VOIi. XI. NO. 33. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



253 



seeds, while, by a virtuous theft, they seek to rifie 

 tliem of their sweets. 



The coiise<)ueiices resulting from the actual or 

 anticipated introduction of insects into various 

 countries are of very consideralile importance in 

 political, mechanical, and agricultural economy. 

 It is related that Kalm, the Swedish traveller, 

 after his return from America, was filled M'itli 

 consternation upon discovering the pea Bruchus 

 in a parcel of pease brought from this country, 

 fearing, and very justly too, that he might be the 

 instrument of introducing so noxious an insect 

 into his beloved Ssveden. Greater was the panic 

 and more serious were the consequences to ti+c 

 British nation, arising from ignorance and error 

 respecting the Hessian-fly. In 17S8 the ravages 

 of this insect had become so great in New York, 

 New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, that an alarm was 

 excited in England by an unfou)ided fear of im- 

 porting it in cargoes of wheat from this country. 

 After the subject had occupied the Privy Council 

 and the Royal Society a long time, during which 

 despatches were forwarded to his majesty's minis- 

 ters in France, Austria, Prussia, and America, 

 and expresses were sent to all the custom-houses 

 to search the cargoes, — a mass of documents, 

 amounting to above two hundred octavo pages, 

 was collected, which, so far from affording any 

 correct information on the subject, led only to the 

 obnoxious and mistaken policy of prohibiting the 

 importation of American grain, and ordering that 

 which had arrived to be seized and stored. In 

 the mean time the celebrated Dr. Currie, of Liver- 

 pool, who ha<l resided in this country, and knew 

 something of the history of our miscalled Hessian- 

 fly, pointed out to the committee of investigation 

 the errors they had fallen into ; but, in conse- 

 quence of political prejudice, it was not till many 

 months afterwards, upon a confirmation of his 

 statement being received from America, that the 

 British government saw fit to reverse its orders, 

 and take upon itself the expensa to which it had 

 put the parties by its ignorance. If, as soon as 

 the ravages of this insect had become «otorious in 

 American, entomologist could have been found to 

 trace out its metamorphoses and the brief duration 

 of its existence, this panic and expense would 

 have been avoided. So true is it, that a thorough 

 knowledge of insects will serve to dissipate inauy 

 unnecessary alarms, or will point out when and 

 how preventive means may most effiictually be 

 adopted. One of our greatest philosophers, yea, 

 one of the greatest that modern ages has i)roduced, 

 Franklin, did not deem it beneath his dignity to 

 descend from the region of the clouds and investi- 

 gate the transformations of a musquito : nor were 

 his investigations without a useful result ; for, by 

 directing us to cover our rain-water hogsheads 

 and cisterns, he taught us how to put a stop to 

 the multiplication of these insects around our 

 dwellings. But the most remarkable triumph of 

 science over the powers of insects was that 

 achieved by Linnaeus. Being employed by the 

 king of Sweden to discover the cause of the rapid 

 decay of the timber in the dock-yards, he traced it 

 to the operations of insects ; and having ascer- 

 tained the period of their metamorphosis, he 

 directed the timber to be immersed in water 

 during the time tliat the insects deposited their 

 eggs, and thus secured it against further depre- 

 dation. 



Horticulture and Agriculture have already 

 derived some benefit from Entomology ; and more 



is to be expected, when a larger number of individ- 

 uals shall be found to undertake the necessary in- 

 vestigations. Guided by a knowledge of the 

 habits, changes, and period of existence of each 

 noxious insect, the cultivator will find the way 

 for successful experiment clearly marked out to 

 liim. Correct descriptions and scientific names 

 of insects will obviate much of the confusion ex- 

 isting in regard to them, and will enable the 

 the future investigator to transmit to others, with- 

 out the risk of mistake, the useful results of his 

 observations. The prejudices of mankind have 

 attached an idea of insignificance and worthless- 

 ness to the pursuits of the Entomologist; but these 

 prejudices can no longer rest in any but contract- 

 ed minds. However minute or mean, insects, 

 individually considered, may seem, they cannot 

 he accounted beneath our notice when they are 

 found able to lay waste our most valuable pos- 

 sessions, to counteract our agricultural plans, 

 and to deprive us of the pleasure and profit of our 

 labors. 



UPON THE BENEFICIAL. EFFECTS OP PRO- 

 TECTING THE STEMS OP FRUITS TREES 

 PROM FROSTS IN EARL,Y SPRING. 



From a Reaiew of the Transactions of the Lortdon Horticul- 

 tural Society in the Gardener's Magazine. 

 Circumstances have led Mr. Knight to believe, 

 that whenever a very large portion of the well- 

 organized blossoms of fruit trees fiills oft" abortively 

 in a moderately favorable season, the cause of the 

 failure may generally be traced to some previous 

 check which the motion and operation of the vital 

 fluid of the tree has sustained. A severe frosty 

 night, or very cold winds, during the barking sea- 

 son, is known to give such a check to the flow of 

 sap in the oak tree, as to prevent it from being 

 separated by the peelers till the return of milder 

 weather. 



" Neither the health of the tree, nor its foliage, 

 nor its blossoms, appear to sustain any material 

 injury by this sudden suspension of its functions ; 

 hut the crop of acorns invariably fails. The apple 

 and pear tree aj)pear to be affected to the same 

 extent by similar degrees of cold. Their blossoms, 

 like those of the oak, often unfold perfectly well, 

 and present the most healthy and vigorous charac- 

 ter; and their pollen sheds freely. Their fruit also 

 appears to set well ; but the whole, or nearly the 

 whole, falls off" just at the period when its growth 

 ought to commence. Some varieties of the apple 

 and pear are much more capable of bearing unfa- 

 vorable weather than others, and even the oak 

 trees present, in this respect, some dissimilarity of 

 constitution. 



" It is near the surface of the earth that frost, 

 in the spring, operates more powerfully, and the 

 unfolding buds of oak and ash trees, which are 

 situated near the ground, are not unfrcquently de- 

 stroyed, whilst those of the more elevated branches 

 escape injury ; and hence arises, I think, a proba- 

 bility that some advantages may be derived from 

 protecting the stems or larger branches of fruit 

 trees, as far as practicable, from frost in spring." 



In support of this conclusion, Mr. Knight refers 

 to an apple tree, which having had its stem and 

 part of its larger branches covered with evergreen 

 trees, had borne a succession of crops of fruit ; 

 whilst other trees of the same variety, and growing 

 contiguously in the same soil, but without having 

 liad their stems protected, had been wholly unpro- 



ductive : and to a nectarine tree, which havin" 

 sprung up from a seed accidentally in a plantation 

 of laurels, had borne, as a standard tree, three suc- 

 cessive crops of fruit. The possessor of the nec- 

 tarine tree, with the intention of promotin" its 

 growth and health, cut away the laurel branches 

 which surrounded its stem in the winter of 1823- 

 4, and in the succeeding season not a singlefruit 

 was produced. 



" Never having known an instance of a standard 

 nectarine tree bearing fruit in a climate so unfa- 

 vorable, I was led to expect that the variety pos- 

 sessed an extraordinary degree of hardness ; but hav- 

 ing inserted some buds of it into bearing branches 

 upon the walls of my garden at Downton, in the 

 autumn of 1822, I have not any reason to believe 

 that its blossoms are at all more patient of cold 

 than those of other seedling varieties of the necta- 

 rine." 



A China rose, sheltered by the stem of a plant 

 of Irish ivy, grew and flowered with more than 

 common vigor ; and Mr. Knight suggests, that as 

 the ivy, when it has acquired a considerable age, 

 and produced fruit-bearing branches, exhibits an 

 independent form of growth, which these branches 

 retain when detached, if these were intermixed with 

 plants of the more delicate varieties of the Chinese 

 rose, or other low deciduous and somewhat tender 

 flowering shrubs, so that the stems of the latter 

 would be covered in the winter, whilst their foliage 

 would be fully exposed to the light in summer, it 

 is probable that these might be successfully culti- 

 vated in situations where they would perish with- 

 out such protection : and the evergreen foliage of 

 the ivy plantsin winter would be generally thought 

 ornamental. Detached fruit-bearing branches of 

 ivy readily emit roots, and the requisite kind of 

 plants would therefore be easily obtained. 



As a ftn-ther experiment with reference to Mr. 

 Knight's reasoning, we would suggest to such as 

 have lately planted an orchard of standard trees, 

 to clothe the stems and principal branches of half 

 of them, during the months of March, April, and 

 May, with loose bands of straw, and to observe 

 the effects in comparison with the other half 



From the Gennessee ( Yt.) Farmer. 

 TO CURE WOUNDS ON HORSES AND CATTLiE. 



As there are many usefid receipts hidden from 

 the public for the sake of speculation in a small 

 way, by many who would be thought something 

 of in the world, I am induced to lay before the 

 public a receipt for making King of Oil, so called, 

 which perhaps excels any other for the cure of 

 wounds on horses or cattle, and which has long 

 been kept by a few only in the dark. Feeling a 

 desire to contribute to the good of the public, but 

 more especially to the Farmers of Gennessee, I 

 send you the following very valuable receipt for 

 publication : — 1 ounce of green copperas, 2 ounces 

 of white vitriol, 2 ounces of common salt, 2 ounces 

 of linseed oil, 8 ounces 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. 

 Api)ly it to the wound with a quill or feather, 

 which will immediately set the sore to running, 

 and perform a perfect cure. Yours respectfully, 

 STEPHEN PALMER. 



Loss and Gain. — A man of wit once said, right- 

 ly enough, " He who finds a good son-in-law gains 

 a sou — be who finds a bad one loses a daughter." 



