xVo. 5. 



ANDGARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



71 



per biiahel, 57 lb., grown beside the samples of Chev- 

 alier mentioned above as weighing 54J lb. 



As only a email quantity of the seed was procured, 

 itwillbo distributed for experiments. (Agents and 

 Correspondents of the "New Genesee Farmer" can 

 obtain rare seeds, gratis, on application at the Roches- 

 ter Seed Store.) 



Tares or Vetches. 



We should be glad if some of our readers would 

 favor ua with the results of their experience in the cul- 

 ture and use of Tares in this country. They are 

 much used in England, and highly esteemed; and we 

 believe sume English farmers are in the habit of grow- 

 ing them in this country and in Canada. Still they 

 are but very little known aa yet, and we believe de- 

 serve a.niore general trial. We extract the following 

 remarks from "Loio's Elements ofPraHkul Agricul- 

 ture :" 



"The Tare, Vicia satita, is one uf the most esteem- 

 ed of the leguminous forage-plants of this country. — 

 It is an annual plant, indigenous, and hardy. There 

 are several varieties of it, one of which is distinguish- 

 ed by producing yellow seeds. 



"Tares, when used as green foroge, are cut after 

 the pods are formed, but long before the seeds become 

 ripe. Tares, therefore, being in the class of crops 

 not allowed to mature their seeds, are not exhausting 

 to the soil. On the contrary; in relation to the farm, 

 they arc to be considered as restorative crops, from 

 the quantity of manure which the consumption of 

 them affords. They are exceedingly nutricious, and 

 supply a larger quantity of food, for a limited time, 

 than almost any other forage-crop. 



"All the animals of the farm arc fond of this le- 

 gume, and all thrive upon it in an eminent degree. — 

 Hogs may be fattened entirely upon it. It is suited to 

 milch-cows, causing them to give more butter than 

 any other species of food, and it is employed extensive- 

 ly in the feeding of horses. All the English agricul- 

 turists are impressed with a high opinion of the value 

 of tares. They are not only casually employed, as in 

 Scotland, to till up the intervals between the cuttings 

 of clovers, but they are often the principal source of 

 feeding from the month of May to November." 



The Borer iii Quince Trees, &c. 



The Borer is very destructive to the Quince tree, 

 be Mountain Ash, and not unfrequently injures young 

 apple trees. We are not certain that it is the same 

 worm that infests the Locust tree. 

 Its presence may be easily determined by cxaming the 

 tree near the ground, when its filth, somewhat resem- 

 bling saw-dust, will be visible. Remove these ob- 

 structions, and its hole, cut through the solid wood, 

 may be discovered. We have drawn them forth by 

 means of a barbed wire, in considerable numbers. — 

 We believe this plan, though original with us, was 

 first practised near Boston; but it is rather an irksome 

 operation, and in consequence we have devised a plan 

 to supersede it. So far it has answered well. Apply 

 a coat of tar to the bark from the surface of the ground 

 to the height of two or three feet. It is most readily, 



I evenly, and thoroughly done, by dipping in the hand. 



II A newspaper is then rolled round the tree, so as to co- 

 ver up the tar, and tied with a thread in several places. 



■ We have found it to protect the tree for one year, 

 when the application should be repeated. 



Now is the time to perform the operation, as the in- 

 . lect in its perfect state, will soon be abroad to punc- 

 ture the bark and deposit its eggs. No time should 

 be lost. t 



For the Aew New Geneaee Farmer. 

 Slugs on Fruit Trees. 

 Messrs. Editors — In strolling a few days since 

 through the pleasure grounds of my friend T., of this 

 place, my attention was directed to a number of once 

 beautiful and thrifty cherry trees, which had been com- 

 pletely destroyed by the operation of a small worm, or 

 slug, of a dark, slimy appearance, on the leaves of the 

 tree in summer. 



Mr. T. informs me that they made their first ap- 

 •" pearance in July, 1838, and that their operation was 

 confined wholly to the leB^ea whero they were first 



1 



discovered. After remaining on the tree about four or 

 five weeks, they suddenly disappeared. The trees 

 soon exhibited every appearance of decay; but, inas- 

 much as they seemed to prey on the leaves alone, it 

 excited no fears for the vitality of the tree. lie had 

 the pain and mortification, however, of seeing them 

 return last summer, apparently with renewed vigor, 

 and an increase of strength, when they Boon comple- 

 ted their work of destruction. 



A few thoughts on this subject, by myself, were 

 published in the Gen. Far. in August last, when the 

 "little monster" was imperfectly described, and a 

 brief account of his ravages on the trees in this vicini- 

 ty. I offer them again for insertion, almost verbatim, 

 in hopes that they may lead to the discovery of some 

 preventive, or remedy for the evil. 



About three weeks since (July 1st.) I discovered 

 them on my trees of the same kind. After a few un- 

 successful expori .-nente to destroy a few of them (ta- 

 ken from the tree) I came, reluctantly, to the conclu- 

 sion) that there was no remedy, and that I must lose 

 my trees. You can hardly imagine my surprise when, 

 about ten days after I first discovered them, nearly, or 

 quite all of them, had disappeared. I have just drop- 

 ped my pen to examine them again, (August Ist.,) 

 but, after diligent search, I cannot find one remaining. 

 The leaves arc much eaten, and I believe the trees 

 are materially injured. ' 



The query in my mind is, what should have caused 

 their sudden disappearance, as no means of any kind 

 were used to remove them from the leaves, or trees 1 



Messrs, Editors, I should still like to know some- 

 thing of their origin, as well as what means would ef- 

 fectually destroy them, without injuring the trees. — 

 If you, or your valuable correspondent, D. T. or any 

 other person, can give the desired information through 

 the medium of the Farmer, they would save the lives 

 of many fine trees, and confer a favor on the pubdc, 

 especially on ALPHA. 



LudlovytiUe, March, 1840. 



I was much pleased with the remarks of your fair 

 correspondent, "Annette," in your last number, and 

 agree with her that your paper should, and does, exert 

 a mighty influence over the wlwh farming communi- 

 ty. I hope she will not soon lay down her pen. I 

 met with your paper accidentally, and adopt her Ian 

 gnage, when I say I found it to "contain eo much in- 

 teresting and instructive matter," that I was induced 

 at once to subscribe. 



Remarks. — We know nothing of the history of this 

 slug, except that its ravages on the leaves of the cher- 

 ry tree, have been obeerved for several years in many 

 parts of the country; and that in a brief editorial no- 

 tice in the Gen. Farmer of July 1835, it was sold 

 they infested the leaves of several kinds of fruit trees, 

 in the vicinity of Rochester. We think it evident 

 that this slug is in iu larva state, and that the perfect 

 insect has wings, — from the circumstance that it has 

 suddenly appeared at the distance of several miles 

 from any of ita former localilies. Last season we ob- 

 served it in our nursery for the first time: but could 

 discover nothing of it on the cherry trees in our fruit 

 garden, eighty rods to the westward. 



From the editorial notice mentioned above, we learn 

 that "it is only neci.esary to duet them in the morning 

 while the dew is on, with lime, or aslus, which may 

 be easily done by throwing a few handfuls of either in- 

 to the tree. Another effectual method is to sprinkle 

 them with a decoction of tobacco." 



Two days after that number of the Gen. Farmer 

 was printed, our friend L. A. S., of Lockport. wrote 

 a very interesting article on this subject, which ap- 

 peared a fortnight after in the same paper. He says, 

 "I applied soap suds — a strong wash of lime water — 

 but without the least apparent cflfect. I heard it sug- 



gested that as the slugs wore a slimy coat, a dry ap- 

 plication would be better than a wet one. According- 

 ly I threw over the trees with a shingle, a quantity of 

 dry unleackcd aslies, while the dew wos on the leaves, 

 and every one coated with the ashes was destioyed. 

 My trees now appear nearly free from them — the 

 leaves green, and I am highly gratified with the experi- 

 ment. It is now three weeks since I commenced op- 

 erations, and I am satisfied that this remedy is com- 

 plete. It should be repeated on the trees attacked, 

 twice a iceck for tJircc or four weeks, and cannot fail of 

 being eflcctual. I also applied slacked lime to some of 

 the trees, but the ashes arc sufficient, and within the 

 reach of every one." 



In regard to the cause of their sudden disappear- 

 ance, mentioned by "Alpha," we can only speak cou- 

 jecturally. Many insects hove insect-enemies which 

 devour them, and keep their numbers within certain 

 limits: the enemy increasing in proportion to the food 

 that he finds. Thus the Hessian Fly is destroyed by 

 a minute insect called the Ceraphron destructor by 

 Say; and trees are often disencumbered of plant lice 

 by the inroads of the Surphus, or the Hemcrobius. It 

 may be further remarked that iarca, when ready to en- 

 ter the pupa state, often disappear suddenly; but if 

 this was the case with the slugs, there must be sever- 

 al generations in a season. T. 



The Curculio. 



In a late number of the Farmers' Register, there are 

 two articles on the Curculio, copied from the New 

 England Farmer, and written by Joel Burnett, which 

 are particularly deserving of attention. He considers 

 this insect as the only obstacle in the way of raising 

 plums; and lays down foui propositions which we eo- 

 py for the purpose of comment: 



"Ist. I have found that the Curculio is on the tress, 

 ready for its operations, very early, even before the 

 plums are large enough for it to deposit its eggs in 

 them." 



This information may be turned to good account, by 

 destroying the insect before it commences operations; 

 and this may easily be done as soon as they are found 

 on the tree. Spread two large sheets under the tree, 

 (we had a pair made for this purpose)— jar the tree by 

 the stroke of a mallet and most of them will drop on 

 the sheets, and lie still for some seconds, protending 

 to be dead. Their dark color contrasts with the white- 

 ness of the sheets, eo that they are discovered at a 

 glance, and easily secured. In this manner aeveral 

 years ago, we destroyed about three hundred in the 

 course of an hour. As a stimiUus to timely opera- 

 tion, we should remember that they are as easily kill- 

 ed before the mischief is done, as afterwards. 



These particulars were communicated in the second 

 volume of the Genesee Farmer; but it moy be well to 

 repeat that shaking the tree with our hands will only 

 bring down a yar< of these insects. The small num- 

 ber that we caught in this way, induced us to believe 

 there were very few on the trees, until we saw that 

 much of the fruit was punctured; and it was this that 

 led us to suspect that our work had not been thorough- 

 ly done. Wc therefore spread the sheets under the 

 tree, and made the following experiment:— On s/ui- 

 king it icell we caught five curculioee; on jarring it 

 icilh the hand, we got twelve more; and on striking 

 the tree with a stone, eight more were dropped on the 

 sheets. We then revised our work, and found we had 

 been operating to great disadvantage. 



"2d. It continues its labors into August. — The 

 same curculio that stings the plum and peach, I have 

 found repeatedly operating on the apple." 



Dr. Tilton, who first made us acquainted, by his 

 publications, with the manners of the curculio, — was 

 of the same opinion; but we are inclined to doubt its 

 correctness. In the year 1831, Noye* Darling, 1st* 



