No. 151.] 525 



steeple? — was the steeple 100 feet high, or of what height? — and 

 every thing else that might give information on this subject — were 

 there any tall trees near it? — was the barn struck at that part which 

 contained the hay, the straw containing the grain, or the threshed 

 straw? — had the hay been stacked? — and what quantity of salt used 

 to a supposed ton? — was the hay housed damper than it should have 

 been? — was the hay well cured? — and what kind of hay? — clover, 

 timothy, or any other products of the farm? 



I am pretty certain that if hay was salted when housed, it would 

 be beneficial in stopping the partial decomposition j and of course, 

 there would not be so large a quantity of moisture carried off in such 

 a hurry, as there would be without; and of course not so great a 

 quantity of the essential oil of the plants, nor of the electric fluid; the 

 process of drying in the barn would go on slower, and would not 

 exhaust the electric fluid so as to make the locality negative; for it 

 is known that two bodies having equal quantities of the fluid, whe- 

 ther the quantities are great or small, have no operation or action ou 

 each other. 



To Henry Meigs, Esq., Recording Secretary of the Ainer. Inst. 



D'Jay Brown asked for the reading of the report on Gurneyism, 

 in the report of the Commissioner of Patents, which was read. 



Roswell L. Colt. — I am glad you have taken up the subject of 

 insects, and the many depredators upon our fruit and forest trees; for 

 peaches, I think I have discovered, (or rather, I should say, have suc- 

 cessfully practiced on the discoveries of others,) by applying as a 

 preventive, first, and curative next — gas coal tar to the roots of 

 peach trees, and for three inches above ground. When I set out 

 young trees, before planting, I apply the warm coal tar with a brush, 

 of course, and see that there are no worms there at work; for old 

 trees, we examine them in May, pick out the worms, apply the tar, 

 and healthier trees you cannot find in this State; all that is said 

 against coal tar to the contrary notwithstanding. It is true, I wash 

 my peach trees, and all my fruit trees in March, with soapsuds made 

 of 1 pint whale oil soap, to 15 of water; this kills all caterpillars, 

 lice, and leaf depredators, and I feel a pride in saying, that not a 

 caterpillar nest can be found on my premises. 



We had, a fortnight since, a new kind of caterpillar, of the com- 

 mon size, and instead of being gray, or slate color, it was a hairy 

 caterpillar, perfectly black, and depredated upon, nothing but the 



