Pu'jlislieil by Joh.n 15. Ulsikll at Uio cornci oi" Cuntrrors and Limhill Sticots, (cnlram c iVom Limlull Street). — Tiio.VA.-i (J. rEssENUEN, Editor. 



VOL. V. 



BOSTON, FRIDAY, NOVEMiJfiR 3, 1826. 



No. 15. 



OftlGrlN'VL 1*APKKS. 'caused it to coajiulatc in the ciipilUiry vessels of 



— —^ - ^-; _ the ulhiiriniiii, and tlicreby ob.striict the ascent of 



DISEASE IN PEAR TREES. \the sup, when the spring approached in its proper 



Mr Fessendkn — I was gratified to observe in 'season. 

 our last No. of tlie N. E. Farmer, that Dr Fiske To tlic inquiry " if this disease is the effect of 

 as again ventured upon tlie delicate subject o,' great and sudden ckanges in the weather, wliy 

 he disease of the pear tree. I aijrce with liini sho:ud it not ulTect other, and all pear trees," I 

 that it uir.y be useful, that all the facts liavinT can only 'insv.'or, there may have been in those in- 

 ny bearing on the different theories suggest«i dividiiaJs. a prcdLspositiou lo di.sease, or wliat per- 

 hould be known." The facetious manner th whiiji i haps is more deilnite, it niiiv be owing to their po- 

 ic has noticed the subject, may liuv-ijjp^tendency 1 sition, or to their mature us being earlier hinds, 



allay any little asperity which .»mliy iiave unr.t- 1 :or as i'a! as my observation has e.xtended, those 

 essanly, and unaccount.'.bly mingled in the di=- vio.-.t affected by this disorder have been of the 

 ussion. I say unaccouptiinly, because the sub ; early lu.-i'l. I am not however wedded to this 

 ect is of so general a nature, and notiiin;; persor- 1 opinion, nnr very .san^' nine of its sufficiency; to 



1 minglpil with it, that h i.s strange that any tart dr-^ over the cause of the evil as enisling, is our 

 less could have ceen generatci' uy its discussion I ai-sh, and if any thing is si'ggested more probable 



In searching after the cause of the disease, it i.^ I as corresponding to the uuilbrmity of the appear- 

 nuch easier to decide what is not, than to defini? } ,i uce of the disease, and adequate to the effect, I 

 vhat IS, "is pi"^'''^'*-''' cause. I shall i^s rea'iily adopt tlio theory""and its remedy, 



The same disease appears in so many different 

 il:;ces, under sucli diilerent aspects, and opposiej 

 •-ircumst^ini e.«, that it must be conclusive it does 

 lot a.-'se iVom any local cause ; therefore it may 



le safely inferred, that, where there is no wound 't,,g atmospherical intiuence. 

 n the bud, or in the medulla, that it is not 

 he Srolytus. When the subject is growing 



|")n warm, dry and sandy soil, it cnnnot be owing 

 :o too much rioislurc ; and our habits of cidtiva- 

 ion are such, as not to destroy our fruit trees with 

 ill I- felling food, or too rich a soil ; (although asol- 

 .lary instance, such as occurred to Doct. Fiske's 

 oear tree, standing near the receptacle of tiie 

 washing of his yard, may sometimes happen.^ 



However " painful it may be to admit, that there 

 s a fatal disease to which the Pear Tree is sifo- 

 ect, and arising from occurrences as frequent ss 

 Teat chansres of the weather are in our climate,' 



as: I would willingly extirpate the disease 



Whatever may be the modus operandi, of one 

 thing I am sano uine. that time and e.xperience will 

 lead us all to look for the cause of this disease in 



If you or your readers are weary of this subject 

 the foregoing is entirely at your disposal. 



Your humble servant, 

 Plymouth, Oct. 25, 182C. W. J. 



APPLE TREE BORER. 

 Mr Fessehde.n. — My apple trees being in some 

 degree infested with the Borer about the middle of 

 June, I carefully examined about 300 trees,reraov- 

 ing the earth round them, and with a knife, wire 

 and chissel, extirpating all I could find. I then 

 applied a white-wash to the trees made of Lime 

 and new dung in equal parts. 



I apprehend we need not look further for the cause, « ,.1, a c i t i- j 



„ '/ ., T ,■ 1 , ■ ■ 1 On examining them, alter a few weeks, I found 



of the present evil : nor can 1 think, (as intimated ,, ,.■ i_ 1 1 i ., 



■^ ' '■ -Ithere were some which had escaped my search ; 



(by Mr Loweil,) that it is any impeachment " of 

 ithe benevolent economy of nature," while v.e con- 

 isidcr the cultivated pear tree an exotic, as to our 

 ■climate ; and although it is in some degree natu- 

 ralii:ed by long adoption, it still may not be so en- 

 during as those which are indigenous. 



Mr Lowell again says, ''we are in the age of 

 facts and not of theories. The truth is, some 

 great unknown change in our climate, in 1807 to 

 18'.24 did cause disease f^enerally in the pear trees:" 

 "the pear tree in 1825 began to recover from its 

 long continued debility ; and in 1820 there has 

 Dover been such an appearance of health, vigor, 

 &c. for twenty years." Still as respects the indi- 

 vidual trees which have suffered, may not their 

 present state he an elongation of that general de- 

 bility, or as applying it to them, its climax. 



In a former communication, I v.'as incorrect in 

 an expression, as not comtnunicatiug precisely the 

 idea I meant ; I am aware tiiat Physiologists 

 agree, that tlie alburnum, or sap wood is formed 

 by the descent of the sap ; therefore instead of 

 saying that the severe cold in March, which suc- 

 ceeded the warm weather of February, checked 

 the rising sap, and formed l%.into gap wood, the al- 

 burnum ;" — to convey my idea I should Iipve said 

 that the seiere cold which succeeded the warm 

 weather of February, checked the rising sap, and 



and about the middle of September 1 spent half a 

 day destroying what I could then find. Tlie trou- 

 ble of finding them was comparatively nothing to 

 v.-hat it was in June, as the least puncture of the 

 bark by the worm would cause the juices to exude 

 on the tree, which would immediately discolour 

 the white-wash, and be discovered at the first 

 view. At the second search I found some few 

 iarge worms, but generally small, many not more 

 than ^ of an inch in length, which had not pene- 

 trated half through the back. I cannot say that 

 the lime v.ill prevent the insect being deposited in 

 the bark ; 1 have however no doubt it will have 

 that tendency, but it will unquestionably lead to 

 discovery of them much easier than otherwise. 



I am now picking my winter apples, and in do- 

 ing which I have found in a number of cases the 

 Borer making its ravages in the tree, where the 

 main branches separate ; say five feet from the 

 'ground. What I have found had not penetrated 

 into the v.ood as they frequently do at tlie root ; 

 but were extending their depredations on the in- 

 ner bark directly where the main branches separ 

 ate, and between them. 



This, lo me, is a new place of attack of tliis ene- 

 my of our fruit trees. Possibly it may be to nihers 

 If the foregoing facts being made public, should 



be the moans of saving even one valuable tree, my 

 wishes will he answered. J. P. 



BHdgclon,.',Ie. Oct. 1(5, 163i;. ^ 



_ V^ 



A friend, who is a scientific and practical or- 

 chardist, ass'ires us that there are at least two 

 species of the Apple Tree Borer. That the one 

 attacks the tree at the surface of the ground, and 

 the other makes its lodgments higher upfe the bo- 

 dy of the tree, and generally at the separation of 

 the main branches. The natural history of this 

 insect is not yet, we believe, thoroughly under- 

 stood bj our best entomologists. We hope that 

 gentlsiren of leisure and science, who are attach- 

 ed to horticultural pursuits w ill turn their attention 

 to this subject, and make the public acquainted 

 with tke results of their investigations. 



[Editor of the N. E. Farmer.] 



LONG RED POTATOES. 



Mr FessendeiX. — I this year, planted with pota- 

 toes, about two aci-es of land which had been 

 summer-tilled two years previous — it had been 

 mowirg land and much exhausted. A fair portion 

 of manure was spread on the land before planting, 

 and plaster put on the seed when planted. 



Half the piece was planted with the "Long 

 Red," or South American Potatoe, the rest with 

 the conimwi white round potatoe. — On harvesting 

 them, I find I have more than double the quantity 

 from the Long Red, which I have from the other ; 

 the land and management being equal. I have 

 planted them for manv years,and always find them 

 much more productive and consider them superior 

 for cc'tlle and ho:js to any othA k^nd,but not good 

 lire. 



for the table until May and June. 



J. P. 



REroRTS or THE MASS. AGB ICCLTURAL SOCIETY. 



No. VII. 



Tlie Commiitee on Manvfaciures award 



To the Shepherd Woollen Manufacturing Com- 

 paTiy, the first premium for Broadcloth $20 



" Tlie same for superfine Cassimeres, the first 

 premium 12 



" Theodore Lyman of Northampton, for the 

 best specimen of Fine Flannel, the first prem. 10 



" Clarissa Fay of New Braintree, for the second 

 best specimen of do. the second premium 7 



" Messrs Pitts & Buffum of Mendon, for the 

 best Sattinett, the first premium 8 



" Seth Remis & Co. of Watertown, for the sec- 

 ond best do. the second premium 5 



'• Sophia Coe of Granville, for the best speci- 

 men of Linen Sheeting, the first premium 8 



" Cynthia Thayer of Greenfield, for the second 

 best do. the second premium 4 



" Diana Strong of Greenfield, for the best spe- 

 cimen of Diaper, the first premium 10 



" Jonathan Varnum of Dracut, for the second 

 best, the second premii'in 5 



" Ethan Davis of Hnlden, for the best specimen 

 of Carpetins'. the first premium 15 



'■ Jonah Willis of Kingston, for the second best 

 I"": rpeting 7 



Various specimens of Needle Work were exhib- 

 ited by pupils of Misses Clarke's, and Miss Hea- 

 ley's Academies in Boston. The Committee re- 



