1881.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
341 
Birds and Fruits. 
Fruit growers are sometimes in a quandary. 
They are advised to encourage the birds in 
order that they may eat the insects; but 
when these turn around and eat all the fruit, 
the growers wonder if they are any better 
off .than they would have been had they let 
the insects take the fruit. In our cultivation 
we have sadly upset “ the balance of nature.” 
In the natural order of things there was 
enough for all. Fruit was only required to 
furnish seed for the continuance of the 
plant; insects might eat a share, and the 
birds could eat some insects ; the birds were 
not so numerous but there were enough in¬ 
sects for them and sufficient fruit to give 
them a dessert. In cultivation we persist in 
planting a hundred or a thousand fruit shrubs 
or trees where naturally there was but one, 
and these of more prolific and more tempting- 
kinds; we give more food to insects, and more 
insects and fruits to birds, and the natural 
order of things is disturbed. In some States 
there are laws to prevent the shooting of 
certain birds that are regarded as beneficial 
as insect eaters. This does not altogether 
suit the fruit growers, who ask, “ why should 
I fatten the birds upon my grapes, for them 
to be shot on their migration southward by 
the people in the next State who have no 
such law?” Our correspondent “S. R. L.,” 
is in trouble about his cherries ; he is willing 
to give the birds even the larger share, but 
he would like to taste the fruit himself. He 
asks what lie can do. Unless he can make 
a stuffed cat, or some other “scare-crow” 
answer, he will hardly be able to 6ave his 
cherries, unless he adopts the English method 
of covering his trees with a net. In Europe 
nets are made for the purpose, but we have 
not known of such here. In some localities 
old fishing nets have been used over straw¬ 
berry beds, and perhaps such would answer 
for cherry trees, though more in alarming 
the birds than through any real protection. 
Horticulture has been defined as “ a contin¬ 
uous fight with insects,” but it looks as if we 
must include birds so far as cherries go. 
A Cure for a Kicking* Cow. —Mr. 
“ G. B. R.,” Allegany Co., N. Y., writes: “ I 
will give my cure for a kicking cow which 
in my experience has proved to be better than 
the device described by Mr. Romig in the 
May American Agriculturist, page 200. Take 
a piece of wire long enough to pass around 
the under jaw, and fasten it together at the 
ends,'so that it can be # easily slipped on and 
off the jaw. To prevent her throwing it out, 
pass a strap with a buckle through the wire 
and over the neck and buckle it. Tie into 
the wire a rope long enough to reach back to 
the milker’s knee, and when the cow gives 
signs of a intention to kick, give the rope a 
sudden jerk, which will at once turn her at¬ 
tention from her udder to her jaw, and she 
will actually forget to kick. I have found it 
to work like a charm after repeated failures 
with appliances used at the rear of the cow.” 
Sweet Cucumber l*icltles. —We are in 
doubt whether to answer “ W. H. P,,” White 
Co., Ark., here or in the Boys and Girl’s 
Columns. He writes: “My little daughter 
(10 years of age), and my sole house-keeper, 
wishes the American Agriculturist to give 
her a recipe for making sweet cucumber 
pickles.”—We suppose that our little house¬ 
keeper refers to the sweet pickles made from 
ripe or overgrown cucumbers. The cucum¬ 
bers should be*pared, opened lengthwise, and 
the seeds and surrounding pulp removed, 
leaving only the firm, seedless portion. This 
is then to be cut into pieces of convenient 
size. The pieces should then be put into 
water and cooked, with gentle simmering 
until a straw will pass through them easily, 
when they are to be thrown upon a colander, 
to drain and cool. Place in a jar, and for 
each seven pounds of cucumber prepare the 
vinegar as follows : One quart of vinegar, 8 
lbs. of Sugar; Cinnamon (whole but broken 
small), 4 oz.; Cloves (whole), 2 oz. Boil the 
vinegar, sugar and spices together for a few 
minutes, and pour over the pieces of cucum¬ 
ber. Pour off the vinegar, boil and return 
every day for three days, and then put away 
for use. This same process may be used for 
the firm rind of watermelon and for pears, 
peaches, and other fruits. The spices may vary 
according to the fancy of the house-keeper. 
Injured Leaves—“ fifiose Biig-s.”— 
A number of injured leaves have come to us 
with the inquiry: “What is the cause of 
this trouble?” The dark patches upon the 
leaves sent may be caused by insects ; a por¬ 
tion of the epidermis is eaten away ; then the 
juices of the injured leaf are exposed to the 
sun and soon become dry, when the leaf 
turns black in larger or smaller spaces, and 
is injured and rendered useless in so far as 
this change takes place. It is fairly safe to 
reckon this injury done to the plants against 
the Rose-bug (Macrodactylus subspinosus), as 
this insect gets much of its fiving from the 
juices of various plants which are punctured 
by them. The Rose-bug, or beetle, is not 
large, being about one-third of an inch in 
length, and is covered with ashy down. It 
makes up in numbers what it lacks in size, 
some years being very numerous and destruc¬ 
tive. These beetles are abundant on cherry 
trees, and in gathering time are a serious in¬ 
convenience to the pickers. The female de¬ 
posits her eggs in the ground. The young 
hatch in about three weeks, and begin their 
work of feeding upon the roots of plants. 
The beetle is active for about one month 
(June), and this is the only time that any 
remedy can be successfully applied; this con¬ 
sists in hand-picking and killing them. 
Fraxinella — “ The CJas JPlant.”— 
As an ornamental plant the old Fraxinella 
(Dictamnus Fraxinella), is one of the most 
pleasing. It has handsome foliage, and the 
stem, about two feet high, is terminated by 
a long spike of showy flowers which are pale 
pink, handsomely veined with red ; there is 
also a pure white vai-iety. The leaves and all 
parts of the plant abound in an oil which is 
very pleasant to many, though we confess 
that the “lemon” odor is too strongly mixed 
with that of turpentine for us to praise it 
very highly. One of our best known culti¬ 
vators of hardy perennials said to us several 
years ago, that if obliged to restrict himself 
to a single perennial, he would select the 
Fraxinella. It has one peculiarity that does 
not seem to be generally known. Its oil 
glands are so abundant that on a warm day 
the vapor of the oil is given off in sufficient 
quantities to bum with a flash. If a lighted 
match be brought near its base the whole 
flower cluster will be enveloped in a sheet of 
flame which flashes far up above it. One ex¬ 
pects to find the flowers scorched and ruined, 
but it is so sudden that no damage is done, 
and if the weather is warm the cluster is 
ready to be burned again the next evening. 
The plant is worth cultivating for the amuse¬ 
ment it affords children, and we have seen 
older persons quite as much astonished at 
the pyrotechnic display which it furnishes. 
4i«iaclc Crass is one of the most diffi¬ 
cult pests to eradicate ; ordinary cultivation, 
that which answers for most weeds, only 
causes it to grow with unusual vigor. This 
comes from the nature of the plant, it having 
long underground stems, with roots and shoots 
springing from every joint, or capable of so 
doing should the stock be cut in pieces by the 
passing cultivator. The leading methods of 
eradication are : to use a flat-toothed cultiva¬ 
tor, one that will shave the ground instead of 
running deep, and pass it an inch or so below 
the surface ; this cuts off all shoots as they 
start up, but does not divide the horizontal 
running root-stocks. The plants die of ex¬ 
haustion in endeavoring to throw up stems 
to bear leaves and seeds. The second method 
is to use a grubber, and tear the plants bodi¬ 
ly from the soil, when they are gathered by 
the use of a long-toothed rake, and burned. 
Beautifying- tlie School Yards.— 
If the school yards of Michigan do not show 
a marked improvement it will not be for lack 
of opportunity. Messrs. D. M. Ferry & Co., 
of Detroit, offer to furnish free, and the 
Michigan State Horticultural Society aid in 
the distribution of 25 packets of flower seeds 
to each school which shall, under certain 
conditions, apply for them. This is an excel¬ 
lent project, and we hope much success may 
attend it. The trouble in a comparatively 
new country, like Michigan, is that many 
school-houses have no yards. The officers 
of the Hort. Society suggest that this lack 
should be supplied by the people of the 
district, in order that the children may have 
and enjoy the flowers ; if this be done, the 
offer of Messrs. Ferry will be doubly beneficial. 
14 A Burn Heap.”— There is an accu¬ 
mulation of material around every farm house 
and the out-buildings, that is best known by 
the name of “ rubbish.” It is not fit for the 
compost heap, and is unsightly if left either 
in an ungathered state, or put in a pile ; in 
fact, its only valuable shape is in ashes, and 
its proper place is in the “burn heap.”. Of 
such is the pea-brush that has served its pe¬ 
riod of usefulness, the prunings from the 
trees of the yard—the blight-struck branches, 
etc. The “ burn heap ” should be in an out- 
of-the-way place, but still not distant, and 
a-way from all buildings, where it can be fired 
with safety, as the material to be burned ac¬ 
cumulates. If any weeds have been neg¬ 
lected until ripened seeds have formed, they 
had best go to the “ burn heap” rather than 
the compost heap—one of each of which 
should be kept on every farm. 
American Knee-Horses.— That two 
of the greatest prizes for racing were won 
by American colts in quick succession, is 
something very creditable to the American 
breeders of horses. We are not in sympathy 
with horse racing, in itself, but realizing the 
stimulus such victories have upon horse-breed¬ 
ing, and therefore the improvement of road¬ 
sters, we cheerfully record this triumph for 
our breeders of improved horse flesh. 
