NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



_ - Publiahetl by Jqhw B. Russkll at tlic corner of Con gress an<\ Lin.hill Strcots Th<. , 



^^^lZl__ BOstoiV, FRIDAY, ISEPT KAiiiERl 



^Lh^iuTiNAL PAPERS^ 



<<. Fr.ssK.NDK.N, Editor. 



1826. 



BORER IN APPLE TREES. 

 .\o\v is the very nick of time for destroyinn- 

 Apple Tree Borer." 

 Boiieiil may be derived from tlie experiments of 

 ' cr.s, uhelher lliis experience be the eftect of 



iilent, or the result of a systematical pursuit 



)bf:crved about four years since u communication 

 il'li-slied I believe in the New England Farmer) 

 tiio occilpant of a garden, near a run of water, 



the vicinity of Boston, on which stood a fruit 

 •e in a very decayed state, and considered past 

 ;ovcry ; (I am uncertain whether it was a pear 

 a [icach tree.) In the improvement of this wa- 

 , was established a tannery; the refuse tan 

 s thrown near, and in contact with this fruit 

 e, wiiicli from that time revived and became a 

 itfrtl bearer. About the same time I was occu- I 

 J in the cultivation of an orchard of about 80 

 05. and my attention was attracted by a com- 

 niration of John Prince, Esq. on the destruc- 

 .' efibcts of the .ipple Tree Borer ; and his 

 :hod of extirpating them. On examining my 

 ^s I found them all invaded by that enemy ; I 

 ceedcd witii the mallet and cltisscl as he direrl- 



eradicate them ; and cut from three to tjf- 

 11 Borers, or less,from every tree in'the orchar;! 

 ■1 two or three exceptions. Some of the trees, 

 r the operation, were fluted almost like sn 

 hitectural pilaster, the Borer having ascen^led 

 sonie instances as high as 1.5 inches. The 

 ■s are now thrifty and bearing ; and the woLvndpj 

 ie by the cliisel are fast healing, 

 fter extirpating the enemy as above, an axiom 



sometimes quote, in enforcing your exhorta- 

 s, came to my mind ; viz, " An ounce of pre- 

 ion is of more worth than a pound of cure," 



having the means at hand, I caused about a 

 lel of refuse tan* to be spread around each 

 , in contact with the trunk ; and such has 



1 the effect that with the strictest search, and 

 u repeated, I have not discovered a Borer in 

 orchard since. f I also, after clearing the 

 ■r and the Maggots from 3 or 4 peach trees in 

 rarden, caused those also to be treated in the 

 ^ manner, and with the same effect. 

 ■ thorough, and so perfect, has been the cure 

 ny orchard, and having heard so little about 

 borer since, that I was led to hope that their 

 >d of annoyance had passed by, and that like 

 ocust, and the canker worm, they might not 

 ar again for a series of years, until in your 

 Japer the admonitions at the head of this met 

 jre. " Now is the time, &,c," 



I am yours, &c. 



cut from the means used by the cultivator as aiiti- 

 I doles agBinst tiie disorder. A writer for the New 

 England Farmer, whom wc believe to be an ex- 

 perienced horticulturist, and whose communica- 

 tion we published vol. iv. page 28!», says : " By 

 the recommendation of some of my neighbors I 

 applied tan* to my trees ; surrounding the^body of 

 tlic tree witli it at the insertion of the great roots 

 and keeping the earth at least a foot from the 

 tree. This I found to be the worst thing that I 

 could have done ; all the trees which had tail 

 about them were found to liave a double portion of 

 these destructive insects," &c. We cannot recon- 

 cile these contradictions, but it may be well to 

 state that they exist, and we hope that furfcher ex- 

 periments will be made, that the truth may be 

 elicited, and placed beyond the reach of contro- 

 versy. 



NO. (>. 



p. 



marks by the Editor — We should be happy to 

 1 that refuse tan applied as stated by our cor- 

 mdent is an infallible remedy against the 

 • : but think that further experiments are jie- 

 ry before we can be sure that tan will «/- 



succeed as a remedy against the borer: 



^times a disease in fruit trees may disappair, 

 ts extinction be owing to some cause difS.r- 



hat which I used was of the Hemlock Bark. ^ 

 IS 3 or 4 yea rast autumn. 



MANAGEMENT OF WORKING OXEN. 

 Mr Fesse.nde.n — As the annual hoUdai/ of tlie 

 Massachusetts Farmers is fast approaching, any- 

 thing with respect to it may not be thought un- 

 reasonable. At the last year's fair, among other 

 late improvements, I observed one in the manner 

 of managing working oxen. We are all apt to 

 think our own way the best ; and I must confess 

 tiiat this improvement, so different from what my 

 rather taught me when young, strikes me at first 

 i-npleasantly. More mature deliberation has cor- 

 rected this my hasty error ; and I am willing to 

 acknowledge its advantages. T refer to the iiian-" 

 ner of some teamsters in making their oxen back': 

 standing a rod before them and running up furi- 

 ously, bellowing with all their might. °There is 

 something animating in their driving, more than ! 



in the tame and moderate manner of others 



The advantages are two fold. 1st, It exhibits the 

 cattle to better advantage; showing that they 

 have some spirit and are not to be moved at trifles. 

 Something like many a spirited school boy, who is 

 not inclined to perform his task till he sees the 

 birch, and then perhaps possessing too much de- 

 termination to be persuaded till after a vigorous 

 application of it. We admire the firmness of the 

 boy. 2d, It gives your oxen a habit of working 

 with life and energy. Man, they say, is a crea° 

 ture of habit, and why not an ox .' By approach- 

 ing them generally in this manner, they will ex- 

 pect to be half killed whenever they see you com- 

 ing, and will exert themselves to the utmost- 

 Fear is a powerful stimulus to brutes. It incjoas- 

 es their speed ; by the way, so much so, that it 

 may be some advantage to the plough-maker and 

 wheel-wiight, should they take it into their heads 

 to run away while under the influence of it, es- 

 pecially if your land is rough and stony. Had I 

 patience, Mr Editor, to write, and thought that 

 you had to read it, I would point out many other 

 advantages. But you will readily perceive its su- 

 periority to that method when a driver will stand 

 beside his team and speak in a calm manner, and 

 use a whip with no more energy than he does his 

 voice. They might as well burn their whips at 

 once and adopt the old maxim (which some by way 



This word " /an," by a mistake whirh was cor- 

 rected m the next No. of the paper, was printed " /ar." 



Editor. 



of , mprovivg it, call scripture,) " A merciful man 

 is merciful to his beast." Their oxen, I allow 

 seem to obey them ; but still if it require so little' 

 exertion to manage them, the teamster will have 

 but little to do and should be allowed to halloo at, 

 and whip them, if only to keep himself out of idle- 

 ness-. To these improved teamsters I would sut- 

 gest a further improvement, something similar to 

 the method nn-ntioned by a very authentic travel- 

 ler, as adopted by the Irish coachman to persuade 

 his horses to advance.' When starting from the 

 tavern, the cook runs out with a red hot poker to 

 give Uiem the first impetus. After they are ia 

 motion a lock of hay is protruded from the fore 

 end of the coach, by means of a pole and held just 

 beyond the reach of their noses. They are kept 

 in motion by endeavoring to get at the hay to 



which they have been strangers a long time 



Here they have the double stimulus of fear and 

 hunger. This account I believe to bo substantial- 

 ly correct ; but as the author is not at hand I can- 

 not be positive. RUSTICUS. 

 Su Ion, August 25, 1826. 



[Extract of a letter from the Hon. Thomas Goi.r., 

 of Pitlspeld, Mass. to the Editor ;] 

 DISEASE IN PEAR TREE.S. 

 The Hon. Mr Lowell's discovery of the small 

 worm that is making ravages p.mong the pear and 

 quince trees, I consider to be well founded. I 

 saw the ravages among my trees, and commenced 

 a search for the cause, and came to the same re- • 

 I suit that he did. I pursued the same remedy by 

 [ cutting on- Che damaged parts. Since then tliey 

 appear to be doing well. At any rate, cutting off ' 

 the damaged liuibs and twigs arrests the prog°ress 

 of decay. It is an important discovery, and we 

 are all very much indebted to Mr Lowell for his 

 early and vigorous pursuit of this small but mis- 

 chievous enemy to our fruit trees. 



So much is said about Potatoes, in and about 

 Boston, that I intend to send you and Mr Lowell 

 some of our Berkshire potatoes, which we think 

 cannot be surpassed in quality, size and product- 

 The crops this season will be very abundant. 



CURING HAY FNlaARTMOUTH. 



Mr Fessende.n— It hM been remarked that 

 some farmers in the neighborhood of Dartmouth 

 and elsewhere, are in the habit of cutting their 

 salt grass, raking and stacking, or carting to the 

 mow, in tijc course of the day. That by this 

 mode it keeps perfectly well, and affords a more 

 nutritious food than when dried in the usual man- 

 ner. If such is the fact, any person acquainted 

 with this mode of forwarding the securing of salt 

 hay, would confer a favor by giving it p'liblicity, 

 particularly at this time. ■ 



Yours respectfully, 

 Dorchester, Aug. 28, 1826. J. MEARS. 



LIVE FENCES. 

 A member of the Saratoga Agricultural Society, 

 earnestly recommends the rearing of live fences ' 

 or hedges. In situations, where stones a^e scarce, 

 and timber expensive, they are valuable. This 

 gentleman mentions our native thorns as suitable 

 for live fences. We 'can only say, that alfer 14 

 years' trial, we have doubts whether either the 



m*' 



