174 



the trunk, about four feet from the ground, I cut 

 off a branch and saved the variety. I afterwards 

 ascertained that forty-six trees had been more or 

 less injured ; many of them killed entirely. 



For the last four or five years the destruction 

 has been so severe, that I despair for the future ; 

 many of my largest trees have been killed to the 

 ground, both on the quince and standards, — some 

 varieties more than others, Beurre d'Anjou, Grlout 

 Morceau, and Easter Beurre, are all gone ; the rest 

 of the varieties so much disfigured, they are out of 

 all shape. I am not the only one. It is the gen- 

 eral complaint. The Bartlett and Seckel have 

 been less affected than any other. I find the trees 

 more subject to be struck when under a high state 

 of cultivation. 



On pruning one of my small dwarf trees last week, 

 I found the south side of the tree more afi'ected 

 than the north, and the south side of many of the 

 limbs blackened. If I can possibly find convey- 

 ance, I will send you some of the branches, so that 

 you may settle this blighty question. 



But Ignorance is bliss. If all the communica- 

 tions that have been written on this, the Black 

 Knot and the the fertility of the strawberry, could 

 be placed in one line, they would nearly cross the 

 Atlantic. 



I never observed the eff"ect of bhght so visible as 

 in the tree I alluded to. It appears as though the 

 tree had passed quickly through a fire and not 

 sufficient time allowed for the blaze to encircle the 

 branches. Should I be able to forward the speci- 

 mens to you, they will convince you that Electricity 

 is the cause of blight. Some of the varieties of the 

 cherry apparently are eff'ected in the like manner. 



[We have sheet lightning here in this vicinity 

 every year, often as brilliant as the liveliest festival 

 the fire-fly ever held, but it does not bring blight 

 to our Pear trees. Sheet lightning and all other 

 kinds of lightnii g have had the powers of lightning 

 ever since the pear was introduced into the United 

 States, and it is strange that only within the past 

 quarter of a century or so, it should take such a pe- 

 culiar spite against the Pear tree. Moreover why it 

 should hate pear trees more than any other tree is 

 also a mystery. Perhaps it may be like the little 

 boy's answer to the question about the deluge: 

 why the lambs should be destroyed and fishes saved, 

 that we "don't know but so it was;" and we don't 

 know why 'electricity' plays such pranks, 'but so it is. ' 

 Yet we must be pardoned for being so irreverent as 

 to say, we want to see a little more of this electric 

 bug before we pin him down in our entomological 

 collection. 



We have as yet heard no theo that will hear less 

 objection than the parasite f«Bg] theory. Peculiar 

 conditions of the atmosphere, or injuries, or defec- 

 tive culture, will no doubt aid iheiv development. 

 Ed.] 



FRUITS NECES**Aii IL¥ LOCAL. 

 BY MR. D. W. ADAMS, WAWKON, TOWA. 



The student of nature notices with never failing 

 amazem.ent and delight, the infinite variety and 

 beauty of the vegetable life, with which the great 

 Grardener has adorned our landscape, and not less 

 is his pleasure, in observing the wonderful intricacy 

 and effect with which it is distributed, and all in 

 harmony, with the rc;(i-u?rements of a very varied 

 soil and climate. 



On the sandy and«id plains of Colorado, he sees 

 the short stiff grass s^row in scattered tufts. On 

 the moist rich meadt)w s oi Olio it covers the ground 

 with the softest ofcarpote. On Mount Monadnock 

 the mosses cling to the storm-beaten granite and 

 the stunted spruccr'ffise faut^ftfew inches in height. 

 In the great Disnsal Swamp the mosses and vines 

 revel in the moistwe and sunshine, and boldly 

 reach from tree tO] i to ttee top of the tallest forests. 

 The Pine loves sand, the Beech seeks clay, while 

 the Black Walnut sends down its yellow roots in de- 

 hght through twenty feet of Black alluvium. 



The winds may o.o ., . cLe snows may drift, the 

 mercury congeal, md f hm,/ heed it not, while the fra- 

 grant Orange and ma]GslicPalra, glorying in the full 

 blaze of a tropical sun, wither and die at the slightest 

 touch of frost. Such ife nature's laws. Through 

 an infinite variety oi boi and climate it is ordained 

 that variety and no,t monotony shall clothe the face 

 of the earth ; and tor man to break this law, is not 

 only impossible, but positively undesirable. 



There is no exception in the case of fruits, I aver 

 that there never was and never can be a fruit that 

 shall be cosmopolitan. 



We look back with derision ""and pity upon the 

 alchymist who spent a life in the vain search for tl e 

 Philosopher's stone. Yet a future generation will 

 look back with similar feelings upon the Horticul- 

 turist of the present day, who squanders his life and 

 talents in attempting to originate a fruit that 

 shall be perfectly adapted to all locations. It 

 even now seems self-evident that this result can 

 never be attained until the constitutions of plants 

 are amended or nature's laws are repealed. What 

 would be our opinion of mi Agriculturist who should 

 offer a premium of $100 for a vasioty @f corn that 

 should be perfectly adapted to the entire corn grow- 

 ing region of the United States. hat nliould be our 

 opinion of a Horticulturist who offers the same for 



