No. 7. Disease of Pears. — Coated Saperda of the Linden Tree. 213 



tops bear a much larger proportion to their 

 roots, seem to be free from it. From which 

 I inter, that those trees whose roots have 

 penetrated far and wide, and deej? in the 

 soil, take up a larger quantity of sap than 

 they can dispose of profitably, durinw the 

 suspension of the growth of the branches ; 

 and after the pears have acquired nearly 

 their natural size, those of a delicate texture 

 give way to the inward pressure, and are 

 split and spoiled, or greatly injured, while 

 the more coarse, tough and hardy descrip- 

 tions, resist the pressure, and are uninjured 

 from this cause. If the above theory should 

 be found correct, the remedy for the cure of 

 the disease would seem to be, to trim the 

 roots moderately, early in the spring of the 

 year, and particularly the tap root, or those 

 roots that pass more directly downwards, 

 where the most moisture is found. I have 

 seen much benefit arise from pruning the 

 roots of a pear tree belonging to a friend, 

 which every year since has produced an 

 abundance of iruit of the finest quality, and 

 which has always taken a premium when 

 exhibited at the Horticultural Society; it is 

 true the pruning was done, not with the 

 view of cutting tlie roots, but of burying a 

 black cat directly under the boll of the tree, 

 in compliance with a superstitious sugges- 

 tion made by an ignorant person, to bring it 

 into bearing. The flict was, that the black 

 cat, or the cutting of the tap roots, which is 

 more probable, brought the tree into luxu- 

 riant bearing, and it has continued so tor 

 many years past. The great benefits of 

 ploughing an orchard, and by that means cut- 

 ting the roots, has often been noticed in the 

 increased quantity and qualify of the fruit. 

 Mcintosh, an English horticulturist of ce- 

 lebrity, who recently wrote an interesting 

 work on fruit trees, says : " Pruning the 

 roots is one of the many modes of treatment 

 practised on unproductive and too luxuriant- 

 growing pear trees; and although an old 

 practice, does not appear to have been so 

 generally attended to as it deserves. This 

 species of pruning may be advantageously 

 employed in the case of trees which are 

 siclily or diseased, owing to their roots pene- 

 trating into a wet, cold, or otherv.'ise uncon- 

 genial subsoil, and also when the roots pene- 

 trate too deeply even into a good or over 

 rich soil. In the former case are produced 

 canker, cracking of the bark and skin of 

 the fruit, which latter also becomes stony 

 or gritty." 



The idea prevalent of latter years, that 

 pear trees should be grown in an undisturbed 

 grass sod, to keep the roots as cool as possi- 

 ble, as a preventive of the fire bli<rht, may 

 have led us into an opposite error, by which 



the cracking and spoiling of the fruit has 

 been brought about, that is now so much 

 complained of: for when the sod is undis- 

 turbed, the roots remain untrimmed, where- 

 as formerly, pear trees of the finer kinds 

 being often grown in gardens, were dug 

 about and the roots more or less cut every 

 year, and the disease now complained of, 

 was comparatively rare, if at all known. 

 Be this as it may, let the experiment be ef- 

 fectually made the coming-spring, of digging 

 under and trimming off the tap, and some 

 of the other downward roots of the Butter 

 pear trees, that have heretofore had their 

 fruit burst and spoiled, and those who make 

 the trial, I hope will communicate the result 

 through the pages of the Cabinet. Should 

 any choose to bury a black cat underneath 

 the tree, I shall not object; but let the trial 

 be made on some of tlie trees in the plain 

 way, without pussey, so that we may learn 

 which way is best, and know whether the 

 sacrifice is absolutely essential to produce 

 the desired result, Poma. 



Coated Saperda of the Linden Tree. 



To THE Editor of the F. Cabinet, — I 

 enclose a letter lately received from Dr. T. W. j 

 Harris, on the subject of the insect so de- 

 structive of late to our beautiful Lindens. 

 The specimens referred to in the letter, 

 wore taken from the trees in front of the 

 Stale-house, early in the last Seventh 

 month, and were sent to Dr. Harris, with 

 some hope that his critical knowledge in 

 American Entomology, and of the habits of 

 the more destructive classes of insects, es- 

 pecially, would enable him to make some 

 suggestion that might aid us in arresting 

 their depredations in this vicinity. Having 

 this hope, I requested the liberty of using 

 liis answer in my own way, which he has 

 kindly granted, and it is now sent to the 

 editor of the Cabinet, that if in his opinion 

 the publication of any portion of it may be 

 useful, such portion may, at some conveni- 

 ent time, find a place in that excellent 

 paper. Respectfully, 



Paul Swift. 



Philadelphia, First mo., 1844. 



Cambridge, Mass., Dec. 6th, 1843. 



To Paul Swift, M. D. 



Dear Sir, — On the 5th of this month, I 

 received your letter and a box containing 

 four long-horned beetles, and wish that it 

 were in my power to send to you a more 

 satisfactory answer than the present. 



The beetles were first described by the 

 late Thomas Say, in the Appendix to Keat- 

 ing's Narrative of Major l^ong's Expedition 

 to the source of the St. Peter's river, &c., 



