22 The Western Pomologist and Gardener. 1872 



flour sacks cost as little, and are much more commonly at hand. If he buys new 

 shingles or thin boards they must be very dry or they will warp, aud they will cost more 

 than new coarse cloth or strong manilla paper requisite for narrow bands. A gross of 

 eight ounce tacks costs less than one of wood-screws, and will injure the trees less in their 

 application. 



Mr. Wier says he has been in large orchards thirty years, and that he has never seen 

 but one Codling moth except those he has bred from worms. Will he please inform us 

 how he knows " the moths of this first brood pair at once, and the females soon com- 

 mence to deposit their eggs on the apples ?" We believe the natural history of this insect 

 has not been fully and truly recorded yet. — James Weed, Muscotiiu'.. 



About tbose Premium Plums. 



Eds. p. & G.: — With all respect to the writer, I wish to criticise Mr. Redfleld's article 

 in the last Pomolooist about the plums he took to the State Fair "for a name," since 

 which he says : To him " was awarded the first premium for the best show of plums. 

 The committee must have come to the same conclusion that I did, that there was but a 

 faint resemblance between the Lombard and Smiths Orleans. I very much doubt if there 

 is any plum equal to it in hardiness." 



About the " plums," I saw them — four or five specimens. They were so decayed that 

 it would have been, and was impossible for the best judges, to correctly "name" them, 

 but from a specimen of the twig (Mr. Redfield said,) of the tree that bore the plums, they 

 were called Lombard, which the twig undoubtedly was. Now which is he calling hardy, 

 Smith's Orleans, a decidedly tender tree here in the North, or the Lombard, that has 

 proved as hardy as the other is tender here in Northern Iowa? About the " first pre- 

 mium," one must see that it would be a short-sighted committee that could award a " first 

 premium" to a few specimens of rotten fruit, were there no others on exhibition. I saw 

 two collections of Miner plums, with first premium cards attached, one in the professional 

 list, and one in the amateur list, which was no doubt well applied, it being a late keeper, 

 and no doubt hardy. If as he says, " many writers from Iowa and Minnesota request that 

 we have fruits that are adapted to our cold climate," I answer let them have it, and correct 

 information too. — J. T. Mott, PostviUe, Iowa. 



Tbe Chestnut—Nut Bearing Trees, 



Ed. p. & G. — I have often heard it stated by those, and deemed good authority, that 

 the chestnut could be grafted into the oak with perfect success; but after a full and free 

 trial on different varieties of the oak, aud at intervals, early to late, out of hundreds I only 

 had two to live the summer through, and they only made feeble growth. I am not 

 inclined to advise any one to embark in that operation if they want a chestnut grove. 

 Grafting on the chestnut tree might do, but I deem the oak a very doubtful stock. 



I have some of the common American chestnut growing, and they bid fair to succeed, 

 but they have not fruited yet. I am growing it merely for the fruit. No necessity to grow 

 it for timber, as I live in a heavy timbered region. I am also growing Black Walnuts and 

 Butternuts for their fruit. Six years from seed, six out of nine Black Walnut trees have 

 borne fruit the past season. And were I on the prairie, I should plant groves of these three 

 varieties of timber. It would be a rich legacy to leave to posterity, both in fruit and tim- 

 ber ; or, if young, a mine of wealth and comfort to the planter.— Petek M. Gideon, — 

 Mccelsior Minnesota. 



Neir Plan to Exterminate Kabblts. 



Ed. Pomologist and Gardener : — We have been greatly annoyed with the rabbits. 

 They have girdled our fruit trees and eaten off scores of small ones. They are] an unmit- 

 tigated nuisance. We have tried to force them out but the snow fell quite deep, there is a 

 slight crust on it and Mr. Bunny walks over our fences on top of the snow where it lies 

 high around the feuce. We have trapped them in season and out of season. Now we 



