254 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



FEB. 17, 1836 



^nw sar-siE.^sfiS' sjASESiSiis^* 



BOSTON. WEDNSSDAY EVENING. FEB. 17, 1836. 



DESTRUCTION TO CANKER WORMS. 



Mr Fessenden— Dear Sir : The Canker-worms made 

 their appearance on my apple trees the last season. — 

 Some of the young trees had considerable many on 

 them. Has there been any experiment made of washing 

 the trees at any time in the Spring, for the purpose of 

 destroying them ? VVnnld not a wash of potash, or soap 

 and water, put on the body and branches in the Spring, 

 or say just before the time of the young shewing them- 

 selves, destroy them in the egg state ? Such wash would 

 be beneficial to the trees — the labor of tarring the trees 

 once per day is great. I shall be thankful if you, or any 

 of vour readers, can give any useful information on this 

 subject. I am, with much respect, yours, &c. 



William Keith. 

 JVest Roxhury, Feb. 8, 183G. 



By the Editor. — Among the aniidotes against cankcr- 

 i^orms, recommended by writers and practical cultiva- 

 Inrs, we do not recollect to have seen any remedy exactly 

 iiimilarto that suggested above by Mr Keith. But the 

 Rev. Mr Falconer, of England, one of the correspondents 

 • jf the Bath Agricultural Society, in treating, of soap suds 

 .IS a manure and an antidote to insects, has the following 

 observations. 



"This mixture [soap suds] of an oil and an alkali has 

 Ibeen more generally known than adopted as a remedy 

 against insects which infest wall fruit trees. It will dis- 

 lodge and destroy the insects which have already fo.-med 

 their nests and bred among the leaves. When used in 

 the early part of the year, it seems to prevent the insects 

 from settling upon them ; but whether by rendering the 

 surface of the leaf disagreeable to the animals, and thus 

 repelling them, or by neutralizing the acid they deposit, 

 and thus preventing the leaf from contracting into a form 

 necessary for their reception, T cannot presume to deter- 

 mine. One of the modes by which this mixture indirect- 

 ly contributes to the fertility of the ground, may bo its 

 destruction of the insects which prey upon the plants. 



" It is also, I think, to be preferred to lime water,* or 

 ■ llie wood ashes and lime which Mr Forsyth recommends 

 Eir the destruction of insects. It is preferable to lime 

 water and lime, because lime loses ils causticity, and 

 with that its efficacy , by exposure to air, and must conse- 

 quently be frequently applied ; and to the dredging of 

 Ijie leaves with the fine dust of wood ashes and lime, 

 because the same effect is produced by the mixture with. 

 I lut the same labor, and is obtained without expense." 



The same writer directs to make use of a common gar 

 I len pump for sprink.Ung trees with soap suds, and says 

 i f the water of a washing cannot be had, a quantity of 

 potash dissolved in waWJ may be substituted. He de- 

 clares that " ths washing of the trees twice a week, for 

 three or four weeks in the spring will be sufficient to 

 secure them from the injuries of these insects." A long 

 paper on the use o.f soap suds as a manure, is concluded 

 as follows : — " On the wliole, then, this must be consid 

 eredas a valuable m.anure,as it con be obtained easily, at 

 small expense, and .in Large quantities ; and, when its 

 nature ife well understood', will probaJaly be no less es- 

 teemed by the farmer t. ban Jjorse dung. To the gardener 

 as well as to the farmei it iij» useful, mi.ted with mould. 



as a fertilizing compost ; or when fluid may he applied 

 to his fruit trees, as a wash fatal to the noxious brood of 

 predatory insects." 



The writer of the article above quoled, mentions no 

 particular kind of insect which he says may be destroyed 

 by soap suds, but says, " it will dislodge and destroy the 

 insects which have already formed their nests and bred 

 among the leaves.'' And if the sprinkling of the trees 

 twice a week for three or four weeks in early spring 

 with soapsuds, or a weak solution of potash, will destroy 

 canker-worms, caterpillars, <.tc the troublesome, expen 

 sive, and injurious process of tarring the trees might well 

 beotnitted. But we do not believe it would be advisable 

 to depend on the wash or sprinkling alone, till repeated 

 experiments had proved its efficacy. Still the mixture of 

 soap or potash and water would, probably, be well ap- 

 plied merely on account of its properties as a manure. It 

 might be well, by way of adding to the effect of the ap- 

 plication to mix with suds, decoctions of elder and tobac- 

 co. Perhaps a little tar or turpentine thrown in with 

 the above-mentioned ingredients would reruler the com- 

 pound more efficacious. It would be somewhat expen- 

 sive to shower with a garden engine soap suds, &c. over 

 a large orchard of large apple trees, as advised above. 

 But, we believe the expense of tarring would be greater, 

 and the manure of the soap suds would give a balance 

 much in favor of the latter. 



"Some gardeners recom. nien xi the use of lime water, but it 

 is not commonly employed, bei off found hurtful to the foliage. 

 — Agriculturai Report of,% 'oti. irui. 



MASSACHUSETTS HOKTICUI-TURAr, SOCIETY. 



Saturday, Feb. 13. 



EXHIBITION or FRUITS. 



Pears, — From E. M. Richards, Uedham, the Echassa- 

 rie, of Boston and vicinity ; also the Winter Orange, or 

 Orange d'Hiver — both are desirable pears for the sea- 

 son. 



Apples. — From Robert Manning, Salem, Danvers 

 Winter Sweet, or Epps's Winter Sweet. 



F'r.om Mr John Clapp, Reading, Non.=uch, Danvers 

 Winter Sweet, an apple called the Early Baldwin, but 

 probably is Kaighn's Spitzenburg, and one other kind, 

 name unknown. 



From J. P. Davis, Boston, Tallman's Winter Sweet, 

 first rate. 



From John Mackay, Boston, Mackay's Winter Sweet. 



From E. Weston, Jr., apples from Attleborough, name 

 unknown. 



From E. M. Richards, Dedham, Pomme d'Appi, or 

 Lady Apple — Gardner's Sweeting— Shop Apple — a 

 sweet Apple, name unknown, from Medfield — Cogswell 

 — Winc-Sap-Barn Apple — American Wine — Wells' 

 Pippin — Detroit Apple — Nonesuch— Spice Apple — a 

 wilding, and one other, name unknown. 



Mr Downer exhibited Bezi Vaet Pears — Kaighn's 

 Spitzenberg, a fine Pippin, and Esopns Spitzenberg Ap- 

 ples. 



The specimens of fVuits exhibited this day wjere all 

 very fine. For the Committee. B. V. French. 



N. B.— Messrs Hovey exhibited at the last meeting a 

 specimen of Isabella Grapes in a fine state of preserva- 

 tion. B. V F 



FIRE .'WOOD. 



See that your supply of fire wood is abundant; and 

 well prepared for the fire. Nothing more deranges the 

 operations of a correct cultivator than to be under the 

 necessity of tackling his team, in summer, perhaps in 

 the hurry of haying, or harvest, to draw a temporary and 

 scanty supply of wood for cooking, &c. It is almost as 

 necessary to provide wood in winter for summer's use, 

 as it is to provide meat, vegetables, hay, &o. in summer 

 and autumn for winter's use. 



(For tlle New England F'armer.) 



Plymouth, Feb. 12, 183 

 Mr Fessendkn — Deir Sir : I was gratified to obss 

 in the last Farmer some notice of the Pig-nose Ap 

 because it revived to my recollection a fruit which ir 

 youthful days was held in great estimation. There 

 in my father's orchard, in the town of Barnstable, a 

 ductive tree, bearing the Pig-nose Apple, which 

 considered ■ to be superior to any other winter a 

 known. Whether the tree is still in existence, 

 whether there are any others of the kind in the vicii 

 I am not able to determine. 



I am, with respect, 



your humble servt., J. 1 



(Communication.) 

 Mr Editor: — A few years since, I gave your readc 

 few hints, from experience, upon the depredations 

 Field Mice, in girdling the young peach trees, after g 

 bodies of snow having laid long on the ground, as it c 

 at the present lime. My peach trees are all extinct f 

 the same cause, and the two last inclement winter 

 But thinking the vermin would feed on something,! 

 induced, this 15th day of February, 1836, to examine 

 young apple trees, by shoveling the snow from the ro< 

 and found many of them completely girdled three inc 

 from the surface of the ground. I mention this fact, 1 

 others may take the hint. Brooklink 



(Coniniunicalion.) 

 Mr Editor : — Upon reading a paragraph under the h 

 of " Rail-roads in Winter," the query occurred to 

 mind, whether the steam, as it is let off in working 

 engine, might not be discharged upon the rails bef 

 the wheels, and thus free them from a coating of ice.' 



A Friend to Internal ItiPROVEMENTi'llt 



The Finaj.e of tbe French War. — Rothschild 

 informed his correspondents in this country, that 

 Government of France had notified that of England t 

 they were now ready to fulfil all the conditions of 

 treaty of July 4th, 1831, without farther delay. ^ 

 letters were received by the St Andrew. — Journal 

 Commerce. 



The New York Commercial Advertiser, of Satun 

 evening, (I3th) in a postscript, dated at half pas 

 o'clock, says, that it was reported that a special gove« 

 ment messenger arrived in the St Andrew, and procert 

 lid forthwith to the seat of government. 



Great Calf. — Mr Elisha M. Jencks, of Ware Hot 

 Point, Conn, has a Heifer Calf, which is presumed to 

 the largest that can be produced in this country, acco; 

 ing to its age. Is of deep red — calved May ), 18! 

 from blood stock — weighed, when 7 months old, 6 

 lbs. — 10 months, 950 lbs. — 12 months, 1065, and 

 months, 1345 lbs. — from a cow formeily owned by t 

 late Samuel Slater, Esq. Providence, R. 1., and she fre 

 an imported cow, and without any extra keeping. 



The Weather. — During three days of the past wee 

 the weather was extremely cold. On Thursday mor 

 ing, the mercury fell to thirtythrec degrees below zei 

 Sonre of our western friends thought that ten degre 

 below were worthy of note, and spoke of it as somethii 

 very uncommon. They ought to come down into th 

 region, where, once or twice in the season, we require 

 thermometer of moi'e than the usual length. Last wi; 

 ter, the mercury congealed here and at Houlton — Bai 

 gorefin. 



M.ijor Nathaniel Mowry, of Smithfield, R. I. raised tl 

 an acre of ground, the past season, 102 bushels of corn| 



