311 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
like result. For this reason, even the strip 
of paper containing the name, should be as 
small as possible ; and it is still better to 
write it with a finely pointed soft pencil on 
a shaved portion of the scion—or to cut 
notches as reference-numbers. 
When large quantities of scions are sent 
by “ Express,” a different mode of packing 
is adopted. We have sometimes received 
them withered and dried, without any thing 
to preserve their moisture ; in one instance 
a bundle of grafts was sent with the leaves 
left on to keep them moist, but instead of pro¬ 
ducing this result, the leaves had operated 
as evaporators (as they always do), and had 
pumped all the moisture out of the grafts, 
through the leaf-stalks, and they were thor¬ 
oughly seasoned when they came to hand. 
The leaves should always be removed, and 
the grafts packed in alternate layers with 
fine damp moss, and with a good moss coat¬ 
ing outside. Damp sawdust is a good sub¬ 
stitute for moss, for packages of moderate 
size. The packing should not be ivet, as in 
this case it will cause the scions to become 
water-soaked and tend to induce decay. 
Buds at mid-summer may be put up in this 
way, and will keep without injury from 
three days to a week or more according to 
the degree of maturity which the wood has 
obtained.— Country Gentleman. 
THE WELD CHERRY.—(Cerasus serotina.) 
Among the numerous neglected native 
trees, there is one, above all others, that de¬ 
mands greater respect from the cultivator of 
trees—the wild cherry. It has no fault, 
but has many admirable qualities; yet there 
is not a tree in our nurseries perhaps less 
often met with. It may not possibly be 
deemed “ a shade tree its light thin foliage 
is not equal to that of many other trees, in 
affording us sensual pleasure, by a grateful 
shade during the dogdays ; and it is not de¬ 
sirable that it should. It is not a tree to sit 
under : it is one rather to be looked at, and 
admired from a distance. To us, accustom¬ 
ed to its appearance, it is not so striking as 
to a stranger to our vegetation. To him it 
has a peculiar cast. It is like a “ peach that 
is not a peach an anomaly among familiar 
faces. 
Early in spring it commences its growth, 
bearing with it its blossom buds, which be¬ 
come fully expanded early in June ; at this 
time it is truly beautiful. The cylindrical 
branch of numerous white and fragrant blos¬ 
soms generally occupy half the surface of 
the head of the tree. Dotted at regular in¬ 
tervals, it gives the appearance of a huge 
variegated holly at a little distance off: but 
too beautiful to last long. A few weeks 
only is its appointed time ; then all is over 
for awhile. But, like a pleasant dream, it 
follows us along. We may not have forgot¬ 
ten its beauties; but, hardly conscious of 
what we have seen, we are recalled to it 
again with the warm days of July, by a con¬ 
stant rustling among its branches. The 
early songsters of the spring are there. The 
birds—the no small ingredient in the cup of 
pleasure meted out to those who have cho¬ 
sen a country home—the birds find a pleasant 
pasturage in the field of foliage spread out 
before them. The berries are “delicious 
bits ” to them ; and many a meal’s victuals, 
besides an occasional* “ lunch between 
whiles,” do they afford them. They will 
leave all other trees for the wild cherry ; it 
is at once their favorite “ hunting ground ” 
and “ council chamber.” You who feel 
proud of the welcome the feathered 'tribes 
give you, on your first arrival at your rural 
residences, will you not, in all gratefulness, 
surround your homes with the means of their 
support? If you are not a member of the 
“Carson League,” you may reserve to your¬ 
self a tithe of the fruit, for the manufacture 
of “ cherry bounce,” and when in a social 
mood, invite your friend, as a worthy one 
of mine does, to “ take a leetle, just by way 
of medicine,” with you. But, should you 
eschew all these unpopular modes of show¬ 
ing fraternal feelings, you will still have an 
immediate personal interest in the culture 
of the wild cherry ; for while you have it 
within your reach, you may make to your¬ 
self a tonic and a febrifuge, by which you 
may safely reap the advantages of any 
“ cherry pectoral,” and that, too, without in¬ 
fringing the patent laws. 
The wild cherry is as easily cultivated as 
any of the garden kinds. The nuts should 
be sown as soon as ripe, or before the frosts 
set in. If kept till the spring, they seldom 
appear till the year following, and, in some 
cases, not at all. The second year from 
germination, the young seedlings should be 
taken up, their main roots shortened, and re¬ 
planted into nursery rows. They will move 
readily for some years after. 
The best time to transplant the wild cher¬ 
ry is in the autumn, as soon as ever some 
rain has moistened the ground, after the fall 
of the leaf. Their success is less certain, 
when moved in the spring.— Thos. Meehan, 
in Philadelphia Florist. 
THE MAPLE AND ITS ENEMY, 
BY A LADY. 
Few trees in our varied forest claim more 
deservedly our admiration than the maples, 
for few have so much merit, or repay our 
care more satisfactorily. Unexceptionable 
as shade trees in the highway or grove, and 
beautiful in their gorgeous hues in autumn, 
the American turns to them with pride and 
pleasure, and unhesitatingly plants a maple 
wherever a roof is to be sheltered. Hither¬ 
to the maples have been free from the rav¬ 
ages of insects ; but an enemy has now ap¬ 
peared that will mar their beauty, unless 
checked by the careful hand of the tree lover, 
who may, if warned in time, restrain its fur¬ 
ther progress, at least upon his own grounds, 
and perhaps his good example may induce 
the public to take care of the shade trees in 
our streets, and by a timely pruning, rid the 
trees of their enemy. 
The Dryocampa rubicunda , heretofore 
known to science only in the winged state, 
proves to be the parent of a green worm, 
that appeared in numbers on many of the 
maples near Philadelphia, in the summer of 
1854, and most frequently on that valuable 
species acer dasycarpum. 
Early in June, a careful observer may see 
groups of insect’s eggs glued to the underside 
of the leaves of the maple, which soon hatch; 
the worms are without hair, and of a pale 
green color, with fine white lines extending 
the whole length of the worm, interruptedby 
the deep rings that mark the segments of 
the body; two black hair like spires grow, 
one on either side of the head, and when 
fully grown, the worms measure two inches 
in length; they feed in company, devouring 
the entire leaf, even to the naked rib and 
foot stalk ; they feed at first on the tender 
leaves on the end of the branches, but as 
they grow older proceed downwards, until all 
the foliage on the branch is entirely con¬ 
sumed. They continue to feed in a family 
group until they have attained their full size, 
when they separate, and become very active 
for some days, crawling about without any 
apparent object, but in reality to accomplish 
a two-fold purpose—first the loosening of 
their outer skins, which are to be cast off be¬ 
fore their final change, and secondly to find 
a suitable place to enter the ground, where 
they are to pass their chrysalite existence. 
When their active exertions have sufficiently 
loosened the outer skin to make it easy to 
cast it off, they enter the ground, and with 
muscular strength, that appears Herculean 
when compared with vertebrated animals, 
they make their way through the solid earth, 
leaving in their progress their outer skins, 
now useless to them ; then, in common with 
the rest of their tribe, they throw out a li ¬ 
quid, and at the same time move their bodies 
rapidly around, forming in the moistened 
earth a commodious cell, with smoothly 
plastered walls, impervious to frost or mois¬ 
ture. There they lie, secure from all exter¬ 
nal injury, until the following spring, Avhen 
from the last week in May to the middle of 
June, they rise from their death-like slumber, 
and appear in their perfect forms—moths of 
great beauty, clothed in down of the most 
delicate shades of pink and sulphur colors. 
Now in this attractive form, we shrink 
from injuring a creature so beautiful; but the 
syren allures only to destroy, for she is on 
her way, insiduously to place the germs of 
blight on our fairest trees, and, unsuspected 
by her admirers, she is the mother of the 
hateful brood of green worms, that in July 
and August deform the maples by their pres¬ 
ence, and from which we shrink with dis¬ 
gust as they crawl across our path, or drop 
upon us from the trees rvhen least we expect 
such arrogance. 
To protect these most valued shade trees 
from this disgusting pest, requires less care 
than is generally necessary when an insect 
tribe makes its appearance. The habit of 
feeding in numbers together soon exposes 
the family of the Dryocampa rubicunda to ob¬ 
servation, and their situation on the ends of 
the branches, renders it easy for the gar¬ 
dener to take them off with a tree-pruner be¬ 
fore they begin to wander ; but after that 
time all care is vain, as they elude our search 
and disappear in the ground, there to remain 
until they rise again in the following spring 
to renew their ravages.— Horticulturist. 
Walking. —To walk gracefully, the body 
must be erect, but not stiff, and the head held 
up in such a posture that the eyes are di¬ 
rected forward. The tendency of untaught 
walkers is to look towards the ground near 
the feet; and some persons appear as if ad¬ 
miring their shoe-ties. The eyes should not 
thus be cast downward, neither should the 
chest bend forward to throw out the back, 
making what are termed round shoulders ; 
on the contrary, the whole person must hold 
itself up, as if not afraid to look the world in 
the face, and the chest by all means be al¬ 
lowed to expand. At the same time, every 
thing like strutting or pomposity must bo 
carefully avoided. An easy, firm, and erect 
posture, are alone desirable. In walking, it 
is necessary to bear in mind that the lo¬ 
comotion is to be performed entirely by the 
legs. Awkward persons rock from side to 
side, helping forward each leg alternately 
by advancing the haunches. This is not 
only ungraceful, but fatiguing. Let the legs 
alone advance, bearing up the body. 
We stated a week or two ago, says an 
Exchange, that farms in Vermont stood so 
much on their edge, that men with one short 
leg comriianded double wages. A corre¬ 
spondent wants to know if a man with one 
short leg commands double wages, what will 
a gent with two short legs command ? 
Slightly Embarrassing. —An Exchange 
thinks it rather embarrassing, to lift your 
hat to a lady in the street, for the sake of 
politeness, and let a couple of dirty collars 
roll out upon the sidewalk. 
One to-day\ is worth two to-morrows. 
