which con- 

 tinued beyond, are ruined in fruit and leaves. 

 This has occurred for several years in succession. 

 I have no doubt that vines on a lofty trellis or 

 ■wall, with a coping of two orjthree feet, would be 

 entirely free." Eben. Wight. 



Dedham, May 2. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 IT liOOKS VERT LIKE A SHAM ! 



Messrs, Editors : — I have before me, and 1 

 presume many of our friends have received the 

 same, a stylish circular, which calls upon all cre- 

 ation and his brother to save trees, plants, vines, 

 and millions of dollars a year, simply by the 

 purchase of a certain magical powder, M'hich 

 works in a magical sort of a way, throwing all 

 the wonders of the ancient necromancy, far into 

 the shade. The author tells us a great many 

 wonderful things in this circular. It appears 

 that this powder of his has only to be tucked un- 

 der the bark of any tree, to give marching orders 

 to every insect, from buds, leaves, bark, wood or 

 fruits. Mirabile didu: The theory of the man 

 who controls this wonder-worker, is, that the tree 

 has some way of swallowing the jpowder, and dis- 

 seminating it throughout its "fe'tt-ucture. Being 

 but an inquiring Yankee, I would like to ask him 

 a question or two. Just to give him convenient 

 standing-room, we will assume that the tree will 

 take this powder into its circulation when thus 

 applied ; now, with the perpetual circulation of 

 the sap during the growing season, and the con- 

 tinual change of raw material into organic struc- 

 ture, by what magic is it proposed to keep the 

 vii'tues of this poAvder permanently in the tree, 

 BO that every new bud, leaf and twig, as it de- 

 velops, may receive its quota of the marvelous 

 protective power ? If it is a fair inference that 

 the protection, which he says, is the results of its 

 application, turns on some disagreeable flavor 

 given to the buds, leaves, fruit, &c., whereby the 

 marauding insects become disgusted with their 

 food ; may not we, poor pigmies, be permitted to 

 indulge the hope that at some very early day this 

 great patent-powder man will extend the area of 

 his benevolent operations, and enable each of 

 us to flavor our fruits to suit our palates ? What 

 a capital thing it will be to have, say a patent 

 "sweet apple powder," subject to our dimes, by 

 clapping which under the bark, all our savage 

 old crabs will forthwith be compelled to set their 

 internal laboratories in action, and manufacture 

 sugar to order, instead of vinegar ! When these 

 halcyon days dawn, farewell to budding and graft- 

 ing, relics of primitive ignorance ; I shall then have 

 merely to shake a paper of the patent-powder 

 on my old choke pear stalks, when, lo ! this one, 

 despite any natural aversion to the contrary, 

 must yield Bartletts, and that one must yield 

 Seckles ; all opposition will be utterly useless ; 

 Mr. Patent-powder says so, and therefore old 

 "choke" can't help itself. 



"^here is one other question I would like to 



ask this public benefactor, whom, I trust, the 

 grateful public will not permit to wilt away like 

 so many neglected geniuses of this class: Was it 

 his great-grandfather, or was it his great-great- 

 grandfather, that aroused a slumbering world, 

 about a century or so back, by the wonderful dis- 

 covery that all vermin ^nd diseases of every 

 kind might be expelled from our fruit trees, sim- 

 ply by boring holes into the trunk and filling 

 said holes with good New England rum ? And 

 was it not his great-uncle who discovered, some- 

 what later in the day, that the enemies of our 

 noble elm would be easily repelled upon boring 

 like holes and filling with quicksilver ? I feel a 

 great interest in making these inquiries ; I al- 

 ways love to look twice on the physician who 

 tells me he is the seventh son of a seventh son, 

 and am somewhat anxious to know whether our 

 patent-powder man is not one of the same dis- 

 tinguished class. 



There is one other miracle which he claims for 

 his powder, and that is, if one table-spoonful be 

 dissolved in a gallon of water, and any variety of 

 garden seed be soaked in the solution, the plants 

 which spring from these seed, will be preserved 

 from the inroads of insects ! Whew ! Where 

 is Mr. Mayor Tieman about these days ? 



A few years ago another distinguished friend 

 of the farmer, (perhaps another relative of this 

 philanthropist,) asserted, that after a pilgrimage 

 of darkness and doubt, lo ! these many years, he 

 had suddenly found light, and discovered a sure 

 preventive of the black knot on our plum trees, 

 offering to reveal the same, for a consideration. 

 Recently, I visited his grounds and looked with 

 curiosity for the results, when, lo ! the stumps 

 of many plum trees were to be seen, but one or 

 two trees remained ; and alas, for human conceit, 

 there stood thevillanous black wart; there could 

 be no mistake about it. 



Now, I presume our patent-powder man has 

 an extensive area, abounding with trees, shrubs, 

 vines, &c., &c., all fully protected by his patent- 

 powder, and open to public inspection, in proof 

 of the perfect success of this original wonder- 

 maker. 



In conclusion, let me warn all friends, who 

 may have proposed to themselves to invest in 

 this thing, that powder is sometimes a very dan- 

 gerous article, and that many a man has, before 

 this, burnt his fingers in the handling of it. 5t 

 may be that even Mr. Discoverer himself will 

 get no gentle hoist before the public are through 

 with it. J. J. H. Gregory. 



Marblehead, Mass. 



Kidney Worms. — Swine are often troubled 

 with a disease denominated by veterinarians, the 

 "kidney worm." Corn, soaked in very strong 

 lye made of wood ashes, is said to be an infalli- 

 ble remedy. Salt and brimstone, in small quan- 

 tities, is a preventive, and, indeed, the only one 

 known. Comfortable quarters and good food are 

 of really more importance in the successful man- 

 agement of these animals than many are inclin- 

 ed to suppose, and should never, on any account, 

 be neglected. 



