14 



THE POMOLOGIST. 



Ebchibition of Insects at Paris. 



An Association, says the American Ento- 

 mologist, was established in Paris in 1867, for 

 the special study of those branches of ento- 

 mology which are of practical importance 

 to the agricultural and industrial portions of 

 the community. The Society held an exhi- 

 bition in 1867, and a second one in August, 

 1868. The very existence of a society of 

 this kind, shows how thoroughly the French 

 people ara alive to the great importance of 

 the insect question; and it is to be hoped 

 that the day is not far distant when we shall 

 have a similar.organization in this country. 

 By association and bj' combination, we can 

 always accomplish more than b}' individual 

 eflbrt. 



That our readers ma}' get some idea of the 



character of this exhibition, we make the 

 following extract from a report published by 

 Mr. R. T. Lewis, in the October number of 

 Sardwicke's (London) Science Gossip: 



" The second division of the exhibition 

 {insectes nuisHiles) was subdivided into ten 

 classes, in which the insects were arranged 

 according to their habits, instead of in the 

 scientific order of their genera ; a plan admi- 

 rably designed for practically useful purpo- 

 ses. Here, at a glance, a i)erson iiiterested 

 in the cultivation of a particular plant might 

 see specimens of every insect known to 

 attack it, and not only were they shown in 

 their perfect form and of both sexes, but 

 also in the larva and the pupa states, with 

 specimens of their eggs, and" of dried por- 

 tions of plants which had suffered from 

 them. To each series labels were affixed, 

 upon which were written the names of the 

 insects, in Latin and in French, with brief 

 notices of their ravages, and in some in- 

 stances also the means of their extermina- 

 tion. There was an excellent collection of 

 stuffed birds, with their nests and eggs, and 

 many contrivances for the fostering and pre- 

 servation of their young. The value to the 

 agriculturist of these feathered allies, espe- 

 cially in a country teeming with insect life, 

 was demonstrated by carefully tabulated 

 statements, and by the exhibition of upwards 

 of 300 glass tubes, each of which contained 

 the debris of cockchafers and other destruc- 

 tive insects taken from the crops of little 

 birds. In the same class were also a number 

 of live tortoises, lizards, and other insect- 

 feeders, as well as of ichneumons, and such 

 insects as prey upon their fellows." 



China Tree Fences in Mississippi. 

 A correspondent of the Ameriam. Agri- 

 cidiurist relates the following method prac- 

 ticed by planters in fencing the prairie lands 

 in Mississippi with the China tree: 

 They drill in on the line ofthe intended fence, 

 in the fall, the seed of the China tree ; the fol- 

 lowing sjiring strong shoots come up, grow- 

 ing several feet in liight tlie first season. 

 These are thinned out to ten or twelve inches 

 apart, and left to grow, the tops being pruned 

 that they maj' not be blown dowu, and also 

 to force as much growtli as i)ossibU! into the 

 trunks. As they grow very rapidly, only 



about four or five years are required to fill 

 about one-half the space between tliem. 

 When of sufficient size, the tops are all 

 sawed off evenly at anj' liight required, (in 

 autumn,) and allowed to fall on either side of 

 the stumps, and to lie and dry during the 

 winter. In the spring when vegetation again 

 starts, these tops are set on fire and burned, 

 the heat being usually sufficient to kill the 

 stumps, and soon the bark peels off, lenving 

 a line of straight white [losts, firmly set in 

 the earth, which will last for a long time. I 

 don't know as this tree will stand the cold of 

 the Northern winters, but thiidc it will ; and 

 if so, only a little time, not much trouble, 

 and almost no expense, will attend the set- 

 ting of a good fence. Any quantity of seed 

 can be had iu this section of coimtry at 

 small cost." 



♦-•-•^ 



Orchards in Grass. 



As with pruning and some other horticul- 

 tural operations, there is more or less differ- 

 ence of opinion upon the question of grass 

 vs. cultivation for the orchard. In looking 

 over our file of the Gardener's Monthly for 

 1863, our eye met the following from Dr. 

 James Weed of Muscatine. We w<mid like 

 to hear from the Dr. on this subject — wheth- 

 er .seven winters have changed his views? 



"We begun planting orchards in meadow, 

 in this State, some fifteen years ago. To 

 secure a vigorous but moderate growth, that 

 would be likely to endure a severe and try- 

 ing climate, and the difficulty of employing 

 cari.'ful worknie.i to plough ai.d cultivate the 

 land in crops, were our principal reasons for 

 pla iting in meadow. Four or five feet cir- 

 cles over the roots of the trees were kept 

 well cultivated fu' three or f )ur yeai-s, when 

 the grass was permitted to occupy the whole 

 ground. Top-dressings of manure have been 

 aijplied, to some e.xtont, for the mutual ben- 

 efit of both the grass and the trees, and the 

 latter, as desired, have been uniformly h:!rdy 

 on all suitaljly dry ground, while many trees 

 in orchards constantly cultivated iu crops 

 have been killed. 



The past season has aflbrded us new expe- 

 rience. When the drouth had fairly set in, 

 in June, we said, " Now if this should con- 

 tinue through the season, the grass may so 

 exhaust the moisture from the soil, as to de- 

 prive the trees of an amount requisite to 

 mature a cro]i." A part of the orcluird in 

 which blue grass had excluded other varie- 

 ties, ajid thus become unproductive as 

 meadow, had lieen plmighed up and cultiva- 

 ted two years, an<l rows of different kinds of 

 suuuner apjiles extended across bith the 

 meadow and cultivated ground ; and, al- 

 though the fruit on the trees cultivated was 

 somewhat larger than on those in meadow, 

 the cro]) on tlie latter was of fair size, abun- 

 dant, and altogether better than we supposed 

 could be realized under similar circum- 

 stances. 



On our rich soils at the West, it would be 

 time wasted to advocate "clean culture," — 

 the question lies between grass and cultivated 

 crops. Sowed crops are inadmissable ; the 

 plough destroys the surface-roots, and the 

 growing grain monopolizes the nutriment 

 and moisture. 



Those who are impatient in waiting for an 

 orcliard, and ari' willing to incur tlie risk of 

 losses from bliglit and severe winters, will 

 plant in corn or other hoed crops. Others 

 who are disposed to be always on the side of 

 safety, and are reluctant to lose valuable 

 trees occasionally when grown, will, we 

 think, prefer grass-culture." They will cer- 

 teinly realize an important advantage from 

 this modet— he fruit, when it drops from the 

 tree, will be always clean, and require no 

 washing, as is the case when it lies <ni culti- 

 Vilted ground during rains." 



Producing; Mushrooms. 



The English and French people make 

 great account of mushrooms. In our coun- 

 try they are not highly prized, though they 

 are becoming more common. The English 

 Journal of Agriculture gives the following 

 method of growing them ; 



" My experience as a mushroom cultivator 

 extends over a period of twenty years. Du- 

 ring that period I have grown them in many 

 diftereut ways, in many fashionable as well 

 as unfashionaljle houses and sheds, and in 

 the open air, during summer and winter, in 

 different parts of the country, and for vari- 

 ous purposes — for the supjily of ducal tables, 

 and for sale in Convent Garden Market — and 

 I can truly say, without desiring to boast of 

 my own success, that there is no vegetable 

 so simple or easy of cultivation as the mush- 

 room. 



The method which I generalU' adopt for 

 winter supply, and that which I have found 

 the simplest, ma}' be briefly stated thus : — 

 I procure two cart-loads of good, fresh stable 

 manure, and shake out the longest of the 

 straw. I am not, however, very particular 

 about tins. Then it is turned over in the 

 open air once or twice to get rid of the rank 

 steam. When this is gone, the dung is taken 

 into one of the sheds at the back of the 

 houses, and about four barrow-fuls of or- 

 dinary faesh soil mixed with it. The bed is 

 then made up on the floor of the shed, to a 

 depth of about twelve inches, pressed rather 

 firmly, and spawned when at a temperature 

 of between seventy-five to eight}' degrees. 

 A covering of an inch of good, strong loam, 

 in a rather rough state, is then added, and 

 beaten level with a spade. By using heavy 

 loam as a covering, the mushrooms produced 

 are of a much more solid character than 

 where light, sifted soil is used ; they are, 

 consequently, more valuable, commanding a 

 fiir higher price in the market. The whole 

 is then covered up with at least nine inches 

 of straw or long litter. 



I never use any fire heat, as I consider 

 that a piece of useless extravagance. Better 

 mushrooms can be grown without fire heat 

 than with it, and a continuous supply kept 

 up throughout the coldest winters. 



I have several beds iu bearing now that 

 have been made in the manner described. 

 To-day (Dec. 16th) I have picked a small 

 pailful from a square foot. I could pick 

 many such — in fact, the beds are a perfect 

 sheet of white all over. Seeing that they 

 are so ea-sily cultivated, who would be, who 

 need be, without their dish of mushrooms? 



— Pie plant should be transplanted eveiy 

 two or three years if you would have a large 

 growth. The stools should be taken up very 

 early in the spring and divided. The work 

 should be done early, for the buds push out 

 at a very low temperature. 



— White and black hickory nuts, found 

 uiuler the leaves in the forest will grow if 

 gathered. 



