184G. 



GENESEE FARMER. 



143 



HORTICULTURAL DEPARTMENT- 



BY P. BARRY. 



Injurious Insects. 



One of the greatest drawbacks on the pleas- 

 ures as well as the profits of gardening, is the 

 continual depredations of insects. Those who 

 have planted and reared up into a fruitful state 

 fine Apricot, Nectarine, and Plum trees, and seen 

 the entire ci'op of fruit destroyed by the Cur- 

 culin, will readily acknowledge tiiis to be the case. 

 This insect wages a dealy war against the fruits 

 above mentioned, and attacks even the Peach, 

 the Cherry and the Apple. Almost every fruit 

 grower has now become familiar with this insect, 

 and with the remedy considered most effectual, 

 viz : jarring the tree every morning, causing 

 them to drop off on a cloth spread underneath to 

 receive them, when they can be caught and killed. 

 We make a regular business of attending to our 

 trees in this way, and are trying the experiment 

 of syringing the trees frequently with tobacco 

 water and other mixtures : besides, in the spring 

 we salted the ground as strongly as we dare, all 

 around the trees where the insect is supposed to 

 be burrowing during the winter. The most vig- 

 ilant attention is necessary. We are glad to see 

 the attention of people turned in earnest to these 

 matters. We have never seen so much timely 

 care given to the destruction of caterpillars as we 

 have this spring. This is owing to the spirit of 

 improvement that is now abroad on all matters 

 pertaining to fruit culture, and the spread of in- 

 formation on these subjects. 



In a few weeks the leaves of the Pear and 

 Cherry will be attacked with using ivorm. These 

 filthy insects, if not instantly destroyed, will strip 

 the trees of their foliage and stop their growth. 

 We have seen Cherry trees in mid-summer look 

 as though scathed by lightning. We find that 

 sifting quick lime or ashes over them proves ef- 

 fectual, and this should be done at once, and re- 

 peated until all are destroyed. 



Next comes the Ajihis^ or plant louse — a trou- 

 blesome customer in green houses, but there very 

 easily destroyed by fumigating with tobacco. — 

 Out of doors, on trees, they must be managed dif- 

 ferently. Strong soap suds will soon kill them, 

 and can be applied with a syringe or by dipping 

 the tops or branches infested with the aphis into 

 the pail conlaining the wash. 



While on this subject we cannot refrain from 

 adding the following extract from an Address on 

 Injurious Insects, by Noyks Darling, of New 

 Haven, Ct., which we find published in part in 

 the May number of Hovey's Magazine : — 



" Next to be considered is an insect tli:it does not devour 

 the leaves of trees, bnt siioks out their juices, ft is the 

 Plast-louse, (Aphis.) It is to be seen on the underside 

 of the leaves of almost every species of plant. And there 

 is appropriated to almost every species of plant its distinct 

 Bpecies of aphis. Thus the cabbage-louse is wholly unlike 



that of the peach ; which again is quite different from that 

 of ihe plum. They exist of every color, green, black, blue, 

 brown, brick-red and crimson — of all sizes from that of a 

 poa-bug to that of a mite just visible — naked, or covered 

 with meal or wool. 'J'rees are not often killed by it, but 

 they are checked in their growth, and made to become 

 crooked and deformed. When the plant-lice fasten them- 

 selves upon the roots of herbaceous plants, as some species 

 do, they prove fatal. The ladies may have observed their 

 China Asters in particular, to turn yellow, stop growing 

 and finally perish, without any visible cause. The grower 

 of watermelons, too, sees the leaves of his vines become 

 smooth and glassy, and after a few days die. This is caused 

 by the aphis on the roots of I lie Aster and Melon. 'I'he 

 powers of increase, given to this insect, cannot be contem- 

 plated without amazement. Reaumur, from the most care- 

 ful observation, estimated that a single aphis might be the 

 progenitor of near six thousand million.? in one summer. — 

 Well might Dr. Darwin fear that ' tLcir countless numbers 

 might, in process of time, destroy the vegetable world.' — 

 And yet, perhaps, there is no insect so completely iit our 

 power as this. We have only to put in practice the great 

 rule of farmers. In do finery tlihig at tlie proper time, and we 

 protect our plants wholly from this insect with little labor. 

 You see, to-day, a plant-louse upon the leaf of a cherry 

 tree. You neglect lo destroy it, and to-morrow there are 

 2.") — in 22 days more, there are .50,000, and in one day after 

 that, there are more than 100,000. A touch of your "linger, 

 on the fire t day of the month, may save you, therefore, the 

 labor of a week, with so.ip-suds and syringes, at the end of 

 the month. Destroy (he first tliat come m sprhtg, and the 

 business of killing pUmt-liee is finished for the sea.'imi. We 

 are informed by Huber, that the ants of Switzerland take 

 into their keeping several species of plant-louse, which they 

 tend with the utmost care for the sake of their honey, as a 

 dairyman tends his cows for their milk. W'e have evi- 

 dence that the small brown ants which you see coursing 

 up and down the stems of cherry and peach trees, with 

 great animation, take charge of some of our plant-lice, in a 

 similar manner, particularly those of the cherry tree, and 

 those on roots — that the ants house them in winter, and 

 place them on leaves at the opening of spring. According- 

 ly, the aphis generally is first to be found very near the 

 ground. There search them out and destroy them. If un- 

 fortunately they escape j"our attention till they* have multi- 

 plied to a considerable extent, you may still master them 

 with proper applications. One of the best of these applica- 

 tions for trees, is a strong solution of whale-oil soap. The 

 ends of the hranches may be bent over, and held in the soap-iva- 

 ter about n fo7irth of a minute. A small paint brush, dipped 

 in the wasli, may be used in some cases, especially on cab- 

 bages, and on the branches of pear trees, infested with that 

 species, which collects about the buds, and produces a black 

 rust. Common soap-suds, warm and strong, will serve to 

 kill the aphis, but it is apt lo kill leaves also. A decoction 

 of tobacco is a sure destroyer of the aphis. It cannot bo 

 used upon leaves ;* but nothing, perhaps, is better to pour 

 around the roots of plants, when those parts are nifested by 

 the insect. President Dwight preserved his watermelons 

 ' by frequently drenching the earth immediately round the 

 roots, witli a strong decoction of burdock leaves and elder 

 twigs.' l>adies may call upon their friends who use cigars, 

 to puff the smoke upon the rose-bushes, and thus ' do the stato 

 some service.' Several insects are appointed by Providence 

 to assist us in keeping the aphis in cheek. Two only will 

 be noticed at present. One is the speckled bug, about the 

 size and shape of a halt-pea, called by children Lady-bird, 

 (CocciNELLA.) The other is a beautiful green fly, (Chry- 

 soPA peria,) with eyes of gold and wings of lace, but fetid 

 almost as the squash-bug. The eggs of this fly are hung by 

 threads, about a quarter of an inch long, to the underside of 

 leaves. You will be careful not to harm those useful in- 

 sects." 



* This is a mistake. We have t'.sed it on the leave.<i of 

 Plum and Cherry trees strong enough to kill the a2^his in- 

 stantly. — Ed. 



"Amicus" is informed that the Apple left at 

 our office, under the name of Rock Apple, — 

 from the orchard of the late Nathaniel Gor- 

 HAM of Canandaigua, — is the Yellow Newtown 

 Pippin. 



