PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS' CLUB. 105 



bors. The yonii^i;- fi-uit trees of man}' in tliis vicinity appear to bo totally 

 ruined by this pest, vvliile mine and those of others who have pursued the 

 same course seem not to have sulfered." 



Mr. Solon llobinson. — We have pursued the same course, or ratlier the 

 female intMubers of our family have — a lame arm having' prevented us from 

 eng'ag'ing" in the sport. The success upon our grounds has been quite equal 

 to tluit mentioned by Dr. Peck. Some limbs upon large apple trees, which 

 we could not induce our Irish g'entleman to risk his worthless uv.ck to clear 

 of the worms, look now as though the leaves had been scorched by fire. It 

 is certainly the most destructive worm that has ever infested the trees in 

 the vicinity of New York. It appears to possess a poisonous quality which 

 turns brown every green leaf it touches, and it is in no way clioict; upon 

 what kind of bush or tree the leaves grow. It has infested every kind of 

 fruit in our garden, and nearly' all kinds of flowering shrubs, and we have 

 seen it on several kinds of forest trees and bushes. The period of its dep- 

 redations is mostly confined to July. 



Value of the Improved Black Raspberry. 



Dr. Peck gives us the following testimony in hivov of this fruit, derived 

 fronj his own experience. - He says: " I have now grown it for four years, 

 and iind it the most profitable crop I can cultivate. It costs less to culti- 

 vate an acre of them than an acre of corn or potatoes, while the product of 

 an acre will sell for from $300 to $500. With special care in cultivation I 

 am CDnfident that $1,000 can be realized from an acre, at the price for 

 which they have been sold in this market. 



Grape and Wine Questions. 



Mr. Jos. Harsh, Clyde, Iowa, asks about the Oporto grape: " Is it worthy 

 of being classed among the fine varieties of wine grapes, such as Diana, 

 Anna, Delaware, &c. ? (1.) Is it hardy as either or all the ajove, and a 

 g'lod bearer? (2.) Has any work been published yet that is trustworthy 

 upon the subject of wine making in America? If so, who is the author, 

 and where can it be had ? i 3.) 



Mr. S;don Robinson. — Judging from several samples of wine that we 

 have seen from the Oporto grape, we must answer tliis question with a 

 ver}' decided negative. It is not, as its name indicates, the gi-ape from 

 wiiich Oporto wine is made, and we do do not think it is a variety which 

 will be successful in general cultivation. (2.) Of that we have no personal 

 exp(;ri('nce — those who have will answer. (3.) Col. Harazthy, of (Califor- 

 nia, pu!)li,sii('d a work s(une time since, which can be had of the Messrs. 

 Ilarpf rs, in tiiis city. 



Seeding Land to Grass. 



F. 1) P.'iyne, Randolph, Vt., says: 



" W'r. have considerable dilhculty, especially in a dry season like tliis, 

 in getting our lands seeded down to grass (clover and timothy). We 

 usually sow to oats and grass seed together in the spiing, after having 

 manured and raised a hoed crop the previous year, and especially upon 



