No. 4. 



A New Remedy for the Curculio. 



125 



of the schools in which they were taught, 

 would become the best manual labour in- 

 structors tor their successors. 



The passage of time reminds me that I 

 am extending these remarks beyond the pro- 

 prieties of the occasion and the patience of 

 my audience. A single reflection shall close 

 them. 



However confidently the opinion may be 

 entertained that other circumstances and re- 

 lations might present a prospect for the ag- 

 riculture of our State and country more sta- 

 ble, independent and flattering, certain it is, 

 that the future here opened is full of cheer- 

 ing promise. We see in it the strongest 

 possible security for our beloved country, 

 through an indefinite period, against the 

 scourge of famine. Our varied soil and cli- 

 mate and agriculture double this security, 

 as the disease and failure of any one crop 

 will not, as a necessary consequence, reduce 

 any class of our population to an exposure 

 to death from hunger. We see also, in ad- 

 dition to feeding ourselves, that our surplus 

 is almost, if not altogether, sufficient, if 

 faithfully and prudently applied, even now 

 to drive famine from the length and breadth 

 of Europe. And that it is in our power, by 

 faithful mental and physical application, soon 

 to make it equal to the expulsion of hunger 

 from the commercial world. We see that, 

 dependent upon the commercial markets, 

 our agriculture may bring upon our country 

 a high degree of prosperity, and enable us, 

 when extraordinary occasions shall call for 

 its exercise, to practice a national benevo- 

 lence as grateful to the hearts of the hu- 

 mane as to the wants of the destitute. And 

 we see that by the wider diflTusion and more 

 secure establishment of a successful agricul- 

 ture among our citizens, as a permanent em- 

 ployment, we are laying broader and deeper 

 the foundations of our free institutions, the 

 pride and glory of our country, and prized 

 by its freemen as their richest earthly bless- 

 ing; the history of all civil government, 

 confirmed by the experience of this republic, 

 furnishing demonstrative proof that a well 

 educated, industrious, and independent yeo- 

 manry, are the safest repository of freedom 

 and free institutions. 



A New Remedy for the Curculio. 



Sir, — I made one of those accidental dis- 

 coveries this season, which often prove more 

 valuable than the results of a carefully con- 

 ducted series of experiments. 



This is no less than a preventive to the 

 attacks of that most unconquerable enemy 

 to all smooth stone fruit — the Curculio. 



I have long been so troubled with this in- 



sect, that I have considered the plum tree of 

 little value to me. 



This season, wishing to stimulate a cou- 

 ple of old plum trees, which stood among 

 others in my fruit garden, I directed my gar- 

 dener to place round each tree a couple of 

 burrovvfuls of fresh horse manure from the 

 stable. This was accordingly laid on the 

 surface of the ground, and as work was 

 rather pressing at the time, it was suffered, 

 tliough rather strong in ammonia, to lie thus 

 for a fortnight. I think it was put about the 

 trees just as the fruit began to swell, and 

 before it became as large as peas. The re- 

 sult is, that these two trees are bearing a 

 good crop of fruit, while every other plum 

 tree in my garden has, as usual, been stung, 

 and dropped all its fruit. There was no 

 punctures, or scarcely any, to be found on 

 the fruits of these two trees. 



I understand from this, that the pungent 

 fumes of the fresh stnble manure, are so of- 

 fensive to the curculio, that it avoids the 

 trees under which it is placed. If this, on 

 repetition, proves to be the case, we have, I 

 think, a weapon against the depredator; for 

 though the effect of the application is not 

 the most agreeable one in a neat fruit or 

 kitchen garden, yet no one would hesitate 

 to resort to it, annually, if the curculio can 

 be driven away by such means. 

 Yours, 



A Subscriber. 



Philadelphia, Aug. 10th, 1S47. 



[This is interesting, and we have some 

 corroborative evidence. This season being 

 one when insects of all kinds ere unusually 

 abundant, we have ourselves suffered some- 

 what from the attacks of the curculio, though 

 not to such an extent as to prevent our hav- 

 ing a moderate crop of plums, apricots, etc. 

 But we observed some time ago, with some 

 surpribc, that upon a couple of large necta- 

 rine trees, growing directly against a fence 

 which shuts in our stable yard, not a single 

 fruit was punctured by the curculio, though 

 other nectarine trees, sixty or eighty feet 

 distant, did not escape. We attributed it at 

 the time to the fumes from the litter thrown 

 daily into the yard. Since our correspond- 

 ent's experience, which is more direct, would 

 appear to confirm the opinion, it will, as he 

 suggests, be well to make a more extensive 

 trial of the effect of a direct application next 

 season. — Ed. Horticulturist.^ 



The Oswego Times says that on the 16th 

 there were ground, bolted, packed and ship- 

 ped, at the flouring mills of H. Fitzhugh & 

 Co., in that village, 814 barrels superfine 

 flour, with six runs of stones only in motion. 



