228 The Canadian Horticulturist. 



of an orchard of nine hundred trees in the college orchard, fifty were unmis- 

 takably affected with the yellows, and every one of these were injured, in 

 either their trunks or their main branches, from ten to sixty per cent. 

 While not professing to have discovered anything about the real nature of 

 the disease, Prof. Maynard is confident that it can be prevented, and indeed 

 often cured, by careful cultivation in early spring only, and by applying a 

 complete fertilizer in the fall or early spring. The fertilizer which he particu- 

 larly recommends is the following : Equal quantities of muriate of potash, 

 and nitrate of soda, with about four times the weight of ground bone, applied 

 in March or April, from five to ten pounds to a tree. 



We are inclined to be a little dubious about the statement that all trees 

 affected with the yellows will be found to have been subject to one of the 

 causes enumerated. We had an orchard of three thousand peach trees at 

 Maplehurst a few years "ago, and about two thousand of them died with the 

 yellows, and we feel certain that a large proportion were not affected by any 

 of these predisposing conditions. However we are inclined to attribute 

 some virtue to the liberal application of potash fertilizers to the peach 

 orchard. An orchard of eight hundred trees is now in an excel- 

 lent state of health and vigor, and cases of yellows are very rare, and, when 

 they do occur are of course, at once rooted out. These have been very 

 liberally treated every year with wood ashes, and as a result, no doubt, are 

 in their present vigorous condition. 



INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS. 



THE following birds are to be classed among the most helpful kinds in 

 the general warfare against insects : Robins — cut and other earth 

 worms. Swallows, night-hawks and purple martins — moth catchers. 

 Pewees — striped cucumber bugs. Wood thrushes and wrens — cut worms. 

 Cat birds — tent caterpillars. Meadow larks, woodpeckers and crows — wire- 

 worms. Blue-throated buntings — canker worms. Black, red-winged birds, 

 jays, doves, pigeons and chippies — strawberry pests. Quail — chinch 

 bugs, locusts. Whip-poor-wills — moths. Hawks, all night birds, owls, etc., 

 tanagers, and black-winged summer red birds — curculios. There may also 

 be mentioned the following insect pest destroyers : Nut crackers, fly 

 catchers, chimney swifts, indigo birds, chipping and song sparrows, black 

 birds, mocking birds, orchard orioles. 



