1871.1 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
141 
The Swiss Stone, or Cembrian Pine. 
(Pinus Cembra.) 
A few weeks ago we received from M. F. R. 
Elliott, of Cleveland, Ohio, some notes upon 
the Cembrian, or Swiss Stone Pine. Mr. E. re¬ 
gretted that a tree of so 
many merits should be so 
little planted, and sug¬ 
gested that it ought to be 
brought more prominently 
to the notice of the public. 
We regret having mislaid 
Mr. Elliott’s note, as we 
would be glad to present 
the evidence of so ex¬ 
perienced a planter in 
favor of this tree. Com¬ 
ing from the highest limit 
of tree-growth upon the 
Alps, it possesses the im¬ 
portant requisite in an 
evergreen—hardiness. No 
matter what grace of form 
or beauty of foliage an 
evergreen may present, if 
it be not hardy, it must be 
discarded from our lists. 
It possesses another quali¬ 
ty which adapts it to 
general cultivation: it is 
not at all particular about 
soils, but will grow in the 
poorest, and in the most 
exposed and unpromising 
situations. It is true it 
will grow more rapidly 
in a fine deep soil, but it 
is a satisfaction to know 
of one evergreen that does 
not need to be coaxed and 
petted, and that will grow 
and flourish in soils and 
situations in which no 
other will maintain itself. 
The young tree is of 
slow growth, and presents 
great regularity of form. 
We give an engraving of 
a specimen in the grounds 
of Parsons & Co., Flush¬ 
ing, L. I., which shows the 
appearance of the tree before it becomes old 
and broken in outline. The dark foliage makes 
it valuable in grouping with other evergreens. 
To the great majority of those who plant trees, 
one evergreen is as good as another, and we 
find place after place presenting nothing but 
Norway Spruce and Arbor Yitses. These are 
two most useful trees, but their constant repeti- 
native localities, attains the bight of fifty feet 
or more. The wood is very soft, fine-grained, 
and exhales a pleasing fragrance; it is much 
used in Europe for the interior finishing 
of houses, and is the wood from which 
the beautifully carved Swiss toys are made. 
myrsiphyllum ix flower.— (See nexu page. i 
tion produces the effect of sameness. There is 
quite a long list of evergreens that may be ob¬ 
tained, that will give a pleasing variety in 
color and habit. The flowers 'and young- 
cones of the Cembrian Pine are bright pur¬ 
ple, and very ornamental. This tree, in its 
SWISS STONE, OR CEMBRIAN PINE. 
Cheap Remedy for the Peach-Borer. 
BY M. B. BATEHAM, ESQ., PAINESVILLE, O. 
I have been more or less engaged in the busi¬ 
ness of “ peach-culture for profit” for the past 
twenty years, and have flattered myself that I 
thoroughly understood this branch of fruit¬ 
growing; but on reading Mr. Fulton’s little 
book on Peach-Culture, published by Orange 
Judd & Co., I have gained some hints which 
would have been some hundreds of dollars ad¬ 
vantage to me if I had read them before plant¬ 
ing my present orchard of 3,000 trees, six years 
ago. But my object in writing, at this time, is 
not so much to commend this book, as to make 
known what I believe to be a simpler, more 
effective, and cheaper method of preventing in¬ 
jury by the peach-borer , than any contained in 
that or any other book within my knowledge. 
In the chapter on Insects, Mr. Fulton very 
justly says: “The Borer (JEgeria exitiosa) is the 
most common, as it is the most troublesome 
enemy of the peach.” * * * '■'•But it must 
be destroyed at all events. There must be no 
truce, no mercy, if you wish to save your trees. 
If you leave even one, it will probably be the 
death of your tree, for it will eat, and eat away, 
until it will destroy it. The greatest care should 
be taken to remove all. Sometimes quite a 
number will be found in one tree. Five and six 
are not at all unfrequent; and even more will 
sometimes be found.” Then follows a descrip¬ 
tion of the methods of destroying the borer. 
The first and second 
years after planting my 
orchard, the borers were 
quite troublesome, and I 
fought them with the knife 
and wire, but still lost 
about one-tenth of my 
trees, and more were badly 
damaged. I then tried 
coal-tar , thickened with 
wood-ashes, to the con¬ 
sistence of paint or cream, 
and applied with a paint¬ 
brush around the base of 
each tree to the bight of 6 
or 8 inches. This did not 
kill the worms that were 
already in the trees, but 
was quite useful in pre¬ 
venting the moths from 
depositing their eggs, if 
the application was made 
early in June, or just be¬ 
fore they commenced their 
mischief; but the remedy 
was not completely ef¬ 
fective, because the growth 
of the trees being quite 
rapid in summer, the outer 
bark would expand and 
form little fissures, in 
which the insect could 
deposit its eggs, during 
July and August, safe from 
the effects of the coal-tar; 
and even a second appli¬ 
cation would not reach 
them all. This remedy is 
also objectionable as be¬ 
ing sometimes injurious to 
the bark of young trees 
at least, in hot weather. 
I next tried the applica¬ 
tion of tarred roofing- 
paper, in the form of col¬ 
lars fastened around the 
base of the trees, and I found these quite effect¬ 
ive and cheap, but requiring a good deal of care 
in their application. I therefore abandoned this 
method for the much better one which I am 
about to describe. 
Having read the circular of Messrs. Buchan 
& Co., of New York, describing the effects of 
their Carbolic Soap as an iusect-destroyer, I sent 
and procured a lot of that article for experi- 
MYRSIPHYLLUM IN FRUIT. 
ment, and after two years of trial, I feel quite 
safe in recommending its use as the cheapest 
and best method yet found for the prevention 
of injury by the peach-borer. (I presume it 
will prove equally effective for the apple-borer, 
