ORcMaRD aXD VIKEYaRv, liT 



tree of the same description. A large tree, of the common red variety, 

 stood by the kitchen door. The body and limbs were knotty and rough, the 

 fruit scanty and worthless; the dead leaves in fall were continually drilmijc 

 over the porch and walk; in liict, in the good housewife's eyes, the tree was 

 simply a nuisance, and she importuned her husband to remove it. He re- 

 ftised to do this, however, and she determined to kill the tree. First, a bar- 

 rel of beef brine was poured about the roots, and this was followed by boil- 

 ing suds, every wash day. The result was satisfactory, but far from that 

 anticipated. The following season the tree was loaded with superior fruit, 

 and was free from all knots and other defects. The enormot:a crop and 

 changed appearance of the tree might not have been attributable to the ap- 

 plication of brine and soap-suds, yet we believe the experiment to be worthy 

 of trial. 



Kerosene a.3 an Insect Destroyer. — Kerosene is a cheap and effective 

 insecticide where it can be apphed without injury to the growing tree or 

 plant, but to what extent it can be safely used has not been fully deter- 

 mined, the results obtained not being uniform. Spraying kerc«ene upon 

 the leaves of cotton killed the plant. The bark of elm-trees, around which 

 bands of felt saturated with kerosene had been apphed, was destroyed 

 wherever the oil reached it. The trunks of orange-trees which had been 

 wet with kerosene to destroy scale insects were denuded of the greater part 

 of the bark to which the oil had been appUed. On the other hand, a bark 

 louse, which was ver.- abundant upon some ivy, was destroyed by the appli- 

 cation of pure kerosene, with no apparent bad results to the vine. 



Protection AgainU Pear Bligbt. — The Gardener's MontMy gives a 

 statement from G. R. Dykeman, uf Sbippensburg, Pa., of his experiments in 

 applying oil to the trunks of fruit trees— a practice which has been strongly 

 recommended for its beneficial effects, among other things as a protection 

 agaiast pear bUght. ilr. D. appUed oil last year to 600 peach trees, 200 

 apple, several pear and plum trees, and 100 qtiince. All the peach trees, 

 five years planted, were killed; the other trees were not injured. Other 

 peach trees were painted with refuse lard and linseed oil, and these are all 

 dead. The object in greasing was to keep the rabbits off. Oil is sometimes 

 apphed for the white scale. 



Injuries to Trees. — Injuries to trees should be repaired as soon as dis- 

 covered. Limbs broken by snow and ice must be sawed off to make a 

 smooth wotind, and this covered with paint, varnish, or wax. Barking by 

 mice or rabbits often looks more serious than it reaUy is. The majority of 

 eases will recover if the wound is protected by a thick poultice of cow-dung 

 and clayey loam, boimd on with a piece of coarse material. In very severe 

 cases the tree may be saved by coimecting the bark above and below the 

 wound, by means of twigs of the same tree; the ends are chamfered, and 

 inserted under the bark above and below, to bridge over the wound, cover- 

 ing the exposed parts with grafting wax. 



Protection Against tlie Plnm Corcolio. — A fruit grower states that 

 he kept a plum tree from curcuhos by sprinkling the grormd under the tree 

 with com meal. This induced the chickens to scratch and search. The 

 meal was strewn every morning from the time the trees blossomed until the 

 fruit was large enough to be out ol danger. The consequence was that the 

 fowls picked up the curculios with the meal, and the tree, being saved from 

 ♦he presence of the insect, was wonderfully fruitful. 



