AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
Q75 
the ground beneath their trees, so as to prevent 
the insect burrowing in the ground in the Fall; 
others cover the ground with a coat of mortar 
two inches thick; others plant their trees around 
the kitchen door where the constant treading 
of the ground, the frequent jarring of the tree, 
and the various domestic odors and noises be¬ 
come offensive to the curculios; while others 
set them in the hog and poultry yard, where the 
rooting and scratching answer the same pur¬ 
pose ; and others still are very successful with 
the wash recommended on page 177. Let any 
of these methods be tried, as most convenient. 
We have long observed that plum-trees suc¬ 
ceed better in city back-yards, than in country 
orchards; and plainly, because of the constant 
passing to and fro, the stamping of the ground, 
or the paving stones, or such like reasons. 
The Grand Turk don’t like to be so much an¬ 
noyed by the presence of men, women, children, 
and chickens; he don’t like such hard floors, 
don’t like kitchen odors and washes, and so he 
leaves in disgust. 
We now and then hear of “secret” and 
“patent” methods for expelling the curculio, 
but after all prefer to fall back on those before 
mentioned, or, better still, on the practice of 
jarring the trees when the curculio is on them, 
and gathering up the fallen insects into sheets 
and burning them. * 
Weeping Trees. 
We are not insensible to the beauty of natural 
upright trees; and, most of all, to the noble den¬ 
izens of our native woods. Nor are we igno¬ 
rant of the fact that some of the imported pen¬ 
dulous trees are rather tender in our northern 
climate, and that others, after making handsome 
progress for a few years, at length out-grow the 
stock on which they are budded or grafted, and 
break off, or get into other bad conditions. But 
this is not so with many. 
Beautiful and indispensable as may be the fa¬ 
vorites of our forests, why need we be confined 
to them ? Some persons would plant only elms;. 
with others, the maple is the favorite; with oth¬ 
ers, evergreens; and with others, weeping trees. 
Let us avoid either extreme. Nature gives us 
spiry-topped trees, like the Larch, Lombardy 
poplar, and many of the conifers; round-headed 
trees, such as the linden, ash, maple and chest¬ 
nut; pendulous trees, such as the willow, white 
elm, etc. Taking a hint from nature, gardeners 
have sought out and introduced a number of other 
drooping trees, so that now, in addition to two 
or three new willows, we have weeping oaks, 
poplars, birch, beech, larch, ash, laburnum, 
sophora, thorn and others. Why not use all 
sorts of trees, mingling them as nature does, 
either with little regard to laws of “effect,” 
(yet generally accomplishing that end), or ar¬ 
ranging them artistically, to reach special results ? 
Just how and where to place them, is not so 
easy a matter to decide; yet a few things are 
plain. Drooping trees of fine form may well stand 
conspicuously upon a lawn, if not more than 
one or two be in view at a time. They answer 
a fine purpose when set near the outskirts of a 
group of round-headed trees, as if there by acci¬ 
dent. In such places, they show the peculiar 
style of their branches with marked effect. The 
margins of streams or lakes are also appropriate 
places for them. For cemeteries, they are very 
suitable. They make a partial substitute there, 
for the beautiful weeping willow, which is too 
tender at the far north. They have, too, this 
special fitness for burial lots, viz.: they do not 
often become too large for the space in which 
they are set, a thing which can seldom be said 
of the trees commonly planted in cemeteries. 
This thing, at least, is certain, that these trees 
wherever planted attract much attention. They 
suggest ideas of art, of something peculiar and 
different from the ordinary ways of nature. 
In our experience, the following are among 
the hardiest and best of these trees, viz.: the old 
European weeping Ash, weeping Mountain Ash, 
weeping Linden, weeping Scampston and Camp- 
erdown Elms, weeping Beech, Birch and Oak. 
Fruit Growers’ Society of Western N. Y. 
From the discussions of this Society at its an¬ 
nual summer meeting held in Rochester, June 
25th, and reported in full in the Rural New- York¬ 
er , we condense the following: 
A vote for the best standard pears for family 
use, gave Bartlett 10, Seckel 9, Flemish Beauty 
7, Osband’s Summer 6, Sheldon 6, Lawrence 
4, DoyennS d’Ete 4. For the same on quince, 
Seckel 9, Easter Beurre 6, Louise Bonne de Jer¬ 
sey 4, Glout Morceau 4, Beurre d’Anjou 8, 
Duchesse d’Angouleme 3. For market, on pear 
stocks, Bartlett 9, Sheldon 5, Lawrence 3. On 
quince, Duchesse d’Angouleme 10, Louise Bonne 
de Jersey 9, Seckel 4, and Flemish Beauty 4. 
In the discussion of manures and their appli¬ 
cation, charcoal was very highly spoken of for 
fruit trees, particularly as an absorbent. An ap¬ 
ple orchard, planted by H. T. Brooks, President, 
six years since, showed a marked difference in 
favor of the coal left where a charcoal pit was 
burned two years previous to planting. The 
trees receiving the benefit of the charcoal were 
nearly twice the size of the others. In using 
manure, it was recommended to apply it on the 
surface. Mr. Downing spreads it on the ground 
in Autumn, and forks it in in the Spring. Salt 
was considered a good manure for trees, but 
care is needed in its application. Too much 
salt will greatly injure if not kill the trees. 
Two remedies had proved effectual for the 
currant and gooseberry worm. One was to dust 
the leaves plentifully, at least every other day 
while the worms lasted, with dry slacked lime. 
A few days’ neglect would ruin the crop. The 
other remedy, equally as effective, was strong- 
suds, made of soft soap or whale-oil soap, one 
pound of soap to four gallons of water, applied 
every other day. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
Strawberry Culture at the West. 
A VISIT TO THE KNOX FRUIT FARM. 
As an amateur in strawberry culture, I made a 
journey of nearly 500 miles and back to visit the 
fruit farm of Mr. Knox at Pittsburgh, in the midst 
of the strawberry season the present year. I can 
truly say that from what I there saw, I felt amply re¬ 
paid for my trouble. I have examined both large 
and small plantations of fruit in different States, 
but have never seen either the one or the other, 
unless in a few private gardens, kept in so fine or¬ 
der as Mr. Knox’s fields throughout. I think it 
safe to presume that no grower in the United 
States, if in the world, has a larger breadth of soil 
under strawberry cultivation than Mr. K. 
The first object of high gratification, on reaching 
his grounds, was the fine collection of varieties in 
the specimen beds, which enabled me to see grow¬ 
ing, side by side, and: to taste consecutively, the 
most celebrated kinds, both new and old, of this fa¬ 
vorite fruit. To give the full results of my obser¬ 
vation in this particular would occupy too much of 
your space; I must therefore confine my remarks to 
| matters of practical interest to the'million. 
The first cause of serious disappointment was the 
sight of a large field of Wilson’s Albany plants, 
only in their second year, and yet not bearing more 
than half a crop of inferior fruit. Large numbers 
of the plants seemed to die in the very act of fruit¬ 
ing. I have since seen the same results in this vi¬ 
cinity, and heard of it elsewhere, from which facts 
I infer, that under the best treatment, the Wilson’s 
Albany can not be relied upon for more than one 
[or two] year’s productive cultivation. Whatever 
it may occasionally, or for a single season, produce, 
it is certainly very far eclipsed for home cultivation 
by that elegant and luscious berry, the Triomphe de 
Gand—now the favorite both at the East and West. 
It must not be supposed that Mr. Knox limits his 
fruit cultivation to strawberries. Devoting some 
50 acres to them, he has also 10 of raspberries, 10 
of New-Roehelle blackberries, and large quantities 
of currants, apples, and peaches. Of late years Mr. 
Knox has given special attention to grapes, having 
succeeded beyond his most sanguine expectation 
with the native varieties, especially Concords and 
Delawares. He has now 10 acres planted in vine¬ 
yard, which will soon be increased to 25. His style 
of trellis is unrivalled either for garden or field cul¬ 
ture. It is about seven feet high, built with posts, 
cross pieces and perpendicular slats, like a picket 
fence, giving the best possible opportunity for the 
spread and support of the vine. 
EXHIBITION OF STRAWBERRIES IN PITTSBURGH. 
I was very fortunate in being present when Mr. 
Knox made his public strawberry exhibition in the 
city of Pittsburgh. It was well for the gentlemen 
who secured honors and prizes at the Agriculturist 
Strawberry Show, that he was not within convenient 
distance for competition. Without any attempt to 
display great numbers of varieties, as he could easily 
have done, Mr. Knox contented himself with ex¬ 
hibiting only the best. Among these, the central 
object of admiration was a magnificent show of 
Triomphe de Gands. I was glad to learn that Mr. 
Knox’s expectations with reference to this favorite 
variety had been more than realized by the product 
of the present season. Not only was the fruit 
large, brilliant, and fine flavored, but abundant in 
quantity, in this latter respect exceeding, as he in¬ 
formed me, any representations he had ever made. 
STRAWBERRY SUPPLY OF CHICAGO. 
The strawberry season at Pittsburgh is two weeks 
earlier than at Chicago, although by importation 
from the south the market here is supplied while 
“ winter lingers in the lap of spring.” During the 
last three years the strawberry supply for this re¬ 
gion has increased beyond all accurate estimate. 
As yet, however, few berries are cultivated in the 
West besides the Wilson’s and other common and 
coarse varieties. The Triomphe has this year been 
introduced for the first time, in any considerable 
quantity. The firm of Kidder & Knox, at Evans¬ 
ton, 12 miles north of this city, have succeeded in 
growing it in as great perfection as the senior part¬ 
ner at Pittsburgh. Its cultivation here extends our 
strawberry season from two to three weeks. The 
parties named will continue to market this variety 
during the present week, say to the 25th of July. 
FRUIT FOR THE WEST. 
The present has been a wonderful season for fruit 
of all kinds in the West. Every variety, both wild 
and cultivated, has been produced in abundance, 
and prices have consequently ruled exceedingly 
low. The results have been discouraging to pro¬ 
fessional cultivators, but they are clearly advanta¬ 
geous to the public, and will doubtless tend to more 
general cultivation for home consumption of all 
the choicer products of the fruit garden. 
A HIGH COMPLIMENT. 
While on an excursion westward from this city, I 
fell into conversation with a very intelligent gen¬ 
tleman, who, after an allusion to your paper, em¬ 
phatically said, “if I were shut up to the taking of 
but one periodical, that one would be the American 
Agriculturist:' Doubtless your list of subscribers 
enrols many of the same opinion, and has room for 
more. Yours truly, Z. Y. X. 
Chicago, July 23, 1862. 
