234 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



May 



every school-boy to pelt and rob. This was as far 

 as I could trace back its history. Respecting its or- 

 igin, the opinion uniformly given was, that it was 

 a chance seedling ; tliis is corroliorated by the qual- 

 ity of the fruit, wliich one gentleman declared was 

 "terrible" for eating, though good for preserving. 

 I obtained a transverse section of the trunk, but 

 could make out about forty rings of annual 

 growth, though the laterones' wereso nai-row and 

 BO much decayed, as to render them very liable to 

 be overlooked. The conclusion to which I came, 

 was, tbat this was a line illustration of the strong 

 preservative power of the natural stock, when un- 

 enfecbled by the cunning contrivances of man ; im- 

 parting, in tliis instance, a tenacity of life that had 

 enabled it to contend successfully for over half a 

 centiiry, against the neglect of men, the rudeness 

 of boys, and the opposition of the elenients. 



James J. H. Gregory. 

 Hingham, Mass., Fed. 7, 1854. 



NEW BOOKS. 



American Frcit Grower's Guide, a new work on Fruit, by 

 F. R. Elliot, Esq. New York: Saxton, 152 Fulton Street, 

 185i. 



From the cursory examination we have been able 

 to give this woi'k, we should pronounce it a gopd 

 one. Mr. Elliot has had experience, and knows 

 the importance of being cautious in the recommen- 

 dation of fruits. No man, it seems to us, is fully 

 qua^fied to compile such a book, who has not gone 

 througjh the tibial of rearing trees, as carefully as he 

 has his own children, and found them at last, bit- 

 ter everywhere, both in the "mouth" and in the 

 "belly." Among the little thingswof life there is 

 scarcely a keener disappointment than this. 



Tiic illustrations of this work are far more 

 striking and satisfactory for showing the inside as 

 well as the outline. The fruits are represented as 

 cut open, showing the core and seeds, and some- 

 times the appearance of the pulp. The book is 

 printed in Sa.xton's good style, and has a good in- 

 dex. One of our most accomplished fruit grow- 

 ers thinks the author has not done himself full 

 credit in the delineations — that many of them are 

 not as large as the fruits represented wi'l justify. 

 When a second edition is printed, we suggest that 

 instead of the words, "index of fruits," being 

 placed on the top of each page over the index as a 

 running title, that the names of the fruit be in- 

 serted, as "Apples — peaches — plums, "&c. Upon 

 the whole, the "American Fruit Grower's Guide," 

 though not without its faults, is the best work we 

 have on the subject. 



First Lrssoss is Chemistry asd Geology, as applied to Agr— 

 culture. Boston -. Dayton & Wcntworth, 1854. 



Tliis is a capital little work, designed for 

 schools, and will introduce these interesting sub- 

 jects to the pujnl in many diflferent ways, make 

 him familiar with the terms used, and increase his 

 love for rural occupations by enlightening his 

 mind in relation to them. We shall be glad to see 

 such a work introduced into all our schools, and 



that the girls will be required tp study it as well 

 as the boys. Dayton & Wentwortli, Boston, 

 1854. 



The CcLTi-RE or the Grape and Wine-making: by Robert Bu- 

 chanan. With an appendix containing directions for the Cdl- 

 tivation of the Strawberry, by N. Longworth. Fifth Edi- 

 tion. Cincinnati: Moore, Anderson & Co., Publishers. 



This work gives the mode of cultivating the va- 

 rious kinds of grapes in vineyards for wine-mak- 

 ing, and the manner of making the wine, and we 

 hi^e no doubt is a safe guide to those engaged in 

 the business. Indeed, the Iwok apjwars to be filled 

 with what the cultivators of the vine ought to 

 know. We might read the book with a better 

 relish, perhaps, had we tested the sparkling Ca- 

 tawba itself ! The article on the Culture of the 

 Strawbe^y is full of interest to everybody who 

 has once tasted strawberry and cream. Better 

 judges than ourselves on the subject of the grape, 

 say the work is an excellent one. 



For the Nexv England Farvier. 



TO DESTROY THE CURCULIO. 



Mr. Brown : — I perceive your Burrillville, R. 

 I., correspondent has been much annoyed by that 

 most villanous insect, the curculio.. To prevent 

 the ravages of this "bug" the "specifics" recom- 

 mended have been many, and with the exception 

 of two, they have proved as effectual with me as 

 with the gentleman referred to. Now though I 

 do not expect to advance an original idea, I will 

 proceed to give the details of a plan which has 

 proved more effectual than all others, in dimin- 

 ishing the number of those troublesome scamps, at 

 least so far as my own experience is a fair test. 



Take ten yards (and if your trees are very large, 

 more will be required, and add another breadth) 

 of cheap sheeting, cut the same in three equal* 

 parts and have them sewed together so as to form 

 a mammoth sheet, cut half way through the mid- 

 dle, and have it hemmed ; with this you can com- 

 pletely cover the ground under the trees, and 

 with the aid of two or three children to assist in 

 holding the corners and spreading the same, a 

 vast number of cureulios may be destroyed in one 

 hour's time. The way to proceed is this : after 

 your sheet is spread give the trees a sudden jar, if 

 the trunks are not more than three inches in di- 

 ameter, nothing more than the hand will be re- 

 quired ; if trees are large, liave at hand a large 

 mallet with the corners rounded off, and wound 

 with cloth, under which there should be a little 

 stufling to prevent injury to the bark ; strike with 

 that square against the stem of the tree?, then at 

 once with a pair of pincers made of the thumb 

 and fore finger, dispatch the cureulios, or they 

 will soon be off. Be sure and pinch hard enough 

 to break their shells. If you have lielp sufficient 

 to hold the slicet up to the lower branches when 

 the tree is shaken, more cureulios will be secured, 

 for I have noticed that in their descent from high 

 trees they sometimes fly before striking the cloth. 

 If the insects are numerous, visit your trees once 

 a day, say just before sunset, and you will thin 

 them out fast. 



If you have cherry trees in bearing, visit those 

 with your sheet and mallet and pincers. Every 



