No. 8. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



119 



V.-:k1i tree, niul many otbor plaius. Tbe Bl^ick I'ly, 



n M ly cioublesome nnd dcslructive inaeL-t, tlini intiot 



i^i young shoola of lUo Cherry and llie Snow Ball 



I; (■ 1 have never Uiiowii any poailive euro for tha 



li'.n-is of ihis insect nnljl this lime. Two varieties 



oi insecisthat are destructive to, and very much dis- 



' re Evergreens, ilie Dslsani or IJahn of Gilead Fir 



iiiicniar, one an Ajihis, the other very niurli 



iho lOse slug. The Acanis, or red oi>idcr, that 



Un'>wn pest to gardeners. 



i'.i: Disaise M'dilao on the GooBcberry, Veach, 



'i- Vine, &c., iS:c., is checked and entirely de- 



, id by a weak dressing of the sohition. 



i iij above insects are generally nil destroyed by 



npplication, if properly applied to nil paits of the 



, ige. The eggs of most fnsect.^ eowtiiine to hutch 



Ml Illation, during their season. To keep the plants 



)Hi f. cily clean, it will be necessary to drcsB them two 



■ I i[;ree limea. 



j'V Canher Woi-m. As the trees on this place 



Kit troubled with this worm, I have not had an 



iiiiniiy of trying «xperinienti by dressing tbe 



. J. but have collected the worms, which are killed 



Ling touthed with the liquid. The expense ol 



r and engines lor dressing large trees, to be ellcct- 



. niay be more than the application of it will war- 



r/iin: but I think by enturating the ground under the 



til I's with the liiuaii, about the time the insect changes 



111 ni the chrysalis slate and ascends the trees, will de- 



e'.r.iy them; or, when the moth is on the tree, before 



hviiig its eggs, they may be destroyed vrithoui much 



li ' i; in either, case, the inixiuie may be applied 



mi-.ih stronger than when iteomes in contact with 



tb,.' loilage. Laying it on the trunk and branches of 



till" tree, at the consistency of thick paint, destroys 



il;r brown, scaly insect on the bark, and gives the 



ir.-i> a smooth, glossy, and healthy appearance — N. 



£. Fanner. David IIageilstoji. 



Waierlotni, June Wth, 1841. 



Farmer. 



Prom the Ame, 



The Rose=B;ig. 



This little insect wherever it is known at all, is 

 kiiiwn to be extremely destructive to some othtr 

 ill -.vers as well as the rose, and is sometimes so nu- 

 riii'i ous as to destroy all the early cherries, the haut- 

 bovs, the giapcs, nnd sometimes the more dolicata 

 varietifa of the peach. Many- years ago I have oft?n 

 lost all these fruits except some of the varieties ol the 

 peach by these insects. Of late years they have 

 done me little or no injury, and they are nearly extir- 

 paiej from my premises— they arc only to be seen at 

 tue places of their destruction — those are Linden trees 

 w'icn in blossom. When these trees first begin to 

 bl'ifsom about iny yard nnd garden, at one of them 

 oT.r a hard naked wall, I was surprised to find the 

 rrseius, which had been vastly numerous and de- 

 structive for many years before, dead in great quan- 

 tities under il — as mai;y as a pint or quart might be 

 swept up under it at n lime dead. My firet impres- 

 sion was, that the bugs died about the linden tree af- 

 tur depositing their eggs and terminating their nnturni 

 career, but such is not the fact, and I now speak with 

 coiitidence after several years observation and expe- 

 rience when I sny, the blossom of this tree destroy." 

 ihcni, and will extirpate, or nearly so, the race from its 

 immediate vicinity, on the farm on -vhich they grow. 

 Tliis fact seems to be out of the ordinary course oi 

 n-.'.nre, for we are taught to believe that all animals 

 in a natural state are led by the wise instinct of na- 

 i ire to avoid that which will poison or destroy them. 

 Ill rushing into the enjoyment of the delicious fra- 

 grnnee and honey of this flower, they precipitate them- 

 elIvps on liicir own destruction. 



I state this fuct, for the information of florists and 

 fruiter?, ."nid hope that those better skilled in phi- 

 lii^ophy and natural history, may solve the seeming 

 heterodcxy. T. E. 



No End to ImpioTcment. 



Ho that believr-i ngrii-iilture is perfect, and that we 

 have nothing to do but pursue the old and beaten track, 

 as blind animals move round the tread mill, deserves 

 onr compassion. Nature proclaims that neither agri 

 ciihu''e, nor any other branch of natural science, can 

 ever become perfect. The mind of man is capable of 

 indefinite improvement, so are all the productions of 

 nature. For examides, look at the valuable plants 

 in the condition in which they were first found in 

 their native woods. The various kinds of corn, po- 

 tatoes, cabbages, fruits, &c., were nil, before they 

 were touched by the finger of culture, as unlike what 

 they now are, as different species are unlike. They 

 are all susceptible of continual improvement, nil ever 

 rniini;»g into new varieties. Il is not long ngn, thit 



the potato was a uselefs, unhealthy vegelnblo in the 

 woods of South America, whore it wns first found, 

 but it has been so changed by the hand ol care and in- 

 tlustiy. as to become large and healthy, and now r.up- 

 plies food lor more human beings throughout the 

 earth, than any plant, save corn nnd rice, and is no 

 doubt declined to as much future improvement as it 

 has received in ho past. Compare the ninije or In- 

 dian corn, na first seen in the feeble stalk and sb nder 

 roasting ear around the wigwam, with its hundred 

 varieties in its present maturity, yielding in value its 

 countlees thotisanda to national wsnUU. And we are 

 just now beginning to sec the improvement of which 

 this valuable plant is still susceptible. 



The succession of tbe seasons — the calm — the ptorm 

 — the course of the winds — the revolution of the hea- 

 venly bodies — the nature of the earth — the food ol 

 plsnts — ihc influence of water, light, heat nnd air on 

 the growth of vegetation — the proper composition of 

 the various soils to furnifch the greatest amount ol 

 production, will ever be subjects too broad for the full 

 grasp of the most profound philosophers, nnd in the 

 untathomable profuirditics of which, now discoveries 

 will be made na long as this frame of naturo shall en- 

 dure.— Afo. Far mrr. 



liumbugs. 



Almost every year gives birth to some new word, 

 or some new and peculiar meaning to the old word, 

 in the English, or rather American, language, — to 

 that there will be a need of dictionary makers nnd 

 new lexicons as long as the Anglo Saxon inco exists. 

 In the political vocabulary, the introduction and per- 

 manent use of new terms, has become very common. 

 Take, for instance, the word " gerrymander"— an 

 entirely original one, which was invented in the days 

 of Gov. Gerry, or the words "twaddler," " loco- 

 foco," and the like, which have obtained apolitical 

 eignificancy, that until lately, were unknown in the 

 English language; are not such terms evidence of the 

 lexicographical genius of our political fellow citizens'! 

 The word " humbug," is another term which, of 

 Itte years, haa nseiinied n new significancy; and for 

 the harmless ir.sect that hums its merry music in the 

 nocturnal atmosphere, baa coine, rather, to signify 

 whatever in politics, religion, science, agriculture or 

 the arts, deceives tho people by promising much nnd 

 performing little. And so now, whatever does not 

 come fully up to whnt was premised, or rather what 

 w«8 expected by a misconstruction of the pretansion, 

 is familiarly stigmatized as a humbug. There is dan- 

 ger that we may go too far in thia unceremoniously 

 bestowing opprobrious terms upon every thing that 

 does not meet our expectations. By such a prema- 

 ture course, we may often do real injustice^ to men 

 who are engaged in great improvements. Their in- 

 ventions nnd improvements may at first not fulfil all 

 the expectations which were rniscd; still they mny be 

 of some value and ultimately prove of great service 

 when the full design is completed; at least their mo- 

 tives and intentions aro good, and ehould receive the 

 charity, rather than the unmeasured censtire of the 

 public 



Take, for instance, tho experiments that are made 

 and the tuggcstions which are ofleied, relating to 

 Agriculture. No improvements can be had without 

 experiments. It is not to bo expected that all should 

 succeed. Cut what then? shall more be made? 

 Some may be partially suecssrul— leaving room for 

 still further improvement; others may be petlcet at 

 once If now a person v.'ho thinks he has made, and 

 actually has made some improvcmer.t, publishes the 

 results of his experiments, under the inflnence of that 

 partiality which is always bestowed on one's own 

 offspring, and an expcc'aiion is therefore raised, in 

 less partial minds which is not fully sustained— 

 though there may be imprm-emcvl—iB it Inir or gen- 

 erous, to denounce the wbole r.E u " liumbtig," and 

 its author as abase man and deceiver? Wc think 

 n.it. S-'ins how or other, whatever gets in print, 

 3, -mi. icalcrs are apt to look upon as having a e.inse-_ 

 qucnce — that authorizes higher expectations than it 

 the same thing had come to ihera in precisely the 

 same words, from the lips of a neighbor. Exorbi- 

 tant e.tpcctotions, in this case, are tbe fault of tbe 

 reader, rather than the writer; nnd if disappointment 

 follows, the blame is not altogether on ore side. 



We make these remarks now in relation to two ar- 

 ticles in agriculture, which we notice many persons 

 are disposed, ofl" hand, to denounce as " humbugs, 

 because expectations have been raised, either through 

 tho faults of readers, who ascribe an undue impor- 

 innce to whnt appears in print, or to the writers who 

 under the influence of a parental partiality have de- 

 scribed them. We allude to the Rohan potatoes and 

 the China Tree Corn. 



For ourselves, individually, there was always 

 something from the first and earliest deBcri]iiioni 

 wbich we taw, thnt led us to dmibt whether the Ko- 

 hniis were nuich better potatoes or greater yitlders 

 thnn the long rede; and to we never rcconimended 

 or said imich about them — rot choosing to make any 

 experiments, or to give the results of them to tha 

 public. But these are called n "humbug." Where- 

 fore? Do tlicy not yield iiirgcly? They do. Very 

 largely? They do. So nuich then is gained. Are 

 they not better than many other potatoes lor cooking? 

 It wns never pielcnded that they were. On the con- 

 trary, it was nlwnys said, they were not very good 

 for culinary uses, and wero more nppropriutc for 

 stock. In this, then, there wns no deception. Call 

 them " Immbug" if you will; nevertheless they are 

 great yiclilers; and if it so happened that we in 

 Mninc have nnmher sort, not thus made cnnspicuoua 

 before the public by accounts of them, which yield ng 

 much — the good luck is ours — no one is injured by 

 the llnhans. Why then should such terrible judg- 

 nients bedecterd against the New Yorkers who pro- 

 duced nnd complimented a new kird that yields bo 

 well in that state. People here were anxious to try 

 them. The teed stores were called upon to procure 

 ihein. They did 60 to oblige customers. Purchasers 

 bourduime or tv.-o ench and tried them. If they did 

 not find them tho best potatoes in Maine, and tha 

 gientest yielders ever seen, why should the seed 

 stores be blamed for enabling them to try the experi- 

 ment? „, , 



And now of the China Tree Corn. We can speak 

 more expcrimentnlly of thi?. We tried the experi- 

 ment on n libernl scale, not for our own, but for tha 

 public benefit, and gave the result of our operations 

 to the world— just as they were. So that others had 

 the knowlego at our cost. We never said that the 

 China Treis'^Corn was adapted to our latitude. Thai 

 waa a point to be ascertained. Wa found out that it 

 is not, and we told the public so. 



It should be recollected that Thorburn from whom 

 the seed was obtained, resides in the city of New 

 York. His crop was raised on Long Island. His 

 descriptions of its capacities related to that latitude. 

 He never said it would flourisji and ripen in Maine; 

 and if we choose to try the experiment here we must 

 do it at our ritk. end if it failed, not blame the corn 

 for what it could do in the Middle States, but could 

 not do in Maine or in Canada. We have no doubt 

 thnt it is a very early corn for tlitit latitude; nnd that 

 whnt Thorburn said of it is mainly true, so far aa 

 relates to the region where he rniscd it, which was the 

 place iif his descriptions. He never said that it grevf 

 like trees bearing ears on brnnchee. This wa» an 

 emendation made by the conjecture cf some secular 

 editor, for whose description Thorburn was not re- 

 sponsible. The truth is, it is a tremendous great corn^ 

 It grows Ike a forest, and will yield, iii climates sui' 

 edlo it, beyond any corn we ever saw. ' Thia we ]v 

 ved by aetitnl experiment. The yenr we plant/ 

 as we'd id on a large scale, the season was dar' 

 and wet. It did not hnve a fair chance wilhj. 

 still fearful as tbe odds were against ns,- 

 hnving been raised three or four hundred r.; 

 of ue,°the most of it did ripen. Last year 

 ed some from our own seed, and that wr 

 long and long before any frosts. We," 

 yet, that it may not be acclimated and '• 

 corn for us in Maine — bating its exhr' 

 lies— for il will exhaust the land at n j ' 

 nalurul where a great crop is yielded., 



People may call it n "humbug,'' 

 but it is no humbug in New York ?' 

 I'or wo very frequendy see accounls 

 ral journals of those states, setting . 

 various places of its successful e«ltu7 

 mous yield. We ought not, in ft,' 

 corn to flourish here, which is nda.? 



StMtCS. „ . ! 



People brought it hero from cnnoV. 

 gratify this curiosity our seed stores, 

 it on sale But who was really injv 

 one in an hundred bought even a >' 

 cost the capital sum of twenty five- 

 procured but a few kernels nt a price , 

 Tids expense, therefore, could notb, 

 injniy to any one, nnd certainly not, 

 lost by its occupancy with the plan! 

 the opportunity to try the experiment? ,^ 

 did without injury to themselves. If K... 

 isP.ed— well; if they were not, let them n f 

 if they had been imposed upon nnd robbed otr 

 summer's work, nnd their farm to boot. It le vv*. 

 try experiments, thongh ihcy fail someumia.— .Sfai? 

 OiUiivalor, 



