242 



THE POMOLOGIST AND GARDENER. 



1871 



Hardy Trees and Hardy Blossoms. 



Bt Wm. p. LiPPiNcoTT, Vernon, Iowa. 



Ed. Pomologist and Gardenek :— On the night 

 of the 20th of May 1855, there was a freeze here- 

 abouts that killt d all the apples in my orchard ex- 

 cept those on the "Hubbardston Nonsuch" trees, 

 which withstood the freeze of a quarter of an inch 

 of ice on water, and matured their fruit, and in the 

 fall were fairly loaded down with fine large red ap- 

 ples, there not being another apple in the orchard. 



I have a theory in regard to this escape of the 

 "Nonsuch." The tree is rather tender, and we 

 might expect the young fruit to be tender also, but 

 from observation I find that it is not always the har- 

 diest trees that have the hardiest blossoms and 

 young fruit ; that is, some trees may pass through 

 the rigors of a hard winter unscathed, but their 

 open blossoms and young fruit cannot endure as 

 much frost and freeze as those of some other trees 

 that shivered with the cold all through winter. 



We have a good deal yet to learn in regard to 

 raising apples in Iowa. Three of the requisites are: 

 hardiness in both fruit and tree ; keep hogs, sheep 

 and fowls in the orchard at least half of the year ; 

 lastly, poor ground ; that is, ground that will raise 

 good wheat but poor corn— land grubbed out from 

 the brush near the edge of the timber, the soil of a 

 yellow cast. 



until late in July or August, and persons following 

 this advice and finding no worms would become 

 discouraged before it was time for the worms to be 

 destroyed by the band system. Much the same 

 criticism of Mr. Robson's address appeared at a 

 later date in the Western Rural, in which the very 

 great importance of the subject and the pernicious 

 influence of Mr. Robson's counsels were aimed to 

 be very clearly and pointedly set forth over the 

 signature of "Carpocapsa Pomonella." The writer 

 based all his arguments on the following alledged 

 facts : that the second brood of worms pass the 

 winter in the pupre state ; that no worms can be 

 captured under the bands until August ; that the 

 moths probably do not live through the winter in 

 the perfect state, and finally accuses Mr. Robson of 

 writing from the parlor and not from the orchard. 

 This article called out several replies which clearly 

 showed that the larvai always pass the winter in the 

 larvse or worm state, and we gave him the following 

 from our record in 1870. 



Our bands being put on the trees about the 15th 

 of June the first examination commenced : 



Weed's JNarronr Flexible Bauds, 



A simple but great discoeery— Weed's Narrow Flexible Sands 

 for trapping the Codling Moth^ Apple Worm. 



Bt Db. James Weed, Mcscatine, Iowa. 



Ed. Pomologist and Gakdenee : — Discoveries 

 are great or vice versa according to their results. 

 This, is our own bantling — of course worth millions 

 of doUars to the country — and we intend he shall 

 crow until his merits are appreciated and the money 

 made. 



These bands are to put around apple trees to 

 catch the worms after they leave the apples and 

 prevent them from becoming Codling Moths, to lay 

 more eggs and cause more wormy apples. The 

 damage to the apple crop has been so very great 

 the last few years by the apple worm, that its par- 

 ent, the Codling Moth, has elicited animated dis- 

 cussions at Horticultural meetings, and lengthy 

 articles have occupied the columns of Horticultural 

 papers. 



J. W. Robson, in an address at Galena, advised 

 putting cloth bands around the trees early in May, 

 with twice weekly examinations through the sea- 

 son. Dr. Hull in a lengthy editorial in the Prairie 

 Farmer, criticised Mr. Robson severely for recom- 

 mending this early application of the bands with 

 bi weekly examinations, alledging that no worms 

 could be found in the orchard, except in the apples, 



DATS 

 WOBK. 



June 27, 1^ 



June 28 ^4 



June 39, 2 



June 30, 3 



July 1 3 



Total, 



A re-examination began, 



July 3 2-10. 



July 3, 8 



July 11, 1 



July 12, 1 



July 1.3 2 



July 14, 2-10. 



WORMS AND 

 PUP^ DESTROYED. 

 1,139 

 916 



1,334 

 3,368 

 2,343 



I 



9,889. 



86 



816 



718 



620 



1,425 



84 



Total 3,749. 



A third examination early in August. .2,319. 



Total, 15,457. 



Which proves " Carpocapsa Pomonella "to be 

 about as far wrong as Mr. Robson, in regard to 

 the time when the first worms leave the apples 

 and may be taken under the bands. 



This season's observations have convinced us that 

 the larvae of the second brood of worms which live 

 through the winter in their cocoons do not change 

 to pupa; but remain in the worm state in this 

 latitude — 423>^ degrees — until about the 1st of June. 

 It is possible, and we think probable, that the Dr. 

 is also mistaken in the opinion that the moths do 

 not live through the winter ; otherwise how is it 

 that they are seen laying their eggs about the time 

 apples are in bloom when, as we have reason 

 to believe, no moths come out from last year's 

 worms before the 1st of June ? 



Dr. Hull is State Horticulturist of Illinois, and 

 we suppose is employed and paid by his constitu- 



