208 



GENESEE FARMER. 



Aug. 



light scarlet, obtuse cone, fine flavor, productive. Flowers 

 large. Hermaphrotiiie. 



Iowa. — Large, broad, rounded, soraelimes depressed, 

 seed deeply imbedded, beaiiiiful light orange scarlet ; not 

 high flavored but pleasant ; early and productive ; a pecu- 

 liar fruir. Flowers medium or under. Hermaphrodite. 



Magn'ifiqne. — Very large, orange scarlet, rounded, splen- 

 did, pleasant flavor, very productive ; an extraordinary 

 fruit. I'istillaie. 



Prolific Swainstone. — Large, ovate, scarlet, fine flaver, 

 productive ; an improvement on the old Swainstone, its 

 parent. Flowers large. Hermaphrodite. 



Montevideo Pnie. — A distinct species, producing fruit of 

 monstrous size, and of conical form, sometimes variable , 

 high pine apple flavor ; ripens late and continues 10 or 12 

 days after the other large varieties have passed. The plant 

 is the strongest in growth of all strawberries foliage large 

 and vigorous, petioles, peduncles and runners, strong and 

 downy ; the blossoms very large, often the size of a dollar. 

 It succeeds here, and is well suited to the Southern States, 

 to which it must prove a most desirable acquisition, as 

 many northern varieties do not thrive there. Above a 

 dozen splendid varieties have been produced from the seed 

 of this estimable parent. Hermaphrodite. 



Primate. — A seedling from the Prince Albert, and of ex- 

 traordinary character, being the only hermaphrodite variety 

 that produces large fruit and large crops ; form conical, 

 deep scarlet, splendid, good flavor, very productive ; fine 

 for market. Flowers medium. 



Primordian. — Early, large, elongated cone, deep scarlet, 

 beautiful, very productive ; ripens with the Eberlein next 

 after the Large Early and Profuse Scarlet. Flowers small. 

 Pistillate. 



Prolific Hudson. — Medium to large, short cone, crimson, 

 good flavor, very productive, ripens gradually ; don't rot. 

 Flowers medium. I'istillaie. 



Refulgent. — .Medium to large, peculiar form, ovata with 

 a neck, beautiful bright scarlet, fine flavor, highly produc- 

 tive and estimable. Flowers small. Pistillate. 



Unique Scarlet. — Large, purse shaped, light scarlet, 

 sweet, rich delicious flavor ; a peculiar fruit. Flowers 

 medium, Hermaphrodite. 



Unique Prairie. — Called in Ohio, Necked Pine, but as it is 

 a native of the Western States, and has no aflfinity what- 

 ever with the Pine family, I have dropped the latter title. 

 It is of peculiar form, ovate, wiih a distinct neck, medium 

 or ratiier large, light scarlet, indifferent flavor, and too acid 

 unless well sugared, or as preserves. Foliage dark green, 

 deeply grooved. Flowers medium. Pistillate. 



Taylor's Seedling, is another prairie variety ; medium 

 to large, long oval, with a distinct neck, light bright orange 

 scarlet, sweet and pleasant when fully ripe, but not high 

 flavored ; ripe soon after the Iowa. Flowers medium. 

 Pistillate. 



Cluster IJndson. — Large, conical, scarlet, same size and 

 form as old Hudson, milder flavor, and quite as prolific ; a 

 first rate market fruit. Flowers small. Pistillate. 



Jenny's Seedling. — Rather large, obovate or rounded, 

 crimson at maturity, rather acid until fully ripe, then sweet 

 and good flavor, very productive. Flowers large for the 

 sex. Pistillate. 



Le Baron. — Medium to large, conical, dark crimson, 

 sweet, fine flavor, productive. Flowers small. Herma- 

 phrodite. 



Bishop's Globe. — An early variety, ripening with the 

 Iowa, soon after the Large Early and Profuse Scarlet ; of 

 medium size, short, obtuse cone, or rounded, bright light 

 scarlet, peculiar in color, little flavor, very productive, 

 trusses near the ground, and in this respect very different 

 from Bishop's Seedling, which has elevated trusses. Flow- 

 ers medium. Pistillate. 



Note. — As the blossoms of staminate and hermaphrodite 

 varieties average double the size of those home by pistillate 

 plants, the terms large, medium and small are always ap- 

 plied relatively to the general size of each sex. 



Linnoean Botanic Gardens and Nurseries, 

 Flushing, N. Y., July, 1848. 



Pear Tree Blight. 



Mr. Editor : — I wish to know if you or any of the nu- 

 merous readers of the Farmer, have observed the destruc- 

 live insect upon the Pear tree, which 1 enclose you, and j malady.— Ed. 



which, if you please, you will examine, describe, and name 

 for the benefit of your readers. For a few years past there 

 has been an almost entire failure of the pear crop with us. 

 What trees have not died outright with the blight, stand 

 almost stati(mary, and neither grow nor fruit much. Oor 

 pear tree doctors have recommended special manures, root 

 pruning, i on cinders, leached askes, whitewashing, &c. 

 All of which I have faithfully tried, but yet ray diseased 

 trees look as if they had the consumption, and die they 

 will. Having an orchard of two or three hundred trees, 

 I have felt much anxiety to know the cause of such a 

 sweeping disease of the pear. 



When Mr. Downing first published his theory of the frozen 

 sap blight, I became pretty much a convert to his theory 

 it seemed to be supported by so many facts. Yet there 

 was with me some hard questions to solve. Trees in this 

 section have suffered quite as much on a dry stoney gravel 

 and sand ridge, 30 feet above any water, as on deep alluvial 

 or moist soils. All kinds of soil and situations here 

 Chautauque county seem to sufler alike, (and we have a 

 great variety) — particularly if the trees have been taken 

 from orchards or nurseries where the disease prevails. 



Is it not curious that no situation is exempt from the 

 frozen sap blight where the disease exists? And again we 

 find whole orchards or lots of healthy thrifty trees of 20 

 30 years standing untouched by the blight. Again, if 

 freezing be the cause of the blight, how happens it that a 

 tree severely blighted will aflfect its neighbors? A tree of 

 the Summer Vergalieu, in my nursery, blighted to the 

 ground ; one of the same kind next to it about one half 

 blighted ; on the other side, limbs of a natural seedling 

 died also. The same occured in a row of Maria Louisa— 

 and in another row a fine natural stock entirely died, caus. 

 ing limbs of other trees to <lie on either side. 



Such facts as the above have established me in the be- 

 lief that the blight is more or less contagious. 



You will readily perceive that the insects I enclose you, 

 is not the aphis, bark louse,* slug, or the small green hop- 

 ping insect which causes a vast deal of leaf blight of the 

 apple, pear, plum, horse chesnuf, and many other shrubs. 

 Neither is it the Scobytus Pyri of Professor Peck, which 

 eats round the branch under the bark. 



I have not been able 'to find the insect in question on 

 any other tree than the pear, and have found them on 

 the pear in all cases where the trees were decaying. Being 

 at Dr. Kirkland's, at Cleveland, the other day, I examined 

 his healthy trees and found none of the insects ; but on 

 requesting him to show me some of his diseased trees. I 

 readily feund plenty of insects, which I showed to the 

 Doctor. You will see the insects are mostly on the fruit . 

 spurs at the foot of the leaf, and when very numerous on ( 

 the small limbs nearly of the color of the bark. They seem I 

 to eat out the small buds, and so numerous are they on | 

 some of my trees that they have eaten out three-fourths of ' 

 the small buds on the fruit spurs. Supposing, then the I 

 insect to be as poisonous to the pear as the squnsh or large i 

 black stinking bug is to the cucumber, (which will, almost i 

 without leaving its mark on the vine, cause it to wilt and I 

 never recover,) is it not possible that the juices of the i 

 pear tree may be so poisoned as to produce all the blight 

 seen in our trees ? This much I am sure of, my trees are 

 dying by the effects of the above insect, as no iron cinders, 

 root pruning or manuring in the least revives my stunted, 

 insect eaten trees. 



I am washing and syringing some of my trees with a de- 

 coction of tobacco, which kills all it touches. I find they 

 have multiplied rapidly for a few days past on my young 

 trees — particularly on tender kinds, such as the Bartlett, 

 Passe Colmar, &c. 



I leave the subject, hoping that you, or some more able 

 investigator than myself, will examine, describe and give 

 us the most efl!icient and cheapest mode of exlirmating the 

 above insect. Yours respectfully, 



Lincoln Fay. 

 Chautauque Co. Nursery, Portland, N. Y., July, 1848. 



♦ It is undoubtedly a bark louse. We see it every day. but it 

 is not the cause of the blight When a large number of them 

 take po.sse8.«ion of a fruit spur, or end of a branch, they will goon 

 deprive it of its juices, and cause it to assume the blackened and 

 burnt appearance of the spur enclosed in your letter. We invite 

 attention of fruit and tree growers to this, so far, mystcrioiu 



