44 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Feb. 



19 has literally forced its way to recognition as 

 the equal of either of those so early and so exten- 

 sively heralded. My own selection fr->m these 

 grapes was originally made upon the private judg- 

 ment of a friend. He was inclined to place No. 19 

 at the head of the list, though he considered that 

 there was but little choice between several of the 

 other numbers. Persons with whom the Black 

 Hamburg is a favorite will be likely to select No. 

 19, because it so much resembles the former. 

 Those who prefer the "vinous" to the "sugary" 

 flavor will be more likely to select No. 15. No. 

 19, within my observation, proves to be as hardy 

 as any of our out-door grapes ; is a vigorous 

 grower ; bears large crops of large fruit (both 

 bunch and berry being large ;) the quality is gen- 

 erally admitted to be superior to the Concord, and 

 it ripens at least one week earlier than the latter. 

 One of its peculiarities is the tenacity with which 

 the berries "hang on." A friend, who kept some 

 until Christmas, found that the berry and stem 

 were even then unwilling to part company. Did 

 time and space allow, I would quote from the re- 

 ports of others in regard to this and others of 

 these new grapes. I can safely recommend No. 

 19 as well worth a place in every collection. 



Of No. 5 I know but little, and prefer to wait 

 before recommending it. Nos. 1, 3, 4, 9, 15, 33, 

 and others, are each worth a place in larger col- 

 lections, but more time is wanted before it will do 

 to advise their general cultivation. They each 

 "promise" well, and I have not the least doubt 

 that several of them will become established fa- 

 vorites in time. With my present experience, I 

 should select from these Hybrids something in the 

 following order : No. 19, 15, 14, and then "toss 

 up" for the others. Saggahew. 



EGGS IN "WINTER. 



We have noticed that a mild winter, with little 

 or no snow ; i. e., a season in which the ground 

 is much bare and warm ; is the season for eggs. 

 Last winter, hens were laying in all directions ; 

 merchants were largely stocked with fresh eggs. 



Will not our friends take a hint here, and con- 

 vert all winters into egg-laying winters ; that is, 

 by artificial means, make a mild winter for your 

 hens. 



Our aunt said, last winter, that she was going 

 to have eggs from her seven hens. We told her 

 she would be very apt to get no eggs. The sea- 

 son advanced. The weather proved mild. One 

 day she announced four eggs, and did it in tri- 

 umph. 



"Yes, but all the neighbors have the same luck ; 

 they all get eggs. How is this ? I* is the sum- 

 mery aspect of the season that does this, and 

 proves what I said, that hens must have a warm 

 place in order to lay." 



Will my aunt or anybody else believe, that as 

 soon as cold weather sets in, eggs will continue ? 

 Even my aunt will find out she is mistaken. 

 Hens must not suffer from cold, if we wish them 

 to lay ; they must not suffer at all. Feed them 

 as much as we may, they must not shiver in the 

 cold, if they are to lay. 



They love to see the sun ; they must have ground 

 to be on, and to wallow in ; fresh water, and a 

 good, quiet place to go to lay. Most of all they 

 must be warm. — Maine Farmer. 



Pot the New England Fanner. 

 TENT CATERPILLARS. 



Messrs. Editors : — I have seen a newspaper 

 item recently, stating that the government of 

 Switzerland has paid one million of francs the 

 present year for the destruction of butterflies ; 

 and, however odd the idea of such an expendi- 

 ture may strike many people, undoubtedly the 

 money could not easily have been better spent for 

 the public good. If our own State of Massachu- 

 setts would offer a generous bounty for the col- 

 lection and destruction of the eggs of the com- 

 mon tent caterpillar, that to such a fearful extent 

 ravages our apple trees, much good would re- 

 sult not only to the farmer, but to the general 

 public. 



The common tent caterpillar seems to be decid- 

 edly on the increase in our orchards. Their num- 

 bers the present year in this section have certainly 

 been unparalleled in my recollection, and we have 

 had accounts of their unusually extensive ravages 

 in various parts of the country. Here, scarcely 

 an apple tree was free from them, and even some 

 small trees were burdened with several colonies; 

 and often when one colony would be removed 

 from the fork of a young tree, in a few days 

 another would be found at the same point, which, 

 removed, a third would soon appear tented at the 

 same point as the others — different colonies suc- 

 cessively hatching on different parts of the tree, 

 and choosing a common point for their headquar- 

 ters. At the same time, in the hedges and for- 

 ests, scarcely a bush or tree of the several species 

 of wild cherry could be found that was not liter- 

 ally stripped of its foliage. 



Looking orer some young apple trees last Oc- 

 tober, 1 was not surprised to find the clusters of 

 eggs adhering to the twigs in unusual abundance. 

 It was not uncommon to find from three to six 

 clusters on trees not yet large enough to come 

 into bearing, and on trees a little larger, from 

 eight to ten, or twelve, or even more, was no un- 

 usual number. Hardly a tree was examined that 

 did not have some. The wild cherry trees I find 

 this fall are exceedingly well stocked, bushes not 

 larger than one's wrist having four or five clus- 

 ters, quite commonly, and many even more. 



To gather them in great quantities would be no 

 difficult nor very expensive operation. So long 

 as the caterpillars are permitted to multiply with- 

 out check on the wild cherry trees, however well 

 the orchards may be watched and the insects there 

 exterminated each year, the evil will not be ma- 

 terially lessened. The amount of forage furnished 

 by the wild cherry trees', their original food, is, 

 and has for a long time been continually decreas- 

 ing, and hence they resort to the apple trees as 

 furnishing food the next most agreeable to their 

 taste. The moths are furnished with wings, and 

 guided by instinct to select the most favorable 

 places for the sustenance of their progeny. To 

 exterminate the species, which is a thing not im- 

 possible, we must not confine our labors to the 

 cultivated trees alone, but follow them wherever 

 they riot, and attack them in the egg. ■ They are 

 then most easily and safely destroyed, especially 

 on small trees. The clusters of eggs can very 

 easily be detected after the leaves have fallen in 

 autumn, and at any time after prior to their hatch- 

 ing in May, and may be removed without difficul- 

 ty by the thumb and finger, or by clipping off the 



