THE GENESEE FARMER. 



285 



derdraining for the Pear. — A neighbor of 

 had an acre or more of low, cold land, near 

 )use, which he thouglit he would put to pears 

 e quince root. lie therefore uiiderdrained it 

 tile, in good shape. He has over a thousand 

 on it, and they grow linely, and all escaped 

 hy frost the past winter. Some standards, 

 1 had been planted several years, started with 

 vigor. His soil is now spongy, and elastic to 

 iread— though I question whether it will ripen 

 i of the later varieties. 



e pear on tlie quince is very fickle, especially 

 . young. For my own satisfaction, I worked 

 a lot of scions on the Angers quince, but 

 y all of them perished by spring blight. I 

 , however, that a i^w., interspersed with stand- 

 are economical of the soil, and very desira- 

 for they can, with a proper knowledge, of 

 , be made to do finely. 



uim. — They are nowhere! I owe them a spite, 

 wil! make an extravagant remark. If some 

 list would be kind enough to declare that the 

 »f the plum tree had far more manurial value 

 the best Peruvian guano, the trees would 

 their just demerits, and many a garden would 

 place to something more profitable. 



■t Med/ord, Mass., Aug. 15, 1859. D. W. LOTHKOP. 



PEA R BLI GHT. 



3WNING says what is popularly called the pear 

 it, is, in fact, two distinct diseases. One of 

 e is caused by an insect, and the other by sud- 

 freezing and thawing of the sap in unfavorable 

 irnns. The symptoms of the insect Might are 

 oUows: In the month of June or July, when 

 tree is in full luxuriance of growth, shoots at 

 extremities of the branches, and often extend- 

 down two seasons' growth, are observed sud- 

 y to turn brown. In two or three days the 

 es become quite black and dry, and the wood 

 hrivelled and hard as to be cut with difliculty 

 h a knife. If the branch is allowed to remain, 

 disease sometimes extends a short distance fur- 

 r down the stem, but, usually, not much further 

 n the point where the insect bad made bis 

 gnient. 



.Tie remedy for the insect blight is very distinct. 

 ionsists, at the very first indications of the emst- 

 e of the enemy, in cutting oft' and burning the 

 eased branch, a foot below the lowest mark of 

 coloration. 



The symptoms of the frozen-sap Might are the 

 lowing: First, The appearance, at the season of 

 nter or spring pruning, of a thick, clammy sap, 

 a sticky nature, which exudes from the wounds 

 ide by the knife; the ordinary cut showing a 

 an and smooth surface. Second, The appear- 

 ce, in the spring, on the bark of the trunk or 

 inches, often a considerable distance from the 

 tremities, of black, shrivelled, dead, patches of 

 rk. Third, In early summer months, the disease 

 ly manifests itself by the extremities shrivelling, 

 rning black, and decaying, as if suddenly killed, 

 these diseased parts are cut off, the inner bark 

 d heart-wood will be found dark and discolored 

 me distance below where it is fresh and green 

 tside. 



The most snccessful remedies for this disastrous 

 ight are chiefly preventive ones. The first point 



should be to secure a rich but dry, well-drained soil. 

 The second is to reject, in blighted districts, such 

 varieties as have the habit of making wood late, 

 and choosing ratlier those of early habit, which 

 ripen the wood fully before autumn. Severe sum- 

 mer pruning, should it be followed by an early 

 winter, is likely to induce blight, and should there- 

 fore be avoided. As a remedy for blight actually 

 existing in a tree, we know of no other but that of 

 fi-eely cutting out the diseased branches, at the ear- 

 liest moment after it appears. 



DESTRUCTION OF APPLE TREES. 



Editors Genesee Faumek: — I have observed for 

 several seasons past that in Ohio and Indiana, 

 wherever I have traveled, orchards are on the de- 

 cline. Many trees were already dead, and the 

 greater number in a diseased state; indeed, I saw but 

 fevv healthy trees wherever I went. I well know 

 that bad culture, or no culture rather, has much to 

 do with such cases. But still this may not be the 

 sole cause. I have observed, and heard many 

 others remark, that the tom-tit or sap-sucker pecks 

 the tree, which seems the first symptom of decline 

 or decay, and attribute the injury to this mische- 

 vious bird. This I think is not the fact. It would 

 seem that the tree becomes diseased from some 

 cause, which imparts to the sap a taste relished by 

 the bird, and induces it to seek it as food. One 

 feature is evident, that the attack is always made 

 on the southwest side of the tree ; li,ence some have 

 thought that the hot rays of the sun causes the 

 disease. But be the cause what it may, it is cer- 

 tainly discouraging. I trust others will speak on 

 this subject, and that science may discover the cause 

 and point out a remedy. Abraham baer, jr. 



Pipestown, Berrien cauntj/, Mich. 



Sulphur for Mildew. — At the last meeting of 

 the Royal Agricultural Society, a letter was read 

 from Mr. Bullock, dated from Athens, in 

 which he states he has been devoting attention to 

 the Vine disease, and that the application of sul- 

 phur hii3 proved most successful in Greece, and 

 that the same etfect has been produced on blighted 

 green crops. He can speak with confidence as to 

 Potatoes, Beans, Peas, fruit trees, Roses, trees, &c., 

 and that he has no doubt of its efficacy as regards 

 both Turnips and Hops. He also states that the 

 sulphur ought to be applied in a very fine powder 

 in the early stage of the growth of the plant, as 

 soon as any blight shows itself; it is applied either 

 by means of a large tin pepper-box or small bellows. 

 A woman can dress an acre of Vines per day. 

 Scarcely any change will be observable in the crop 

 for tiie first ten days; after that it becomes healthy. 

 Should rain fall within five days after the applica- 

 tion of the sulphur the operation has to be repeated. 



J, Ripening Seeds. — Cobbett and other writers on 

 'horticulture have ridiculed the practice of garden- 

 ers carrying seeds (melon, for instance,) in their 

 pockets for a considerable time to improve them. 

 There may. however, be some truth in this notion; 

 for it has been suggested by an eminent botanist, 

 that the seeds thus carried probably become more 

 fruitful after having been kept some time, for the 

 same reason that plants are more likely to come to 

 full flower after a lengthened season of rest. 



