534 



NEW ENGLAND FARilER. 



Nov. 



potato, some of them of this town, and many from 

 other towns, counties and States, Yes, I mil give 

 the gentleman, if he wishes, the most substantial 

 evidence from his own county. My only object, or 

 desire is, that the truth may be known, and if this 

 potato is as good as I believe it to be, let the farm- 

 ers raise it ; but if " it is a miserable concern," then 

 I will raise my voice against it as quick as " South 

 Danvers," or any other man, for I detest humbugs. 

 More anon. J. F. C. H. 



^yeivton Centre, Oct. 5, 1855. 



EXTRACTS AND REPLIES. 



A NEW DEPKEDATOR. 



Messrs. Editors : — For some few years past, my 

 neighbors have, as they supposed, been troubled by 

 the birds taking the ends of their ears of Indian 

 corn, from the time it is in the milk until harvest. 

 Last year Mr. Ames, a near neighbor, informed me 

 that his fields were very much damaged. This sea- 

 son my turn has come, but it is the work of an in- 

 sect, in my case, at least, and I have good reasons 

 for thinking that the birds have been charged with 

 the labors of this bug, or unlvnown insect, quite too 

 long. 



Being jesterday in one of our fields of corn, for 

 the purpose of cutting the top-stalks, J resolved that 

 I would watch some of those ears which had been 

 lately the food of something, I knew not what, when 

 to my sur})rise, I found five of these insects very 

 busy upon one single ear of corn, and each of them 

 in the very act of eating it and dropping the husks 

 in very small pieces upon the ground. 



Herewith I send you a sample of their labors, and 

 three of the insects. Perhaps Prof. Harris, or some 

 other person with whom you may be acquainted, 

 may be able to give us some light upon the subject. 

 Nearly one-half of the best ears in one of our fields 

 are badly injured, or partly destroyed. 



Yours truly, C. W. Macomber. 



East Marshjield, Sept. 11, 1855. 



Remarks. — One of the ears sent us was all de- 

 stroyed, excepting, perhaps, half a dozen kernels, 

 the other eaten only a short way down from the tip. 

 We made a partial examination of the only one of 

 the three insects left when the box reached us, and 

 put him back for further investigation, but he too 

 escajjed, so that we are not able to give even a par- 

 tial description. The eating off" of the kernels was 

 e^idently not the work of squirrels or birds. 



GUM IN peach trees — ASPARAGUS. 



Mr. EditoPi : — Will you or some of your corres- 

 pondents inform me of a remedy for the exuding 

 of gum from peach trees ? 



Also, whether asparagus will do well transplant- 

 ed in the fall ? A Subscriber. 



Hadley, Oct., 1855. 



buck'w^eat ploa\t:d under. 

 Can you inform me Avhether buckwheat will ben- 

 efit a cold upland soil, if plowed under when in the 

 blow? E. B. 



Remarks. — Certainly it will, and if enough of it 

 is plowed under, ■wall produce excellent crops, pro- 

 vided the land is well drained. 



trotting HORSES. 



Mr. Editor: — Will some of your correspon- 

 dents who ovra "fast nags," please favor me through 

 the columns of your paper, with an account of their 

 manner of treating them ? That is, what kind of 

 feed they give them ; cut feed or their hay whole, 

 what quantity, when, &c. 



"\Mien they are to trot, should they be allowed to 

 eat much that day ? 



There are many horses owned in the country 

 that would make fair trotters, but their owners not 

 being accustomed to the business, do not know how 

 to take care of them properly, nor how to train 

 them. A Subscriber. 



Coos County, Oct. 4, 1855. 



Fvr the Neic England Farmer. 



"WHAT AILS THE APPLE TREES." 



Mr. Editor : — In an article under this heading 

 a correspondent refers to a disease in the bark of 

 some of his trees, which he thinks may have been 

 caused by a small worm workmg between the bark 

 and the wood. As we have had a Httle experience 

 oiu'selves in this matter, we venture to give you the 

 result of our experiments. 



The bark is no doubt affected by the working of 

 a small flat worm from one-eighth to three-quarters 

 of an inch in- length. It is nearly white and works 

 in a lateral direction, reminding one of the motion 

 of the chain inside of a Avatch. It generally com- 

 mences its ravages on the south side of the tree, 

 working up and down and if not stopped in season, 

 will girdle the tree. By removing all the dead 

 bark, and all parts of the bark that bear traces of 

 the worm, and rubbing over the place affected on 

 the tree with soft soap, we have succeeded in saAing 

 our trees, though we lost one or two valuable trees 

 before trying this remedy. Great care must be 

 taken to cut every particle of bark which the worms 

 have Avorked. 



The above information I have gained from my 

 husband, and hoping it may be of some use, I send 

 it to you. Respectfully yours, 



Springfeld, Vt. ' Ann E. Porter. 



For the New England Fanner. 



BUDDING WITH THE SECKEL PEAR. 



Mr. Editor : — The Seckel, Lawrence, and some 

 other varieties perfect their wood very early in the 

 season. A gentleman, to my knowledge, availing 

 himself of this fltct, several years since, on the sixth 

 and seventh of July inserted on a standard, huds of 

 the same year's growth. These buds took finely, 

 grew nine inches during the same season, and ri- 

 pened that wood so thoroughly that -without a sin- 

 gle exception they withstood the following -winter ; 

 they are now fine, healthy branches, laden with 

 their full quota of fruit. " I see not, Mr. Editor, 

 why this plan might not be generally practised in 

 inserting the bucls of such of our trees as ripen 

 their wood early in the season, and thus a growth 

 of one year be gained on the usual method. Should 

 it be a fiict that any early variety perfects its wood 

 sufficiently earh', then by inserting a plump fruit 

 bud, might we not occasionally witness the phenom- 

 enon of a late crop of early pears produced on 

 wood which grew the same year ? 



' J. J. H. Gregory. 



Marblehead, Sept. 25, 1855. 



