\o\. IX.— No. 3.5. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



27^ 



1 ati'onliii}; a loss i|iii\mity of fruit ami that of 

 inltrior tiiiali'.v. No lirttor time lor luuuirig 

 icli lives |»ci-lia|)S can be selertoil than about 

 1st of June. Tlie mode and time of priniin;; 

 :y a|)j)eai- to tliose who have never made the 

 enipt at variance with //iciV iileas ; but it is ex- 

 ■iencc, not theory, that has dictated the above 

 narUs. Yours respectfully, 

 ^•aclon, March 1, 1S31. SETII DAVIS. 



ON. IL A. S, Dearborn, 



Presidsnt of the Miss. Hort. Society. 

 )e.^r Sir— If you dceai the followiag remarks on 

 canker-worm worthy nt trial, they are at your ser- 

 i. The circumslance, that we know not the canker- 

 rm liere, may be my apology lor not being able to 

 ke any experimonts on this subject of myself. 

 Very respectfully. 



Your fiienil and most obedient servant. 

 'Vewton, March, l, 1831. William Kexrick. 



KE.M.4RKS ON THE CANKER-WORM. 

 In the immediate vicinity of my residence Ibc- 

 ve the canker worm has never yet appeared; 

 ram I aware that I iiave ever seen this insect: 

 : I have but too often been a witness of Its rav- 

 ;s in the distance ; — whole orchards resembliuj; 

 ests through which the destructive flames have 

 jsed. 



Under these circiiuistaiices I trust it may not be 

 amed presuniplnous in uie to attempt writing on 

 abject on which so much has already been said 

 1 writteti, and yet on which so much still re- 

 lins to be done. 



Among the various remedies which have been 

 iscribed for this purpose, it has been confidently 

 erted that the mercurial ointment, apt lied to 



ps of list vvhicli are to be nailed round the tree,^ 

 in effectual remedy : yet your osvn experiments 

 ve led us to doubt as to its certain efficacy. 

 3thcr ingenious modes have been proiiosed, as 

 3ular frames of lead or of wood, in which are 

 med circulargiitters, for the reception of oil, &c : 

 •se are to be nicely adjusted both to the tree and 

 a perfect level ; I have no doubt these modes 

 ght answer ; yet Low far their efficacy has 



n tried or approved on an extensive scale, we 



not yet informed. 

 Another writer bas proposed carting away the 

 1 containing the grub in autumn to the depth 



as many inches as may be necessary ; and from 

 ; tree to the extent of the circumference of its 

 Itnches ; carrying this infested soil to the barn 

 rd or to a distance, and replacing this by an- 

 ler and better soil. 

 But of all the remedies hitherto ' extensively 



ipted, tarring seems to be the u?ostcertainand ap- 



ved. 

 rrhe objections'to this are, that it injures the tree ; 



to obviate this, strips of canvas are soine- 

 IVes first nailed around the tree : it requires un- 

 ising watching and attention for many weeks: 

 3 tarring must be very frequently renewed, for 

 len dried on its surface, it no longer serves as a 

 rrier to the progress of the insect : yet even 

 lile fresh, the insects will not unfrequently form 

 Dridge of carcases over the tar, and in one fa- 

 hour the whole swarm have ascended ; and 

 jen this event takes place, I believe nothing 

 ore is to be done; the business is over, ami the 

 jes must be abandoned for that season. Hitherto 

 erefore, I will suppose, that the attempts have 

 ly been made with a view to obstruct tlie pas- 



sage of the insect in its natural, and more or less 

 direct ascent. Wlivt I now propose, therefore, is 

 to oppose to the progress of the canker worm an 

 obstacle, which they can in no wise pass, without 

 being first compelled to an indirect course, and ij;i- 

 natural descent ; and this too over the very sub- 

 stances, to them, the most odious and detestable. 



First, a com[)ound belt is to be formeil around 

 the tree, projecting an inch and a half, or an inch 

 and three quarters, from the body of the tree. 

 This belt may be very readily formed by bending 

 around the tree double or triple bands, consisting 

 of as many small sticks of green alders, osiers, or 

 other pliable wood ; each reduced by shaving on 

 two sides only, to the proper thickness, and se- 

 cured to each other ami to the tree by nails. 



Around the belt thus formed, a thin strip about 

 two and a half inches in wiilth is bent and nailed 

 to it by its upper edge, and projecting below the 

 belt previously formed, about two inches; and 

 every crevice above is now to be carefully closed 

 with clay. 



This strip may consist either of the thin lead 

 procured from the lining of tea chests, or of paste-- 

 board previously oiled with linseed- oil aiul dried, 

 or of thin oak or ash basket'stulT. It is to the inside 

 of this outward strip or licit, "and very near its 

 lower edge, defended alike from the sun and rain, 

 that the tar, mercurial ointment, or other offensive 

 substance is to be ajiplied, and occasionally when- 

 ever necessary, renewed. 



Let me here suggest another substance perhaps 

 deserving of trial, and one to which I think all in- 

 sects have a mortal aversion. It is the bark of 

 elder, which may be prepared by simmering in 

 lard; after straining, the substance may be ap- 

 plied in the manner of the mercurial ointment. 



When the season of the canher worm is over, 

 the belt may be removed from the tree, and pre- 

 served till another season, to be again reapplied 

 and refitted to the same or other trees. 



I think as a general idea it is not a good plan 

 to fasten up bees in their hive, especially when 

 there is a great population. It has a tendency to en- 

 gender diseases. 1 prefer a room sufficiently tight to 

 prevent the escape of the bees when there is snovr 

 upon the ground, or one of Doctor Thacher's im- 

 proved bee houses. I have built me one of them ; 

 I find it answers a naich better purpose in pre- 

 venting bees from going out upon the snow, than 

 it does in preventing the bee moth from entering 

 my hive. A SUBSCRIBER. 



March 4, 1831. 



BEES. 



Mr Editor — ^Seeing in your last paper a com- 

 munication from Mr E. Beard requesting informa- 

 tion as to the probable cause of bees producing so 

 great a heat as he represents in his communica- 

 tion and how they have the power of creating it. 

 I have ventured to give my ojiinion as to the cause 

 of this phenomenon, although I make no preten- 

 sion as a naturalist, and am much younger than 

 Mr Beard in the management of bees, it being only 

 about three years since I commenced keeping 

 them. It is a fact well know to naturalists, that 

 whenever bees become agitated from any cause 

 whatever, the animal heal is greatly increased to 

 such a degree that they are compelled to leave the 

 inside of the hive. 



I consider the heat increased in proportion to 

 the population of the hive and the commotion of 

 the bees. I have no idea that bees ke°p up a uni- 

 form temperature in the hive, although 1 presume 

 an extreme degree of heat makes it very uncom- 

 fortable, and extreme cold produces torpor. Now, 

 Sir, you will remember that Mr Beard says the 

 bees were fastened up one day before this event 

 happened. My opinion is, the bees being fastened 

 up, they were deprived of the usual supply of fresh 

 air; they became uneasy and tumultuous, of course 

 increased the animal heat; being prevented from 

 leaving the inside of the hive or of obtaining fresh 

 air, they became, jierhaps, more agitated, and I 

 think increased the heat so as to melt the comb 

 as he has represented. 



MULBERRY TREES— Query. 



Mr Editor — Inflirmation is wanted through 

 your paper, in regard to the best method 

 of setting out a phil of mulberry trees, for the 

 raising of silk. Is it the better way to plant 

 them out in the manner of hedge fence ? If so 

 what distance should there be between the rows 

 and what distance from one plant to another ? If 

 some other plan is belter, what is it ? Answers to 

 these questions and any information upon the sub- 

 ject will oblige a Subscriber. 



Methuen, March 8, 1831. 



WHITE BEET, OR SWISS CHARD. 



As there has been much said respecting this 

 plant, the year past, we trust that a description of 

 it will will be acceptable to many of our readers. 



The seeds of this plant have been distributed 

 under several different names, as the g-rcaf lohite 

 beet, lUe Sinclair beet, the silver stalked, and the 

 Swiss chard. It is a biennial plant, the leaf-stalks 

 of which are very large, and of silvery whiteness, 

 and are the most valuable part of the plant ; the 

 leaves are thick and succulent, and are also boiled 

 as Bpinnn.ge, 'f,'' ; roots of this plant are of but 

 little worth, not being larger than a man's thumb. 

 It has been cultivated in gardens on the con- 

 tinent, since the sixteenth century. It is found 

 growing wild on the sea coast of Spain. It is 

 equally as hardy as other kinds of beets, and is 

 sowed early. The stalks will be fit for use in Au- 

 gust,and should be boiled and dressed as Asparagus. 



As there has been considerable demand for the 

 seed of this kind of beet, for one or two years 

 past, it h,is been difficult to procure it free from 

 admixture with the seed of other varieties ; it may 

 be well, therefore, for those who intend raising, to 

 plant thick, and allow the plants to remain until 

 they are about four or five inches high, when 

 they may be thinned, as at this time the genuine 

 ones may be distinguished by the white stalks and 

 veins of the leaves. Others should be rejected. 



Having raised this plant we can recommend it 

 to others as worth cultivating. — Genesee Fanner . 



Cure for the Scab on Sheep. — Cut off" the wool 

 as far as the skin feels hard to the fingers ; then 

 wash the scab with soap suds, and rub it bard 

 with a short brush so as to cleanse and break it: 

 make a decoction of tobacco, to which add one 

 third by measure of ley, a small quantity of hog's 

 lard, or as much as the ley will dissolve ; then add 

 one eighth of the whole in measure of spirits of 

 turpentine. This liquor is to be rubbed upon the 

 part infected three times with an interval of three 

 days between each washing. In this simple way a 

 thorough cure will he effected, and the inhuman 

 treatment of our scabby quacks be prevented. 

 If the disease be taken in season, it may be cured 

 by rubbing spirits of turpentine and hog's fat on 

 the place infected. — Hamp. Gazette. 



