No. 11. 



Stone Fruits. 



353 



ness of the occurrence, which, if we will 

 not call it an effort of reason, was at least 

 one of memory of not a very common kind. 



A man in the western part of the State of 

 Ohio purchased a remarkably fine horse from 

 a person who lived about thirty miles from 

 his residence, and rode him to his future 

 home, where he lived an easy and a happy 

 life — turned out into rich pasture when not 

 wanted for use. The only service required 

 of him, being to carry his kind master daily 

 in his rides around the neighbourhood. In 

 short, no horse could be more fondled and 

 caressed, nor do less to earn a livelihood. 



When he had lived there about six years, 

 he was one day feeding near the house, crop- 

 ping the rich grass and curvetting in the 

 fulness of animal spirits, when his master 

 observed that he stopped suddenly, and stood 

 perfectly still for several minutes, looking as 

 if he was debating some important question 

 in his own mind. He then, as suddenly 

 pricked up his ears, raised his tail, and 

 started off at a brisk trot on tiie road lead- 

 ing to his former residence. As he did not 

 return, he was followed and easily traced to 

 his old home, where lie had safely arrived, 

 and taken possession of his former quarters 

 in the stable, seemingly much pleased with 

 the whole adventure. — American Agricul- 

 turist. 



Stone Fruits. 



About ten years ago my attention was 

 drawn to a plunj tree in my neighbourhood, 

 which was rather celebrated as the only one 

 that hore large crops of beautiful plums for 

 several miles round. It stood behind the 

 garden of a farmer, and just between two 

 large hog pens. I might say, indeed, in the 

 midst of a pen ; as there was hardly a space 

 of two feet between the pens in which the 

 tree grew. Well, this tree, as I have said, 

 was loaded with the finest imaginable fruit, 

 and the curculio did not appear to attack it 

 in the least, while no other plum trees on 

 the premises, bore any crops of fruit except 

 the common preserving damson. 



Drawing the inference, that the swine 

 destroyed or drove away the curculio, I im- 

 mediately set about putting the information 

 so derived into practice, I had already a 

 few plum trees standing near my farm build- 

 ings, and I immediately planted others there, 

 so as to make a small orchard of that spot, 

 entirely devoted to plum trees ; adding, by 

 way of experiment, a few apricots and nec- 

 tarines. I ought to say that I had hitherto 

 failed, if possible, even more completely 

 with these two latter beautiful fruits than 

 with the plum. 



In tins small orchard of stone fruit trees, 

 comprising, altogether, perhaps thirty trees, 

 at fifteen feet apart, as soon as the trees 

 came into a bearing state, I directly turned 

 my hogs. I took the precaution, — by the 

 by, a most necessary one, every year, — to 

 have the trunks of the trees closely boarded 

 round, about three feet high, to prevent the 

 hogs from barking them, as they certainly 

 would. The first year the trees set only a 

 tolerable crop ; some of the curculio marks 

 being visible on the fruit. But the second 

 year I had a fine crop, and every year since, 

 without a single exception, I have been able 

 to gather a good crop of very fine plums. 

 The apricots and nectarines have borne 

 equally well, though sometimes the fruit of 

 the latter tree has shrivelled from some 

 cause unknown to me. 



To be more definite, I ought to add, that I 

 have found it best to allow the hogs to "have 

 the run" of the orchard for stone fruit all 

 the year, with the exception of about two or 

 three months. I shut them out as soon as 

 the fruit is fully grown, and begins to turn 

 colour, and approach maturity. This en- 

 ables me to put tiie orchard in something 

 like a visitable condition tor any of my family 

 who themselves wish to gather fine and lus- 

 cious plums, apricots and nectarines. I keep 

 the hogs out until the latest ripening plums 

 and nectarines are past, when they are again 

 allowed free range of it. In order to accom- 

 plish this exactly to my mind, I have my hog 

 pen proper on one side of the orchard, with 

 two doors; one door leading into the orchard, 

 and the other into a small enclosure or yard, 

 which they have the run of only when they 

 are shut out of their regular quarters — the 

 orchard. 



As I understand it, the hogs in the outset 

 devour all the plums, &c., that drop from the 

 trees in June and July, — as all the insect 

 punctured ones infallibly do. In this way, 

 they effectually prevent the increase of this 

 insect ; since, if the fruit is allovved to re^ 

 main on the ground, the young maggots 

 soon leave it and go into the ground, where 

 they stay till the time comes round for them 

 to rise out of it to sting the fruit again. By 

 continually rooting in the soil, the hogs not 

 only keep it mellow, and, in the main, free 

 from weeds, but they destroy any grubs of 

 insects that still remain in it; while the ma- 

 nure they furnish to the trees appears to be 

 very much adapted to promote their growth, 

 and keep them in good health. 



1 cannot, of course, undertake to say that 

 in a crowded neighbourhood, much infested 

 with the curculio, this mode would complete- 

 ly answer the purpose of securing a 'good 

 crop, because it is well known that this in- 



