1854. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



239 



table physiology is that each different plant] peared, but tlm3 far we had discovered no chang. 

 should, by means of this absorbent power of the ^ the warts themselves 



roots, take up only that peculiar earthy aliment 

 which is suited to its constitution. Thus if a 

 stalk of wheat and a pea vine grow together, the 

 roots of the wheat take up the silex, while those 

 of the pea take up the calcareous parts of the soil. 



WHEAT. 



According to the most correct analysis, wheat 

 contains in one hundred parts, 33 per cent, of 

 ashes, and these ashes consist of 12 per cent, lime, 

 salts, and 51 of silicia, or sand. Hence, wheat 

 will sometimes succeed after buckwheat, as they 

 are composed of different elements, both of which 

 may co-exist in the soil. 



PEAS. 



The soil for peas should not be too liberally en 

 riched. A great degree of fertility appears not 

 to be required to develop the excellencies of this 

 crop, which is indebted less to the soil than many 

 other vegetables, and more to the air, for the food 

 which perfects its growth. . 



For the New England Farmer 



WARTS ON PLUM TREES. 



^Ir. Brown ; — I had noticed that my plum trees, 



Some days later, however, about the 20th of 

 June, we found on examination of the tumbler, 

 that these warts had become masses of black, po- 

 rous matter, evidently eaten through and through 

 by some worm. Still there was enough of cohe- 

 sion about each mass to preserve its form, except 

 that it was somewhat increased in size. Opening 

 these masses, we discovered in each a small white 

 grulj with a dark head ; in some, more than one 

 grub. A few days later, this grub liad become a 

 chrysalis. Still later I examined again, and found 

 on removing the cover, several small black flies, 

 of slender form, such as we had never before no- 

 ticed, some of which escaped us. These I sup- 

 posed to proceed from the warts, because on ex- 

 amination I found in some of them certain little 

 insects, evidently becoming transformed into flies. 

 One chrysalis I opened, contained an insect of a 

 grayish color, looking as much like a bug as a fly. 

 Another contained the same insect in a torpid 

 state, which after a little exposure to the air be- 

 came active. These, I suppose, both became flies 

 after the lapse of a little more time. 



Of the connection between the little worms first 

 mentioned, and the warts, I have no opinion, be- 

 cause they soon after appeared in countless myri- 

 ads, on trees upon which there are no excrescences 

 like those on plum trees. 



From the other facts I draw the following infer- 



of which I have several varieties, durin"; somci ,. , ,, ,., ,, ,, n i i *. • ' i 1 1 



, • re 1 1, u 1 ' ences — that the little lly alluded to, is prob.ibly 



years, were becommo; disngured by the unseemlyi ,, ■ ,■ n i • ^i- n I i • i.i"^ 



•' ' r 1 • I n 1 I •' i the mischief-makcr in this case — that durin<<; the 



excrescences, or which there have been so manyi -^ a •, -^ • i " xi 



, . , V 1 i. T i.1 1 i. T 1 1 ii. i. t summer it deposits its ejro; in, on, or under, the 

 complaints of late. 1 thou";ht i would attempt, at' , • r. • ^ ., •^i'"' • i.i ^ ■ 



A ... o . ,. , s\ I bark, infusing therewith a poison that occasions 



least, to ascertain the cause, since this knowledge ^, ' '^ , • ^ r xi 



• -J. 1,1 t T i. * -1 T 1 1 the excrescence, winch forms over the i 



18 indispensable to a cure. Last April, I resolved „. , n , i- 1 1 -i. .i i. i -t. i- 



i i ,^ n . .r.^^. .,11 n.^ f-.„,\„i -,1 I ,1 K. effectually to shield it — that here it lies 

 to cut up at tlie roots all the trees which had be-' ^, . y ^., ^, , ,. 



egg so as 

 s through 



warts, that the wood was in almost every in 

 stance diseased to tlic heart. While engaged in 

 this process, my son severed a number of the 

 warts carefully from their stock, and placed them 

 in a tumbler covered with a glass cup-plate. Two 

 or three weeks subsequently, on a further exami- 

 nation of the trees, he found several warts which 

 had commenced a vigorous growth, about which 

 were a multitude of little white worms, apparent- 

 ly of the same species as those which later in tlie 

 season committed such fearful depredations iu 

 the orchards and otlier fruit trees through tlie 

 country. In some cases, these worms had formed 

 their nest aV)out the wart, in others, seemed im- 

 bedded undm* the bark, so that when disturbed, 

 they would r.^tirc from view. But the wart, ratii- 

 er than the adjacent parts of tlie limb, seemed to 

 be their home. This was before tlie worms made 

 their appearance on the trees generally. 



Several pieces of limb having these excrescences 

 upon them, my son cut off, and we placed them 

 with the warts before collected, in the tum])ler, 

 which we placed in a vessel of water, hoping 

 thereby to prevent the escape of anything from it. 

 The genial atmosphere of the house hastened the 

 growth of the worms, and ns our covering wag not 

 sufficiently close they escaped, and many of them 

 were drowned, while some succeeded in swimming 



preventiv( 

 cut off, either in the autumn, or early in the 

 spring, every branch on which an incipient wart 

 makes its appearance, and burn it. 



I know, Mr. Editor, that it is not commonly 

 safe to base a theory upon a single experiment, or 

 investigation. I therefore only give you the pro- 

 cess of my investigation with its results, and my 

 deductions therefrom, without any strong confi- 

 dence that these deductions are correct. Perhaps 

 others have investigated this matter in a similar 

 way. If so, I hope we may learn the results. 



Certain it is, that unless something can I)e done 

 I to arrest the destruction now in progress among 

 the plum trees of this region, we shall soon cease 

 to enjoy this delicious fruit. L. jSIattuews. 



Cormmll, Vt., Feb., l'^b\. 



Fine IIogs. — A few days ago, we saw at stall 

 70, Quincy Market, eight of the finest porkers of 

 the season. They were the property of J. Fogg, 

 Esq., of Deerfield, Mass — I Suffolk, but one year 

 oUl, and the lot weighed 2,428 jxtunds. They were 

 fed on equal parts of l>room corn seed and Indian 

 corn, both ground, until the first of January, and 

 after that time on corn meal alone. The first prc- 



it the Franklin 



mium was awarded thesi; swine 

 to the edge of the vessel, from which they Ictl Cattle Show last fall. The weiglit given above 

 themselves down by their web to the table on was after the shrinkage hail l)ecn deducted. We 

 which the vessel stood. These worms soon disap- have never seen a finer lot of pork. 



