VOL. XVm. NO. 36 , 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER 



305 



tions are on the plum tree wlicn unmolested ; for 

 when the tree is loaded " itli tVuit, and large, 

 scarcely a single plum will remain nnpunctured, 

 and consequently all will be lost to the cultivator. 

 Some kinds of peach and apjjle which have a wool- 

 ly or furry surface, are not attacked. Almost all 

 the wind-fall apples (as they are called) are pro- 

 duced by this beetle, and upon examinatioa will be 

 found to contain the larvte or worm from the egg of 

 the curculio. 



The plum tree is subject to a disease on the 

 limbs, a kind of excrescence or warty appearance, 

 ■which Dr Harris says is caused by this same cur- 

 culio, puncturing the tender bark and depositing 

 his eggs under it. " These swellings, or warts, 

 arediseases of tlie bark, caused by the punctures of 

 the weevil, and the residence of the grubs. The 

 sap vessels being wounded and irritated by the in- 

 sects, throw out an increased quantity of fluid ; this 

 is re-al)3orbpd by the bark, which is consequently 

 swollen and thickened in substance j the over- 

 stretched cuticle bursts, and the swelling be- 

 comes irregular, granulated, and full of fissures." 



Dr Harris recommends cuttin',' out and extirpa- 

 ting these excrescenses and burning them before 

 the last of June. The wounds made in so doing 

 should be treated with mortar used in grafting. 



The character of the curculio is shy and timor- 

 ous ; so much so, it is seldom seen unless hunted 

 after purposely. Ho is not often seen in motion 

 on the tree, but occasionally in a small crevice or 

 crack, or the axilla of a limb, and so much does 

 he resemble an old blossom or bud, or a small 

 piece of bark, that lie will commonly remain un- 

 noticed. Should the observer extend his thumb 

 and finger to take him, ten to one if he don't elude 

 him, falling as imperoeptible as a small sh«t would- 

 to the ground. 



The habits of this insect are not well known, I 

 still believe, to fruit growers. I have made fre- 

 quent inquiry of them for a preventive measure. 

 Some have told me the insect crawled up the tree, 

 and most of them have never seen it to know it. It 

 is well to remark that it flies on the tree. 



The following are sonje of the means of preserv- 

 ing fruit against the attacks of these insects. 



JFxrs!. All the piemature fruit tliat falls to the 

 ground with th" worm in it, should be immediatejy 

 gathered and burned. It will begin to fall as early 

 as the l"2th or 15th of June, and continue to until 

 the middle of .'\ugust, if not ripe before. This 

 course, well pursued, will destroy the next genera- 

 tion of them and save the ne.xt year's crop. 



Second. Shaking the tree briskly morning and 

 night, and two or tliree times during the day, will 

 very much dii^commode and interrupt them from 

 pursuing their operation; — for at each concussion 

 of the tree the insects fall to the ground, and if tliey 

 reascend, will soon become discouraged by this 

 course of treatment. 



Third. Let two or tliree hands take a sheet or 

 sheets .and spcead: Uiider the tree, and then shake 

 and jar it, andthey immediately fall, feigning them- 

 selves life'less, and appearing like a shapeless 

 lump, anj by those who are unacquainted with 

 them, would not be taken tor an animal until they 

 IDoved. All that **" °" ^^^ sheet should be im- 

 fttl'fetely crushed. '^^'^^ l^*t mode of destroying 

 *hem should be praclic."'! ••''"'ce a day while any 

 ■are found. In the spring o^ J837, I cooped a hen 

 and chickens about an Imper.'al Gage, whose fruit 

 was destroyed the preceding y(?ar, and about all 

 the pi^ms n-.atured on this tree, it is probable 



that the beetles were destroyed by the brood, 

 as they made their way to the surface of the soil. 

 .\s this little animal is easily annoyed, trees stand- 

 ing before a store or shop or any frequented place, 

 usually niore or less escape injury. 1 have known 

 trees standing near a hog pen. mature their fruit 

 year after year, while others, standing four rods 

 distant, as surely failed. 



Mr Manning remarks in his Book of Fruits, that 

 plums thrive best near the borders of the sea, and 

 that the curculio is said to avoid the salt air. 



If the foregoing remarks should prove of any ad- 

 vantage to horticulturists in the protection of 

 fruit from injuries inflicted by this insect, or load 

 to minuter investigation into its nature and habits, I 

 shall be well rewarded for this imperfect cominuni- 

 cation. JOEL BURNETT. 



Southhoru', June 19, 1839. 



WHITINGTON WHEAT. 



To the Editor of Uie New England Farmer: . 



As my character officially (as a seedsman) has 

 been animadverted on, relative to some sales I 

 made last spring of the Whitington jVciu White 

 Wheat, for Spring Wheat, when it has been ascer- 

 tained (and an experiment made in my own garden 

 proved the same) that in our climate it should be 

 sown in the Fall, I uoiild merely observe that no 

 design to deceive the public was dreamed of, (as 

 some inconsiderate persons have thought proper to 

 remark, even in the papers.) I could have no great 

 emolument from the supposed imposition, as my 

 whole stock was but twentyeight bushels, and trold 

 at but a trifling profit, as it cost £1 per busliel in 

 London, to which heavy expences are added. I 

 sold it at 25 cents per quart, and gave a good deal 

 away. My ov;n opinion, and that of many of our 

 first agricultural gentleman is, that it is the finest 

 wheat ever introduced into this country, and they, 

 one and all, intend making a trial of it the ensuing 

 fall. 



Mr Whitington, of Surrey, England, who sent it 

 out to me, writes in reply (26th Sept.) to my mak- 

 ing known to him the disappointment of those who 

 tried it, " In answer to yours I am as muefi v<?xed 

 as I am confounded. I really am at a loss to ac- 

 count for the extraordinary results you communi- 

 cate. I enclose you one of last year's circulars, 

 and one of the present season's" (which are at 

 Mr J. Breck & Co.'s, Boston, and where a sample 

 of the wheat may be seen.) 



" As regards its winter properties as- well as 

 spring, it has been fully tested and publicly ad. 

 mitted to be the best wfieat in this country for rapid 

 growth, standing uninjured through the most severe 

 weather, and yielding by an excess of Iti bushels per 

 acre oft" the very poorest soils over every other tried 

 variety of White Wheat. As to its failure for a 

 Spring wheat with you, I repeat, I cannot account, 

 neither can I learn of .'Vmerican gentlemen here. 

 It is of Swiss origin, which induced us to try it as 

 a spring grain for two seasons, sowing it in Febru- 

 ary, whicli in this country is the latest period for 

 sowing wheat. Our circular expresses what was 

 done with it in 1838, and this year, 1839, we 

 sowed on the 23d and 24th of March fifteen 

 acres of it, and all was housed by the ^5th of Au- 

 gust. In addition to this fact, .llessis G. Wildes 

 & Co , Mr J. Fdt.hergill, (the London Corn Factor,) 

 Messrs Phillipsoii, the extensive farmei-s of Sutton 

 Estate, in Surrey, have all had capital crops of it 

 from sowings in February and March, whilst Mr 

 Baxter, the large Flour Factor, who also farms 300 



acres only nin» miles from London, sowed ten acres 

 of it during the first week of April, and has carried 

 a capital crop, he assures me fully, forty bushels 

 per acre. 



" We stand too highly connected and en- 

 waged as agents for several noblemuu's estates, 

 and farming largely, as well as being Land survey- 

 ors, for upwards of forty years, to represent falsely 

 any article, as do also our agents Messrs (jibbs & 

 Co. I can have no right to doubt you, but wheth- 

 er and what are the local causes which have crea- 

 ted the disappointment, ought to be best known by 

 you, and, under these circunislances, I would not 

 advise you to sell it again as a spring grain. I re- 

 gret you did not write mo sooner, that I might have 

 sent you some in time to sow the present autumn, 

 the successful issue of which is beyond all ques- 

 tion. ! will send you 20 bushels by the next 

 packet, hoping it may yet arrive in time for this 

 autumn's sowing, and from which you can supply 

 to those who may, under their hopes, insist on some 

 sort of compensation, if it arrives in time, and your 

 weather be mild and open. Sow the wheat, desir- 

 ing it may be buried three inches deep." 



The wheat sent out to reimburse, came !oo late 

 to do any thing with the last autumn, but will bf) 

 delive'reti m such quantity as was before purchased, 

 gratis, i^oan be kept in a case, or glass demi- 

 john, sealed air tight, for fear of weevil, until the; 

 proper time to so»v it flext fall. 



tiEORGE C. THQRBURN, 

 .Vo, 1 1 John strtet, JVtw York. 



TRIMMINt; TREES. 



Some Farmers, I observe, are already beginning 

 to trim their^pple and pear trees. It is a saving 

 of lime to do it in the winter, but a loss of i\\e fruit, 

 presently, and fiually a loss of the trees. 



The following extract frorri the "Farmer's Reg- 

 ister," is in point; and I believe all similar experi- 

 ments will produce — sooner or later — similar re- 

 sult!!. 



"I had a small apple tree which had been en^ 

 grafted with a choice fruit, and had been growiag- 

 perhaps seven or eight years. There was one 

 limb on it which I did not like, because it was 

 growing in a wrong direction., I took it oflf in l>e- 

 ceniher, because I believed the sap to bo then ia 

 the roots, and therefore at this season there would 

 be none of it wasted or taken away with the limb> 

 and of course the branches loft would receive a. 

 greater portion of nourishment in tlic' spring. 

 Sometime afterward Lexarained the tree and found 

 that the part or stuuip of the Jimb which remained, 

 within the surface of the body, was affected with 

 the dry rot in its purest typo. I removed this with 

 my knife, and found that the disea'se had made its 

 attack on the body of the tree itself. The tree, 

 after the limb was takeii oil', becau.e sickly, and its 

 fruit after it began to boar was imperfect." 



Dry rot may oftentimes be prevented, however, 

 if the wounds are carefully covered with a compo- 

 sition made of rosin, tallow, beeswax and oclire, 

 melted and well mixed together— and where it is 

 necessary, for want of liine in the spring, to resort 

 to winter trimming, this method of prevention 

 should he resorted to. it is cheap, simple, and 

 adheres to the wound — excluding moisture — until 

 it is healed over. — Patriot and Democrat. 



The Farmer's Cabinet attests to the efficacy of 

 lime as a certain destr. yer of sorrel, having tried 

 it for that object. 



