346 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



May, -23, 1828. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



WORMS IN APPLES. 



It is now about iime tor the insects to beg'in to 

 deposite their eggs in the young apples and plums. 

 At the time the apple is about the si^e of a cher- 

 ry stone the insects make small holes, and leave 

 their eggs. The holes look as though they were 

 made with the point of a penknife. Their eggs 

 are not so big as a seed of herds grass, with the 

 hull rubbed off. In about ten days, the egg be- 

 comes a very small magot with a black head, and 

 commences his march in all directions through 

 the apple till the worm and apple thnt does not 

 drop off get to full size. One may see the insect 

 very busy about the trees. Its body is about the 

 size and color of the wire worm, wings long and 

 narrow, legs very long, wire shape, resembles the 

 musquetoe. They often get into houses and 

 flutter about the windows. I liave known many 

 plum trees of the best kind that never would hold 

 their plums till they were more than half grown, 

 the owners tired of looking for fruit would cut 

 them down. The cause of their dropping off, I 

 believe to bo nothing but worms. Would it not 

 be worth while to cover some branch of such 

 trees with a piece of milinet for an experiment, — 

 the covering would not be needed but a few days. 

 I wish some one that has time and skill would find 

 a preventive for this evil. M. FRENCH. 



Salisbury, May 19, 1828. 



sent juncture especially, all the aid that can be 

 given ; and that it adds greatly to the reputation 

 of his flock, to have the fleeces well washed, well 

 tagged, and well put up! 



Very respectfully, j 



Your oU't. servant, 



W. R. DICKINSON, i 



From the Ai 



Farmer. 



washijVg sheep. 



J. S. Skinner, Esq. Steiibenvitle, May 1, 18;'28. 

 Dear Sir, — I have just received yours, enclosing 

 a letter from one of your subscribers, on the sub- j remind the reader of the principal ingredients of 



^rom the Democratic Press. 



SOAP SUDS A MANURE. 



A few years ago my attention was attracted by 

 the soil of ray garden, reduced to a state of pover- 

 ty unfriendly to vegetation. Interest in all its fu- 

 ture produce, influenced my wishes for its restora- 

 tion. An invigorating manure was necessary ; — 

 but such a stimulus could not easily be procured. 

 While considering which of the siiccedaviea with- 

 'n my reach, had the greatest probable appearance 

 of succeeding, it occurred, that possibly some triv- 

 ial advantge might be derived from the soil and 

 alkali suspended in the waters of a washing. — 

 Pits were immediately ordered to be made, and 

 in them, the contents of a tub, which luy servant 

 usually committed to the common sewer, were 

 carefully deposited ; as wasliing succeeded wash- 

 ing, other pits were dug and filled, so that llie 

 whole garden, a small portion e.vcepted, has in ;.his 

 manner been watered and enriched ; that small 

 portion remains a visible demonstration of the util- 

 ity of this manure. There vegetation is still lan- 

 guid ; while the rest of the garden, invigorated 

 by the suds only, annually exhibits a lu.xuriance 

 almost equul to any thing this -fflfctile neighbour- 

 hood can produce. 

 Remarks on the abate by the RevWhomas Falconer- 



1 The above important experiment may perliaps 



ject of washing wool on the sheep's back ; a tas! 

 performed in tiiis country with very little trouble 

 or expense. 



We make a pen, of boards or fence-rail, large 

 enough to hold the flock, (of three or four hun 

 dred sheep) immediately on the margin of some 



the oil-compost, suggested by Dr Hunter, of York, 

 In this simple fluid manure we have an anlaiai 

 oil, and tlie same alkali ; but neither of them 

 perhaps, in so pure a state as in the manure, with 

 the addition of fresh horse dung. The fresh horse 

 dung is added in order to pro.'uce heat and fer 



running stream, which is made to form one line of , mentation ; and a delay of si.x months is supposed 

 the enclosure. The men employed to wash the to be necessary, to make the compost fit for use. 

 animals, take them, one at a time, (each man tak- ; All, however, that seems to be gained by the horse 

 ing one) from this fold into the water, about waist dung, is the animal oil, which may be united with 

 deep, or nearly to their arm-pits, where they rub | the alkali during the progress of fermentation, and 

 and press the wool with their hands and arms, lui- ;the straw, which in the fermentaiion of the com- 

 til the water runs out eutirely dear, which, gci^cr-'. post v.-\\\ bind the mass together, and when de- 

 ally speaking, will occupy from three to five min- 'composed on the ground, will afford a small sup- 

 «tes. They are then taken to the shore, either ply of vegetable matter. If we make the conpar- 

 dbove or below the pen, as most convenient ; and ison strictly accurate, on the other side, we may 

 ■after the water is carefully pressed from the wool j observe, that in the fluid manure there must bo an 

 are turned loose upon a dry spot, leading, if prac- j increased quantity of animal matter in the water 

 ticable, to the pasture fields. On the fourth or I after it has been used for the purpose of washing 

 fifth day they should be shorn. ! linen 



Pour or five active men, beginning at an early 

 period in the morning, will wash from six to eight 

 hundred by five o'clock iu the aflPrnoon, at which 



The experiment then shows what is the advan- 

 tage of the application of the nil and alkali only, 

 as a manure, and perhaps the delay of 6 months 



hour the washing should cease, in order that the in preparing the compost would not be compensat 

 sheep may, in some measure, become dry before I ed by any superior efficacy, that may be expected 

 sunset. I need hardly add, that the utmost care to rise from the combination of horse dung. It 

 should betaken to keep the mouths of the poor i also appears from the experiment, that the "corn- 

 animals above water, and that they should be hand- j post is a more useful discovery than Dr. Hunter 

 ted carefully and gently in all respects. ' himself could justly infer from his own limited ex- 



Wc use no material but cold water in this oper- ' perienco of its effects, 

 ation, the natural grease in the wool possessing a 2 This mixture of an oil and alkali has been 

 saponaceous quality which renders the washing mare generally known than ailopted, as a remedy 

 •perfectly easy. , against the insects which infest wall fruit trees. 



Pray tell your correspondent that he need not U will destroy the insects which have already 

 fear tonshing money out of his pocket into that of formed their nests and bred amongst their leaves. 

 ihe noor munvl'acturcr, who requires, at the pre- When used in the early part of the year, it seems 



to prevent the insects from settling upon them ; — 

 but whether by rendering the surface of the leaf 

 disagreeable to the bodies of the animals, and thus 

 repelling them, or neutrniizing the acid they de- 

 posit, and thus preventing the leaf from contract- 

 ing into a necessary form for their recepdon, I 

 cannot presume to determine. — One of the modes 

 by which this mixture indirectly contributes to the 

 fertility of the ground, may bo by its destruction 

 of the insects, which prey upon the plants. It is 

 also, I think, to be preferred to the lime water, as 

 well as the wood ashes and lime, which Forsyth 

 recommends to be usi-d for the removal of insects. 

 It is prefprable to the lime water and the lime, be- 

 cause lime loses its cau.-ticity, and with that its 

 efiicary, by exposure to the air, and must conse- 

 quently be frequently applied ; and to the dredg- 

 ing tha leaves nith the fine dust of wood ashes 

 and lime, because the same effect is produced by 

 the mixture without the same labor, and is obtain- 

 ed without expense. 



Mr. Speechley, in his treatise on the vine, puh- 

 lished in 1796, has used this mixture with great 

 success ; hut he has applied it awkwardly and 

 wastefully. He directs it to be poured from a 

 ladder out of a watering pot over both trees and 

 wall, beginning at the top of the wall, and bring- 

 ing it on in courses from top lo bottom. Mr. 

 Speechley is not the first per.son who has thought 

 of this application of tlie mixture. It is a fact 

 which has long been known and neglected. 



A considerable extent of wall may be washed 

 by means of a common garden pump in a short 

 time ; and tliis operation should be repeated as 

 a supply of a mixture can be procured ; or if the 

 water of a washing cannot be had, a quantity of 

 potash of commerce dissolved in water may be 

 substituted. The washing of the trees and wall 

 twice a week for three weeks in the spring will 

 be sufficient to secure them from the injuries of 

 these insects. On the whole, then, this must be 

 considered as a valuable manure, as it can be ob- 

 tained easily, at sn!.all expense, nnd in large quan- 

 tities ; and when its nature is well understood, 

 will probably be no less esteemed by the farmer 

 than horse dung. To the gardener as well as the 

 farmer, it is useful mixed with mould as a fertiliz- 

 ing compost ; or when fluid may be applied to his 

 fruit walls as a wash fatal to the noxious brood of 

 predatory insects. — A'tV/io/son's Jour V. 20. 



Remarks of a Countryman. 

 The discovery of soap suds as a manure, is 

 worthy of the consideration of agriculturists gen- 

 ally. In addition to the applications of oil, pointed 

 out by Mr. Falconer, I have used it with some suc- 

 cess in the preservation of cucumber vines froaj 

 the bugs which are detrimental lo them. I also 

 think that water and muskmelon vines might be 

 preserved from the bugs by a timely application 

 of suds. The advantages of it are not sufficieritly 

 known. Future experiments, 1 am disposed to be- 

 lieve, will stamp a value on it far beyond what ve 

 at present conceive or anticipate. 

 I A COUNTRYMAN. 



The citizens of Bellows Falls have given notice 

 that a boat will ply weekly between that place aad 

 Hartford, Con. during the season. 



THE GOOSEBERRY, 



In Piedmont, where it is found wild, and the 

 berries eatable, but astringent and neglected, is 

 called grisellc. Some derive our namejgooseber- 



