1863. 



THE ILLINOIS FARMEE. 



299 



inches in circumference. Many of my newly plant- 

 ed peach trees are bearing this year, as well as 

 plums and apples. 



—*- 



The "Fluke" Potato. 



The attention of the Cincinnati Horticultural 

 Society has been called to a new variety of Potato, 

 which was introduced from England. At the last 

 meeting of the society, D. B. Pierson, Esq., in the 

 chair, a committee reported that the specimens of 

 these potatoes which had been referred to it, were 

 of "full medium size, smooth, even, and nearly 

 kindey shape ; were cooked by putting them into 

 boiling water, and in twenty minutes were thor- 

 oughly cooked, and came out, to use a common 

 culinary phrase, "like balls of flour." In view of 

 the great economic value of the potato as an arti- 

 cle of diet, your committee think the Fluke will 

 prove a very valuable acquisition to our present 

 very limited kinds in cultivation, and believe it 

 only requires to be more generally known to com- 

 mend it to the attention of our farming commu- 

 nitv. 



Nails and Peach Borers. 



Where climate is not unfavorable the Peach 

 Borer is the worst enemy the grower has to con- 

 tend with. It is not strange, therefore, that there 

 should be a great deal of anxiety to ascertain an 

 effectual remedy. Nor do we consider it a remark- 

 able fact, that persons are on the look-out for an 

 easy mode of destroying the pest — one that will 

 call for very little exercise of patience and skill. 

 Any foolish plan that happens to find its way into 

 the papars is adopted most eagerly, if it only prom- 

 ises to do the work easi/, no matter how ridiculous, 

 constant vigilance is the price we have to pay for 

 our liberties. The success of one of these labor- 

 saving plans is detailed by our correspondent 

 below : 



Last year an article was going the rounds of the 

 papers, stating that nails driven into peach trees 

 would prevent the destructive operation of the 

 borers. I tried it on several hundred trees at 

 various times during last season, nailing them 

 according to direction, at and near the parts afl'ec- 

 ted. I usually cleaned out the borers, and then 

 nailed the trees at once. Now for the result. I 

 am glad to say that this season I have not found 

 the rascals have gnawed off any ten-pennies, but 

 they work all around them, close to them, where 

 the soft gum is perfectly blackened with the oxide 

 of the iron, which I had an idea was to do the kil- 

 ling. If others have nailed their trees at a differ- 

 ent " time of the moon," I shall be glad to know 

 the result. And why cannot your subscribers, and 

 the friends of fruit culture, make up a purse to 

 stimulate inquiry, to be paid to the succe^iil dis- 

 coverer of some practical remedy for the peach 

 growers' worst i*BSt? — K. 



The Eural New Yorker s^ays, " the insect which 

 produces the grub which destroys so many peach 

 . rees, lays its eggs in the soft bark, near the sur- 

 face of the ground. This is done in May or June. 

 The proper way to destroy them is to examine every 

 tree in the spring and dig out the worms ; then make 

 a mound of earth around each tree, say a foot in 

 hight. This covers the soft part of the bark so 

 that but few eggs will be deposited. The mound 

 may be removed in July. In September examine 

 the trees again, and kill the worms that are found. 

 Pursue this course for a year or two and the trees 

 will be saved from injury. This is the best plan 

 we know of, but if any of our readers can give us 

 a better and easier method we should be glad to be 

 informed of the fact. We do not wish, however, 

 untried theories. 



What to do With Summer Fruit. 



Much summer fruit is very transient, decaying 

 even before it falls from the tree, and sometimes 

 even before it is ripe. This is true of many pears. 

 Picked, or shaken from the tree and picked over,; 

 they make excellent perry, which is like cide, but 

 n\ovfi delicate and wine-like. It needs a cool cellar 

 to undergo its fermentation in. Apples should be 

 made into cider. Sweet, it brings a high price in 

 market, and is a delightful, cooling beverage, but 

 does not make so good cider as later when fermen- 

 tation is less rapid. The small hand mills and 

 presses are very good for pressing fruits, and a 

 family may supply itself with the juices for preser- 

 vation, and considerable quantities for sale. V 



Ex. 



The above is well worthy the attention of even 

 small orchardists. Ed. 



Packing Grapes. 



S. Mitchell of Steuben county, writes the follow- 

 ing in the Rural New Yorker : 



Last fall, I instituted a seri-^s of experiments to 

 ascertain the best method of keeping Isabella grapes 

 through the winter; the result of which, no doubt, 

 would be of interest to that portion of your readers 

 who are lovers of this delicious fruit. They were 

 all packed in boxes, one foot square and six inches 

 deep, admitting three layers of clusters, and kept 

 in a cool, dry cellar; in fact, so cool during the 

 winter that water standing in a pail would freeze 

 hiilf an inch thick. I am satisfied that the nearer 

 the freezing point grapes, and in fact all other 

 fruits can be kept, without actually freezing, the 

 longer and better they will keep. 



Box No. 1 was packed with alternate layers of 

 grapes and fresh grape leaves. 



Box No. 2 with alternate layers and colored 

 sheet wadding. 



Box No. 3 with alternate layers of newspapers 

 and grapes. 



Now for results. No. 1 kept fresh and nice until 

 about the last of December, the fruit seemingly 

 improTing in flavor, and greenish clusters ripening 



'■_.iEi:^ii*Ji4i«J"'>iU,'Vi 



l^;:^^. 



