No. 4. Blisrhi in Pear Trees — Preserving Corn Fodder. 



53 



nature. The leaf underneath wiiich it is 

 sheltered, first turns brown, and the poison 

 appears to be communicated through its fibres 

 to the stem to which it is attached, and then 

 conveyed down the stem between the inner 

 bark and wood, turning the leaves of a brown 

 color, and tlie stem of a blackish hue, until it 

 reaches the main body ot the tree, when death 

 ensues. Cutting oft" the stem even below 

 where it appears to be dead, a dark ring be- 

 tween the inner bark and the wood will be 

 perceived. All this discoloration must be cut 

 away, or the poison will still operate and the 

 taint go on. It is like gangrene in animal 

 life. 



While in Connecticut, I had a fine thriv- 

 ing young orchard of fifty-three pear trees, 

 and twenty-thiee varieties. I was very 

 choice of them, and by attention in plucking 

 off the discolored leaves, and topping off the 

 diseased branches, I preserved them all dur- 

 ing the most fiital season, (and indeed during 

 the whole time I was on my farm,) while my 

 friends, during that season and before I was 

 aware of it, had lost from one-third to two- 

 thirds of their trees. I communicated the 

 result of my observation and experience to 

 an Agricultural Society in that state, and 1 

 am strongly under the impression, that by its 

 direction, that communication was given to 

 the public through the papers of the day. 



The trees should be watched (according to 

 the season,) from about the 10th of May to 

 near the close of June, and on the appear- 

 ance of a leaf turning brown, it should be 

 immediately plucked oft"; and if the branch is 

 diseased, it should be as speedily topped oft] 



I have not satisfied myself what insect de- 

 posites the egg which produces the moth, 

 although I conjectured that an active, nimble 

 winged bug, witli a reddish head and about 

 the size and shape of a winged pismire, might 

 be the depositor, as on the trunk of every 

 tree where I found the moth, I discovered 

 this insect. 



Lest 1 should tire you, I will close, merely 

 adding, that if you should hereafter wish for a 

 more detailed account of the discovery of the 

 moth and its fatal effects, (which were purely 

 accidental,) I will freely give it, or answer 

 any queries which you may be disposed to 

 put to me. 



I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient 

 servant, 



Hezekiah Belden. 



Lewisburg.Va. April 17,1837. 



Woodbury, N. J„ June 20, 1837. 



I have discovered short white worms work- 

 ing between the wood and bark. As they 

 advance to a limb, they cut off the communi- 

 cation of sap, consequently the limb dies. I 



also believe the worms or eggs are deposited 

 at the root. 



Cure. My method is to deposit a small 

 quantity of live wood ashes. Trench around 

 the trunk of the tree, deposit the ashes, cover 

 them with stones to prevent waste, and if you 

 chose, cover the stones with sods. Cut off 

 the dead limbs — wash the trunk and large 

 limbs with lye from wood ashes, which will 

 destroy the worms, and bring off" the shell 

 bark. I practised on some valuable pear 

 trees on the 1st of May, 1837, as above stated, 

 and left directions to give them another 

 washing in ten days, which was done. 



The trees are now in a healthy condition. 

 Bark smooth — leaves a good color. The 

 bark and leaves will immediately show when 

 the remedy is necessary. 



I can remember the blight in pear trees 

 forty years ago, but now more common. 1 

 believe to wash them with alkali every spring, 

 and deposit a small quantity of live ashes at 

 the same time, will keep them healthy. 

 Very respectfully yours, 



Robert Roe. 



Gambier, Ohio, 15th April, 1837. 

 From observations made in this part of the 

 country, I am satisfied that the premature 

 decay of these valuable fruit trees, (the pear,) 

 is attributable to the effects of electricity; I 

 propose the following as a 

 remedy. 

 Erect, within "striking distance" of the 

 tree, a suitable metalic conductor, and in or- 

 der that the rod may be at as great a distance 

 as possible, and be effective, let it be duly 

 elevated. 



Respectfully yours, &c., 



Geo. p. Williams. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Preserving Coru Fodder. 



Mr. Editor, — Permit me, through the 

 medium of your paper, to lay before your 

 readers, my experience in preserving Corn 

 Fodder. I am well aware that some of my 

 readers are not ignorant of the method which 

 I am about to describe, and I am also con- 

 vinced that many have never had the idea 

 suggested to them. My method is as follows : 

 When corn is topped, and the tops sufficiently 

 cured to bind, I set the sheaves in "open 

 shock," (a term with which all farmers are 

 acquainted,) about three dozen, laying the 

 tiers double, each tier containing nine shocks, 

 pressing them well together, and I find them 

 to keep well till after threshing time, which 

 is the common season for conveying them to 

 the barn for the purpose of ricking or mowing 

 away. When corn is cut up by the ground, 



