NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Published by John B. Russell at tlic corner of Congress and Lindall Streets. — Thomas G. Fkssknuk.n, Editc 



VOL. V. 



BOJ-^TON, FRIDAY, AUGUST 11. 1826. 



NO. 3. 



ORIGINAL PAPERS. 



•INSECT IN PEAR TREES. 



Roxburtj, July 31, 1820. 

 Mr Pessendtn — As I had not, rs you well 

 low, sufficient time to mature my observations on 

 le disease, to which th.e pear tree is supposed to 

 3 subject, I may be allowed tJie liberty of a few 

 Iditiona) remarks. The discovery of the insect 

 hich is so fatal to the pear tree is so difficult,that 

 am jfrepaied to see the opinion I have e.xpress- 

 1 controverted. 



But tliis, I may be allowed to say, that as the 

 medy which I propose is precisely the one, which 

 .•ery skilful cultivator would, of course, apply, 

 hethcr I am right or wrong in my opinions as to 

 .e cause, I think they will not hesitate to adopt 

 It may be laid down as an axiom, which has 

 ) limits, or qualification whatever, that as soon 

 i any limb dies, from any cause, it should be in- 

 antly extirpated — That the growing season is 

 e best for this operation — That if a diseased or 

 •ad limb be left on any tree or plant, for one 

 eek after its restoration is hopeless, it does es 

 ntial injury to the healthy parts of the tree or 

 ant. Long continued attention to the cultivation 

 'exotic plants^ which require the strictest itten- 

 )n, and the most skilful management, eiables 

 e to state this proposition so strongly. 

 It is of little public moment therefore, whether 

 elate Professor Peck, an eminent bota'nis\and 

 tomologist was correct, or not, in attributinrtthc 

 sease of tlie pear tree to this minute insecy — 

 le remedy proposed would be as proper, let ih' 

 -■ensc arise iVora that or any other cause. 

 But if we are right, in our opinions, it is of t'le 

 ,t importance that the proposed remedy shoild 

 used. Every diseased limb suffered to renain 

 the tree, on our theory, and belief, will be sure 

 e next year, to produce ten or twenty or perhaps 

 ty others. 



iS'o intelligent mind can doubt, that if there be 

 insect in the pear tree, which eats the whole 

 art wood in a single season ; (a7id this is prov- 

 ,) that he will propagate his like in, no man csn 

 y what increasing ratio, the year following. — 

 it were certain that every diseased twig hcd 

 ',n ctit off, and burnt, as soon as it appeared, in 

 ' the cases referred to by yovr correspondents, 

 ere might be some doubt, as to the cause — but 

 my excursions, I find the diseased limbs suffer- 

 to remain on the trees, till the next spring- 

 uning. 



How then can you reasonably expect any thinj', 

 t final destruction to the tree ? 

 Is there any thing in the course of our exper- 

 ice similar to the effect produced on these trees, 

 other natural causes ? The limbs attacked ar^ 

 healthy as any — the root is without disease — 

 sects which attack the root affect the whole tree 

 -the foliage becomes sickly. But in the case of 

 e pear, tlie tree retains all its vigor in the parts 

 i( affected. Some gardeners of Europe call it 

 fire blast," and attribute it to the effect of light- 

 ng — but why does it attack the pear only ? or 

 e pear in preference ? For this no ready solution 

 ji be found. 

 I shall be told, however, that it more recently, 



(and it is entirely new to me) attacks the quince 

 and oven the apple. But it sliould be known that 

 these two plants arc congeners closely allied, and 

 it is well known, that in.sects suffered to spread, 

 attack in succession, plants which have some gen- 

 eral resemblance. Thus the apple borer, when 

 suffered to rage without restraint, attacks tlie 

 quince,the white and Virginia thorn, and the moun- 

 tain ash ; and that there is some natural affinity, 

 between these plants is proved by the fact, that 

 they may be all of them reciprocally engrafted on 

 each other. 



I conclude then, with the salutary, easy, practi- 

 cal advice, equally useful, whether we are right 

 or wrong ; extirpate the diseased branch, vithin 

 '20 minutes after you discover it ; and I am bold 

 encugh to promise to every man, who will comply 

 with this easy condition, general, not universal se- 

 curity to his pears, quinces and apples. I say, not 

 universal security, because every year's experi- 

 ence teaches us, that care and labour are tlie con- 

 •litions, upon which we hold every physical, and I 

 lu.iy add every moral blessing, and with this care 

 Uiese blessings are neveV withheld from us. 



JOHN LOWELL. 



POSTSCRIPT. 



August 7, 182C. 



I had finished the foregoing observations, and 

 enclosed the-n i the Editor of the New England 

 Farmer, wl,..l 1 received the candid remarks of 

 Mr Jackson, of riymoutli, {on my former commu- 

 nication,) published on the 5th of August. I ten- 

 .er my respectful thanks to that gentleman for 

 his kind expressions towards me, and assure him 

 that I make no claim whatever to infallibility in 

 my opinions, on tliis or any other subject : nor 

 have I ever been in the habit of subscribing to any 

 man's sentiments, unless they approve themselves 

 to my own reason. There may be two entirely 

 distinct diseases to which healthy pear trees are 

 subject in the period of their most rapid growth, 

 but the symptoms described by Gov. Lincoln and 

 by Mr Jacksoin so precisely agree with those, 

 which accompany the disease produced by the in- 

 sect called Scolytus Pyri, that I must believe 

 them to • be the same. That in some cases death 

 ensues, and in others, only eight or ten branches 

 are destroyed, has no greater tendency to show 

 them to be distinct diseases, than that the measles 

 prove fatal to some constitutions, and are only 

 slightly injurious to others. 



It would be indeed painful to admit, and contra- 

 ry to the benevolent economy of nature, that there 

 is a disease to which the pear tree is subject, so 

 fatal as that represented by Mr Jackson, and aris- 

 ing from occurrences so frequent,as great changes 

 of weather are in our climate. 



I shall therefore say a few words on the subject 

 of the disease generally, and suggest some objec- 

 tions to the ingenious theory of Mr Jackson. I 

 was gratified indeed, that Mr Jackson deemed it 

 necessary to suggest a cause, which he thought to 

 be adequate to the extraordinary effect. The age 

 is gone by, never to return, in which effects will 

 be believed to exist without a cause competent to 

 produce thorn. Men will not now admit tlie agen- 



cy of ligiitiing, when no lightning existed, and 

 none of its ordinary effects arc perceived. 



Is this a jisoase of the pear tree ? I maintain 

 that it is ntt ; and I give my reasons for it, to 

 wliich otheri will allow the weight, which they 

 shall think Ihey deserve. The laws, which gov- 

 ern vegetaVle life are more simple, steady, and 

 uniform, than those which regulate ar.imal life J 

 or to speak nore correctly animals are subject to 

 a greater nunber of casualties, (as wc call then^, 

 blind and unuiowing as we are,) tlian vegetables 

 are. A heathy tree of twenty or forty years of 

 age, whose mtural duration is one or more centu- 

 ries, never stffers from disease, except from exter- 

 nal injury. I exclude from external causes, a bad 

 and improper soil, because the tree never couW 

 7io!'f arrivei to twenty or forty years of age in a 

 perfectly vigorous state, if the soil liad not been con- 

 genial to it. To arrive at such an age and such 

 vigour, it nust have enjoyed the exposure and 

 food suited :o it. Disease then cannot attack such 

 a tree but from external causes. In these I in- 

 clude wounds to the bark by actual violence, 

 which often prove eventualiy, though by slow de- 

 grees fatal. Injudicious pruning — neglect of prun- 

 ing, especiilly of diseased limbs — suffering grass 

 or suckers lo impair the fertility of the soil, and 

 the extension of the delicate fibres, annually pro- 

 duced to codect food for the plant. Bad and in- 

 clement setsons : and lastly, injuries by insects, 

 which is bj far the most frequent and the most 

 extensive cftuse of disease in all trees and plants. 



Now to apply these principles, which it is hop- 

 ed and bciu'ved \ ill be admitted to be correct by 

 all intelligent philosophical minds, to the case in 

 question. By Gov. Lincoln's and Mr Jackson's 

 statements we are to presume that the soil was 

 congenial, because t\ie trees at 30 years of age 

 weipe vigorous. We iire to presume, that they 

 were carefully pruned, ind not incumbered with 

 suckers or grass to an inj\irious extent. To what 

 cause, then, w^s their diseise owing .' To light- 

 ning ? We are not told of any electric phenom- 

 ena which could account for it — To any sudden 

 change in temperature at the lime ? This is not 

 pretended, and it would equally affect all pear 

 trees. But it is said, that it may have been pro- 

 duced by the groat and rapid, and I admit unex- 

 ampled, or very rare changes in the winter of 1825 

 and the spring of ]82(i. Such a cause ought to 

 have aft'ected all pear trees alike, or to have af- 

 fected them generally. Now for the fact ; for we 

 are in the age of facts, not of theories. The truth 

 is, that some great unknown change in our clim- 

 ate, in 1807 down to 1824,rfi(/ cause disease gener- 

 ally in pear trees, but unfortunately for the theory 

 which would ascribe to the great changes of tem- 

 perature in 1825 and 1826, the present alarming 

 disease, the pear tree in 1825 began to recover 

 •rom its long continued debility ; and in 1820, 

 there has never been such an appearance of health, 

 vigor, fairness, and fulness of fruit for nearly 20 

 years. On my own place out of 75 pear trees, one 

 only is attacked with fire blight. I am able to 

 trace the cause of it to the Scolytus Pyri, and to 

 the neglect of extirpating it last year. I was ab- 

 sent from the 1st of July to the middle of August. 

 The only tree attacked this year, lost its leading 



