206 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



of any substances. He encloses the wood in a cyl- 

 inder, wherein it is desiccated by high pressure 

 steam. A vacuum is then produced, and additional 

 force is given to the tar in its penetration of the 

 fibres of the wood by a force pump, — Selected. 



GuTTA Peiicha. — This wonderful article is just 

 now engaging the public attention ; as well it may, 

 for it will be used to a far greater extent than India 

 rubber is. The tree is found in great abundance at 

 Singapore and its vicinity. Dense forests of it are 

 found at the southern extremity of the Malayan pen- 

 insula. The tree is called niato by the Sarawak 

 people, but they are not acquainted with the proper- 

 ties of the sap ; it attains to considerable size, even 

 as large as six feet in diameter ; is plentiful in Sara- 

 wak, and most probably all over the island of Borneo. 

 The tree is stated to be one of the largest in the for- 

 est in which it is found. The timber is too loose 

 and open for building purjjoscs ; but the tree bears a 

 fruit which yields a concrete oil, used for food. 



Gutta percha is contained in the sap and milky 

 juice, which quickly coagulates on exposure to the 

 air ; from twenty to thirty pounds being the aver- 

 age produce of one tree. For collecting the sap, the 

 trees are felled, barked, and left dry and useless ; so 

 great is the demand for the gutta, the importation of 

 which alreadj' reaches many hundnid tons annually. 

 Hence the forests will soon be cleared of the gutta 

 trees ; whereas it is believed that a constant and 

 moderate supply might be secured by incisions, as in 

 the case of caoutchouc. 



The gutta is received in scraps, or in rolls of thin 

 layers. It is first freed from impurities by deviling, 

 or kneading in hot water, when it is left soft and 

 plastic, and of a whitish gray color. 



When thus prepared, the gutta has many curious 

 properties. Below the temperature of fifty degrees, 

 it is as hard as wood ; but it will soon receive an in- 

 dentation from the fingers. When softened in hot 

 water, it maybe easily cut and moulded; and it will 

 harden to its former rigidity ; and it may be softened 

 and hardened anj'- number of times without injury to 

 the material. Unlike caoutchouc, it has little elasti- 

 city ; but it has such tcnacit}', that a slip, one eighth 

 of an inch substance, sustained forty-two pounds 

 weight, and only broke with a pressure of fifty-six 

 pounds. When drawn out, it remains without con- 

 tracting. 



In solution, gutta is applied, like caoutchouc, for 

 water-prooiing cloth. It is likewise used for numer- 

 ous purposes for which leather is used ; in mastics 

 and cements, &c. In short, it promises to become as 

 important an article of commerce as caoutchouc 

 itself. 



The name is a pure Malayan one ; gutta meaning 

 the gum or concrete juice of a plant, and percha the 

 particular tree from which this is procured. The ch 

 is not pronounced hard, like a k, but like the ch in 

 the English name of the fish perch. It has been 

 suggested to Br. Montgomery, that the gutta percha 

 wovdd be found useful in stopping decayed teeth. — 

 Valley Farmer. 



THE CURCULIO. 



At the regular monthly meeting of the St. Louis 

 Horticultural Society, held on the 7th ult., the cur- 

 culio was the subject of some interesting remarks; 

 an abstract of which we publish from the minutes. 

 We hope the worthy president will persevere in his 

 experiments until he shall have discovered a specific 

 for this most serious hinderance to the cultivation of 

 fruit. 



The president stated that his attention had been 

 called to the various recommendations of remedies or 

 preventives of the ravages of the curculio, one of the 



most nefarious pests of the orchard in that part of 

 the country. This insect invariably takes our entire 

 crop of apricots, nectarines, and plums, and injures 

 the cherries, and even peaches. He had determined 

 to try every practicable proposed remedy of which 

 he could avail himself the present season. The fol- 

 lowing were among those suggested : — 



1. Horse stable manure. This was believed to be 

 ineffectual. 



2. Spreading sheets under the trees, and tapping 

 the body and branches with a maUet, the insects 

 will fall into the sheets, and may be caught and killed. 

 This is believed to be a perfectly efibctual, though 

 laborious practice : it must be pursued every morning 

 for two or three weeks from the time the trees cast 

 their flowers. He presented a vial containing sixty- 

 one of the insects, which he caught from three apricot 

 trees on the morning of the 5th of April, the young 

 apricots being nearly of the size of peas. 



3. Placing a lighted candle under the tree, for 

 two or three hours in the evening, in a tub or box 

 whitewashed inside, and having at the bottom, an 

 inch or two of water. 



4. Placing old iron hoops, or pieces of iron, in the 

 branches of the tree. He had seen at his mother's 

 residence, last fall, a Green Gage tree having an iron 

 hoop entwined among its branches, and from which 

 a crop of fruit was always obtained, whilst the fruit 

 of other plum-trees near by, without the iron, was 

 destroyed. Dr. S. had mentioned to him facts in 

 connection with the subject, which led him to infer 

 that some potent effect was attributable to the iron : 

 it may be worthy of a trial. 



5. The insects may be fenced out by a tight board 

 fence eight to ten feet high. A gentleman on Long 

 Island succeeds perfectly with his, but he also paves 

 the ground and plants his trees in dwarf, six feet apart. 



6. Placing a coat of salt under the trees. Tliis is 

 believed to be ineffectual, as he had partly tried it, 

 but without success. 



7. Covering the ground under the trees with clay. 

 This he had tried, and it did no good. 



8. Ilangmg bottles of sweetened water in the trees. 

 6. Smoking the trees with the fumes of burnt sul- 

 phur. 



10. Washing the trees, and even the fruit with the 

 strongest decoction of tobacco and whale oil soap- 

 suds will have no effect. 



11. Swine and poultry, running daily among the 

 trees, during the fruit season, as a permanent annual 

 practice, will ultimately drive away or destroy the 

 insect. The poultry, however, are not alone suffi- 

 cient. Swine arc the best exterminators, by destroy- 

 ing the larva; of the insect in the fruit as it falls. 

 The insect will avoid places unfavorable to the en- 

 trance of its young into the ground. 



Captain Bissell said he had tried horse manure 

 and salt without any effect. He was incUned to try 

 the swine. 



General ^Milburn said that a Mr. Price, of this 

 county, kept off the insects by tyuig a band of sheep's 

 wool around his plum-trees. 



Mr. Turner said that a withe around the tree, kept 

 moist with tar, had proved incftcctual with him. 



Mr. Clark said that the insect would not attack 

 the fruit upon a tree standing in a frequented walk. 

 — Valley Farmer. 



TO SHAKE OFF TROUBLE. 



Set about doing good to somebody ; put on your 

 hat, and go and visit the sick and the poor ; inquire 

 into their wants and administer unto them ; seek 

 out the desolate and oppressed, and tell them of the 

 consolations of religion. I have often tried this 

 method, and have always found it the best medicine 

 for a heavy heart. — Howard. 



