i9G 



THE GENESEE FARMER 



June 25, 1831 



COMMUNICATION -. 



FOR THE GENESEE FARMER. 



THE CURCULIO. 



Frost so frequently occurred in the 5th 

 month, 1830, that the operations of the Cur- 

 eulio were nearly suspended, even on trees 

 which were not protected, and which in oth- 

 er years had lost the whole crop of fruit. — 

 Although on the commencement of wanner 

 weather, some of these insects appeared, yet 

 1 believed that few of the torn* had escaped 

 the vigilance of the geese and pigs; and Celt 

 a confidence that we had little to apprehend 

 from their depredations this season. It ap- 

 pears however, that the number of guards 

 which I had appointed was too small for the 

 size of my fruit garden. We have lately 

 discovered that much of the fruit has hi en 

 punctured by the Curculio, and we hi ve 

 found it necessary to resort to the method 

 which I proposed in the N. York Farmer, 

 Vol. 3, No. 3. By spreading sheets and 

 jarring the trees, we have destroyed more 

 than S00 of these insects within the last 24 

 hours, and have only to regret that this work 

 has been so long delayed. 



I now find that the trees in my fruit gar- 

 den might have been much better arrang- 

 ed. Had the apricots, plums, and nectarines 

 been planted on one side, a temporary fence 

 would have confined the geese and pigs a- 

 mongst those trees, and their services would 

 have been rendered much more effectual. 

 fUt has been said by the late Dr. Tilton, 

 (to whom we have been indebted for much 

 information on this subject) that the Curcu- 

 lio seldom uses its wings, and that it climbs 

 up the tree. Probably this may be its usual 

 practice, but we have seen it fly from one 

 tree to another, and we have observed in a 

 great many cases, that in falling on the 

 sheets the wings were at least partially ex- 

 panded. One observer has even seen it fly 

 from the sheet into the tree. 



Before closing this note, I wish to express 

 my entire confidence in the method which 

 we now employ for destroying this insect ; 

 and again recommend it to those whose fruit 

 trees stand in enclosures from which geese 

 and pigs must necessarily be excluded. Dili- 

 gent attention to this business night and mor- 

 ning, for a short period, though it may not 

 destroy the whole colony, will secure a suffi- 

 ciency of fruit : and we ought to remember 

 that the labors of next year may be greatly 

 lessened by gathering and destroying in the 

 present season, the damaged fruit as it falls. 

 Cth mo. 2. D. T. 



suds wilh an old broom to the bodies and 

 Innbs of the choicest trees; likewise sprink-J 

 led it. into the tops of the trees, as faithfully 

 as practicable. A few days after I examined 

 them, and indeed found no insects: but the 

 buds had the appearance of having been 

 ringed by fire. They however shortly came 

 forward, and assumed an uncommonly 

 healthy appearance, and have ever since 

 been entirely free from any insect what- 

 ever. 



1 think it more necessary to notice the 

 elfect of soap on insects, as its being made, 

 more generally known, and within immedi 

 ate reach of every farmer and horticulturist,, 

 it would not likely be neglected at the prop-| 

 er season. -I would suggest that it be appli- 

 ed to the bodies and branches of trtes, early \ 

 in the spring, before the eggs fastened toj 

 the bai k are hatched by the heat of the sun. 

 I have no doubt but it would, if used several 

 times during the warm season on the bodies 

 and about the roots of peach, cherry and 

 plum trees, protect ihem from the effect of 

 the boier and other worms which injure 

 them. 



I have applied soap suds this summer to 

 my hills of cucumbers and melons, and have 

 not been at all troubled with worms, and ve- 

 ry little by the striped bug, whilst my neigh- 

 bors complain bitterly of their ravages. 

 I am respectfully, yours. 



Almon Stevens. 



Warsaw, Gen. Co. June 13, 1831. 



S«;LECTiO;V«. 



TOR THE GENESEE FARMER. 



CATERPILLARS. 



Mr. Editor — Among the ui.iiiv remedii 

 applied to fruit trees for protecting <'u> 

 from the ravages of the caterpillar-and oth- 

 er insects, 1 have never tried any with jn'on 

 success than strong soap suds, which has 

 been frequently recommended, particularly 

 in. your paper. Early last spring I observed 

 an uncommon indication of insects, more 

 particularly on apple trees : the first which 

 made their appearance were small green 

 lice, accompanied by the black ant, which 

 completely covered the budsof appletrees as 

 they were putting out — buds for blossom 

 and leaves. 'They were soon followed by 

 the caterpillar, whose combined efforts I had 

 great reason to expect would at least destroy 

 all the fruit, if not the trees. I immediately 

 urr discovery applie! a very strong son'p 



From the New-EDi "and Farmer. 

 ON BREEDING FOR A DAIRY STOCK. 



Mr. Fessenden — The subject of breeding 

 for a dairy stock, is one of a good deal of 

 nterest at this time. Inquiries are frequent- 

 ly made in conversation which show tnis to 

 be the case. In the present state of our 

 knowledge such questions as the following 

 appear to the writer not at all too elementa- 

 ry. 



1. What is meant by a particular breed 

 of cattle ? 



2. Are there one or more breeds of cows 

 known, by long trial, to be deep milkers ? 



I propose to make a few suggestions by 

 way of answer to these questions. 



There is another which I shall say some- 

 thing upon in another paper with your per- 

 mission, viz. 



On what else, besides breed, depends deep 

 milking ? 



It is nothing new to say that the object 

 of breeding (in a techical sense,) is to per- 

 petuate in the piogeny, the form, constitu- 

 tion, and particular qualities of one or both 

 the parents. But what I wish to ask atten- 

 tion to, and to enforce in this communica- 

 tion, is the very important fact — that the 

 longer any distinguishing quality, mark, or 

 peculiarity, can be traced back in the an- 

 cestry, the more deeply will it be fixed in 

 the descendants; predominating, or taking 

 (he place of other qualities of more recent 

 standing in either of the parents. 



A particular cow may chance to be a fine 

 milker, but if the. parents, for some genera- 

 tions, were not remarkable in the same way, 

 her heifer calves will not probably be good 

 milkers — at least no dependence can be 

 placed upon them. If the sire is of a pure 

 milk stock the chances are very much in- 

 creased of course. 



Jtisuottoq much to say from experience. 



here and in England, that of all the varie- 

 ties of cows, designated by the terms, Short 

 Horns, Long Horns, and Hornless — or by 

 (he names, more limited in their applica- 

 tion, as Devon, Hereford, Holderness, Suf- 

 folk, Denton, Bakewell, Alderney, &c. — no 

 one of them has ever been found to 

 give uniformly or generally, more or better 

 milk than any other. The evidence before 

 the public, abroad and at home, is contra- 

 dictory. 



There have been individual instances of 

 extraordinary milkers among all — and I may 

 go so far as to say families, of extraordina 

 ry milkers, among all. 



It has been too often taken for granted, 

 that a good cow will produce good calves 

 without inquiry into her parentage or that 

 of the bull to w Inch she is sent — and prejudi- 

 ces have been raised in favor of marks and 

 certain appearances, in such an animal, 

 which have no necessary connexion, or none 

 at all, with her faculty as a milker ; and 

 such marks have been allowed to determine 

 the choice of another cow as infallible signs 

 of a good one. The most prevalent popu- 

 lar token now is the small head and short 

 horns. This is so far a good sign, as that 

 the smaller the refuse parts, the nearer will 

 be ^[approximation to perfection in the 

 more valuable parts, whether for beef or 

 milk — and this is all. So much has been 

 most satisfactorily proved by the conclusive 

 reasonings of Mr. Cline, the eminent anato- 

 mist, in an essay published by him a long 

 time since.* 



The Holderness Breed have the small 

 head and short horns, but they are esteemed 

 in England much better fitted, in general, 

 for the shambles than for the dairy. An es- 

 tablished dairy stock might, no doubt, be 

 raised from them by a careful selection ol 

 individuals, male and female, from a milk 

 family. But it would be too much to say oJ 

 so large a class as the Durham, Denton or 

 Hereford, though all short horns, that bear- 

 ing either of those names, they may be reli 

 ed upon as good milkers, and to produce u 

 niformly good milkers. 



If the experience of the country will not 

 bear the writer out in this remark, he will be 

 glad to find the dairy stock so much in ad 

 vance of his opinion. 



The Devon cows are not considered in 

 England to be so good for milk as some 

 other kinds. And yet Mr. Cole, the great 

 Norfolk Farmer, sent to a friend in Maryland 

 several years ago, a number of Devonshire 

 cons, bred by himself, which were remarka 

 ble for quantity and qualify of milk. Thev 

 were bred on the side of both male and fe 

 male, we presume, from animals whose pro 

 genitors were distinguished for this same 

 quality : had he frequently crossed the blood 

 of the Devons with any of the several kinds 

 of Short Horns, whose descent, from an e- 

 qually good stock for milk, had not been so 

 well guarded, this same family would in a 

 few generations have given evidences of ma- 

 terial depreciation. 



The truth really is, that we have not ye\ 

 the work to do to establish a pare milk 

 breed. 



To accomplish this, we must have a class 

 of farmers who shall be professed brcrders. of 

 a dairy stock — they will employ no bulls 

 hut such as come of good cows, they w'ill 

 raise no calves but from first rate cotrs,— 

 They will keep the heifers for some genera- 

 * Massachusetts Agricultural Repository. 



