184 



THE POMOLOGIST AND GARDENER. 



1871 



Buckwheat for Potato Bugs. — The Monroe 

 (Ohio) Sentinel says it has been ascertained by per- 

 sons in that vicinity that buckwheat flour sprinliled 

 on the vines when the dew is on, will have the 

 effect to make the stupid bug " get up and go off- 

 bag and baggage." " It puts their eyes out," and it 

 should be put on dry or the bugs will make pan- 

 cakes of the flour and demand syrup to eat on 

 them. The reason given by those who have made 

 the potato bag a study, for buckwheat being so efli- 

 cacious in destroying these pests, is that the flour 

 coming in contact with the bug and vine forms a 

 combination which is rank poison, and yet harm- 

 less to the potato. 



Rbmarks —If buckwheat is an eft'ectual remedy 

 as stated above, its use is preferable to anything we 

 have before heard of— being both safe and cheap. 

 Our faith in it, however, is not strong enough to 

 venture much upon it before making a small trial. 



Sweet Russian Turnip. A correspondent of 

 the Ohio Farmer speaks highly of this turnip. 

 They are fit for use as soon as large enough and, if 

 properly stored through the winter, will keep until 

 the next July and be fit for use. 



About the first to the middle of July is the best 

 time to sow the seed. To be best thej' should grow 

 quick, therefore the ground should be rich and 

 mellow. Sow in drills two and a half feet apart, or 

 wider if the cultivation is to be with a horse, and 

 thin to eight inches in the row. They will bear 

 transplanting the same as a cabbage, if the work is 

 done on a damp, cloudy day. 



Large Fruit Trees. The Ventura (Cal.) Sig- 

 nal claims for that region some of the largest pear, 

 palm, English walnut, and olive trees to be found in 

 the United States. Says : " Back of our oflice is 

 the old Mission orchard, containing trees of the fol- 

 lowing dimensions : Three date-palms, from seven 

 to nine feet in circumference, and from forty to 

 fifty teet high. Pear trees eight feet in circumfer- 

 ence, and olives seven. Three English walnuts, the 

 largest six feet in circumference, about thirty feet 

 in height, and a spread of top sixty feet. Except 

 the palms they are all loaded with fruit. 



Blight on Apple Trees. — The Western Far- 

 mer says : " Many apple trees in this vicinity now 

 plainly show the effects of ' fire blight ' as it is usu- 

 ally called — in large numbers of dead and dying 

 twigs. While the cause of this is in dispute and 

 there seems to be no preventive, it is a comfort to 

 know that, although the trees are much disfigured, 

 no very serious injury is ordinarily caused. It is 

 better, when it can be done conveniently, to cut 

 back the affected twigs to sound wood. 



lie peach crop in Delaware promises the 

 largest yield ever known in that State. 



Peach Basket Business. — People outside of the 

 fruit districts of the country, have nothing like a 

 true idea of the magnitude of the trade in fruit bas- 

 kets and boxes. According to the Benton Harbor 

 Palladium, one firm in that place is turning out 

 from 3,000 to 4,000 peach baskets per day. Last 

 year one firm at the place made 300,000 baskets, and 

 another made 00,000 ; at Si. Joseph, 150,000 were 

 made ; at Dowagiac, 150,000, and at Coloala, 80,000 

 were made. Other parties also made large num- 

 bers. 



Pine Apples. — The Boston Cultivator says pine 

 apples in that market have not sold so readily for 

 many years. On Friday week 18,000 were received 

 in bulk from New York, by Seaverns & Co., on 

 North Market street, which, with their receipts 

 earlier in the week, footed up nearly 40,000. Their 

 actual sales for the week amounting to over 100,000 

 apples. The fruit is in nice order, and sells quick 

 at about $15 per hundred. 



Self Dried Cherries. In some parts of Cali- 

 fornia on account of the drouth, cherries have dried 

 up on the trees. At Alameda the Ennnal represents 

 the trees almost broken down with their weight of 

 fruit, all shrunken and unfit for market as fresh 

 cherries ; but they will make admirable dried ones, 

 retaining their flavor and sweetness better than 

 those dried ofl" the branches. 



The Green Prolific. — At a recent meeting of 

 the St. Louis Farmers' Club, Mr. Peabody said it 

 was as prolific as the W^ilson, and a sweeter fruit, 

 but softer, does not bear shipping as well, nor is it 

 as good color. Mr. Votaw had cultivated it four 

 years, and realized more profit from it than from 

 the Wilson, whxli two varieties were the only ones 

 he cultivated at present. 



0REC40N FOR Fruit. — The Pacific (Cal.) Press 

 says : " The late frosts which seriou,sly injured the 

 fruit in some of the northern parts of this State did 

 no damage in Oregon. There was quite a smart 

 frost in Los Angeles on Sunday last. May 29th, and 

 much of the young fruit, such as peaches, apples, 

 oranges, etc., was strewed upon the ground beneath 

 the trees. 



Mice. — A fruit grower near Lockport, N. Y. 

 carefully banked up his apple trees in the Fall, and 

 had then no apprehension of danger from mice. It 

 occurred to him recently to make an examination, 

 and, to his surprise, he found that the mice had bur- 

 rowed beneath the mounds of earth, and made sad 

 havoc with quite a number of his most valuable 

 trees. 



large fruit crop is promised in Grande 

 Ronde valley. Eastern Oregon. 



