1Y8 transactions of the American institute. 



" 2. A scaly cover, one-eighth to one-fourth of an inch in diameter, with a 

 mass of downy cotton under it, and covered by the scaly shell and cotton, 

 is a gelatinous mass. The injury done by this is small. 



" 3. A small, scaly cover, not over an eighth of an inch long, and one- 

 sixteenth of an inch broad, and about it the vine and leaves are disfigured 

 by a black powder. The vines so infested grow slowly. 



" 4. A wart appears on the leaves, and is about as large as the half of a 

 small pea, rough and green as the leaf. On opening the warty growth, if 

 young, a yellow or brownish set, one to eight or ten, of minute egg shaped 

 points are seen; on breaking these points or eggs open, a few red insects 

 are found. If the warty growth is older the eggs or small tubers are 

 broken, and the warty growth is full of lively scarlet or blood-red insects. 

 Should this last insect rapidly increase it would destroy our vineyards. 

 Can these be named ? Are they common ? Are they natives or imported ?" 



Dr. Trimble. — The insects alluded to by Dr. Parker are all common. to 

 the country. 



Balsam of Fir Tree. 



A correspondent wants information about this tree, which is one of the 

 most beautiful lawn trees, and may be medicinally useful, as it affords a 

 valuable product known as Canada balsam, which is obtained from little 

 vescicles on the bark. The information wanted is: When to transplant 

 from the nursery ? How the tree should be set as to exposure ? What 

 soil is best ? Is it naturally a dry land tree ? 



Mr. R. G. Pardee. — I think this tree should be transplanted in the last of 

 May or in June, with all the earth that could be conveniently made to 

 adhere to the roots, and planted in good loamy soil, with leaf mold or sand 

 about the roots, and there will be no difficulty in making it grow. 



Mr. Wm. S. Carpenter. — I consider it a ver}^ important point to keep the 

 roots from getting dry. Thousands of trees are lost annually by allowing 

 the roots to be wind dried. I plant them in May, June and July in well 

 drained laud with great success. 



Mr. John P. Veeder. — I find bogs very convenient to place trees in after 

 being dug up. It is a good plan to drive the spade in all around, so as to 

 take up a cone shaped mass of earth, and keep the roots moist till it is 

 reset. 



Mr, Carpenter. — It is not important to take up balls of earth. Indeed, 

 that is impossible when the trees are to be transported any distance. I 

 had one lot of evergreens, the roots of which had been washed and then 

 packed in wet moss, all of which lived. 



Mr. P. Gr. Pardee. — Yet hardly one in a hundred from nurseries live. 

 Why ? It is because they are badly packed, or badly planted, or put into 

 unsuitable soil. 



Mr. Carpenter. — They should always be moved in a wet day, and kept 

 out of the ground as short a time as possible. 



Mr. J. P. Veeder. — I have had some valuable experience in transplanting 

 trees from a swamp to a dry soil. I took up a wagon load of tamarack 

 (larch) out of a swamp and set them in a wet place, and only four lived, 

 and of those four, three were planted upon a dry, gravelly piece of land. 



