1879.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



39 



summer folkige. No man that sees the first 

 brood ought ever to permit a second brood, 

 for we know of uo caterpillars more easily 

 captured than these. Their well-known habit 

 of congregating in masses on the trunks of 

 the trees, 'aUbrds an opportunity of capturing 

 and destroying the whole colony, by burning 

 or scalding, at a single operation. Before 

 their last moult they are different shades of 

 brown, distinctly marked with lines of white 

 or pale yellow, but after the last UKuilt tlicy 

 are black, with long, white tlossy hairs and 

 otherwise marked, according to tlie variety. 

 The body of the moth is about one inch m 

 length, and the wings expand about one inch 

 and a half, from tip to tip. Specimens ocea- 

 fiionally occur tliat expand two inches. ' Tlie 

 forewings are of a reddish-brown, with trans- 

 verse lines of a deeper color, but the hind 

 wings are shorter, proportionally broader, of 

 a lighter color, and without special markings. 

 The head and the upper part of the thorax 

 are a deep, velvety brown, and the rest of the 

 body nearly corresponds in color with the fore- 

 wings. These colors are lighter or darker in 

 the different varieties. On the 7th of August, 

 187S, Mr. Leman, of Lancaster city, brought 

 us 1,200 of these caterpillars, which he found 

 masfsed together near the base of an English 

 walnut tree. They had come down to undergo 

 their last moult, and as these were all destroyed 

 he will not be likely to have any next season. 

 He saw that his tree was becoming denuded 

 of its foliage, but he never noticed the cause 

 until that cause became consolidated. See 

 The Lancaster Farmer for January, 1879, 

 page 3. And here we would respectfully sug- 

 gest that the farmers and fruit-growers should 

 by all means subscribe for The Farmer, and 

 send to the editor any insects they may find 

 depredating upon their property, and he will 

 tell them what they are, their history and 

 habits, and how to destroy them. 



E. M. E., Marietta, Pa.— The small bottle 

 of earth you gave me at the February meet- 

 ing of the Agricultural and Horticultural So- 

 ciety, 1879, contained about half a dozen 

 specimens of a species of "Galley-worms," 

 and one of the larvaj of a species of "Crane- 

 fly," (Tipuliad.e). Not any of them were 

 in the mature state, and therefore their species 

 cannot be determined. The galley-worms are 

 My liio PODS, and are doubtless the young of 

 some species of Juhis; but they do not belong 

 to the same family as those noticed in The 

 Farmer for November, 1878, pp. 161 and 102, 

 which were given me by Mr. Scheaffer, of 

 Cocalico, and which he discovered destroying 

 his young tobacco plants for the past two sea- 

 sons. (See also October number, page 149, 

 same year.) These animals belong to tht 

 Millipede division of the Myriopods, all of 

 which are vegetable feeders, some of them 

 confining themselves to various species of 

 Fungus. They are very generally con- 

 founded with the "Wire-worms," and people 

 very generally give them that name, but the 

 true wire-worm belongs to a very different 

 order of articulated animals, they are six- 

 footed, whilst these have many feet, sometimes 

 going into the hundreds. They are known 

 among gardenera to be destructive to young 

 raddishes, turnips, tomatoes, redbeats, cab- 

 bages, letttice, beans and other species of 

 young vegetation, and perhaps also young to- 

 bacco plants. For a remedy see the articles 

 I have referred to above. Those who have it 

 not will discover they have made a mistake 

 in not subscribing for The Farmer. 



From Manatee, Florida, we have received, 

 by mail, an animal belonging to the family 

 Arachnids Pulmoxaria, or "Pulmonary 

 Spiders." This individual belongs to the genus 

 Phyrus, and is by family allied to the Scorpions 

 and Whiptails, specimens of both of which arc 

 in the Museum of the Linnfcan Society. This 

 specimen completes all the tvpes of the family 

 found within the United States, and we are 

 very thankful for it, but to whom ? Echo an- 

 swers whom '? Friend, you did well, try again. 



Essays. 



THE CARE OF FRUIT TREES.* 



In undertaking the task of writing an arti- 

 cle on the above subject, and not having had 

 a large experience, I shall endeavor to give 

 you a few thoughts in as plain language as my 

 rhetoric can command. 



The care of fruit trees is ofttimes too much 

 neglected. To begin right is of the first im- 

 portance. The prevailing habit with some 

 persons has been to cram the trees into the 

 smallest possible hole, in an out-of-the-way 

 plot or fence corner, not, in their estimation 

 lit for anything else, and expect the trees to 

 live and flourish under such treatment. Many 

 of these usually fail the first year, or at least 

 languish a few years and die for the want of 

 a little care and attention ; when the planter 

 heaps his condemnation upon the nurseryman 

 or tree vendor, for having sold him diseased or 

 worthless stock. 



Ijocation shmdd be the first consideration ; 

 rolling ground is always preferable, though 

 not always accessible ; would prefer a north- 

 easterly slope as the most desirable, with the 

 altitude as great as circumstances will allow. 

 In adopting such a site you will have perfect 

 drainage, a much lighter and less humid at- 

 mosphere, also have some protection from the 

 afternoon sun on mild winter days, that in 

 this climate sometimes follows excessive cold. 

 The sun striking the trunk in the after mid- 

 day, warming one side while the other remains 

 frozen, is often the cause of the bark bursting, 

 and not unfrequently is followed by the de- 

 struction of the tree. This, however, can in 

 part be avoided by growing the trees with low 

 tops, to which I shall allude hereafter. This 

 injury generally occurs about the time the 

 trees begia to bear, and also when there is no 

 shade except from the denuded branches of 

 the tree itself. You can readily perceive that 

 a slope of from ten to fifteen degrees would 

 elevate the tops of the upper trees suflSciently 

 to afford some shade to each succeeding row. 

 To assist in this protection and to occupy the 

 ground while the trees are small (more par- 

 ticularly the apple and standard pear), I would 

 advise the planting of a peach between each 

 apple ; and, indeed, a row between each apple 

 row would, by their quick growth, materially 

 assist in this winter protection, to say nothing 

 of the fruit they would produce before the 

 apple commenced to bear or occupy the whole 

 ground. 



Cultivation is by no means of secondary 

 consideration, but I believe of vital import- 

 ance, and thorough tillage of the soil is neces- 

 sary for the first few years to induce a good 

 healthy growth. It is, however, necessary to 

 use some discretion to preserve the surface 

 soil on hilly ground. Should it be of a clayey 

 or tenacious character, which is not often 

 found on high hilly ground, there will be less 

 danger of wash or waste from the cultivation. 

 On the other hand, if tUe soil be a light, por- 

 ous shale, some care must be taken to avert 

 the loss of the very material it is most im- 

 portant to preserve. Summer crops will not 

 be injurious to the trees, provided the fertility 

 of the soil is kept up by the application of the 

 proper manures. Corn, potatoes, and, indeed, 

 all vegetables and most of the small fruits, for 

 the first few years may be grown with advan- 

 tage and fully compensate for the labor in the 

 tillage and leave a handsome profit besides. 

 Care should always be taken not to impoverish 

 the soil by this system of double taxation. 

 An annual dressing of manure or some other 

 good fertilizer will keep it in good heart while 

 this treatment is pursued. 



The question of cultivation or non-cultiva- 

 tion after the trees have attained a bearing 

 age is a question on which many of our most 

 successful horticulturists disagree— each advo- 

 cating his theory as the basis to be relied upon. 

 Doubtless both have their advantages on some 

 points that are difficult to overthrow. I am, 



•Efieay read before the Pennsylv 

 ture by Calvin Coope " ... 

 Agricultural Society. 



however, very decidedly in favor of uo culti- 

 vation after the trees are ten or twelve years 

 planted, or, say half-grown. It has been ray 

 practice to top-dress with stable manure every 

 two or three years, with an occasional dress- 

 ing of lime or unleached wood ashes, about 

 one bushel to each tree, which in my opinion 

 will materially assist in keeping them in 

 health and productivenesi?. We generally cut 

 the first cro)) of grass and feed as a gi'een 

 crop. All aft. Tgrowth of grass or weeds is 

 either cut for a nuilch or trauqiled down and 

 allowed to remain. But no grass or other 

 vegetable matter should be permitted to grow 

 within three or four feet of the trees. This 

 we try to prevent by the annual application 

 of the finer parts of coal ashes, and also think 

 it insists in prevent iiM..; tlie ravages of that 

 little pest of the onlianlist, the "borer." 



Care should !)(■ tal<eii to avoid too rank a 

 growth. I have often heard planters exult- 

 ingly speak of the great vigor of their trues, 

 their rapid growth, &c. This is often caused 

 by an excess of stimulants, and not unfre- 

 quently is followed by an incurable injury, if 

 not the entire de.struction, of the trees. 1 am 

 fully convinced by my own observation and 

 experience that tho.se of moderate growth, 

 especially the apple and pear, will be longer 

 lived and more pmduclive than those grown 

 too rapidly. The former will have better 

 ripened and more healthy wood, as well as 

 more fully developed fruit buds. 



The peach, however, requires somewhat 

 different treatment. Not that they require 

 less cultivation, but it should be continued 

 while fruit is the object. The critical period 

 is the first few years after planting — to escape 

 the depredations of the borer, as one grub 

 will do more injury to a one or two-year old 

 tree than a dozen could to one full-grown. 

 Their tendency to overbear (where the peach 

 does well) should be guarded against by a 

 judicious thinning or shortening of the 

 branches, as well as to preserve the tree in 

 shape and good condition. They are best but 

 short-lived. 



The origin of the yellows seems as yet 

 shrouded in mystery, but its contagious nature 

 is too well known to a majority of peach 

 growers. That there are conditions which 

 invite the malady I do not doubt, but I am 

 unable to give any better preventive than that 

 practiced for years— the cutting away of the 

 trees as soon as they are affected with the dis- 

 ease. Some, however, assert that a severe 

 heading in of the whole top and the feeding 

 of strong stimulants to the roots will induce 

 a new healthy growth free of the malady. In 

 visiting a fine orchard last fall I observed a 

 number of trees treated in this way, with 

 what success I am as yet unable to say. There 

 is little doubt that good cultivation and an 

 annual wash, prepared as you would for white- 

 washing, with the addition of om- bushel of 

 unleached wood ashes to every half bushel of 

 lime, will assist in preventing the attacks of 

 in.sect enemies and give tone and vigor to the 

 bark. 



The treatment of the pear should be simi- 

 lar to that of the aiij^Ie. while, perhaps, the 

 cultivaticm might be keiit up longer and to a 

 greater depth. A.s the roots penetrate the 

 soil deeper there is little danger of injury to 

 surface roots. Instances are' not unfrequent 

 where old pear orchards, being long seeded to 

 gr.iss, and trees apparently exhausted, have 

 been restored to productiveness by a thorough 

 tearing up of the sod, the application of some 

 good fertilizer and good cultivation. Summer 

 crops may be grown without detriment, even 

 though the trees are quite large, but the all- 

 important fertilizer must not be neglected. I 

 would avoid the use of fresh stable manure, 

 as having a tendency to increase the blight, 

 to prevent which I know nothing better than 

 to dismember the branches on the first appear- 

 ance below the parts affected, and split the 

 bark of the remaining branches with a round- 

 ended knife, similar to a common case knife, 

 from the surface of the ground to the ends of 

 th« branches. This I find immediately relieves 

 the pressure of the hard, contracted bark, 



