436 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Sept. 



they enlarge their web, carrying it over the next 

 lower leaves, and thus continuing downwards till 

 a larj;e portion of the branch is covered, with a 

 dry, brown and filmy foliapje. These caterpillars, 

 when fully grown, measure more than one inch in 

 length ; their bodies are slender, very thinly cloth- 

 ed with hairs of a greyish color, intermingled with 

 a few which are black. The general color of the 

 body greenish yellow, dotted with black; there is 

 a broad blackish stripe along the top of the back, 

 and a bright yellow stripe on each side. In Sep- 

 tember they leave the trees, disperse and wander 

 about, eating such plants as happen to lie in their 

 course, till they have found suitable places of shel- 

 ter and concealment, where they make their thin 

 and almost transparent cocoons, composed of a 

 slight web of silk intermingled with a few hairs. 

 Here they remain in a crysalis, till transformed to 

 moths, as before stated, in June and July. Such 

 is Mr. Harris's description of what we suppose to 

 be the caterpillar that you wish to expel. Please 

 watch them and let us know whether we are cor- 

 rect in our supposition. 



As to the failure of scions, we believe that it has 

 been more difficult to graft apple trees for several 

 years past, than it was formerly. There appears 

 to be less vigor and vitality, or rather, perhaps, a 

 greater want of hardiness in the apple tree than 

 there was when apples were a sure crop. The 

 cause of this general debility is not known. We 

 had not before learned that the pi-esent season has 

 been particularly unfavorable. Will others give 

 our correspondent their views on the subject ? 



Without a more definite statement of the char- 

 acter of the sore on your cow's eye, we cannot 

 venture to offer any opinion as to the proper treat- 

 ment. We should hope it was not cancerous. 



TO PREVENT WINTER KILLING OF STRAWBERRIES. 



Will you please inform me through your col- 

 umns of Extracts and Replies, the best method of 

 preventing strawberry vines from winter killing ? 



Methuen, Mass., July 22, 1868. e. f. 8. 



Remarks. — As a winter protection, as furnish- 

 ing a clean bed for the fruit, and as a dressing for 

 the soil, — three birds with one stone, — we have ap- 

 plied leaves and woods mould with very satisfac- 

 tory results. One bed of considerable size thus 

 treated, fruited well for three years, and bore some 

 for a year or two aftenvards, by merely pulling up 

 the stronger weeds. In his Small Fruit Culturist, 

 Mr. A. S. Fuller says : — "In many portions of the 

 country a winter protection to strawberry plants 

 is very beneficial, if not positively necessary. 

 Some of our most successful growers in the North- 

 em States never fail to protect their plants, and 

 without doubt they are amply repaid for the ex- 

 pense incurred. For my own part I never have 

 had a full crop without giving protection, and 

 never expect one. The eml)ryo fruit buds are 

 formed within the crown of the plant in autumn, 

 and therefore it must be apparent that sudden 

 transition from heat to severe cold wUl very much 



weaken if not wholly destroy them. In sections 

 of the country where the plants are covered with 

 snow during the entire winter, other protection is 

 not so important as where there is little snow, but 

 continued freezing and thawing. It is not ex- 

 pected nor is it desirable to protect the plants so 

 that they shall not be frozen, but merely to shade 

 them, and prevent their being aflFected by every 

 little change in the weather. A covering of straw, 

 hay, leaves, or any similar material, to the depth 

 of one or two inches will usually be sufScient. 

 Every one ought to know, if he does not, that 

 frozen plants thawed out in the shade are less in- 

 jured by frost than when fully exposed to the light ; 

 and this is another reason why strawberry plants 

 should be covered in winter, because, if the weather 

 should be very changeable, they will be less liable 

 to injury than when fully exposed to light." 



SELF-HEAL. — Prunella Pennsylvanica. 



As the time has arrived when farmers get poi- 

 soned with ivy, I send you my remedy, which I 

 have never known to fail in a single instance. It 

 is a plant which gi-ows in all our fields and by our 

 road-sides. I have not learned its name, therefore 

 I enclose a specimen. 



The stalks and leaves should be pounded and 

 the juice rubbed on the parts affected. 



Maine, July 13, 1868. Richard. 



Remarks. — The plant enclosed was recognized 

 by Mr. Joseph Breck, author of the New Book of 

 Flowers, to whom it was shown, as the Prunella 

 Pennsylvanica of most botanists, and is familiarly 

 known as "Self-heal" or "All-heal." In Darling- 

 ton's book on American Weeds and Useful Plants, 

 the name is derived from Die Braeune the German 

 word for quinsy, for which and for other throat 

 diseases it has been considered a cure, and he 

 spel'ls it "Brunella, Toumef." He says it ap- 

 pears to be distributed over, the four quarters of 

 the globe, but he judges it is not a native here. Its 

 ancient reputation for healing wounds, he thinks 

 is not sustained in modern times. We might at- 

 tempt a description of the plant sent by our cor- 

 respondent, but as it is somewhat wilted, and as 

 we have no great skill in that line, we copy the 

 i-ather scientific language of Mr. Darlington, hop- 

 ing that with the aid of a good dictionary our read- 

 ers will be able to recognize the plant, if they do 

 not know it by the common names of "Self-heal," 

 or "All-heal." 



Stem 8 to 12 or 1-5 inches high, erect or ascend- 

 ing, somewhat branched, especially at base. 

 Leaves 1 to 3 inches long; petioles half an inch to 2 

 inches long (those of the radical or lower leaves 

 often 3 to 4 inches long) ; the floral-leaves bract- 

 like, orbicular-cordate, sessile, with a short ab- 

 rubt acumination, the lower ones conspicuously 

 acuminate. Cymules 3-flowered, crowded into 

 compact imbricated oblong terminal spikes. 

 Bracteoles none. Corolla violet-purple (rarely pale 

 purpl^or nearly white), smoothish, Common in 

 fields, roadsides, open woodlands, &c. Flowers 

 from July to September. 



